My Company Is Black

#Side Story 03

Staying overnight at a coworker’s house was a first in Hwi-kyung’s long regression life.

Jung Hwi-kyung would rather sleep on the street than impose on someone else’s home. He also didn’t particularly like letting others into his living space.

If he hadn’t passed out due to his poor mental state, he would never have stayed overnight at Gyo-ha’s officetel. Unlike Hwi-kyung, Gyo-ha would knock on Hwi-kyung’s front door regardless of the situation.

[Make yourself comfortable.]

Liu’s house wasn’t particularly spacious. Like typical American houses, it had a garden, but the lawn was unmaintained and overgrown with weeds. The interior consisted of just one bedroom, a living room, a narrow kitchen, and a bathroom with rusted pipes.

To be fair, Hwi-kyung was living in a spacious house thanks to Gyo-ha, and Liu’s house was considered good for his age and occupation. In any case, having a personal space without other roommates was rare.

Hwi-kyung awkwardly leaned against the living room sofa, like someone wearing ill-fitting clothes. Though obviously bad for his spine, the plush beanbag material was perfect for a half-lying position.

Though it was just a flat tire, his whole body ached as the tension released. While he was fortunate not to have hit a guardrail or wild animal, he felt bad about the incident caused by his decision to drive in the early morning.

[Are you going to call your partner?]

[No. I don’t want to make them worry unnecessarily.]

[But if you’re staying overnight, I think it would be better to call ahead. They might misunderstand.]

[What misunderstanding?]

[Staying overnight at another man’s house—wouldn’t they be jealous? You said you weren’t going to tell them about the accident either.]

Liu, who had been rummaging through the refrigerator to offer something, turned to look at Hwi-kyung. He was holding frost-covered beers in both hands, posing like a cheap beer model.

[A coworker isn’t exactly a stranger. And Gyo-ha knows you. He saw you at the party.]

[Will your partner really think that way? That a coworker isn’t a stranger?]

[He probably won’t even notice I’m staying out overnight because of his graduate school.]

That damn graduate school.

Hwi-kyung felt his chest tighten whenever he thought about Gyo-ha’s graduate school. In Hwi-kyung’s view, graduate school wasn’t an ivory tower of knowledge but closer to a degree-selling business. Very few people attended because they genuinely wanted to study; most wasted money and time to buy degrees to show off to others (this is entirely Jung Hwi-kyung’s opinion).

But Gyo-ha was completely trapped by that graduate school. Hwi-kyung should have seen it coming when Gyo-ha showed interest in time travel and artistic philosophical thinking. Hwi-kyung grew to dislike graduate school a little more each time Gyo-ha came home late.

What kind of industry-academic collaboration research could keep someone this busy? Companies at least paid people for their work, but graduate schools extracted labor without pay, holding graduation as hostage. How absurd!

Holding back from telling him to leave the lab even if it meant graduating late was Hwi-kyung’s last struggle to avoid becoming an annoying partner.

Whenever Hwi-kyung worked overtime, Gyo-ha would whine that the company should disappear, but Hwi-kyung didn’t want to be annoying about Gyo-ha coming home late. He knew that if he complained, Gyo-ha wouldn’t be annoyed but would instead jump for joy that “Hwi-kyung is finally showing jealousy.”

What law in any country allows disturbing a busy person just because it’s hard to see their face? Hwi-kyung had enough “reason”—enough to satisfy Kant—to contain his affection, obsession, and annoyance toward his partner.

[By the way, Hwi-kyung.]

[Yes.]

[I think your phone’s been ringing for a while.]

[What?]

[Did you put it on silent? From where I’m sitting, I can see the screen lighting up repeatedly.]

Hwi-kyung, who had been sipping the beer Liu gave him like water, finally checked his phone at those words. He’d been so distracted that he hadn’t even thought to check his phone. If Liu hadn’t mentioned it, he would have realized about the calls only in the early morning.

There were dozens of missed calls from Gyo-ha. The calls were dozens, but the messages exceeded hundreds. Most just contained “ㅠㅠ” and “Where are you?”

[Why aren’t you answering the phoneㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]

[Nothing’s happened, right?]

