“Reporter Ha, are you really not going?”
“I think it’d be better to take a rain check today.”
“They held this dinner because they wanted to apologize to you. I hope you’ll hear them out.”
“No, please. Could you tell them there’s no need to apologize? I left because I didn’t feel so well since I have pills to take. My physician told me to stay off drinking, too.”
AD
“Ah, if that’s the reason then it really can’t be helped. It’s best to take care of your health…”
Kim Chaehwan sighed at the polite decline and skillfully wiped at his glasses.
“It was annoying, wasn’t it? I thought he was being quite ridiculous as well. After you left, the director also had a word with that kid. And he apologized immediately saying it was a slip of tongue. He seemed to be worried about you in his own way but worded it badly. He didn’t seem like a bad kid either.”
“Haha. No. It’s something I’ve heard a lot so I’m used to it. It’s nothing new so don’t worry about me. It’s already 7pm, editor-in-chief.”
Kim Chaehwan checked the time with a shocked expression on his face.
“Oh dear, time went by so quickly. I need to leave since they’re probably all waiting. I’ll take my leave first, Reporter Ha. See you tomorrow.”
“Goodbye.”
He bowed to the editor-in-chief, who hurried to the door, and then returned to his seat again. Bang- The other person that had been in the room with him disappeared with the sound of the door closing. Only then did the true meaning of silence sneak up into the energy of the prolonged night.
Click. Click.-
Only the sound of mouse clicking rang through the quiet office.
On an evening when the heat of the day had subsided, a gentle breeze carefully entered through the window gap like a new customer. The face of the person staring at the brightly lit monitor was hardened like a wax doll without expression. Neither the mechanically clicking hands nor the eyes staring at the pictures on the screen could be seen as alive anymore.
He let out a long breath. As he leaned his head back on the chair, his slightly grown hair fell to his forehead. I’ll cut it when I have the time, he thought.
When he closed his eyes, someone’s face was clearly captured by his visual lens as if they were in front of him. It was the face of someone he didn’t want to see or even remember. Perhaps it might have been better if his brain was completely broken. He hated himself remembering the face of someone he didn’t want to remember. The endless distress grew into one big mass of thought and began to reside in his brain.
Kim Taejung. What the hell are you? Who are you to make me hear that from him? What did you say? What in the world did you say to him about me? How did you act when you talked about me to him? What the hell did you two talk about? Why are you so mean to me? Why are you…
As his resentful feelings continued endlessly, his other questions began to mix in with negative emotions.
What makes him better? What exactly did you see in him? What made him so much better than me that you’d leave all our time together behind? How could you be so cruel and harsh to me? Because you love him? His looks? Qualifications? His genuine feelings? His long wait? What could have made you turn away from me? My selfishness? My contemptible heart? Bad ideals? My insubstantial dreams? My job? Or my irresponsible and egotistic heart?
His tightly closed eyes trembled with pain. It was a question with no one listening and no answer. Absolutely self-destructive, self-consuming, inefficient and unproductive, truly rubbish ideas. All that would be left was a heart with nothing but wounds. And while his thoughts were filled with resentment for a while, they grew apologetic soon after.
No, it’s all my fault.
You did your best for me. I know very well that you did. And regardless, everything blew up leaving nothing left. How could I dare replace your sacrifice, your wait, your anxiety over the past time? Even though I know this, I resent you whenever I feel hurt even a little bit. Selfishness can be quite crude. And that’s why I feel so sorry to you.
He raised a cold hand to cover his eyes. The temperature of his heated skin began to cool little by little due to the cold air. He could hear the far away sound of a drum. Boom- Boom, boom- A dull pain similar to a punch or swing of a hammer. Ha Joyoon was well aware of the origin of this pain. His long, thin eyelashes wobbled little by little in pain.
