◁◁◁◁◁◁◁◁
Hyunjin sat on the car that usually took him everywhere. He had woken up at 5a.m. again when he slept at 11. It was the longest sleep he had gotten since his parents' passing and it was because Felix slept with him again. He needed to have another consultation with the shareholders, since the stock price had gone lower and lower. The companies were facing their downfall and Hyunjin couldn't do much. He can't make big decisions since he didn't understand everything he should have. He was afraid any decisions would make it worse and at the same time, if he didn't do anything, he couldn't be trusted as their next leader. In public eyes, he was just merely an inexperience son who had too much legacy on his hand. He felt like he had failed his dad.
"You might see them as numbers on paper, Hyunjin-ah. Seven thousand workers, with five thousands of them work on the field and factory. Then you see how much profit you have, after subtracting it with their salary. Everything is about money and numbers and percentages. But it's more than that, it has always been more than that."
Hyunjin listened to his dad as he wrote everything down on some papers. The lessons with his dad was done an hour ago but, on those kinds of days, he found listening to his dad's thoughts more interesting. He wanted to see how his father saw the whole group, the whole company, the whole thing.
"Seven thousand employees, not all of them are married, so let's say there are five thousand spouses. Not all of them have kids, too. Let's say only three thousand of them have one kids and one third of the three thousand have two kids."
"Sixteen thousand people," Hyunjin concluded.
"Exactly, every decision we make, it will affect the life of sixteen thousand humans. One of the sixteen thousand is you. I come home to your mom and even though you're not always here, one of them is also you. When you make decisions later, you're holding hands with those sixteen thousand people." His dad tapped his shoulder and smiled. "I'm sure you can do it. Since you were kids, you always want to try different things. There could be wrong decisions and right ones. Whatever you do with the wrong ones, you can always fix it with the right call. If you must see, wrong calls, then you can see the right calls clearer. Okay, son?"
Hyunjin sighed again when he arrived. He was back at his father's office, where all the conversation in his head happened. "Mr. Lee sent you a lunch box, Hyunjin-ssi." Said Kim Jungwan when he entered.
"Thank you," He opened the folder one by one. Looking for things he could decide for today, especially the urgent ones.
"I want to say something about Mr. Lee, I mean the other one, from Lee Group," Kim Jungwan didn't leave his spot. Hyunjin put the folder down and looked at his assistant.
"What about him? What do you know about him?" Hyunjin was cautious to make a wrong move.
"The day he came to you about Lee Yongdae," Kim Jungwan hesitated to continue. "It was the day your father left overseas and you sent them away here. He told you about his uncle, Lee Yongdae being the father of Felix. Hmmm...your boyfriend."
Hyunjin almost stood up from his seat but he tried to remain calm. "I knew you were there when he barged in, but how do you know about Felix being my boyfriend?"
"I saw him many times in your pent house. I followed both of you couple times as well, on your father's order," Kim Jungwan sat down and he looked more relaxed, in contrary from Hyunjin.
"My dad did what?" Hyunjin sat up straight, ignoring the headache and the information that seemed to flood in just in seconds. "He knew about Felix too?"
"He knew everything. He knew about you and Lee Minho being friends for years, also lived together. He knew your pent house was empty most of the time until Felix came to your life. Hyunjin, listen to me well..."
Hyunjin took some deep breaths, he was puzzled, he was too naive to understand everything. He also realized he didn't understand his dad even a little and it was too late to do it now.
"He always wanted the best for you, but at the same time he also thought that what the best for you was what you want. The friendship, the relationship, even your hobbies. He knew everything and he let you to do everything while being watched. He was happy that you agreed to learn more about the company as well. He started to like Felix because of that. He also did some background check to Felix as he did to your other friends. He found out already about Felix being the son of Lee Yongdae. One thing that you need to know is, Lee Yongdae is his best friend. Was, his best friend. You remember the picture in his study room? That was him, Lee Yongdae."
"So you're saying that my dad is the best friend of Lee Group's son? Hwang and Lee friendship? I thought it started with me and Minho," Hyunjin was speechless. He totally misjudged everything. "Why are you saying it just now? Are you MY personal assistant or my dad's?"
Kim Jungwan giggled, "I was his personal assistant before I was yours. He trusted me so much that he wanted me to be around you more than him. To keep you safe, he needed someone he knew wouldn't do tricks on you. He loved you, that much."
"When he was just a university student, just like you. He met Lee Yongdae, who also took the business management major like him, also demanded by their parents just like him. They become friends, closest friends he had, even though he met your mom after they still hang out and travel together. That's what I knew." Kim Jungwan continued. "The reason why I told this just now is because he came to their funerals. He didn't come in, though. I don't know why."
"Because Felix was there..." Hyunjin spoke his mind loud. He tapped his fingers on the table while thinking. "Why did they break the friendship? My father said to me once that he's gone. I thought by gone he meant his best friend passed away."
"I don't know that much but I know it had something to do with Lee Group chairman, Minho's grandfather. Anyway, I asked him if he wanted to come in but he gave me this instead." Kim Jungwan slider an envelope to the young boss.
