Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Seo Hoyun was having a midlife crisis.

This wasn’t one of his trivial, day-to-day problems—like miraculously falling sick during an important exam, accidentally forgetting an assignment due just a few days ago, or unknowingly offending someone for some reason. Those were manageable, to an extent. A day or two of mourning and self-reflection was usually enough for him to bounce back to his normal self.

But he just had to make this mistake. He was a fool.

"I told you that guy was shady, Hoyun," Seonghyun remarked, slowly dragging the soju bottle away from Hoyun’s sight. "Even Jeong thought so too."

"Ugh, that’s basically saying I look shady too."

'Kinda true, though.'

"No, it isn’t."

"Yes, it is." Hoyun insisted, wobbling as he forced his hand to point at himself.

"Everyone in that class looked shady. No—scratch that—the entire department looks like it’s being run by questionable middle-aged men who've raised children past the age of five."

"Look now, you’re just exaggerating."

Seonghyun successfully removed all the alcohol they’d bought earlier from Hoyun’s view. A few more minutes of conversation, and this poor guy would be knocked out. That much, Seonghyun could put up with.

"That fucker is going to pay, I swear. He even had the audacity to drain every last won from the project and leave a note. A fucking note, man! No messages, no emails, nothing—just a note! Like he planned this from the start!"

"Yes, yes, I know."

"And then when I—"

"You do realize you’ve told this story more than five times now?"

"Really? Do you realize the amount of fucks I give is also zero?"

Seonghyun sighed, maintaining the composure of a mature and responsible adult—unlike the person sitting across from him, who was acting like a brat. His thoughts drifted to ways he could escape this situation as soon as possible, but it seemed futile at this point.

"Hoyun," he started gently, "why not take a rest for a moment, yeah? I’m sure you’ll figure things out once you’re sober."

"Yeah. Pretty sure four hours of sleep will do wonders for my mental health."

"It’s literally break. You have no reason to pull all-nighters this time. Just listen to me, okay?"

"Aw, when have I ever listened to you?"

Eyes twiching, Seonghyun clears his throat. "Ahem. As for your roommate situation, I’ve already told the others to spread the word, so you should probably expect a message soon."

If someone was actually willing to message him, that is.

Hoyun was painfully aware that his personality wasn’t exactly the most approachable of the bunch. It was already a miracle that his former roommate—who had chosen to transfer schools at such a bizarre time—managed to put up with him for the few months they lived together.

Not that they were close in the first place. Their schedules just happened to be so convenient that they never had vacant periods at the same time. Hoyun also worked as a freelancer, so even when they were in the boarding house together, the chances of running into each other were practically zero.

In fact, Hoyun had only seen that guy a total of five times. The first two were during the moving-in process and when he had to hand over a duplicate key after realizing he’d lost his spare. The other three? Just random glimpses at school.

That’s right. School.

Which meant they had only interacted twice at the boarding house.

That alone spoke volumes about his social skills.

"Never knew you had a masochistic side, Hyun-hyun."

"Gross."

Seonghyun blinked, his face contorting into a look of pure disgust.

Yeah, Hoyun was honestly surprised he even had friends—real, breathing people who willingly put up with his absurd requests, tolerated his dogshit personality, and still chose to stick around despite his questionable life choices, like getting caught by an obvious scam.

It was a mystery, really.

"First of all, never call me that again, you bastard. Second of all, what the fuck?"

"Whatever. I can’t do this anymore."

With that, Hoyun dropped to the ground, startling Seonghyun, who still had the not-so-empty soju bottles behind him. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Seonghyun got up, dragged his friend to bed, and started cleaning up once he was sure Hoyun wasn’t about to go for another round of drinks.

Even in his drunken stupor—five bottles in—Hoyun kept rambling about revenge, which led Seonghyun to believe he was finally free to leave.

What he didn’t expect was to completely regret leaving the bastard that night.