[I came home but]

[Hwi-kyung isn’t here]

[I’m so so scaredㅠㅠ]

[You didn’t run away from home, did you?????]

[Am I being abandoned like this?]

[Hwi-kyung]

[ㅠㅠㅠㅠ]

Lee Gyo-ha was always such a handful. Hwi-kyung unconsciously distanced himself from the phone screen. Though he was only reading text, he could almost hear Gyo-ha’s voice.

His hand holding the beer can tensed automatically. Just moments ago, he’d been determined not to be an annoying partner, but seeing Gyo-ha, the embodiment of annoyance, his mood improved like magic.

Hwi-kyung immediately pressed the call button. The call connected right away, barely after a few rings.

– Hwi-kyung!

Gyo-ha’s booming voice rang through the receiver. Hwi-kyung distanced himself from the phone again at the voice loud enough to make his semicircular canals ache.

– Where are you!

“I’m sorry I didn’t see your messages. I’m at a coworker’s house right now.”

– What? Why?

“Just had some business. I’ll return early in the morning.”

He couldn’t possibly say he’d driven in the early morning to see Gyo-ha and nearly died when something like a deer or yak jumped out. If Hwi-kyung told the truth, Gyo-ha would be horrified. Since Hwi-kyung became mortal, Gyo-ha had been particularly obsessed with his safety.

Being forbidden from cigarettes, alcohol, and even coffee was frustrating enough; how could he handle being forbidden from driving too? It would be hopeless to lose car keys in America, not Korea. Besides, Hwi-kyung didn’t want to hear lectures about safe driving from Gyo-ha of all people, who frequently made sudden stops.

– Can I come pick you up?

“I said I’ll come in the morning. Don’t worry and get some sleep. You finally came home after a long time.”

– ……

“When do you have to go back to school again?”

It was good that he didn’t mention the accident to avoid causing worry, but he failed to hide the bitterness in his words. Hwi-kyung continued, hoping it wouldn’t sound like jealousy or nagging.

“It’s been more than a day or two since we last saw each other. Don’t worry too much. I’m just staying out once.”

Liu, who had learned Korean from morning dramas and couldn’t understand properly, had his mouth wide open. Though he didn’t understand the words, he instinctively knew that Gyo-ha would soon rush to his house.

That’s how impactful Hwi-kyung’s words were. Jung Hwi-kyung seemed to think he was speaking maturely, but to others, it didn’t sound much different from Gyo-ha’s messages filled with “ㅠㅠ.”

– I’ll come over. Please just tell me the address.

“I said just go to sleep.”

– Please. I’m begging you.

Gyo-ha obtained Liu’s house address just minutes later. It wasn’t Hwi-kyung but Liu who gave Gyo-ha the address, saying his bad premonition was never wrong.

[Couples are really intense…]

Despite not fully understanding the Korean conversation, Liu wore a disgusted expression. Couples… please keep me out of your arguments…

* * *

The entire way to Liu’s house, Gyo-ha’s mind was a mess. Hwi-kyung was staying overnight at a coworker’s house, of all places? This was a serious matter.

Jung Hwi-kyung had gone through regressions sixteen times and mastered all sorts of certifications, yet he never acquired a warm personality. Some personality traits don’t change even after dying and awakening multiple times.

The personality that preferred sleeping on the street to imposing on someone else’s home was Hwi-kyung’s core. Given Hwi-kyung’s character, which chose personal losses over inconveniencing others, it didn’t make sense for him to enter a coworker’s home without reason, no matter how close they were.

Even staying at Gyo-ha’s officetel had been due to fainting from mental instability. Gyo-ha was imagining all sorts of scenarios because of Hwi-kyung’s declaration about staying out.

Clearly, an accident serious enough to warrant imposing on a coworker’s house for a day had occurred. Rationally, this was the most probable explanation. However, Lee Gyo-ha was made up of 80% emotion rather than reason.

“How could Hwi-kyung, from a Confucian country, stay overnight at another man’s house…”

Despite having our home! Despite having me! He’s staying out overnight!

Though it wasn’t very obvious due to his bright and healthy personality, surprisingly, Lee Gyo-ha was an #obsessive.