As he slowly opened his eyes, his slightly wet brown eyes glowed softly through the gap. It was only after a few more slow blinks that his focus became directed at a point on the ceiling. Pills. Coming to an obvious conclusion, Ha Joyoon stretched his arm to the side and began to rummage through the bag he had roughly thrown on the desk. He hated his body for not listening to him properly even in this situation
Thud.-
He turned to the direction of the sound disrupting the still air. The tightly closed door opened and a tall man burst into the office. It was Shin Kwonjoo. Light beams shone into the office through the door he opened. He turned on the light by clicking the switch and looked around the empty office.
“What are you doing over there? Aren’t you going for dinner?”
“…with me?”
“What did you say?”
His stretched-out eyebrows curved in questioning. As he got closer, his scent mixed with skin lotion compressed Ha Joyoon’s lungs.
“Sunbae, don’t you want to do it with me?”
“…What are you talking about?”
“Sleeping together.”
A variety of emotions quickly swept over Shin Kwonjoo. Was he one who knew how to make such colorful expressions? Ha Joyoon’s faintly twisted smile lingered around his mouth, which had previously been flat.
“…Are you trying to rebel now?”
Unsure of how to interpret the suggestion, Shin Kwonjoo furrowed his eyebrows, his glare showing his annoyance. Ha Joyoon had a confused look on his face as Shin Kwonjoo crumpled a document envelope into his briefcase.
“I don’t know why you’re suddenly making such a request.”
Shin Kwonjoo, who looked as firm as ice, pressed further. What should he say? Ha Joyoon quietly retraced through his chaotic mind. Soon after, a haphazard reason popped in his mind.
“It’s not that. I just…”
Shaking brown eyes stared blankly at the man.
“I just didn’t know what to do.”
Shin Kwonjoo’s face noticeably stiffened. His crumpled expression explained his emotional state, but he wasn’t sure what else to say besides that.
He didn’t want to be alone but he didn’t know who to be with. He didn’t want to be eaten away by the misery alone. He thought of who he wanted to be with and the only one that came to mind at that moment was Shin Kwonjoo. When he had sex, he didn’t have to think about anything, just indulging in eachother’s bodies and pursuing pleasure. That’s why he wanted to be with him. But putting all his thoughts aside, that was the only thing he could say.
Looking back at the past till now, Ha Joyoon searched for something better to say, but his gaze moved downwards and he shook his head.
“I was just wondering what brought that up.”
“…”
“Who was he?”
He questioned in a dark tone. His question was based on the premise that it was actually not their first-time meeting. The question asked immediately without any filter made Ha Joyoon close his lips as if he had forgotten what to say. He pretended to be calm, but couldn’t hide his trembling hands. Hmm- Shin Kwonjoo breathed low, lowering his long torn stare and said languidly.
“If you’re going to say ‘just someone I know,’ I’ll take my leave. I can’t afford to accept a request from someone who’s being cruel to himself.”
He felt weighted by the pressure. His eyes, which had been dizzy with hesitation, were now fixed in one direction. His lips felt heavy as if they were wearing weights.
“…He’s the one my ex is dating now.”
“No wonder. He said some nonsense out of nowhere.”
He laughed in astonishment. For some reason, Ha Joyoon’s heart heated up at the sight. He had come to acknowledge the relationship between Seo Youngwoo and Kang Taejung by saying it with his own mouth. But accepting a breakup and admitting to yourself that your ex-lover had found a new love were two completely different matters.
Suddenly, he was reminded of a scene where two people were kissing one summer night. His expression was a complex mix of both embarrassment and apologeticness but he caressed Kang Taejung’s cheek and slowly closed his eyes along with him.
“But why do you have to sleep with me then?”
He asked with his chin raised. Ha Joyoon, who was hesitant for a while, honestly confessed to Shin Kwonjoo after realizing that it was meaningless to hide it.
“I just…”
“…?”
“I want to forget.”
Sigh- The man Ha Joyoon was watching let out a sigh and opened his mouth to speak. The subtly frowned face harbored a sense of silence on the verge of exploding.
