True to his words, that one night was an exception. Taehyun is determined to make Kai's stay as short as possible, which meant making his day-to-day as unbearable as it can be.
Only the bodyguard seems just as determined to stick around. It's infuriating.
The fact that he's there all the time, it's infuriating. It's infuriating when he talks, when he walks behind Taehyun, when he stays silent despite Taehyun's efforts to rile him up.
Kai is infuriating, his entire existence is.
When Kang Taehyun lays on his couch, hearing for the fifth time that night a fit of coughing behind the door followed by a few sneezes, he thinks. Kai is so infuriating, so how come Taehyun wants to be picked up by him again?
Surely, it can't be that he liked it. Because he hates Kai, just like he hated the ones before him. Just like he came to hate Rio.
The only answer was that he was severely touch-starved after all those months cooped up at home. He doesn't have anyone to pour that kind of affection on him, and not does he wish for someone to.
At that moment, it just felt... not all that horrible.
Taehyun shudders under the covers, nauseated by the thought of having liked... that. Anger bubbles in him, how dare Kai pick him up without his permission. Does he think Taehyun will warm up to him through those low means?
Taehyun throws a slipper on the door. "Can you shut up?" he yells when Kai's coughing becomes too bothersome. He rolls his eyes, slowly getting up from the couch. He goes to his medicine cabinet where he is almost positive, he keeps the earplugs at.
He finds two orange ones out of silicon and pushes them into his ears.
..................
The door won't open. Which means the pest of a bodyguard is still leaned on it, sleeping. Explains why he hasn't heard his screeching voice nagging at him to hurry up. If he's going to be a bother, shouldn't he at least be helpful and awake to do his job?
Taehyun pushes his entire weight on the door, managing to push Kai along with it. "Hey, Doggy!" he pounds on the door. "Are you kidding me?" he hisses.
Kai stirs awake. The pounding of Kang Taehyun on the door is strikingly similar to the pounding in his head. He feels extremely hot and sticky, his throat dry and raw.
Taehyun walks around Kai, to the car. He stands there, foot tapping on the ground. "I don't have all day. You know what, keep on sleeping." he crosses his arms on his chest. "I much rather go to work alone."
Ki glares at him, even the moving of his eyes in their socket seems to hurt. His body is heavy when he gets up, he rubs his eyes. "Sorry, that was unprofessional of me-" his words come out scratchy and hoarse. And apparently unpleasant to the ears.
Kang Taehyun winces in disgust and dismissed Kai's apology with his hand. "Stop, stop talking. Just start the car."
Kai bites his lip; his shoulders go up as he cowers into himself, not having expected a scolding first thing in the morning. He walks to the car and his body aches.
He can barely focus on driving. His clothes are soaked in sweat, he doesn't need to see to feel their dampness.
It has been a few good years since Kai had gotten sick. He takes pride in taking care of his health, not like the task was hard considering he has a good job that pays him well and he's often living comfortably. There hasn't been many times Kai had put himself in situations where he might get sick.
Until now, that is.
He coughs into his fist, shaking. The car sways a bit to the side.
"Focus on the road. I'm too young to die." Kang Taehyun warns without his eyes looking at Kai. "For a bodyguard you're not so careful." he scoffs. "Why did they even hire you, I've seen lap dogs much more fit than you, you're just as good as useless-" his voice trails off when he locks eyes with Kai through the rear-view mirror and catches a single tear falling across the bodyguard's face.