Chapter Text

Seo Hoyun remembered the day he first saw the seemingly harmless letter placed on his desk at the administration office. It lay neatly atop a small mountain of lab papers—freshmen submissions he was supposed to review and compile into a report over the weekend. About a fourth of the pile remained untouched, each sheet covered in horrendous handwriting, making the task of skimming through them an unpleasant experience.

'Still manageable. Professor Yoo wouldn’t need them until his last class session of the day.'

Not that convenience or time was an issue. Hoyun had long since mastered the art of juggling tasks like these—it was practically his specialty. Teachers often sang his praises for the quality work he managed to pull off just an hour before the workday ended, which only encouraged him to continue his usual last-minute approach. If not for his naturally blunt way of speaking, he might have even gotten better job opportunities and connections rather than the looks of contempt from his collegues.

But alas, a complete personality change overnight was an impossible feat for someone like Hoyun.

However, there was now an unexpected flaw in his usual routine—his clothes were soaked. Pushing his damp hair back, he shrugged off his coat and draped it over his chair. Small droplets of water dripped from the hem of the leather, and after a moment of hesitation, he opted to toss the piece of clothing into a corner of the room instead.

What a way to start the morning.

To his left, one of his coworkers was focused on typing up a presentation, completely ignoring Hoyun’s presence. It was the senior who always arrived first at the office and was the last to leave. They never really got along, but their relationship was decent enough to exchange small talk when they were the only ones around.

"Ah, hyung, did someone come into the office earlier?"

Silence.

Hoyun received no response. Of course he didn't; the guy was wearing earphones.

"Okay, nevermind."

Since his senior barely gave a damn about his surroundings, the letter probably wasn’t that important. There was no need for Hoyun to read it now. He had more pressing matters to attend to—especially with break just a few days away. His overwhelming desire to do absolutely nothing for the next week overrides his passion for procrastinating until the last minute. No way was he going to waste precious rest time on work.

So, he needed to clear his backlogs as soon as possible and hand everything over to the professors.

Well… except for his thesis. And freelancing.

Still, aside from those, he was nearly set for break. Idly, Hoyun thought about how to spend his upcoming free time and suddenly remembered the group chat with his friends. He could always ask if anyone was free to hang out, or he could just wait for them to make plans first.

It was really convenient having such active friends—Hoyun never had to be the one planning anything.

'Oh, right.'

It was about time he visited Hojin, too. The thought had almost slipped his mind amidst the excitement of finally getting some extra free time.

With that, Hoyun pulled out his phone from his bag and fired off a text:

The Best Hyung
-Hey, when are you free?
7:36 a.m.

Figuring he wouldn’t get a reply right away given the time, Hoyun turned his attention back to the letter—and the daunting stack of papers beneath it.

“Damn. Guess I’ll deal with this later.”

For all he knew, the letter could be some kind of prank. Shrugging, he slipped it between the pages of one of the books stacked in front of him. That way, he’d notice it later, after finishing his reports.

He just really, really hoped it wasn’t one of those ridiculous confession pranks.

Not that he’d ever received one himself, but he’d seen enough cases to know they were just plain cruel. It always left a bad taste in his mouth watching someone get humiliated like that.

Bless his soul for being intimidating enough to never be a victim.

After 10 minutes of analyzing hieroglyphics for a simple titration lab report, his phone lets out a ping! and Hoyun squints his eyes at the message.

OwesMe30000Won
-you sound like a creep, hyung lol
7:48 a.m.


The Best Hyung
- Asking for my own brother's free time is wrong now????
7:49 a.m.

-Why are you even texting? Are you skipping class?
7:49 a.m.

OwesMe30000Won
-I'm not like hyung who goes to school late and skips classes
my record is spotless compared to hyung's 80% attendaace
7:49 a.m.

attendance*
7:50 a.m.

The Best Hyung
-Phone?
7:50 a.m.