“Mr. Ha Joyoon.” The frosty voice spoke. Without giving him a chance to answer, Shin Kwonjoo quickly added.
“I’ve said this several times before but I’m not very interested in other people’s private lives. The same goes for emotional issues. I may have suggested this partner relationship to you, but that was only for sexual intimacy. I don’t want to be deeply involved in parts of your private and emotional life.”
“……”
“There’s no reason for me to deal with your emotional baggage.”
At the words, Ha Joyoon raised his head, his hands together. Annoyed and displeased eyes turned towards him without filtering. His dark eyes were filled with anger that he tried to use sex with him as a means of avoiding things. The man stopped talking for a while when their eyes met and soon wore a mask with his usual expression again, delivering the remaining bits of his intention.
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear your suggestion, so if you need someone to give you love-related counseling, I suggest you look for someone else. I don’t think you have any intentions of joining in on the company dinner, so I’ll leave first.”
“…Okay. Take care on your way.”
“…I don’t think you’re in very good condition, so if it’s not urgent work, you should wrap things up soon and go home.”
“Okay.”
He bowed in greeting and went back to his seat. He felt the stinging gaze on him but continued to stare at the monitor, having nothing else to say.
Shin Kwonjoo, who had been staring at him for a long time, turned around without a word and walked toward the door. The sound of angry shoes plodding away was particularly loud in the empty office. They seemed to be leaving him, so Ha Joyoon smiled bitterly.
Bang-
Unlike when he came in, the door closed with a loud sound as if it were broken. Disappearing without much light or a trace, the deep darkness fell atop the entire office again. The man disappeared, and the scent he possessed became a lingering scent that hovered around the tip of Ha Joyoon’s nose. His heart that barely tried to take shape was also shattered into the air with a fierce sound.
Shin Kwonjoo’s words were true. He knew this but kept forgetting, simply longing for some kind of emotional sympathy from him. With the thought that sexual attachment was scary, Ha Joyoon began to concentrate on the selection process.
The monitor screen was particularly bright but dreary. His hand moved mechanically, separately classifying copy from original and sorting out what to post on the internet. His blinking eyelids gradually lost their strength and eventually his eyes slipped close completely.
“Huu…”
With a hand on his face, Ha Joyoon let out a distant sigh. The touch on his forehead, eyes, and cheeks were full of fatigue that could not be hidden. Today felt like a year. The intense desire to leave skyrocketed.
To where?
However, the cold question that followed broke his heart. He had nowhere to go, where could he go?
He barely held back his aching breath and collapsed down on the chair. His pounding heartbeat took over his whole ears. The headache, which he had forgotten for a while, served a new reminder, wearing a devil’s smile. His parched eyes no longer held any tears. However, the emotions that were not expressed were disoriented and mixed together like a ruined paint, taking on a charred color.
Ha Joyoon suddenly began to think that the only reason he was alive was because he was breathing. He didn’t know that finding the meaning of life would be this difficult and harsh. He didn’t always dream that there would be a happy ending in his life, but he thought that even though there were pains and curves, his defense to them would grow more refined. But an ideal was simply just an ideal.
Bang!-
At that moment, the office door opened with a harsh noise. Shin Kwonjoo, who he had been talking with until a while ago came in through it in complete anger, unfazed by the sudden sound. As he got closer, his frowned expression that came into view looked somewhat angry, anxious, and impatient.
The man who came right in front of him in an instant, stretched his arm out roughly. Without giving him a chance to be flustered by the strength of the grip on his forearm and the raw emotion the other man expressed, his body quickly rose half way from the chair.
“This is why…”
The voice with a suppressed anger leaked out through his teeth. His breathing was very rough unlike usual, and his dark eyes staring straight at the other were sharp as if his glare could cut through ice at any moment. Ha Joyoon, who had been forced up, stumbled.
“This is why I didn’t want to get involved with you.”
