Generally, working in an office building wasn’t ideal when it came to a fun job, but for Taekwoon it was fine. He made money, enough to pay his bills and support himself and his wife, and it wasn’t too monotonous. After all that he dealt with, he could even admit that he almost enjoyed his coworkers. At the very least, he didn’t hate them, and what else could someone ask for in a job, really?

Taekwoon sighed as he stared at the computer, tapping on a few keys and glancing up at the clock. It was almost time for him to head back to his house, and since he’d finished his work for the day he didn’t have much else to do. He never left early, though - that wasn’t something that he believed in. Even if he wasn’t being productive he would sit out the rest of the day, waiting until five o’clock came around before making the short drive home.

Today was no different, Taekwoon glancing at the empty cubicle beside him and walking toward the parking garage. That space had been empty ever since one of his coworkers had been fired - he had been irritating, loud and nosey and generally in Taekwoon’s business.

He’d hated it.

When he’d gotten fired Taekwoon had silently celebrated, pretending to be sad with the rest of the people he worked with but jumping for joy inside. Now he had an empty space beside him and he only hoped that the person that would fill it would be less of a handful than the last.

Pulling into his driveway, Taekwoon slipped out of the car, locking it before walking into the house with a little knock.

“Hyosonn?” he greeted, not seeing her anywhere inside but knowing that she was there - he’d seen her car outside. Taekwoon heard a muffled greeting from in the kitchen and he set a few papers down on the dining room table, neat and organized despite how tired he felt.

When he stepped into the kitchen he was greeted with a little smile and the smell of food cooking, a very welcome end to a long day. Hyosonn walked over, pressing a little peck to Taekwoon’s cheek and gesturing toward the stove.

“Dinner’s almost ready, if you want to change.”

Taekwoon thought for a second before he nodded, slipping out of the kitchen and walking up the stairs to their bedroom. It was a walk he’d taken many times, but lately it seemed much longer. He loved Hyosonn, but at the same time he was almost bored of his life. It was becoming more and more monotonous as time went on, and he wasn’t sure how to fix it, or what had changed.

Once he had put on comfier clothes Taekwoon walked back downstairs, bare feet padding along the carpet until he made it back to the kitchen. It was always a routine.

“How was work?” Hyosonn asked.

“Long. Very long,” Taekwoon replied. “How was your day?”

“Long, too. Full of errands.”

After that, Hyosonn would generally tell Taekwoon all about the errands she had gone on throughout the day, Taekwoon nodding and mostly staying quiet so that he could let her talk.

It had become routine, and Taekwoon wasn’t sure that he liked it.

After dinner, the two of them cleaned up, Taekwoon offering to wash dishes as Hyosonn busied herself with something else. Taekwoon just finished the dishes in near silence, grabbing the papers he’d set down on the way back upstairs to his office. He had a few more things to finish before he went to bed, so he could do it all over again the next day.

By the time he was done, Hyosonn was already in bed and asleep, only proving to Taekwoon that he had spent maybe a bit too much time on what he was doing. He slid as quietly as he could into the bed, trying his best not to wake his wife up. He managed, only proving to himself that he had done this too many times before.

His sleep was uneasy that night.

When Taekwoon woke up the next morning it was to an empty bed, Hyosonn already awake and probably doing random assorted things around the house. Stretching for a moment, Taekwoon finally stood, starting his morning routine with a yawn and simply grabbing toast and coffee on the way out. He offered Hyosonn a little peck on the forehead as he took the mug, a quiet ‘good morning’ slipping out before he got in his car and left for the day.

Taekwoon parked in his usual spot, got upstairs at the usual time, and was ready for a usual day. When he made it to his desk, however, he paused.

Unlike usual, there were actually a few things sitting in the cubicle next to him, and the computer was on. It hadn’t been on in a long time, and for a few minutes Taekwoon was actually worried that his old coworker had been rehired. He didn’t want to go through that again, and so he let his head drop to the desk, trying not to think about it.

After a while he heard someone clear their throat behind him, and Taekwoon looked up, a new face peering at him over the low wall separating him and the other man. He blinked.

The man he was looking at seemed at least relatively clean cut despite the hair bleached blonde, which was something that made Taekwoon raise his brows in a questioning manner. He was tall, about Taekwoon’s height, it seemed, and the shirt he was wearing was mostly ironed. That, at least, was a good sign - he took some pride in how he showed up to work.

“... Yes?” Taekwoon urged, his computer now fully on and he himself ready to started. The man pursed his lips for a second before smiling, and Taekwoon just stared up at him.

“I figured I’d introduce myself,” he replied, Taekwoon still staring up at him and silently urging him to continue. “Right. Well, my name’s Wonshik. I’ll be over here… If you ever need me. Or I need you…?”

The tone of the sentence was questioning, almost like Wonshik was waiting for Taekwoon to reply, and Taekwoon understood that. But he was silent for a bit longer than he should have been and he watched Wonshik’s smile drop a bit before he sighed and nodded.

“Mm, I’ll be here if you have any questions. I’ve been here long enough, I can help you.” At that Wonshik looked pleased, extending his hand for a shake over the divider. Taekwoon looked at him, brow raised before he reached out and took Wonshik’s hand. Almost surprisingly it was soft. Taekwoon even glanced down, a bit of surprise in his expression.

Judging by how the other man seemed, Taekwoon would have assume he’d have a rough grip, be it from working out or something else. But he said nothing, finally letting Wonshik’s hand go with a little cough.

“I have to get to work. Let me know if you need anything,” Taekwoon said with an attempted friendly smile, Wonshik nodding and, Leo assumed, dropping back down into his seat and out of view.

The rest of the day went by without much of a problem, Wonshik popping over the cubicle wall only a few times to ask a few questions. It was a distraction but Taekwoon couldn’t fault him too much. It was his first day, after all, and Taekwoon could remember his first day. He had refused to ask for help and tried to do it all on his own. As a result, it had taken a lot longer for him to learn, and he wasn’t going to force Wonshik into that situation.

So Taekwoon helped Wonshik all he could, it taking a bit longer for him to finish his work. When he walked into the door Hyosonn was waiting, and Taekwoon took his shoes off before settling on the couch. Hyosonn frowned.

“You’re home late,” she said, one leg curled underneath her on the couch. She had her hair tied back, and Taekwoon looked over to her with a tired smile.

“Mm… They hired someone new and put him in the spot beside me, so I had to help him out.” Hyosonn nodded, scooting a bit closer to Taekwoon and leaning her head on the back of the couch. “It took me longer to finish everything. But I did it.” Humming in understanding, Hyosonn pursed her lips a bit.

“What is he like?” she asked, smiling a bit and trying to show some interest. Taekwoon shrugged. How was he supposed to describe someone he’d just met today and had barely spoken to?

“He’s… tall,” he said, Hyosonn laughing a bit. “He seemed genuinely interested in the job, at least. His name’s Wonshik, and he seems nice.”

There was a pause, Taekwoon leaning back and closing his eyes.

“A lot better than the last person who worked there.”

Hyosonn laughed once more, finally standing and heading to the kitchen.

“Well, whenever you’re ready, I’ll get dinner set up,” she offered, Taekwoon nodding but not saying much in response. Hyosonn slipped out of the room, humming something to herself and starting to do exactly what she’d said - get dinner ready. Taekwoon just sighed.

It was back to the same routine.

He was just hoping that he’d find a way to break it.