OwesMe30000Won
-teacher's late:p
7:53 a.m.

The Best Hyung
-Right.
7:53 a.m.

-I'll be visiting home next week
7:53 a.m.

OwesMe30000Won
-woah really? is that why you asked when I was free hyung? are we going on a trip????
7:53 a.m.

The Best Hyung
-Wow, of course not. I was obviously asking because I've directed loan sharks to your address after missing a year's worth of loan
7:54 a.m.

-They're going to collect from us in more ways than one. So be prepared, Hojin.
7:54 a.m.

-I didn't know how to inform you. Typing this was so hard
7:55 a.m.

-I'm sorry, Hojin.
7:55 a.m.

OwesMe30000Won
-lmao what???? hyung???
7:55 a.m.

-have them come then. I'll have them groveling on my feet if they dared setting their dirty hands on our home
you should also fight too, hyung. we're in this together
7:56 a.m.

-...Hyung, are you being fr?:(
8:15 a.m.

The Best Hyung
-Still so gullible
8:16 a.m.

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
8:16 a.m.

OwesMe30000Won
-HYUNG!!
8:16 a.m.

-NEVER DO THAT AGAIN ITS NOT FUNY
8:16 a.m.

-FUNNY*
8:17 a.m.

-YOU ALMOST MADE ME PACK MY THINGS!!!
I WAS ABOUT TO ASK HIYEON IF I COULD CRASH AT HIS PLACE!
8:17 a.m.

The Best Hyung
-And let your only hyung fend the loan sharks all alone? How cruel
8:20 a.m.

-You're the idiot for falling for it. You should've known if that were to happen; I'd call you the second I've received the news.
8:20 a.m.

-The hell will I get for dragging it out through text? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
8:20 a.m.

OwesMe30000Won
-this is why people hate you hyung
8:26 a.m.

The Best Hyung
-A unique talent in itself
8:26 a.m.

Seeing that he’d been left on read, Hoyun sighed and set his phone down. Without another thought, he began typing new entries for his report. Outside, the rain poured relentlessly, the steady drumming against the window mixing with the rhythmic clatter of keyboards in the otherwise silent room.

He’d apologize to Hojin later.

He'd set a proper date and time for their trip during break.

It had been a while since they’d last enjoyed anything together. Life had been pulling them in different directions—his responsibilities piling up one after another, and Hojin drowning in SAT prep and college entrance exams. Between all that, there was barely any time to simply be together as family.

Because that’s what they were.

The only family they had left.

If they had even one relative to turn to, things might have been slightly different. Maybe then, Hoyun wouldn’t have to bear the weight of it all alone—wouldn’t have to hold himself together on the days he barely managed to function. But ever since their parents died in that accident, he knew from the very beginning that their situation was hopeless.

The moment they were told of their parents’ passing, Hoyun had already braced himself for the road ahead.

The challenge of raising his younger brother.

The challenge of continuing his own education.

The challenge of managing the sad household left to his dispense and keeping their finances afloat.

There were nights where exhaustion clung to him like a second skin, weighing him down so heavily that the mere thought of opening his eyes the next morning felt unbearable. But he always did. He had no choice but to.

It was cruel, even Hoyun acknowledges it. A sick joke played by the universe at his expense.

But it's not like he suffered the most in this world. Hoyun was slightly grateful for that.

And today, with the gray skies and endless downpour, he was reminded of the last time he saw his parents—when they still existed, when they still had a place in his world and were brimming with life.

Until they didn’t.

They were nothing more than names on a headstone, buried deep beneath the earth, erased from the present.

And that was the day Seo Hoyun became an adult. Whether he wanted to or not.

'…Truly a shitty day.'

"Is that you, Seo? This might be the first time I’ve ever seen you work so diligently."