The hand that held his arm gradually gained strength. The strong force that threatened to tear his flesh, dig through his muscles, and eventually destroy all his exposed bones, clearly showed the man’s anger.
“Ah!”
Ha Joyoon hissed and frowned unknowingly at the sensitivity of his flesh. His skin hidden under the thin cloth seemed to be torn apart by the heat. The weightless chair hit the desk, making the pens, documents, and mouse scatter and roll around the floor. Sunbae. A faint voice called him, but Shin Kwonjoo frowned as if he didn’t want to hear it and turned away from the call.
“Stand up.”
“…”
“Stand up properly. I’ll give you what you want.”
His glaring face was a mess of anger and confusion, compared to the calm way he stood. Ha Joyoon couldn’t take his eyes off his face, which was completely contrary to the relaxed and arrogant air he usually had. He didn’t realize that the power of the hand holding his arm would not loosen even as time went by.
“Sunbae…”
“Stop calling me.”
“Sunbae, I…”
“Let’s go.”
With a short answer, Shin Kwonjoo firmly grabbed his arm again. With no chance to arrange his desk, Ha Joyoon was pulled up with only his old camera bag on his shoulder. He couldn’t beat the speed of the grab, so his stumbling steps were in danger of falling down at any moment and his stride that wasn’t properly matched, were also crooked as he breathed heavily
And one, two, three.
He finally took a step away from the dark and cold hell that was no different from avīci. He had felt like a thick, smelly black liquid had wrapped itself around him and grabbed him, but the hand holding onto him did not let him go. His wrist engraved with a red mark due to the grip, shook powerlessly.
His heart felt weird. Shin Kwonjoo who accepted his senseless suggestion was also weird. His confusion filled eyes were directed towards the man next to him.
“It’s me… No. It looks like I can’t make it. This weekend…”
A low voice calling somewhere and canceling the schedule penetrated deep into the ashes of his heart. Staring at Shin Kwonjoo’s profile, Ha Joyoon had to close his eyes and hide his pain several times to swallow the hot, soaring fever within him.
“Reporter Ha, are you really not going?”
“I think it’d be better to take a rain check today.”
“They held this dinner because they wanted to apologize to you. I hope you’ll hear them out.”
“No, please. Could you tell them there’s no need to apologize? I left because I didn’t feel so well since I have pills to take. My physician told me to stay off drinking, too.”
AD
“Ah, if that’s the reason then it really can’t be helped. It’s best to take care of your health…”
Kim Chaehwan sighed at the polite decline and skillfully wiped at his glasses.
“It was annoying, wasn’t it? I thought he was being quite ridiculous as well. After you left, the director also had a word with that kid. And he apologized immediately saying it was a slip of tongue. He seemed to be worried about you in his own way but worded it badly. He didn’t seem like a bad kid either.”
“Haha. No. It’s something I’ve heard a lot so I’m used to it. It’s nothing new so don’t worry about me. It’s already 7pm, editor-in-chief.”
Kim Chaehwan checked the time with a shocked expression on his face.
“Oh dear, time went by so quickly. I need to leave since they’re probably all waiting. I’ll take my leave first, Reporter Ha. See you tomorrow.”
“Goodbye.”
He bowed to the editor-in-chief, who hurried to the door, and then returned to his seat again. Bang- The other person that had been in the room with him disappeared with the sound of the door closing. Only then did the true meaning of silence sneak up into the energy of the prolonged night.
Click. Click.-
Only the sound of mouse clicking rang through the quiet office.
On an evening when the heat of the day had subsided, a gentle breeze carefully entered through the window gap like a new customer. The face of the person staring at the brightly lit monitor was hardened like a wax doll without expression. Neither the mechanically clicking hands nor the eyes staring at the pictures on the screen could be seen as alive anymore.
He let out a long breath. As he leaned his head back on the chair, his slightly grown hair fell to his forehead. I’ll cut it when I have the time, he thought.
