8:58 p.m.
Go Hoon arrived at the factory just in time—thankfully, he wasn’t late. He rushed into the locker room, changed swiftly into his work uniform, and checked his phone again. Still no updates. Bae Jung-yoon hadn’t read his message.
“…Nothing bad happened to him, right?”
The unease wouldn’t let go. Go Hoon tried calling again, but once more, there was no answer. Part of him wanted to keep calling until Bae Jung-yoon finally picked up, but his shift had already started. He couldn’t just stand around glued to his phone. With no other choice, he dragged his feet toward his post.
“Hello.”
“Yeah. Greetings to you, too.”
Right then, the Factory Manager appeared. Go Hoon gave a quick bow, but the man suddenly stepped in close, sniffing loudly near his face.
Go Hoon instinctively held his breath. Too late. The Manager had already caught the scent.
“You been drinking?”
Jesus, what a bloodhound. Was the smell that strong? He’d checked himself outside and didn’t think there was any trace.
“I just had a bit. Barely a sip.”
“You crazy bastard…! Are you outta your mind?! Showing up to work drunk?!”
The Manager exploded the moment Go Hoon replied.
“It wasn’t enough to get drunk.”
“Who gives a damn whether you’re drunk or not?! You know how many dangerous machines are in here?! Lose focus for one second, and you could lose a finger—just like that! Nobody else is gonna look after your body for you! That’s on you!”
There was no defense. He was right—Go Hoon had been reckless.
Lately, it felt like he couldn’t stop screwing up around the Manager. First the no-show, now showing up with alcohol on his breath. The man was probably thinking, What a piece of work. Even if he rolled his eyes and muttered something like, Kids these days, tsk, Go Hoon really had nothing to say for himself.
Sure, there were always reasons behind what he did. But he didn’t feel like pouring his heart out to the Manager. Even if he told the truth about why he skipped work, he probably wouldn’t be believed. And explaining why he drank would mean dragging Kim Yeo-jin into it—and he wasn’t about to blurt out her story. Not when she likely wouldn’t want that.
So instead, Go Hoon simply lowered his head.
“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
“Goddamn it… Because of you, I swear… Look, don’t touch the machines today. Go move some materials instead.”
“Okay.”
Surprisingly, that was the end of it. The Factory Manager looked like he had more to say but bit it back. He pointed toward the materials storage and effectively banished Go Hoon to the corner.
Knowing he was in the wrong, Go Hoon didn’t argue. He silently carried out his new task. About three hours passed like that.
Business Major Bae Jung-yoon
[Just got home]
[Did you make it back okay?]
12:08 a.m.
A reply from Bae Jung-yoon—finally. The moment Go Hoon saw the popup, he immediately stopped what he was doing and stepped outside the factory. He hit the call button, and the line didn’t even ring once before it connected.
– “Hey, Hoon.”
“What the hell happened? What about Park Ki-cheol? Did he go to the hospital?”
The second he heard Jung-yoon’s voice, Go Hoon unleashed a flurry of questions.
Jung-yoon answered calmly, explaining everything in an even, steady tone.
– “I called an ambulance and sent Ki-cheol sunbae off. The hospital ran some basic tests—nothing serious came up. But he was still kinda out of it from the booze, so I talked things over with his mom.”
So it wasn’t serious. That was a relief. If he could, Go Hoon would’ve run to the hospital right that moment to see for himself. But he was still stuck at work.
That aside… what kind of conversation did Jung-yoon have with Ki-cheol’s mom? How did he explain the situation?
“…You’re not gonna get reported or anything, right?”
But the question that came out wasn’t the one he’d been thinking. It slipped out before he could stop it. Only afterward did Go Hoon realize how misplaced it was.
Back in that alley, when they parted, he’d been scared of Bae Jung-yoon. So why was his first instinct now to check if he was okay?
Maybe it was a leftover reflex from his time as a cat. Back then, Jung-yoon had been his guardian. If anything happened to him, it would’ve affected Go Hoon directly. So naturally, he worried. Well… it’s not like he hadn’t grown attached to the guy either.
But even after leaving Jung-yoon’s house, that instinct hadn’t faded. His mouth moved before he could think—reflex over reason—and that startled him.
Judging from the long silence on the other end, Jung-yoon hadn’t expected that question, either.
– Haa…
A low sigh drifted through the line, more breath than voice.
– “Were you… worried about me, Hoon?”
There was a strange lightness in Bae Jung-yoon’s voice, almost like he was amused. Go Hoon opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
What was he even supposed to say? “Worried” didn’t quite fit. He could still vividly recall what had happened—how calm Bae Jung-yoon had looked, even with Park Ki-cheol bleeding at his feet.
While Go Hoon hesitated, the memory replaying in his mind, a soft laugh echoed through the phone—completely at odds with the tension. Then came another question.
– “And you?”
“…What?”
– “Did you get Yeo-jin home alright?”
“Oh…”
So he was talking about Kim Yeo-jin.