Hoyun looked up from his desk at the familiar voice, spotting another senior from the administration office—one of his fellow TAs. It was Hyungseok, a graduating student and, as everyone liked to say, the unofficial dad of their small group of colleagues. Known for his easygoing personality and the way he looked out for everyone, he had a habit of checking in on his juniors—Hoyun being no exception.

"Hyungnim, good day."

"Doesn't seem like a good one, but sure," the senior who had approached him chuckled, glancing at his wristwatch. "I think it's about time you take a break and grab some lunch. The others already went ahead, but I wanted to check if you were coming."

"I can't make it this time, sorry."

"I see. Making the most of it before break, huh? Huge respect, man!"

"I’ll join in another time, hyung."

His senior smiled at the assurance.

"Definitely! You're always welcome to join us, Seo. Good luck with your work."

"Okay, hyu—"

"Ah, I nearly forgot!" His senior suddenly exclaimed. "Have you read the letter yet? A friend of mine from the engineering department asked me to pass it along to you, but I had to be here ridiculously early today, so I couldn’t hand it over personally. Have you seen it?"

"Yeah. I haven’t had the chance to open it yet, but I’ll get to it soon."

"Good to know!"

Hoyun’s gaze drifted toward the envelope wedged between the pages of the book in front of him, curiosity slowly creeping in. Maybe he should read it while eating lunch? His senior had mentioned it was from someone in the engineering department, and Hoyun only knew a handful of students from there—even fewer that he actually interacted with. That meant this letter might be...

No way.

"Hyung, is the person who sent this from—"

Before he could finish, Signals by THRICE suddenly blasted through the quiet office, cutting him off mid-sentence.

Both of them froze.

His senior stiffened as the unmistakable song continued playing at full volume, echoing off the walls. And just like that, Hoyun’s question was left hanging in the air as the man immediately turned on his heel and bolted out of the room, phone pressed to his ear.

Even from a distance, Hoyun could hear the frantic whispers through the hallway.

…Well, that was awkward.

Mustering some resolve, Hoyun plucked the letter from between the pages. His fingers, hesitant yet tinged with an odd sense of excitement, carefully tore open the envelope. The weight of curiosity pressed against his chest as he unfolded the first page—only to find several smaller papers stacked inside.

And then he read it.

Look, so we had to back out at the last minute. Sorry about that.

But hey! Once I talk things through with the finance manager at OOO Enterprise, I’m pretty sure we can get back 20% of the money—plus interest—within a year. Isn't that great? This is just the beginning of our investment!

Anyway, I’ll be busy for a while, so don’t bother looking for me. But by the time we see each other again, I’ll make it up to you with a drink! I’ve also included copies of the receipts here, so feel free to check them over.

Hoyun felt his pulse hammer against his temples.

A laugh—sharp, humorless—almost escaped his lips.

'Twenty percent?'

He thought incredulously.

A whole year for just twenty percent of his money back? This was supposed to be a partnership, not daylight robbery! He had poured a significant sum into that so-called "promising opportunity," trusting the numbers he had contributed, the projections he was assured, the promises he had been given. The project was set to begin soon—as in, right now. And yet, here he was, holding a half-assed apology and a handful of receipts like some kind of consolation prize.

His hands tightened around the paper, knuckles turning white.

Had he been scammed? No. That word wasn’t enough. This wasn’t just some simple case of fraud—it was a complete rip-off, a calculated deception that left him stranded with nothing but an IOU and the mocking assurance that ‘things would work out.’

The sheer audacity of it made his stomach churn.

If he ever saw that bastard again, drinks were the last thing he’d be accepting.

He was about to go insane.

Chapter Text

Hoyun took heavy breaths, hands shaking so much the note nearly ripped from the pressure. So many things were going through his mind, but all led to one collective thought;

Finding that bastard.

The flimsy papers crumpled further beneath his grip, the rough edges of the torn envelope barely held together as pieces fluttered down to the floor. He didn’t care. All Hoyun could see were the words etched onto those damn sheets—receipts.