When he closed his eyes, someone’s face was clearly captured by his visual lens as if they were in front of him. It was the face of someone he didn’t want to see or even remember. Perhaps it might have been better if his brain was completely broken. He hated himself remembering the face of someone he didn’t want to remember. The endless distress grew into one big mass of thought and began to reside in his brain.
Kim Taejung. What the hell are you? Who are you to make me hear that from him? What did you say? What in the world did you say to him about me? How did you act when you talked about me to him? What the hell did you two talk about? Why are you so mean to me? Why are you…
As his resentful feelings continued endlessly, his other questions began to mix in with negative emotions.
What makes him better? What exactly did you see in him? What made him so much better than me that you’d leave all our time together behind? How could you be so cruel and harsh to me? Because you love him? His looks? Qualifications? His genuine feelings? His long wait? What could have made you turn away from me? My selfishness? My contemptible heart? Bad ideals? My insubstantial dreams? My job? Or my irresponsible and egotistic heart?
His tightly closed eyes trembled with pain. It was a question with no one listening and no answer. Absolutely self-destructive, self-consuming, inefficient and unproductive, truly rubbish ideas. All that would be left was a heart with nothing but wounds. And while his thoughts were filled with resentment for a while, they grew apologetic soon after.
No, it’s all my fault.
You did your best for me. I know very well that you did. And regardless, everything blew up leaving nothing left. How could I dare replace your sacrifice, your wait, your anxiety over the past time? Even though I know this, I resent you whenever I feel hurt even a little bit. Selfishness can be quite crude. And that’s why I feel so sorry to you.
He raised a cold hand to cover his eyes. The temperature of his heated skin began to cool little by little due to the cold air. He could hear the far away sound of a drum. Boom- Boom, boom- A dull pain similar to a punch or swing of a hammer. Ha Joyoon was well aware of the origin of this pain. His long, thin eyelashes wobbled little by little in pain.
As he slowly opened his eyes, his slightly wet brown eyes glowed softly through the gap. It was only after a few more slow blinks that his focus became directed at a point on the ceiling. Pills. Coming to an obvious conclusion, Ha Joyoon stretched his arm to the side and began to rummage through the bag he had roughly thrown on the desk. He hated his body for not listening to him properly even in this situation
Thud.-
He turned to the direction of the sound disrupting the still air. The tightly closed door opened and a tall man burst into the office. It was Shin Kwonjoo. Light beams shone into the office through the door he opened. He turned on the light by clicking the switch and looked around the empty office.
“What are you doing over there? Aren’t you going for dinner?”
“…with me?”
“What did you say?”
His stretched-out eyebrows curved in questioning. As he got closer, his scent mixed with skin lotion compressed Ha Joyoon’s lungs.
“Sunbae, don’t you want to do it with me?”
“…What are you talking about?”
“Sleeping together.”
A variety of emotions quickly swept over Shin Kwonjoo. Was he one who knew how to make such colorful expressions? Ha Joyoon’s faintly twisted smile lingered around his mouth, which had previously been flat.
“…Are you trying to rebel now?”
Unsure of how to interpret the suggestion, Shin Kwonjoo furrowed his eyebrows, his glare showing his annoyance. Ha Joyoon had a confused look on his face as Shin Kwonjoo crumpled a document envelope into his briefcase.
“I don’t know why you’re suddenly making such a request.”
Shin Kwonjoo, who looked as firm as ice, pressed further. What should he say? Ha Joyoon quietly retraced through his chaotic mind. Soon after, a haphazard reason popped in his mind.
“It’s not that. I just…”
Shaking brown eyes stared blankly at the man.
“I just didn’t know what to do.”
Shin Kwonjoo’s face noticeably stiffened. His crumpled expression explained his emotional state, but he wasn’t sure what else to say besides that.
He didn’t want to be alone but he didn’t know who to be with. He didn’t want to be eaten away by the misery alone. He thought of who he wanted to be with and the only one that came to mind at that moment was Shin Kwonjoo. When he had sex, he didn’t have to think about anything, just indulging in eachother’s bodies and pursuing pleasure. That’s why he wanted to be with him. But putting all his thoughts aside, that was the only thing he could say.
