As the morning light filtered through the curtains, Jin reluctantly stirred, greeted by a familiar sense of irritation and annoyance. The idea of facing another Monday, coupled with the inevitable encounter with his crude boss, did little to improve his mood.
With a resigned sigh, Jin swung his legs out of bed, muttering, "Not again." Despite the nagging feeling that he should let it slide, today was different. Determination etched across his face, he marched towards the neighbor's door, fully aware that it was too early for Taehyung to be awake. Unlike Jin, Taehyung's workday didn't start until 10, a luxury Jin couldn't afford with his 8 o'clock schedule.
The hallway was eerily quiet, except for the thuds of Jin's pounding on Taehyung's door. The lewd noises emerging from Taehyung's bedroom to within Jin's apartment, all night, was the reason he was this furios. Each knock carried his anger, his wish to throw Taehyung out of the building,
Finally, the door creaked open, revealing Taehyung, tousled hair, and a furrowed brow. "What's wrong?" he inquired, his voice a mix of annoyance and confusion. Unfazed, Jin shot back, "Oh? Are you bothered?" With renewed determination, he pounded the door again, the echoes reverberating through the hallow corridor.
"This is what you do all night. Don't you understand how to keep it down?" Jin's frustration spilled into his words, fueled by countless sleepless nights. "I've told you countless times – the walls are paper-thin. Your bedroom noises break through loudly," he hissed at Taehyung, who, with a smug expression, remained unruffled.
"Well, I can't keep it low. My general down there is just too good at its job. But you wouldn't know, right? You're a boring geek, now get out of my face. My date is going to get up soon," Taehyung grinned, his confidence momentarily dimming as Jin burst into laughter. "Date? Or another one of your one-night shenanigans? Like every other weekend. I'm not a geek. You're a lust-driven animal."
Taehyung found it amusing that Jin perceived him this way, a complex blend of irritation and amusement flickering in his eyes. He replies, "I have a healthy sex drive, Jin, for my age. It's normal to indulge every now and then. I'll try to tone it down, right? But I can't promise."
Before Jin could deliver another retort, Taehyung abruptly shut the door on his face. Jin, left fuming in the hallway, couldn't let this stand, even if work demanded his immediate attention.
Jin hastened his footsteps to be at his desk before his boss arrived. The office would be his temporary escape if his boss was a little bit easygoing. Jin powered up his computer, the hum of the office equipment drowning out the echoes of the morning confrontation. Checking his schedule, he looked into the tasks of the day.
"Rough morning, eh?" Hoseok, Jin's colleague and somewhat friend, remarked. "It's Taehyung again; he brought home another chick. I had to listen to her moan all night," he explained, a wry grin on his face. Hoseok couldn't resist adding a teasing jab, "Was it the noise that bothered you, or the fact that it wasn't you he was going down with?"
Jin shrugged off the comment, shaking his head. "No, I'll never. I'd rather die." The notion of confronting Taehyung about his feelings seemed more dreadful than enduring the disturbances.
"Then maybe try going on dates with someone else. You're not getting any younger," Hoseok suggested, his tone filled with a mix of concern and playfulness.
"I don't know. It's hard to find someone who wants to settle down instead of just messing around," Jin admitted, well aware of the challenges of being gay in a country where casual relationships often shadowed commitments. Hoseok clicked his tongue in understanding.
"I have a friend. He's out of the closet, too. Do you want me to hook you up with him? You're his type," Hoseok proposed, hoping for a positive response. After a brief pause, Jin relented, "Alright, next weekend."
As Jin turned his chair back around, he caught sight of his boss glaring at him from afar. He clenched his teeth, anticipating the reprimand that was about to unfold. "Seokjin? Are you done chit-chatting? I'd rather you get to work now," the boss's loud yelling echoed through the office. Jin lowered his head in embarrassment, "I'll get to work, sir," he muttered through gritted teeth, enduring the humiliation. "How about you go grab me a coffee first," the boss added, compounding Jin's frustration.