The door of the office slammed open, echoing through the otherwise silent corridor. A few heads turned, but Hoyun paid them no mind. He was already halfway down the hall, and his heart pounded against his chest.

"Hey, Hoyun? The cafeteria is the other way—" One of the other TAs called out, but he ignored it. There was no time to explain.

The laughter and idle chatter from the other rooms faded into static. The rhythmic tapping of his shoes against the linoleum matched the frantic beat of his thoughts. He needed to find him. Confront him. Demand an explanation. Anything but stand there, for God’s sake.

‘A year for 20%? You’ve got to be kidding me.’

Every step he took fueled the frustration gnawing at his chest. He'd been careful, meticulous even, but apparently not enough.

And now, the bastard was indeed nowhere to be found.

Hoyun’s frustration was palpable as he made his way from the administrative wing toward the engineering department. The distance between the two buildings was anything but short. Through the large windows lining the hallways, the gray sky loomed above, and the rain continued its steady descent. He barely registered the occasional gust of wind rattling the glass or the puddles forming along the outdoor pathways.

A part of him wished the weather would match his anger — a proper storm, thunder roaring and lightning striking. But instead, the dull, lifeless drizzle only served to irritate him further.

The engineering building came into view after what felt like an eternity. Cutting across the main courtyard, Hoyun’s steps quickened. His damp shoes squeaked against the floor when he entered, the warmth of the indoors offering no comfort.

As he stormed past the bulletin boards plastered with announcements and faded event flyers, he barely registered the people in his path. They whispered, some recoiling from his tense demeanor, but none dared to stop him.

“Hey, isn’t that the senior who Yeri Noona said to look out for?”

“What is he doing here?”

“ Shit . Seeing that face just gave me flashbacks from last sem.”

“He really doesn’t care about anyone but himself, huh?”

By the time he reached the end of the hallway, Hoyun’s breath was ragged. He paused for a brief moment, chest heaving, before shoving open the next door with far more force than necessary.

But when Hoyun opened the door, no one was present in the room. It was relatively a big space sheltering the different projects left behind by the other engineering students. Stray parts of machines cluttered the floor carelessly, a few bags were seated on the chairs of students that had arrived early for the next class period.

But there, from the farthest seat, Hoyun saw a person’s back. A person wearing the typical campus sweater, and on their shoulder was a laptop sling bag. It seemed like they were rummaging through it, finding something.

Hoyun, with little to no more sense of rationality, moved out of instinct to grab the only person with him in the room. The silence was suffocating him, and all he wanted was to know where that bastard was. Or anything, something that might be useful information so he could start tracking that fucking guy down—

“Excuse me?”

“Have you seen Sim Yi Jae–”

“What the fuck?!”

The guy, who had been fiddling with his stuff earlier, fully turned his body toward him and ripped off Hoyun's grip. There, Hoyun saw that the guy still had his hood on and was wearing a pair of sunglasses as well. But even with the shades, Hoyun could feel the glare burning down his skull. There was something about that person that gave Hoyun the feeling they were surprised — not just surprised, but confused — as to how or why he was here.

"Don’t touch people randomly, weirdo," the guy snapped, taking a step back. His eyes flickered over Hoyun, the hood still casting a slight shadow over his face. Then, his gaze lowered.

"Jesus, man," he scoffed, "Did you walk through a typhoon or something? You're making a mess."

'This place was already a mess before I entered.'

Hoyun barely registered the remark. The water pooling beneath his shoes, the way his sleeves clung to his skin—it all felt secondary. His anger was too loud, too demanding. But the guy’s comment forced a sliver of awareness back into him.

Well, it made sense. Hoyun couldn’t argue with the fact that he should be anywhere but here. Technically, Hoyun’s usual place— his own department, the administration office, and the library — were a fair distance away from the engineering department.

And yet, here he was, seething and irrational, fueled by raw emotions.

“Where is he?”

