33
Ojun wondered if time was allowed to pass this quickly as he watered his plants. He blinked, and suddenly it was D-day.
Choi Wooseok, the Director with an impatient personality, had kindly sent a message on the morning commute asking if Ojun remembered.
-You haven’t forgotten our appointment today, right?
-No.
Ojun sighed deeply enough to sink into the ground.
-Have you sorted out your thoughts well?
“Are you mocking me?”
Ojun had spent the past three days busy. It was half voluntary, half involuntary. He had to handle odd jobs given by the Center Director, and after work, he needed to spend time at the hospital.
Thoughts of Wooseok occasionally rummaged through his mind, but Ojun quickly erased them.
In conclusion, Ojun hadn’t sorted out his thoughts at all. And he spent his entire workday today thinking, “What should I do?” A text message arrived on Ojun’s phone.
-Can you leave work on time today?
Should I say I have to work overtime? Ojun hesitated momentarily. But they had to meet eventually anyway. It seemed better to meet when it was at least a little less dark than in the middle of the night.
Just as Ojun was about to reply, the Center Director’s office door opened.
“Secretary Yoon, I need to go somewhere. Can you help me?”
“Yes, sir.”
What happened to the executive secretary? Ojun wondered, then remembered that the executive secretary had taken an urgent half-day off this afternoon. Swallowing a sigh, Ojun took the Center Director’s car keys and headed to the underground parking lot.
-I need to drive the Center Director somewhere. Please wait for me at the bar first.
-I’ll wait for you.
Ojun sighed as he saw the immediate response.
It took over two hours to drive through congested rush-hour traffic to the location the Center Director specified, then to the Director’s home. The Center Director, pretending to be a nice person, held out taxi fare to Ojun.
“You must be tired. Take this for the ride home.”
“…Thank you.”
If you know I’m tired, stop dragging me around. Ojun politely accepted the money while outwardly expressing gratitude. Refusing the money out of pride would only be a loss.
When Ojun arrived at the bar, it was a little past nine. Wooseok was sitting alone at a bar table. Ojun approached with slightly hurried steps and sat next to Wooseok.
“I’m sorry.”
Ojun apologized. However, Wooseok didn’t respond. Feeling something was a bit strange, Ojun turned to look beside him. Wooseok was quietly staring at Ojun with a smiling face.
“Today it’s ‘I’m sorry’?”
Wooseok asked. Again. Again. Again. This is bullshit. Ojun didn’t respond. He hoped Wooseok would realize on his own that his joke wasn’t funny.
Wooseok handed Ojun a menu. Ojun scanned through it.
“Kill Bill, please.”
When Ojun ordered the cocktail, Wooseok burst into giggles.
“…What’s so funny?”
“The cocktail name suits you well.”
“Me?” Ojun asked again, and Wooseok nodded. I don’t think that movie is about someone taking taxi fare from their revenge target and going home.
“Does the Center Director make you work overtime often?”
“Well, he has me do as much as he needs.”
“Sounds like he uses you a lot.”
Ojun neither confirmed nor denied Wooseok’s words. The bartender served Ojun’s cocktail.
“What an asshole.”
Wooseok added in a monotone voice. The bartender glanced at Wooseok, then returned to his position.
Ahem. Ojun, who was downing his Kill Bill, almost choked. A sweet lychee scent traveled down his throat.
“That day.”
Wooseok, who had been watching Ojun drink his cocktail, began. Memories of that day and the countless things Wooseok might say next came to Ojun’s mind. He fidgeted with the glass.
“What did the Center Director say to you?”
“…Pardon?”
However, when an unexpected topic beyond all his predictions emerged, Ojun was taken aback.
“The day he told me that the kids would be deployed on fewer missions.”
“……”
Wooseok had slightly turned his body to face Ojun.
Ojun pondered how to interpret Wooseok’s words. It was also about how to interpret the relationship between Wooseok and himself.
“Is this concern? Or an interrogation? Which one?”
Ojun asked in return.