"But that's your assistants' job, sir," Jin argued back, a thread of defiance in his voice. He knew well that he shouldn't have challenged his boss, but the words were out before he could stop them. In response, the file in his boss's hand flew across the room, hitting Jin squarely in the face. "Next time before you speak, think, alright?" the boss snarled.
The tension in the room observingly increased as everyone averted their gaze, including Hoseok. Even though he was a friend, he couldn't do much in this situation. Today, their boss had crossed a line with his vile advances towards Seokjin, evident by the paper cut on his cheek. Jin bit his lip, suppressing the urge to throw a fit of rage, knowing that any outburst could jeopardize his well-paid job.
"Collect all the papers, organize them, and review them. But first, go bring me a coffee," the boss commanded, his tone cutting through the heavy air. Jin, wiping blood off his face, avoided eye contact with everyone as he silently complied with the orders. That's how his day unfolded – a grueling cycle of humiliation and demands that seemed never-ending.
Hoseok, witnessing the distressing situation jin had to go through, offered to drive Jin back home. However, Jin wanted to be alone, so he politely declined. As he reached the apartment complex, a whirlwind of thoughts engulfed his mind. The recurring thought was, "How could he solve this problem without losing his job?"
As the lift doors opened to his floor, Jin was met with Taehyung holding a parcel, frustration etched on his face. "How many times do I have to tell you to call the courier company and inform them regarding the address issue?" Taehyung's voice pierced the air, setting the stage for another confrontation.
Jin groaned audibly, unprepared for another round of heated yelling, "I tried to call them, but they put me in a queue -"
"So? Go down to their fucking office and have it changed. I cannot have the courier guy ring my bell while I'm working," Taehyung snapped, thrusting the box at Jin with an unexpected force. Caught off guard, Jin's back slammed against the wall, prompting a gasp to escape his lips. "Fuck," he muttered, both from the impact and the overwhelming frustration.
Regret immediately clouded Taehyung's expression as he closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—" he began apologizing, but the unexpected sight of tears in Seokjin's eyes halted him mid-sentence. Confused, Taehyung reached out, grabbing Jin by the arm and turning him around to inspect his back, searching for any sign of injury.
Upon finding no physical harm, Taehyung looked at Seokjin with a mixture of confusion and concern. "Why are you crying? What happened? I didn't even push you," he questioned, confused by Jin's emotional response. Meanwhile, Jin, overwhelmed by a surge of emotions, couldn't contain his tears, each drop proof of how hard it is for him to pull himself together and navigate through out the day.
"Here, drink up this mango juice," Taehyung extended a glass towards Jin, a small attempt to sweeten the saddened atmosphere. "Sugar has the tendency to uplift a gloomy mood."
Taking a sip, Jin couldn't suppress another hiccup. "I doubt it's because of my push that you started crying. What's troubling you?"
"You're the issue," Jin sighed, weariness plastered on his face. "I wake up unrested because you every Monday, since you won't keep it down. And then, I have to endure a hectic workday starting at eight, dealing with my boss's relentless antics," he confessed, now gazing at Taehyung, his longtime crush, who had made life difficult yet was now oddly for the first time they're sharing a moment when they're not barking at eachother.
Concern evident on his features, Taehyung reached out, gently touching the scratch on Jin's face, eliciting a hiss. "Who did this to you?"
"My boss," Jin sighed. "He's bonkers."
"He physically assaults you?" Taehyung stood up, fueled by offense. "That's a blatant violation of workplace ethics. He's breaking the law. I'll confront him."
Pulling Taehyung back to reality, Jin tugged his arm, urging him to sit down. "Easy there, Superman. I appreciate the offer, but I'll handle it. Thank you for the juice. I'll go down to the couriers office and fix the address issue soon."
Despite wanting to encourage Jin to stay, Taehyung found the situation too awkward after years of push and pull. "Alright, goodnight," he waved off, watching Jin exit the apartment, leaving him to navigate the sudden emergence of complex feelings.