Hyunjae trudged out of the office like someone had just asked him to single-handedly solve the world's problems. Rain slicked streets glimmered under the city lights, and neon signs flickered like they were mocking his existence.
Hyunjae (thinking):Survived another week. Survived life itself. Somehow. Barely.
He ducked into a quiet bar, hoping for a drink and maybe—just maybe—a moment to feel human.
Then he saw her.
Yejin.
Sitting at a small table, hair slightly messy, posture casual but controlled. She didn't look up, didn't flinch at the crowded bar, just… existed. Somehow, that made him both calm and panicked at the same time.
Hyunjae (thinking):Oh no. She's… here. Calm. Perfectly calm. And I'm… me. Great.
He slid into the booth across from her before thinking twice.
"Hyunjae," she said, voice soft, measured. Not excited, not awkward, just aware.
"Yejin," he said, voice tight. He cleared his throat like a man about to give an unprepared speech to a room full of interviewers.
Her father appeared, tall, broad, serious—a man who could command a room without raising his voice.
"Hyunjae," he said, nodding. "Good to see you again."
Hyunjae (thinking):Of course. He's here. The man who would silently be there for every life choice I've ever made. Naturally.
"You know Hyunjae," her father continued. "I trust you. She's… well, you know. Take care of her."
Hyunjae blinked. He knew her family already. They liked him, trusted him. And yet… somehow this felt like an ambush.
Hyunjae (thinking):I can't mess this up. She's trusting me… and I'm probably already failing at everything.
Yejin smiled faintly. Not dramatic, just a small curve of her lips.
Hyunjae (thinking):She's smiling… at me? Or at my obvious incompetence? Definitely not happiness. No way she's genuinely happy, no not about me.
Every tiny gesture—adjusting her hair, tucking a strand behind her ear—felt like a coded message he couldn't decipher. He concluded: she must be tolerating him out of duty, pity, or some unspoken sense of obligation.
Hyunjae (thinking):I will work harder. I will earn her approval. I will somehow repay her for… something. Everything. Probably everything.
A coworker's text buzzed on his phone.
"We need you to sort out these files for us"
Hyunjae ignored it. Now was not really the time for this, he could deal with it later.
She caught his gaze for a brief moment. Her smile didn't widen, didn't falter.
Hyunjae (thinking):She's happy… maybe. Or just tolerating me. Who knows what she's thinking.
Hyunjae left the bar, rain misting his coat. Briefcase in one hand, heart slightly heavier than usual.
Hyunjae (thinking):Duty. Honor. Gratitude. Repayment. She'll never see it, but I will make her proud. Somehow.
Yejin walked beside her father, calm as ever, thinking:
He doesn't see it… but I'm genuinely happy. I just don't know how to show it.