Wooseok blinked blankly at Ojun’s words. Wooseok’s expression made it seem like he hadn’t considered the ‘interrogation’ angle, which slightly reassured Ojun.
“Did I make you misunderstand something?”
Wooseok’s smile turned bitter.
“I was worried. I know Kim Jinsung can be quite ruthless. You said you would have quit long ago if you could, right? That statement kept bothering me.”
Wooseok spoke in a calm voice. While Ojun kept backing away, Wooseok wasn’t doing the same. Fuck. Ojun glared at the innocent glass.
“If you don’t want to talk about it…”
“He asked about my mother.”
“…What?”
Wooseok’s pupils trembled slightly. Ojun chose his words carefully to prevent the mood from becoming too downcast.
“Despite how I look, I’m the breadwinner of my family. It was like, ‘If you get fired from here, do you have somewhere else to go?’ That kind of thing.”
“Ah…”
Wooseok became solemn. Ojun didn’t handle well when others reacted this way to his story. He didn’t like even momentarily thinking he might have said something wrong.
“That son of a bitch. May his three generations trip and fall in shit.”
Ojun said in a composed voice. Though it might have seemed too mild to be considered a curse, he meant it. At this, Wooseok’s brows slightly furrowed.
“I meant for you to laugh.”
When Ojun said this, Wooseok let out a deflating sound and laughed faintly.
“…You’re kind. Even telling me when to laugh.”
Wooseok offered a strange critique. The word “kind” wasn’t an appropriate comment for someone who had just cursed another person, but Ojun felt a bit better from Wooseok’s compliment.
“You seem good at finding things to compliment.”
“Not bad, right?”
Wooseok raised his glass and lightly clinked it against Ojun’s. Cheers. It was a modest toast.
As he said, everything wasn’t bad. Even though Ojun was working unexpected overtime and meeting an uncomfortable one-night stand. Ojun nodded with a light smile.
“Then could you listen to one of my concerns?”
Though he didn’t understand why the word “then” was attached at the beginning, Ojun agreed. What is he going to talk about? The tension that had been dissipating suddenly returned.
However, Wooseok talked about how juniors would always leave their coffee untouched when he made it for them when they visited his office. He couldn’t understand what the problem was since his coffee was perfect. Another laugh escaped from Ojun’s lips.
“How could coffee time with a boss ever be enjoyable?”
At Ojun’s words, Wooseok pointed at himself with his index finger.
“I’m genuinely a good boss. My kids always say there’s no one like me.”
What an old-school boss. Ojun made his judgment. Wooseok objected, saying he was still in his twenties, so that couldn’t be the case. Such unremarkable conversations continued.
“We’re almost at closing time now.”
The bartender announced. The bar closed at 6 AM.
Wooseok hailed a taxi for Ojun. As a secretary, Ojun had to be at work by 8 AM, so time was tight.
After showering and changing clothes at home, Ojun headed straight to the Center. Though he wasn’t heavily drunk, he wasn’t entirely sober either, feeling dazed.
-Must be tired going to work without sleep. I’ve left coffee on your desk, please drink it.
It was a message from Wooseok. Ojun picked up the coffee placed on his desk. Then he noticed a shopping bag placed next to his chair. It was Wooseok’s clothes that he hadn’t been able to take back because the Center Director had suddenly dragged him away yesterday. Despite being in plain sight, Wooseok hadn’t taken them back.
Something feels off. Ojun only then realized that he and Wooseok hadn’t discussed what they actually needed to talk about. Ah, you idiot. Ojun berated himself.
***
Jihwan was determined not to act like a fool during the second flight demonstration practice. After practicing alone multiple times, he successfully managed to fly to the airfield while calmly carrying Minjae.
Minjae took out the rope he had brought and pulled Jihwan closer by the waist. Jihwan quietly held his breath.
“Ready?”
Minjae asked. Yes. Jihwan answered, wondering whether breathing started with inhaling or exhaling. At Jihwan’s response, Minjae frowned and held his head with one hand.
“Um… Was my voice too loud?”
