A Heart He Calls Home
Ever EnoughWith Huisoo (going into the fifth month now), life had never been better, but there were times when life was not always the easiest; just like this seemingly-never-ending week of business flights and tables.
This was the type of week which drained him out. It was his longest business trip of the year, the one which he always avoided. Three countries and five cities in five days, he seriously went extra miles to close lots of deals. Worst of it, he suffered the route march (as he named the trip) with no company (three co-workers and one personal assistant should not be counted as companies), since his Hyoyeon Noona, his multitasking secretary, had been taking her pregnancy leave for five months—she promised him five months and assured him that nothing would happen to Dae Hwan Korea during her leave. To Jongin, there was truth in it because last month, he had picked a temporary replacement for Hyoyeon’s charge, following Minseok’s wish and a few of Baekhyun’s recommendations, and things had not changed that much in the company. But still, the business trip almost broke him in the neck. Or maybe not really the trip; maybe the people and things he should deal with.
Uncomfortable hotels, weird food, and sleepless nights were like a genocide to him. But, on top of all, long flights and heavy turbulence were his most hated enemies. If he had not done it for the sake of his family company which had not stopped maintaining its leadership position in industry for more than 20 years, he would gladly commit a suicide right now.
During that pathetic week and those critical days in his life, God in fact had not left Kim Jongin alone. The gracious heaven had sent him a friend like Luhan who had voluntarily flown away from his hometown in Beijing to Chongqing, to where the Dae Hwan’s president had come to his lowest point of tolerance in enduring the week.
He was in Beijing two days ago when the Beijing young man rang him, asking where his hotel was. The call ended with a promise to see him there, but of course it could not be that easy. Therefore, after taking care of his own work, Luhan called again and made a promise with the younger under the name of their friendship to see him wherever he was. There was this feeling like taking care of the guest, now that he was in his own hometown. During this time, it was always Jongin and the other Korean guys taking care of him in Seoul.
Despite the fact that Chonqing was not his birth place, although he knew little about the city, Luhan had managed to find interesting things in the town and had become a good host to the younger. As the result, seven hours before his flight, the Gege had taken Jongin to a shabby but well-known drinking place in the town and had presented him a short walk around the city hall to show the Korean guy how the locals welcomed the new year.
When it was time to leave, they drove together to the airport where Jongin’s trip partners had been waiting. They separated there, Luhan was supposed to wait for his flight back to Beijing in one hour later, while Jongin took off first. To his last stop before finally going home. To the last business deal before he could rest his heart in Seoul.
He exhaled. It really had not been a good week in anyway.
The team had not stayed more than three hours in Macau after signing a MoU for a heavy metal equipment corporation. His team had tried to convince him to stroll around and to check-in for a hotel once again, to which he refused. He could no longer prolong his discomfort. He longed to go home so soon that it almost felt like an ache.
But who said it was easy. Apparently, the week had turned into a survival struggle when his flight, his last space seperating him and his home, was delayed. The guy exhaled. At this point, he was not in a situation where he had more energy to even blow up although he secretly wished this would be the last pinch before his eternal joy. Maybe he just needed to survive once again.
An hour sitting with a phonecall to Huisoo (who had finally managed to pick up the call since her surgery schedule often disallowed her to connect right away with him), Jongin could gather all of his broken spirit to embark onto the aeroplane; pleased that he at least got one damn good reason to board into the aircraft.
Succesfully loaded, he pushed his seat back and shut his eyes really closed, hoping when they shut open later, it was Seoul’s sky they saw for the first time. It must be good to be home; and to get away from all of this .
Well, perhaps was an understatement, because as the aeroplane landed in Incheon, the snow was intense. It was even very much thicker than the icing of the cake in Jongin’s and Huisoo’s engagement day (you can’t imagine that). And everyone did not even have time to process what had just happened during eight hours and forty five minutes flight when the pilot personally announced their biggest apology to the passengers for the belated-landing time.
“What’s happening?” Jongin rose from his spot before asking his co-worker behind him.
“It's the snowstorm, Sir” His co-worker said, “The plane was going around and around in the sky for two hours before it went down safely. It was a tight match.” He said while laughing.
“None of you woke me up?” Jongin asked, catching the other male off guard.
“We thought you must- ”
“Don’t forget my baggage.” Jongin snapped directly before taking long strides toward the the exit door,
Comments