Hoyun managed to breathe out, but the statement only made the other guy more convinced he was a madman. The guy tensed up, his eyes narrowing behind the dark lenses. In one swift motion, he grabbed a plastic pipe from the scattered engineering scraps — a pathetic weapon, but a weapon nonetheless.

“I don’t know–”

“I know that bastard Sim Yi Jae is the department head or something, so why can’t you just tell me where he is so I can bash his head into a wall.”

“You’re fucking insane!” The guy concluded, sounding like he couldn’t believe the situation he was in, brielfy wondering if he was reinacting a thriller-themed nightmare.

“Even if I knew where he is, why would I tell a lunatic his location?!”

“You don’t know anything. He’s the lunatic.”

“Fucking psycho!”

The guy shrieked as he tried pushing Hoyun out of his way, pipe still in his grasp, but Hoyun managed to get a good grip on him this time.

Hoyun was getting frustrated, but it was more about the disrespect he just received than dealing with the actual problem. 

Without warning, the guy struck him with the plastic pipe. The blow wasn’t particularly painful — it was, after all, just plastic — but it was enough to throw Hoyun off balance. The force of the hit sent him stumbling, and before either of them could react, they crashed to the floor in a heap.

The water from Hoyun’s drenched clothes seeped into the other guy’s clothes, darkening the fabric. Droplets clung to the material, soaking through as they both groaned from the impact. Stray bits of plastic and metal clattered to the floor around them.

And to top it off, Hoyun’s soaked clothes stuck to his skin, dripping rainwater onto the already dusty ground. The guy, now equally wet, pushed himself up, glaring at Hoyun with a mixture of disbelief and irritation.

“Fuck, I just borrowed this nasty sweater. You–?!” The guy barked, glaring down at him, but his eyes sprang open as he went face to face with Hoyun.

“No way…”

And suddenly, the man facepalmed, as if a revelation hit him.

“You’re that Seo Hoyun, right? I fucking knew it!”

What?

“What?”

“It all makes sense now. The amount of crazy people who happen to have a lot of bad blood in my circle is quite slim. But, I’ve heard stories about you! You really tend to live up to your reputation, huh?”

Gripping his head, Hoyun groaned less about the sore spot on it and more about the growing annoyance this guy gave him. The remaining filter he had was long gone and was replaced by raw thoughts that spewed out of his mouth.

“You must be pretty lonely, then. If you have time to gossip about a nobody.”

The guy looked at him as though he grew a second head.

“Me? Lonely???”

‘Just look at that face. You’d think I’ve cursed his entire bloodline.’

“Wrong! it’s because I’m sane! My friends are sane. I have plenty of friends who don’t assault strangers in an empty room!”

The guy emphasized, though Hoyun really couldn’t believe he was sane at all. For all Hoyun knew, he’d be dead or left brain dead if the weapon had been any of the other pipes lying somewhere.

Are all of the engineering guys here big assholes?

“I did not assault you. I was trying to ask an innocent question and you went all Fast and Furious. What are you, Lightning McQueen?”

“Ho. You’ve got the balls to joke around after doing this to me, huh?” The guy asked incredulously, holding his soaked and dustied sweater up as evidence.

“You’ll be begging for your fucking life once I tell the office about your bullshit. Hell, it wouldn’t even be your first time! I bet this is your last demerit before you get expelled.”

“Oh really? Let’s see who gets the last laugh. You think someone asking a mere question would get scolded more than a person wielding a pipe as a weapon? You could’ve killed me there. Literal attempted murder!”

“Murder?! That was self-defense!”

“Oh, so when someone lightly grabs your shoulder your first instinct is to hit them on the head using anything at your disposal?”

Hoyun patted the guy’s shoulder, earning a visible flinch of irritation. The guy's face contorted, caught somewhere between disbelief and disgust, as though the mere contact had sullied him further.

“Acting major, huh? You’re perfect for a B-rated horror film, but not as the actor — the actual killer based on the fucking true story.”