Jihwan asked in surprise, almost whispering. Minjae shook his head.
“Hangover.”
“…Hangover?”
Minjae waved his hand as if he didn’t want to talk more. Then he sluggishly approached and placed his hand on Jihwan’s waist. Jihwan thought that somehow looked a bit cute.
Jihwan wondered how Minjae ended up drinking last night, with whom, and how much, but feeling it wouldn’t be appropriate to ask more, he embraced Minjae’s waist.
Jihwan attempted a rapid descent with Minjae, just like before. The next step would be to draw a large circle in the air, do three back tumbles, fly in a straight line, and then do three forward tumbles to succeed. Phew. Jihwan took a small deep breath.
When they descended close enough to the ground to be visible to the imaginary audience, Jihwan straightened his body as if bouncing back.
Since there was no place to step on and leap from, using core strength was important. Otherwise, it would look ridiculous. Jihwan tightened his arms that were holding Minjae.
“You’re doing well.”
After landing on the ground, Minjae quietly praised Jihwan.
“What? What did you say?”
Jihwan, who had been focusing all his attention on safety, thoughtlessly asked Minjae. Minjae looked at Jihwan for a moment, then smiled slightly.
“I said you did well.”
Did he really say I did well? Jihwan pinched his own cheek. What are you doing? Minjae frowned.
“This isn’t a dream, is it, Sunbaenim?”
Jihwan asked. Minjae didn’t answer. It’s not a dream. Jihwan answered by himself. He felt like he was floating from his toes to his head even without using his powers.
“Sunbaenim, wasn’t today a bit fun? Today was a dragon roller coaster, not a cable car?”
“Dragon roller coaster?”
“Yes. Oh, have you never ridden a dragon roller coaster either?”
Jihwan wanted to talk about the thrill of the dragon roller coaster, just as he had talked about the cable car before. Minjae seemed to be thinking about something as he looked at the airfield stretching behind Jihwan.
“Yeah. I wasn’t tall enough. Back then.”
Does he mean when he was young? Jihwan looked at Minjae’s face. His expression was too dark for someone talking about going to an amusement park in childhood.
“But at least you’ve been to an amusement park.”
Jihwan added in a playful voice, trying to break the silence. Minjae erased his expressionless look and produced a faint smile.
“But if you drive the train like you flew today, all the kids would…”
Minjae let his words trail off. And suddenly, he began to tremble.
“Sunbaenim?”
The rope ring connecting Jihwan and Minjae made a rattling sound. Jihwan barely managed to support Minjae as he collapsed.
Jihwan burst through the door into the Guiding Room.
“Director!!!”
Jihwan looked for Wooseok. He was calling out almost like a scream. Wooseok, who was walking out wearily, saw Jihwan carrying Minjae and his eyes widened.
The private ward door opened roughly. Jihwan rushed in and laid Minjae on the bed. Wooseok followed. Wooseok pushed away Jihwan, who was bending over Minjae.
“You, get out.”
“I…”
Jihwan stumbled as he tried to stand up, getting caught in the rope. Wooseok quickly removed the rope from Minjae’s waist and sent Jihwan out of the Guiding Room.
***
It was impossible to know how much time had passed. When Wooseok approached and offered tissues, Jihwan realized he had been crying the entire time.
“How is Sunbaenim? He suddenly started trembling… He was fine just before… Is Sunbaenim sick somewhere?”
Jihwan asked.
“Hey, it’s okay. It’s nothing serious. Just… he has anemia, that’s why he’s like that.”
Wooseok was too calm for someone whose close friend had suddenly collapsed and been carried by a junior. Jihwan couldn’t believe Wooseok’s words that it was nothing serious.
“Anemia? If it’s severe enough to make him collapse, it must be serious.”
“He’ll wake up soon. It’s not something to worry about.”
He tends to exaggerate a lot. Wooseok patted Jihwan’s shoulder, then disappeared, leaving only the instruction not to enter the room yet as it was still off-limits.
Exaggerating? Jihwan was certain that what he had heard was a lie.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
