Chapter Text
Dongsik pushed open the door and made his way towards the bar counter. He comfortably seated himself on one of the stools.
"Just a beer please."
"You're becoming a regular here, Yook Dongsik-ssi." The bartender, Joon Jae, as Dongsik recalled his name, said as he took a glass from behind the counter and filled it with a caramel-colored liquid from the nearest dispenser.
Dongsik was already feeling a little tipsy because this was his second bar of the night but he still had a bunch of energy left, and so he enjoyed himself.
A soft chuckle was Dongsik's reply as he slowly slid his left arm on the table. His head followed along and he laid there as he waited for his drink.
"Don't sleep here, Yook Dongsik-ssi." He felt something cold touch his cheek. He yelped in surprise and straightened up again.
"That wan't v'ry nice…. Joon Jae-ssi…'' Dongsik slurred, he accepted the drink and sloppily gave him his money.
Joon Jae grinned before flicking his finger to Dongsik's forehead, "I like you."
Joon Jae then went to prepare another drink from a customer who sat beside Dongsik.
"Wanna sleep with me?" Joon Jae leaned onto the table and was face-to-face with Dongsik.
Dongsik replied in a bubbly manner, "That's the third time you've asked me that, Joon Jae-ya." He downed his beer.
"And that's the third time you've become sober whenever I asked you that question." Joon Jae put both his arms on his sides and sighed. He was called by another customer on the other side. He left promptly and their conversation ended.
Dongsik smiled, seemingly looking innocent. He touched the rim of his glass as he observed the ambience of the bar.
He liked it here, it wasn't filled with the bright lights or loud booming music.
It almost seemed like a cafe, if not for the sensual music, interior design, and many alcoholic drinks being served. Most people were respectful too, something that Dongsik had noted to be rare.
Dongsik peered curiously to the person beside him.
" Might be my type ," Dongsik laughed at his own thoughts.
The man coincidentally also seemed to look at him at that moment.
Flashes of emotion ran through Dongsik's face : surprise, fear, and embarrassment.
He stood up abruptly preparing to sprint away but because he was still a little tipsy, he almost fell to the floor when the person beside him caught him.
The chair where he sat fell to the ground causing a few eyes to turn their way along with Joon Jae who was walking back to check what was happening.
"Yook Dongsik-ssi?" Joon Jae looked back between him and the person beside him.
"I- Uh-" Dongsik forcibly moved away from the person's grasp. He took the chair and clumsily put it back in place.
"Sorry, I-I have to go." Joon Jae met his eyes before Dongsik ran off and exited the bar in a hurry.
Dongsik thought he had heard his name being called as he left the building but he never looked back nor stopped.
Dongsik ran through the streets, even in his drunken state, he avoided bumping into people.
And after he ran for quite a while, he became completely sober.
Dongsik didn't know how far he had gone but he was suddenly at a bus stop. His chest heaved up and down as he slumped down on the bus stop's bench.
Holy shit
"I-I just met Director S-Seo at a gay bar."
***
Dongsik's co-workers noticed the young man's increased focus today. He was unbelievably staring at his computer for a lengthy amount of time and worked through documents at a fast pace.
Han Jeonga was the one to ask if everything was okay to which he replied,
"Of course, Jeonga-ssi! Everything's okay! Nothing happened, haha…"
Then Dongsik went on to say many things that no one could understand.
To say that Dongsik was stressed was an understatement, he was under torture by his mind. It was shocking to him that he even managed to finish any work at all.
Well, it wasn't that unbelievable…
He did use the work he had to ignore his racing thoughts.
Once Dongsik patted around his desk only to be met with an empty space on one side and finished documents on the other did he decide to stand up from his desk and go to the breaker room.
His foot tapped on the ground as he frowned at the coffee dispenser.
It couldn't have been him. Director Seo? The Seo In Woo in a gay bar? A gay c-club?!
Dongsik ran a hand through his hair, he wasn't one to judge people's gender and orientation (as he supported them and was part of the community himself) but meeting his boss in a place like that wasn't something he was ready to deal with… or ever actually.
The only other person who knew of his gender was his sister!
He wasn't ready to come out yet.
Wait, I'm not gonna get fired for being gay , right?
"Has the coffee dispenser angered you in any way, Dongsik-ssi?"
Dongsik jumped backward in surprise. His eyebrows raised up until his forehead as he moved his hands in a rather chaotic manner.
"D-D-Director Seo! F-Fancy meeting you h-here!" He went to the dispenser and grabbed his coffee cup. He bowed to Inwoo and tried to leave when Inwoo called to him.
"Dongsik-ssi."
Dongsik's face scrunched up and in all honesty, the thought of ignoring his boss slipped his mind.
Curse you, capitalistic society.
He stiffly spun around and with the best effort he could, he answered back,
"Yes, Director Seo?" Dongsik flinched at how high his voice was.