Hyunjin read what was written inside fast before he looked at his assistant again, "Please locate this man. I need to meet him." He stood up and called Minho right away.
▷▷▷▷▷▷▷▷
"Felix, I need to go for a wee. Can you take over for a moment?" Miri whispered to the bakery owner who was busy rearranging the messy condiments after the lunchtime. The workers had mostly gone back to their office but the bakery was nowhere empty. Some people still enjoyed their afternoon coffee with the tasty breads or cakes that Marion was anxious that the shelved would be empty when the store only closes four hours away. It's almost Christmas so the area was always full with people who were going shopping with festive spirit. Jess had taken her leave to spend three days with her family after their Christmas dinner, so Felix needed to be on standby to fill up the short.
"Coming, Miri!" Felix fixed some positions of the tissue and the brown sugar before he went behind the cashier as the line was getting longer. Marion was in espresso bar, she mastered coffee and tea in no time when she joined so she's the most flexible at posts assignment. Felix greeted each customer nicely with his angelic smile, "G'day!" He took the tray full of breads from them and start punching the buttons on POS system.
When he serves a customer, Felix always centered his focus to them. He made some small conversations, tried to remember their faces and their order. When they come back and Felix remembers them, they feel so welcomed and comfortable, that's why Felix always got the same customers all year around. Somehow, today, more new faces had been coming and the bell has run on the door was almost never silent. He ordered Miri to take freshly baked breads at the kitchen and store them on the shelves when she came back from the loo.
"Thank you. Have a great holiday and merry Christmas!" He handed the paper bag with their logo to a customer after the payment. "G'day!" He greeted the next customer while closing the cash drawer.
His smile vanished in a second.
"Hi. I'd like one Americano, please," Said the long raven haired man with the man bun and shaky voice.
Gosh, how does one look so perfect when I look like a mess already. So unfair. Felix spoke with his inner voice.
"I don't understand your language, sir. English, please." He replied cold to the Korean sentence the taller man just said.
"Lix, please," Hyunjin pleaded, he didn't know what he could say to soften the boy he had been longing. "I need to talk to you."
"If you don't need any other order, it'll be $5 please. Cash or card?" Felix ignored everything he just heard. Hyunjin was merely a tourist who came to his store in his eyes.
Hyunjin gave in by the coldest look of the brown eyes ever gave him. He cursed himself as he couldn't do anything else. The customers behind him were waiting to pay. He gave Felix his card and signed before he went to the pick up bar and greeted by another pair of cold brown eyes of Marion. He took his coffee and sat on a table where he can watch Felix.
Hyunjin watched more customer comes and the shelves become emptied right before the bakery closed. He sat there for four hours, watching Felix and the two girls worked fast and effectively, they moved very much in sync to serve the customers. Miri flipped the close sign facing the door and informed every customer, including Hyunjin.
"We're close but you can still stay for another thirty minutes to finish your food or drink," She tried to smile but her tone was still cold.
"Can you inform Felix that I'll be waiting outside for him?" Hyunjin replied politely.
Miri was unsure of what she could say so she just nodded and told Felix who was making the dough for the next day.
"What do you think, Miri?" Felix cracked the eggs to the dough machine and sighed. He looked at the youngest helplessly. "I honestly don't know what I have to do. Why do you think he's here for?"
"Well, if you ask me Lixie, I think he's here for explanations." Miri put both of her hands on the waist, looking at the twelve years older man who looked broken. "He hurt you, yes, but the fact that you're here contemplating is a sign that the wound isn't healed yet, even after years. I knew that the break-up was sudden, that he didn't act like he hated you even though he said he did. Your heart is still questioning what really happened, isn't it? Be honest to me, and more importantly, be honest to yourself."
Felix nodded slowly, "Actually, yes."
Miri squeaked, "Thank you for doing yourself a favor, Lixie. Now listen to me, please. You just have to listen to him, if he does the explaining. If he doesn't, you can always leave him or ask him to leave. Me and Marion will stay at the back to give you space, or throw hands if we see something goes wrong. We can see from the CCTV, right?" She giggled.
"What would I do without you guys?" Felix stood up smiling. "Whatever will be, will be. It's not like I will be killed."
Miri giggled, "Well, I'll lock the door first thing and kill him after that."
Felix was shocked to hear what the little girl just said so easily. He looked from the window in the middle of the glass door and when the last customer was out, he walked to the door where Hyunjin's back was seen.
"Come in," Felix said short and unrelenting when he opened the door. He looked at Hyunjin's eyes for a second and closed the door when he went to the table. He didn't even hold the door for the taller one. He took off his apron and he hated it that Hyunjin looked at it. It was the apron from the pent house he took a month after the break up. The one that Hyunjin bought for him when they shopped for his baking supplies, a month after they confessed their feelings for each other. "How can I help you?"
Hyunjin tried to relax as he starred at the pair of his favorite eyes. "Lix, I'm sorry for everything."