Chapter Text
Choi Jung Soo had been quite down lately.
It wasn't visible much and most team members didn't notice anything was amiss with their local sunshine child.
But his closest people,
Kim Rok Soo and Lee Soo Hyuk.
They noticed almost immediately.
It was in moments when his smile didn't quite reach both ears. When those little wrinkles, that usually played mischievously around his eyes seemed only half full. The way his shoulders slumped just the tiniest amount, when he thought he was unwatched.
They grew concerned, paying extra attention to anything that might give away hints on what was going on.
And as usual it was the ever attentive Kim Rok Soo who figured it out in record time. Literally going through his records back to back. To figure out what was weighing on the mind of the person he absolutely hated seeing like this.
But he found it.
It was much less a search for what was wrong but for what they could do.
After all in this god forsaken apocalyptic world everyone had so many troubles. It was hard to find anyone who didn't carry some deadly weight. And even their beloved sunshine child was not immune to feeling drowned by the suffocating pressure of loss.
What Rok Soo zeroed in was a conversation they had.
One time late at night at a company party. When everyone was already dispersing into going home, sleeping then and there and in general too exhausted to function.
In this magical time after 2am where it was way too easy to slip up.
Usually Rok Soo and Choi Jung Soo never stayed that long. But that day
Their team leader had locked them down, with arms around their shoulders and forced them into staying with him until the very end.
It was the same team leader who initiated the conversation by poking them on why they always left so early.
For Rok Soo it was kinda natural. But Choi Jung Soo was usually so sociable and beloved by everyone that his absence was really felt.
Cornered by the strong arm around his shoulder and the inquiring smile of his team leader, Jung Soo confessed that he did a lot of work in his free time. Work that was important to him, that he wouldn't no… couldn't miss.
He confessed that he was doing his best in documenting all he knew about his family's sword art legacy. That it was hard since there were no other records and he didn't have a convenient ability like Rok Soo. That he would sometimes wreck his brain for hours and end up having to deduct certain parts from the rest, because he simply did not remember the details.
But he was making progress and was confident he could do it.
He was confident that he could preserve the last bit left of his family in this god forsaken world.
But since it was late and all the feelings felt so much closer to the surface. He kept talking about his family, encouraged by his colleagues.
He talked about growing up close to the mountains. About what it was like in a big house with an even bigger family. Of growing up together with all your cousins and grandparents and uncles and siblings. How everything felt so close. Of the silly fights he had with them. Of the way his aunt's specialty was to cut all the vegetables into beautiful little flower shapes, so they would be more interesting to eat for the children. Successfully tricking them into liking carrots.
He talked about how he would watch his older brothers and uncles train when he was still too young. How he would later join them. About how he hated it and loved it at the same time.
He had really loved them all dearly.
And now they were all gone.
How he had also talked that he had hope. Hope that he wasn't the only survivor and some others had made it back there. Were waiting for others to arrive and rebuild it together.
In the quiet of the night he confessed his greatest dream of one day rebuilding that village. His home lost to the waves of monsters and flames.
It was a faint dream, one that seemed so far fetched and impossible to achieve. But that's why he started with what he could preserve of the knowledge. Writing all down he could.
Rok Soo went to their team leader and talked to him in private. Soon reaching a mutual agreement on what to do.
It still took them a while. The monster attacks were still numerous and took the highest priority. But when it seemed like the surrounding guilds could handle it, Lee Soo Hyuk went and slammed a piece of paper in front of Choi Jung Soo in the break room.
The latter nearly spilled his coffee.
"We are going on vacation."
"O- Ok?"
“Jup, we are leaving next week."
"Is Rok Soo coming too?"
"Of course!"
Jung Soo hummed. Their dongsaeng really needed it. He always overworked himself for the company.
"Sooo where are we going?'' After the initial surprise it really sounded nice. A vacation with his two favorite people. Taking a sip from his prestigious, cheap brand, instant coffee he smiled into the cup.
"Oh, to Gyeongnam"
'Pffft'
This time he really spilled his coffee.
"W- what?" Jung Soo struggled for a towel while still recovering.
Soo Hyuk smiled. He knew this would happen and he knew he was being mean. But how could he not bully his employee a little bit.
Especially when Jung Soo was this adorable.
Their local sunshine child, who always brought so much life into their company. Even in the roughest of times. Cracking jokes and teasing their little Rok Soo. This time it was his turn and it was extremely rare to see Jung Soo this flustered.
Lee Soo Hyuk smiled and ruffled the hair of his adorable dongsaeng. Yes this time they would make sure to give him the vacation he needed.
“Time for a road trip.”