Looking back at the past till now, Ha Joyoon searched for something better to say, but his gaze moved downwards and he shook his head.
“I was just wondering what brought that up.”
“…”
“Who was he?”
He questioned in a dark tone. His question was based on the premise that it was actually not their first-time meeting. The question asked immediately without any filter made Ha Joyoon close his lips as if he had forgotten what to say. He pretended to be calm, but couldn’t hide his trembling hands. Hmm- Shin Kwonjoo breathed low, lowering his long torn stare and said languidly.
“If you’re going to say ‘just someone I know,’ I’ll take my leave. I can’t afford to accept a request from someone who’s being cruel to himself.”
He felt weighted by the pressure. His eyes, which had been dizzy with hesitation, were now fixed in one direction. His lips felt heavy as if they were wearing weights.
“…He’s the one my ex is dating now.”
“No wonder. He said some nonsense out of nowhere.”
He laughed in astonishment. For some reason, Ha Joyoon’s heart heated up at the sight. He had come to acknowledge the relationship between Seo Youngwoo and Kang Taejung by saying it with his own mouth. But accepting a breakup and admitting to yourself that your ex-lover had found a new love were two completely different matters.
Suddenly, he was reminded of a scene where two people were kissing one summer night. His expression was a complex mix of both embarrassment and apologeticness but he caressed Kang Taejung’s cheek and slowly closed his eyes along with him.
“But why do you have to sleep with me then?”
He asked with his chin raised. Ha Joyoon, who was hesitant for a while, honestly confessed to Shin Kwonjoo after realizing that it was meaningless to hide it.
“I just…”
“…?”
“I want to forget.”
Sigh- The man Ha Joyoon was watching let out a sigh and opened his mouth to speak. The subtly frowned face harbored a sense of silence on the verge of exploding.
“Mr. Ha Joyoon.” The frosty voice spoke. Without giving him a chance to answer, Shin Kwonjoo quickly added.
“I’ve said this several times before but I’m not very interested in other people’s private lives. The same goes for emotional issues. I may have suggested this partner relationship to you, but that was only for sexual intimacy. I don’t want to be deeply involved in parts of your private and emotional life.”
“……”
“There’s no reason for me to deal with your emotional baggage.”
At the words, Ha Joyoon raised his head, his hands together. Annoyed and displeased eyes turned towards him without filtering. His dark eyes were filled with anger that he tried to use sex with him as a means of avoiding things. The man stopped talking for a while when their eyes met and soon wore a mask with his usual expression again, delivering the remaining bits of his intention.
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear your suggestion, so if you need someone to give you love-related counseling, I suggest you look for someone else. I don’t think you have any intentions of joining in on the company dinner, so I’ll leave first.”
“…Okay. Take care on your way.”
“…I don’t think you’re in very good condition, so if it’s not urgent work, you should wrap things up soon and go home.”
“Okay.”
He bowed in greeting and went back to his seat. He felt the stinging gaze on him but continued to stare at the monitor, having nothing else to say.
Shin Kwonjoo, who had been staring at him for a long time, turned around without a word and walked toward the door. The sound of angry shoes plodding away was particularly loud in the empty office. They seemed to be leaving him, so Ha Joyoon smiled bitterly.
Bang-
Unlike when he came in, the door closed with a loud sound as if it were broken. Disappearing without much light or a trace, the deep darkness fell atop the entire office again. The man disappeared, and the scent he possessed became a lingering scent that hovered around the tip of Ha Joyoon’s nose. His heart that barely tried to take shape was also shattered into the air with a fierce sound.
Shin Kwonjoo’s words were true. He knew this but kept forgetting, simply longing for some kind of emotional sympathy from him. With the thought that sexual attachment was scary, Ha Joyoon began to concentrate on the selection process.
