Clock In

Part 3

As Fourth slid into his seat that morning, Joong glanced up from his screen and raised an eyebrow.

"Is that a new shirt?" he asked, his tone light but clearly curious.

Fourth chuckled and glanced down at himself. "Yeah," he said, brushing a crease from the fabric. "Bought it a while ago, just never really got around to wearing it."

"It looks nice on you," Joong offered with a grin.

"Thanks," Fourth replied, then added casually, "It's kind of funny though... I didn't really get to buy new clothes when I was younger. Most of what I wore were hand-me-downs from cousins or neighbors. Now that I can afford to shop for myself, I still find myself hesitating every time." He chuckled again, this time a little more sheepishly. "I even sort the prices from low to high when I shop online," he admitted, grinning as if laughing at his own habit.

Joong laughed, shaking his head. "Goodness," he said with a playful sigh. "You have adult money now. You should treat yourself sometimes. Retail therapy is real."

Fourth smiled and gave a small nod, appreciating the sentiment as he opened his laptop and got to work. They both settled into the rhythm of the morning until lunchtime rolled around.

A little before noon, the door to Phuwin's office opened and he stepped out, his presence as composed as always. "Let's go for lunch," he said casually, and the rest of the team began to stir, standing and gathering their things. Fourth quickly saved his progress, tidied up his desk, and joined the group as they made their way to the canteen.

The line was moving slowly, giving everyone time to talk about the morning's workload and random bits of office gossip. Once everyone had their trays loaded with food, they settled at one of the longer tables, spreading out naturally into their usual seating pattern. Fourth found himself across from Phuwin and beside Joong.

As they dug into their meals, Fourth's eyes briefly flicked to Phuwin's wrist, he was wearing a new watch, different from the one Fourth had seen a few days ago. He couldn't make out the brand, but it looked sleek and definitely expensive. The kind of item that didn't just tell time, but status.

Amid the casual hum of conversation, Phuwin suddenly glanced up at Fourth. "You look different today," he said.

Before Fourth could even open his mouth, Joong chimed in cheerfully, "It's his new shirt."

Fourth offered a small smile, but Joong kept going.

"Apparently he only wore hand-me-downs growing up, and the habit kind of stuck with him," Joong said with a chuckle. "He even shops for the cheapest ones. But I told him, he's got to start getting nice stuff. He looks good in it, doesn't he?"

The table giggled lightly, a few agreeing in good humor. Fourth laughed too, but there was a flicker of discomfort behind his smile. He hadn't expected Joong to share that bit, something he'd mentioned in passing, a quiet memory he hadn't intended for the whole table. It wasn't that he was ashamed of it, just surprised that Joong had repeated it so casually.

He started to pull back, feeling himself quiet down as the attention shifted.

That was when Mark joined in, clearly seizing the moment. "I still remember what he wore on his first day," he said, snorting with a laugh. "You need to invest a bit in your wardrobe, man."

The laughter bubbled again, but this time, Fourth just nodded, a slight heat creeping up his neck. His smile was tight, and he suddenly became very aware of every thread on his shirt, of how it fit, of how everyone was looking at him.

It wasn't teasing that was cruel, but it pinched somewhere deep, subtle, but real.

Phuwin must have noticed the shift in energy because he leaned back slightly and, with a practiced ease, redirected the conversation.