Minjae's POV
I pushed myself fully upright, dusting off the back of my trousers even though the floor had been clean. The cold from the concrete had seeped through the fabric, a dull chill that matched nothing of the warmth spreading through my chest.
Shoving my phone back into my pocket with a slow exhale, I straightened my tie, pulled my team lead's mask on, and walked out of the hallway, only to find Sungmin hyung still at his desk, his head in his hands, looking like he hadn't moved an inch. Bongseon noona was scrolling through her phone with aggressive disinterest, but I caught her glancing toward Junwoo's closed office door every few seconds with concerned eyes. The air was still the same as it had been before the call.
"Everything's okay?" Sungmin Hyung asked without looking up, his voice muffled by his palms, which almost made me jump, as I wasn't in such an attentive state to think he would notice my presence next to him, and with his face in his palms, who would think he could notice me?
"Yeah, fine," I said with a heavy sigh as Taekwang's apology on behalf of Joohwan hyung echoed in my ears. "Just a personal call, you know," I added, settling back into my chair.
"Oh, such a good boyfriend you are, giving time even in this disaster moment. You are really something, Tim-jang-nim," Sungmin hyung said, finally lifting his head.
The words died on my tongue when I saw His eyes. They are red-rimmed and came from more than just exhaustion. And the hollows of his palms had left deep marks on his cheeks as if he'd been pressing his hands against his face enough to force him to ground himself. Or maybe to hold himself together.
I swallowed the teasing comeback to myself; it's not the right time to tease each other, though Sungmin hyung has started; I can't ignore the state he's in. "You okay, hyung?" I asked, putting my hand on his shoulder.
Sungmin's POV
I blinked at him, caught off guard by the question. Instead of playing along, instead of letting out a teasing comeback, he just looked at me with those earnest eyes. And somehow, that question annoyed me more than it should have. Like I didn't already know this wasn't going to work out.
A humorless laugh escaped from my lips. "Me?" I shook my head, the bitterness spilling out before I could stop it. "Of course, I am totally fine. Like, who would have thought that our dear manager would really trust my judgment and drag us all to that restaurant immediately to make the offer?"
I poured out all my frustration, my sarcasm, before I could reel myself back in. Minjae's body went frozen for a second; he didn't even move his hand from my shoulder, and Bongseon had stopped pretending to scroll through her phone. They are both staring at me now.
"I mean, really," I continued, throwing my hands up in the air with a deep inhale. "What was I thinking? Oh, this could be a good excuse if I say that I found a better chef; he would let go, and I would have time to know more about that chef before offering. Also, I thought Junwooo would just ignore it like he always does."
I shook my head as I spoke. "But no, not this time. This time, he actually listened. This time he actually believed it and look what we got: a big fat "NO" right to our faces." I laughed again as if I had lost my mind; of course, I had.
"I shouldn't have told you that I found a chef in the first place and just have accepted my fate, but look, no,w Junwoo is locked in his office, probably rethinking every life choice that led him to trust me."
"He's not--" Minjae started, but I immediately cut him off.
"We don't know that," I said flatly. "We don't know anything right now because he won't come out and talk to us."
The silence that followed my own outburst felt louder than anything I'd said.
Minaje's hand was still on my shoulder, not moving like he wasn't sure if he pulled his hand off, I would just collapse on the floor like glass. Beongseon had placed her phone face down on the desk. Not scrolling anymore. Just sitting with me in the mess I'd made of the last five minutes.
I started at Junwoo's closed office door. The glass was covered with curtains, the nameplate with his name shining like pride that was ripped by a flat "no" from a stranger in an apron.
I let out a shattered breath that I have been holding on to too much, "Sorry," I muttered, not specifically as if I am saying to the air. "I don't know why-- Never mind." I stopped. Pressed my lips together, not knowing what I was about to say.
Minjae didn't say anything. He just gave my shoulder quite a squeeze before letting go, which somehow was worse than any stupid response he could have given me. Beingeson picked her phone back up. Pretened to scroll again. But I caught her glancing at me once, quickly, the way she does when she's worried but knows I don't want to be handled.
I sank into my chair and closed my eyes.
What are you even doing, Han Sungmin?
The restaurant came back to me like an uninvited guest again, the steam curling off the bibimbap, the way the first bite had tasted like something I hadn't realized I was missing…My home... The way Joohwan had walked past our table without looking at me, like I was furniture in his restaurant. Like the bridge hadn't happened. Like none of it had.
And maybe to him, it hadn't.
Maybe I was the only one carrying it around like it meant something.
I pressed the heels of my palms against my eyes until I saw white.
It doesn't mean anything. It was just a dream, and the person just happened to be real and connected somehow. But you don't even know him. stop—
My phone screen lit up on the desk, pulling me out of the thoughts that were consuming me. I pulled my hands off my eyes and looked at my phone from the corner of my eye.
My kid
I blinked, stared at it for a full second, recalling when I had a kid before my brain caught up.
Right. Rooyeol. I saved him as "My Kid" after he fell asleep in the car last week, and I couldn't bring myself to change it.
I cleared my throat, sat up straight, and answered before the second ring
"Hello, Rooyeol-ah, what's the matter?"
His voice came through, carefully quiet, like he was talking to me secretly without getting caught by anyone. "Hyung, sorry, I know you'll be busy, but emomma wanted to come home once—"