“Yeah. She seemed pretty shaken up, so I stayed with her for a bit to calm her down.”
Go Hoon rubbed the back of his neck as he answered.
This time, what came back was a dissatisfied exhale.
“What?”
He asked, confused. The response he got was completely out of nowhere.
– “I was just thinking… what if you two ended up catching feelings?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Seriously? Now? Of all times? Go Hoon frowned at the completely off-topic remark.
– “If it’s not like that, then that’s good.”
That answer rubbed him the wrong way even more.
And if it was? So what? It’s not like Jung-yoon had any interest in Kim Yeo-jin. Why even bring it up? Go Hoon opened his mouth to say something, but the words stuck in his throat. There was a strange tension he couldn’t name.
“Hey, Go Hoon! What the hell are you doing over there—slacking off?!”
The Factory Manager’s voice shot across the air like a whip, cutting through everything. Go Hoon turned toward the factory entrance. The man had somehow noticed his absence instantly and was now glaring daggers at him.
The textbook image of a tyrant boss. Not that Go Hoon had much room to argue—he had stepped away.
“Ah, shit… Just a second!”
Clutching his phone, Go Hoon quickly blurted out,
“Hey, I’m working right now. I’ll call you back later.”
– “Alright. Got it.”
Jung-yoon replied, the edge of a smirk audible in his voice.
– “Try not to fall asleep on the job.”
Probably a jab at how Go Hoon used to nod off during lectures.
Right—I was supposed to tell him to delete those pictures.
The thought struck him the moment the call ended, but it was already too late. All he could do was stare blankly at the phone in his hand.
“You little punk! You coming or what?!”
The Factory Manager’s voice rang out again. Go Hoon shoved his phone into his pocket and rushed back to work.
As expected, he got chewed out.
“What, you think this place is your personal playground?!”
The Manager scolded him for over ten minutes straight without letting up.
During break time, Go Hoon sat slumped in a chair, working the stiffness out of his shoulders. That’s when the Factory Manager quietly came over and stood next to him.
“Hey.”
Go Hoon glanced over, answering without much emotion.
“Yeah?”
“I’m just saying… if something’s going on, talk to me. Don’t bottle it up.”
Apparently the scolding had left him feeling a bit guilty. For him to come over and say something like that… it meant he was concerned, in his own gruff way.
Go Hoon let out a short laugh at the man’s tsundere tendencies, then replied with quiet firmness.
“I’m fine. Really. Don’t worry.”
***
After finishing his shift and finally getting home, Go Hoon all but collapsed into bed. But rest never came.
Again and again, his dreams played out the same brutal scene: Bae Jung-yoon swinging a metal pipe straight into Park Ki-cheol’s skull.
In reality, Go Hoon had been pinned under Ki-cheol and hadn’t seen the blow directly. But in his dreams, it played out in gruesome detail from every angle— this time, like a drone shot from above.
Clang!
The harsh, metallic crack jolted him awake.
“Gah… Haa…”
Breath ragged, Go Hoon gasped as his eyes flew open. A yellowing ceiling swam into view, and his tense body finally relaxed, bit by bit.
Sunlight poured through the window. Judging by the brightness, it had to be around midday. Staring blankly at the light, Go Hoon slowly pushed himself up. His body felt like lead.
“Ugh…”
A pained groan escaped. The muscle aches had kicked in— no doubt from last night’s scuffle with Ki-cheol.
“…My nightmares really know how to get creative.”
He shook his head with a bitter smile.
The strange thing was, the protagonist who always showed up in them… wasn’t the one who had actually hurt him.
It was always Bae Jung-yoon.
Always.
Once he woke up, the only image that stayed with him was Jung-yoon’s. So yeah—“protagonist” was probably the right word.
Go Hoon rubbed his neck and rolled his head from side to side. His spine cracked with a loud, bone-deep pop.
He hadn’t gotten nearly enough sleep. And with dreams like that, it didn’t feel like he’d slept at all.
He turned to glance at the wall clock. No wonder the sun felt harsh—it was already close to lunchtime.
Dragging himself up, he shuffled into the bathroom. In the mirror stared a man with dark circles practically reaching his jawline. He looked like he was carrying the weight of the whole damn world.
After a quick face wash and brushing his teeth, he headed to the kitchen. He grabbed a bottle of water and drank straight from it, gulp after gulp.
His throat burned. Probably still dehydrated from the alcohol.
His eyes landed on a lighter sitting by the sink— the one he’d fished out of his pants before tossing them in the wash.
A cheap lighter from some pool hall. He stared at it for a long moment, then threw it into the trash.
Needing something warm to settle his stomach, he filled a pot and set it on the stove. As he reached for the instant ramen packet, a thought popped into his head:
I should text Jung-yoon.
But when he picked up his phone, he saw there was already a message waiting. It had come almost three hours ago.
Business Major Bae Jung-yoon
[Hoon]
10:07 a.m.
[Still sleeping?]
10:12 a.m.
