김태형| Sexologist

38 » Ruined & Hurt

"Why would you-" Taehyung glances upward, his mouth pursed but slightly open and loose. His eyes are fixed on you.

"The video Taehyung, that stupid video was sent to everyone at my job's work email by Ji-Young! I'm fucked, I am completely fucked!"

"Shit," He mumbled, stopping to take a deep breath. He let it all out in one sigh, watching it float off like smoke in the cold air. He turned back to you in front of him, gulping hard. "Come on."

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Getting inside your work building and into the elevator, you felt unease, this dread creeps over you like a glacial coolness, deadening your brain. In this frozen state, your mind offers you only one thought. It is today, right now. There is no avoiding it. You're like a cow being herded into a truck for the slaughterhouse, only the cow doesn't know where it's going and you do. Just stepping inside the office room makes you breathing rapid and depthless. You can feel your pulse pounding in your temples.

There you stepped out of the elevator and all eyes were on you.

And when you mean all, you mean all, including Seulgi which were filled with worried.

Glares sucked the living essence out of you. You visibly wilted before peoples first clipped word was uttered out of their lips as they stood around coffee machines, in groups, near the computers desk, all eyeing at you "discreetly". You whipped around. Sounds of hushed whispering seemed to be erupting and spilling from the peeling walls. Were you going crazy? This couldn't be happening. "This isn't real," you told yourself. Yet it felt nothing but real and absolute to you. You heard things you never imagined would come out of their lips, your coworkers had now turned this office into a high school gossip ground.

Gossip, Gossip, Gossip.

"Isn't Mrs. Park, married, that doesn't sound like her husband in the video?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure her husband's name is Ji-Young. I heard they had an argument here some time ago, guess she got tired of him. Hmm, I wonder who this Taehyung guy is, he seems to be treating her favorably."

"Woah, I didn't know Park was a freaky woman like that, she's always been a cutie to me, I guess I can finally tap that."

"Ew no dude, she's a slag, cheating on her husband, you're asking for trouble."

You're anxious, really anxious. When you feel the air more keenly in your eyes; it's that tearless stage when the eyes take on a sheen of water and a tension builds behind them. You need to shake it off. Now isn't the time or place for tears, walk the halls and be strong.

Then there were approaching footsteps clip-clopping down the bleached tile hallway floors. You looked towards the direction of the sound and there he was, Mr. Kim, Jin.

To describe his facial expression would be like describing a blank sheet of paper and he walked like someone who'd been in some armed service or other, there was a marching quality to it, authority.

You knew he had words to speak with you.

"Stop all that chit-chatting, get back to work." He told, passing by the disarrayed workers. You have never seen Mr. Jin ruffled. His voice has a husky drawl and every step he takes is in slow motion compared to almost anyone else you noticed. His idea of hurrying is to bend his head down a little as he saunters, the pace of his footfalls not changing one bit. He finally makes his way in front of you and stands there, struggling to make eye contact with you before he swallowed, he concluded in a mumble. "Mrs. Park, come to my office right now please."