The monitor screen was particularly bright but dreary. His hand moved mechanically, separately classifying copy from original and sorting out what to post on the internet. His blinking eyelids gradually lost their strength and eventually his eyes slipped close completely.
“Huu…”
With a hand on his face, Ha Joyoon let out a distant sigh. The touch on his forehead, eyes, and cheeks were full of fatigue that could not be hidden. Today felt like a year. The intense desire to leave skyrocketed.
To where?
However, the cold question that followed broke his heart. He had nowhere to go, where could he go?
He barely held back his aching breath and collapsed down on the chair. His pounding heartbeat took over his whole ears. The headache, which he had forgotten for a while, served a new reminder, wearing a devil’s smile. His parched eyes no longer held any tears. However, the emotions that were not expressed were disoriented and mixed together like a ruined paint, taking on a charred color.
Ha Joyoon suddenly began to think that the only reason he was alive was because he was breathing. He didn’t know that finding the meaning of life would be this difficult and harsh. He didn’t always dream that there would be a happy ending in his life, but he thought that even though there were pains and curves, his defense to them would grow more refined. But an ideal was simply just an ideal.
Bang!-
At that moment, the office door opened with a harsh noise. Shin Kwonjoo, who he had been talking with until a while ago came in through it in complete anger, unfazed by the sudden sound. As he got closer, his frowned expression that came into view looked somewhat angry, anxious, and impatient.
The man who came right in front of him in an instant, stretched his arm out roughly. Without giving him a chance to be flustered by the strength of the grip on his forearm and the raw emotion the other man expressed, his body quickly rose half way from the chair.
“This is why…”
The voice with a suppressed anger leaked out through his teeth. His breathing was very rough unlike usual, and his dark eyes staring straight at the other were sharp as if his glare could cut through ice at any moment. Ha Joyoon, who had been forced up, stumbled.
“This is why I didn’t want to get involved with you.”
The hand that held his arm gradually gained strength. The strong force that threatened to tear his flesh, dig through his muscles, and eventually destroy all his exposed bones, clearly showed the man’s anger.
“Ah!”
Ha Joyoon hissed and frowned unknowingly at the sensitivity of his flesh. His skin hidden under the thin cloth seemed to be torn apart by the heat. The weightless chair hit the desk, making the pens, documents, and mouse scatter and roll around the floor. Sunbae. A faint voice called him, but Shin Kwonjoo frowned as if he didn’t want to hear it and turned away from the call.
“Stand up.”
“…”
“Stand up properly. I’ll give you what you want.”
His glaring face was a mess of anger and confusion, compared to the calm way he stood. Ha Joyoon couldn’t take his eyes off his face, which was completely contrary to the relaxed and arrogant air he usually had. He didn’t realize that the power of the hand holding his arm would not loosen even as time went by.
“Sunbae…”
“Stop calling me.”
“Sunbae, I…”
“Let’s go.”
With a short answer, Shin Kwonjoo firmly grabbed his arm again. With no chance to arrange his desk, Ha Joyoon was pulled up with only his old camera bag on his shoulder. He couldn’t beat the speed of the grab, so his stumbling steps were in danger of falling down at any moment and his stride that wasn’t properly matched, were also crooked as he breathed heavily
And one, two, three.
He finally took a step away from the dark and cold hell that was no different from avīci. He had felt like a thick, smelly black liquid had wrapped itself around him and grabbed him, but the hand holding onto him did not let him go. His wrist engraved with a red mark due to the grip, shook powerlessly.
His heart felt weird. Shin Kwonjoo who accepted his senseless suggestion was also weird. His confusion filled eyes were directed towards the man next to him.
“It’s me… No. It looks like I can’t make it. This weekend…”
A low voice calling somewhere and canceling the schedule penetrated deep into the ashes of his heart. Staring at Shin Kwonjoo’s profile, Ha Joyoon had to close his eyes and hide his pain several times to swallow the hot, soaring fever within him.