“Oh really?” The guy switched to a sickeningly sweet tone, which was actually way worse than the seething anger a few seconds ago. He gripped Hoyun’s hand tightly, the glint of his eyes betraying the kindness in his voice.

“You want to know what a real killer would act like? Lucky for you, acting is like breathing to me. I’ll show you the fucking difference.”

“Acting? More like showing your true colors.”

The air grew colder. The lights overhead buzzed softly, but the room itself felt eerily still. The metallic tang of rainwater mixed with the dust in the air, making the stale atmosphere feel heavier.

Hoyun's knuckles ached from the earlier fall, but he remained unbothered. The room seemed to shrink around them, the tension thickening with every breath.

“Your threats don’t work on me. Such a pity.”

“My, it’s not even a threat. I was merely offering the services that I do best.”

“What makes you assume I even want your services?”

“Why don’t I just fucking—”

The door slammed open.

“Fucking who?!”

Both of them flinched. Hoyun, who had been glaring at the lunatic just moments ago, instinctively turned toward the source of the voice.

Oh, shit.

The gods might’ve actually cursed him this time.

It just had to be her .

“I thought I was finally losing it but it was actually you."

"Heeyung—"

"So this is what you’ve been doing, Seo?” Kim Heeyung’s voice dripped with accusation, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Before Hoyun could even begin to stammer out a response, she barreled ahead, answering her own question with a twisted sense of certainty.

“You should’ve just told me you were gay. And all this time, I thought I was the problem why you couldn’t get it up.”

'Just kill me right now. Damn it, please.'

Hoyun felt the last shred of his sanity hang by a thread. The weight of the absurdity was too much. Out of all the disastrous possibilities, this was the scenario fate had decided on?

Looking back at the guy, it seemed that Hoyun wasn’t the only one in disdain. The stranger’s face had gone completely pale, all color drained from it. His expression depicted pure horror, like he’d just witnessed a train derail in slow motion.

‘Dramatic.’

But Hoyun was just as pale.

“But seriously, in all due respect, that’s disgusting,” Heeyung continued, her lip curling as she pointedly avoided making eye contact. “Can’t you guys wait until class is over? There are actual people who want to graduate peacefully and not… I don’t know, fuck around like rabbits in—”

“Ugh! I’ve had enough of this,” the guy said harshly, abruptly cutting her off.

Still gripping Hoyun’s hand, he shoved himself up with a frustrated grunt. He barely spared a glance at the ridiculous scene he was leaving behind. Tugging his hood further down over his face, he snatched up his laptop bag from the floor, rummaged to ensure it was intact, and bolted for the exit.

Kim Heeyung, now standing fully in the doorway, followed him with her eyes. As he stormed past, she managed to catch a glimpse of the dyed blonde hair peeking from under his hood. Her brow furrowed, recognition flickering for a moment before she turned back to Hoyun.

He, meanwhile, had finally pulled himself to his feet, his shoulders slumped with sheer exhaustion. The two locked eyes, but where Heeyung’s gaze held a mix of smug satisfaction and mild revulsion, Hoyun’s expression was one of pure exasperation.

“You.”

“What?”

“Did you always assume I was gay? Like, after we broke up?”

She shrugged without a hint of hesitation. “What else was I supposed to think? Better that than thinking I wasn’t good enough.”

Hoyun’s jaw clenched. “Forget everything you saw earlier.”

He was so, so fucking tired. Why was this day spiraling further into chaos with every passing second? And out of all people, it had to be his ex who walked in on the absolute pinnacle of bullshit.

He must’ve been a war criminal in a past life, and now, the universe was making him pay in full.

“You don’t need to tell me that,” she scoffed, already turning away. “Seeing your ex getting freaky with—”

Hoyun didn’t wait to hear the rest. He left the room, the last remnants of his patience trailing behind him like discarded scraps.