His language was utterly crude. It wasn’t the kind of talk befitting an executive well past thirty, but Haejeong had no qualms about it whatsoever. Munyeong unconsciously had to fight down a smile. That rough, unpolished way of speaking was so identical to how he’d been in school — it was almost surreal. It had been over ten years since they’d last seen each other… and he was exactly the same as he’d been ten years ago.
“You wanna die?”
He was spilling honey water on himself and yet still directing his anger at Munyeong. Out of habit, Munyeong lowered his head.
“I, I’m sorry.”
“All you do is sorry this, sorry that?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“What department are you under.”
“…I’m not really under any department… I’m just a cleaning staff member.”
“What, so you’re one of Dongjin’s guys?”
Dongjin was the section chief’s name — the one who managed their team. Munyeong gave a small nod. It seemed Haejeong didn’t recognize him at all. Which made sense. With his cap pulled down low and his mask on, the only part of his face that was visible were his eyes.
“That’s right.”
“Sounds like I’ll have to tell him to keep better tabs on his staff.”
“……”
“What’s your name.”
“…What?”
“I said, what’s your name. I need to know it so I can report you to him for doing a sh*t job.”
“…Im….”
Munyeong had risen all the way to the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t bring himself to say all three syllables out loud. Unless Haejeong had lost his memory entirely, even if he couldn’t recognize a face, three syllables of a name might click. Munyeong wanted to avoid being recognized.
“Can’t even talk?”
“…Im Sunyeong.”
“What?”
“Im… Sunyeong.”
“Ha.”
Upon hearing the name, Haejeong let out a brief baffled laugh and stared at him. Munyeong couldn’t read anything in that direct gaze, and stood tense for a moment, hands clasped together.
“Sunyeong. Right. Im Sunyeong.”
Haejeong let out a scoff as if it wasn’t even funny, and dropped both long legs up onto the table. As the sun climbed higher in the sky, the sounds of people outside the office began to grow. Growing more anxious by the minute, Munyeong deliberated for a long moment before carefully venturing to speak.
“Um….”
“What.”
“…Would it be all right if I finished cleaning?”
“What?”
“Oh, I, I haven’t finished yet….”
On the day a new executive arrived, the office had to be left even more immaculate than usual. Not a single trace of the previous occupant could remain.
“Do it or don’t.”
At the offhand reply, Munyeong moved quickly. Everything was supposed to be done before the other staff arrived for work. If he ran late, the section chief would be calling him immediately. He could finally clean around the desk area — the part he hadn’t been able to get to because of Haejeong. It was like a ten-year-old weight lifting off his chest. Just then, the office door swung wide open without any warning.
“Yeon Haejeong!”
It was a voice like the roar of an angry tiger. The one who startled wasn’t Haejeong himself, whose name had been called, but Munyeong, who had been rushing through his cleaning.
“What are you doing here right now, huh?”
He couldn’t tell exactly who it was, but it was clear enough that this was someone of higher standing.
“Ah, whatever.”
Unlike the other person, who seemed urgent, Haejeong was utterly unruffled.
“Whatever? You definitely know Father has a breakfast meeting today. Don’t you know today’s your inauguration? Before the inauguration, Father wants to—”
“Sht. You’re so fcking loud.”
“Hey, I told you to fix that mouth of yours. We sent you to America to grow up and this is what we get—!”
“Grow up? You just wanted me out of the way because I was a nuisance.”
Do they not know I’m here…? Munyeong had frozen mid-task, standing there like ice without meaning to.
“Do you have to talk like that every single time?”
“That’s exactly why you called me back from America, isn’t it. Because I was sleeping around with guys over there and the gossip got ugly,”
At the blunt crudeness of it, the other person squeezed their eyes shut and covered their face, as if struck dizzy. A sound full of exhaustion escaped from the man’s lips.
“Stop. Stop it, Haejeong.”
“As long as I show up properly for the inauguration, isn’t that all that matters?”
“……”
“Just leave me alone instead of making a scene before I do something at the inauguration.”
Haejeong snapped at the other man, who was clearly older, and flopped back down onto the sofa. Even at that level of arrogance, the other man said nothing more — just let out a long sigh, then added calmly,
“Are you really not going home. Not even once.”
“That’s not my home. I haven’t been there in over ten years.”
“Haejeong.”
“If I go, I’ll just be fighting with Mom— no, with Representative Chu every day. You’re better off without me there, hyung.”
“Then at least go sleep at a hotel. Why are you doing this at the office. It doesn’t look good for the staff either.”
“I already got blacklisted from every hotel around. So I can’t get in. Mom’s doing, isn’t it?”
“…Ha. I didn’t know about that.”
“Who else would pull something like that besides Representative Chu.”
“Even so, you’re going to stay here like some homeless person?”
“Then what, should I go to a f*cking motel? I’m not going to a place like that alone. You know why motels are called motels. Because they’re for getting laid and rolling around in. If I go, I’m bringing someone with me — you okay with that?”
“…I swear, you’re going to be the death of me before my time.”
“Not my problem.”
“God, this guy, seriously…”
The other man kept raising his trembling fist into the air and lowering it, over and over, trying to keep himself in check. Munyeong had known Haejeong had a foul mouth, but learning that he spoke this way to his own family was news to him. At the sight of him being so utterly consistent, Munyeong struggled to hold back a laugh. Then — having apparently made some sound — the man who appeared to be Haejeong’s older brother turned his gaze toward Munyeong, who was crouched down under the desk.
“Who’s that?”
“Cleaning.”
“What?”
“Cleaning staff.”
“…You should have said something if someone was here…?”
The man seemed to have had no idea Munyeong was there at all — he muttered through clenched teeth.
“Didn’t you hear me? I said, cleaning staff.”
“What do you mean by that.”
“I mean, why would you bother worrying about some janitor.”
“Hey, are you seriously not going to watch your mouth?”
“Ha. I hate Korea so much. Every little thing’s a whole ordeal. So f*cking exhausting.”
Fed up with what must have sounded like endless nagging, Haejeong complained irritably and threw himself back down on the sofa. Exasperated by the sheer stubbornness of it, the man couldn’t stop sighing — and turned his attention toward Munyeong, who was behind the desk.
“Please consider this as something you didn’t hear.”
“…Oh. Yes.”
“If you go around talking carelessly about any of this….”