He swore he saw a smirk on his boss' face, even if it was just a split second. But to his surprise, when he'd blinked, it was replaced by the director's usual neutral gaze.
Dongsik recalled the he had in which his boss was some cartoon villain that planned to scream all throughout City Star that he was gay.
"Meet me in my office after work." Director Seo told him before he left the room.
Dongsik went to the nearest wall and began hitting his head on it.
"Dongsik-ah!" Jae Ho grabbed Dongsik and prevented him from doing it again. Jae Ho hugged him and caressed his back.
"Aigoo, the director must've given him a handful. He must be on thin ice right now, after all we've never seen the director with such an annoyed expression." Dongsik heard Shin Seokhyun say by the door.
Annoyed?
Dongsik was sure it was neutral. Was he wrong about that too? Everything in his life is falling apart…
Jae Ho hissed at him before separating from Dongsik, "It's okay, Dongsik-ah. I'm sure you won't get fired or anything of the sort."
If only you knew, Jae Ho-ya.
If only you knew…
I think being fired is better than whatever the hell's about to come.
***
Dongsik stood in front of the director's door. Thankfully, Secretary Jo already went home so she wouldn't have to see his idiot self hesitating on whether or not to open the door.
Dongsik held on to the letter he clasped on his left hand. He wrote a resignation letter in advance just to prepare himself both mentally and emotionally for what's to come.
I'll probably have a hard time for a few months but I can get back up on my feet again anyways…
Not like I'd be sad over not being able to buy true crime books or posters…
Y-You got this, Yook Dongsik.
Dongsik took a deep breath before he knocked on the door thrice.
"Come in." He heard the other say before he entered the room.
—
The tension, at least from Dongsik’s perspective, was so thick he could probably cut it with a knife.
“What are you doing there?” The director raised one of his eyebrows as if he was confused by Dongsik’s actions. Dongsik fought the urge to roll his eyes.
Just get it over with.
“It’s odd how your initial manner around me has changed so drastically.”
Inwoo set his pen down on his desk as Dongsik stiffly sat down across from him. Dongsik laughed awkwardly and he wanted to just not be there anymore.
Inwoo seemed to be enjoying what was happening as he gave a small amused smile. Dongsik didn’t look up at him so he hadn’t seen the happy expression he had. He merely grasped the arms of the chair quite tightly.
Inwoo changed his expression into a more serious one before speaking again, “I would like to offer you to be my temporary secretary for the month of October.”
Dongsik stared up at him in surprise. Inwoo was now facing the window of his office, looking down at the city. “Of course the pay would be higher than usual, along with the work. It will not be your usual duties, although I assure you your skills and talents are capable … enough to take the job.”
Dongsik was still wide-eyed and sitting up straight. This… was nothing with what he had expected.
Inwoo turned around and waited for him to answer.
“I… You weren’t going to fire me, sir?” Inwoo’s eyebrows frowned then relaxed as he let out a small laugh. “Why would you think that?” He asked Dongsik through his chuckles. “I.. Well,”
Well, because you saw me at a gay bar and I don’t know I kinda pushed you away and technically I’ve been kinda rude to you from the start…
But then again can you fire someone for being gay?
Wait.
Dongsik had a sudden realization. If the director was also in the … bar, wouldn’t that mean…
Is the director also… gay?
“I understand that this is quite sudden but I’m afraid I cannot wait for your answer for too long. I need a substitute by Monday next week,” Inwoo clasped the buttons of his suit together and sat back down.
“Sir, were you not the one who-” Dongsik stopped himself. Considering that his boss was offering him a job and not speaking of the whole ordeal last night, there is a chance that the person he saw wasn’t the Seo In Woo!
“Who?” Inwoo pushed on his question.
Dongsik immediately stood up and bowed to him before speaking,
“Thank you for this offer, sir! I promise I will not disappoint you!” He bowed again. He was definitely much more pleased and brighter than before.
Inwoo looked perplexed at his sudden change of attitude but dismissed it,
“Secretary Jo will be the one to tell you of your duties and handle the temporary passing of requirements.” Inwood then told Dongsik that he could leave.
Dongsik, almost skipping out the door, stopped momentarily before asking, “If it is not rude, sir, could I maybe ask why Secretary Jo is taking a leave for a whole month? From the time that I’ve known her, I could definitely tell that she is dedicated to her job.”
The director smiled a little, Dongsik noted the realness of the smile, it was different from the usual ones he flashed to his team and co-workers.
“She’s getting married and having her honeymoon, along with a long vacation.”
Dongsik nodded and promptly left after saying his goodbye once more.
Wow, Secretary Jo’s getting married… Time flies, huh.
Dongsik now did skip through the halls leading to the elevator. He was happier than ever to know that it couldn’t have been the director whom he saw last night.