Every bit of energy left in him was gone.

On Friday evening, he had missed his personal space at home so much so he needed to call it off as early as 2pm. He could not take his unexplainable tiredness anymore, from Tuesday until this morning, emotions were only getting worse and worse to control.

The more morning he wakes up to, the harder he was able to cope with his drained body, mentally tortured by endless circles of wild negatives.

“I’m sorry, I’m not feeling well.” Baek Hyun looked at his new department head, hoping he could approve of it. “I will work twice as hard on Monday.”

It was the first time Baek Hyun actually even sees his department head’s face after 5 days. Even if Luna and Victoria described how perfect he was half the day in the office, and Min Seok, the department’s manager treating everyone coffee when he is in good mood and being so open to Jong Dae’s problems which was a rare sight, Baek Hyun finally sees the man behind all of these. Needless to say his team Leader Kim Joon Myeon looked less stress than before.

Whatever the saint he was, Baek Hyun had no energy to bother, he really could not stay focused after the call he got on Monday. That was such a breaking point he could have opened his window and jumped off straight from his 6^th floor apartment right after.

“Let’s meet.”

No, he really don’t want to meet Oh Se Hun again, he is going to say ALL the words Baek Hyun DON’T WANT TO HEAR AT ALL. THEY ARE ALL ONLY GOING TO PUSH HIM ON THE GROUND and all logical human feelings he had.

If words could kill...

“Baek Hyun?”

“I’m sorry.” Baek Hyun comes back to his senses before seeing his department head had looks of concern all over him that he is now standing and even pouring a glass of water for him.

“You really seemed out of it,”

Baek Hyun received the glass, a brush touch of the department head’s fingers immediately let him dropped the glass.

THAT DISGUSTING FEELING AGAIN.

The entire office became curious over the loud shatter and crowded around outside the department head’s door when Min Seok shouted at them to go back to their work while he peeked a bit and the other colleagues darted death glares at him.

“I’m so sorry!” Baek Hyun picked up the glass shards on the ground hurriedly, his hands shivering as it was when he dropped his keys the other day.

“No it’s okay Baek Hyun.” The department head bents down. “Don’t pick them up with your hands. I’ll ask the cleaner to clean them up.”

Baek Hyun wasn’t listening, everything is broken again. After dropping that glass at home, this was the uncountable times Baek Hyun lost track how many he had dropped, now even his fingers were scratched with cuts all over.

Bad luck, bad luck, bad luck, bad luck, bad luck…
Baek Hyun this is the office, get yourself together!!! KEEEP THE ING CALM DOWN, STOP SHAKING ALREADY, !!!! URRRRRGGHHHHHH!!! ARRRRRRGHH….

“Baek Hyun, stop, don’t pick anymore up already. Baek Hyun! Calm down please!”

Baek Hyun’s mind stopped.

The next moment, his hands were stinging again, but the department head was holding both his wrist, tightly.

“It’s okay, I will drive you back.”

Baek Hyun was lost, in his department head’s eyes, he sees his own reflection clearly.

It was horrific.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The entire car trip, Baek Hyun kept his hands together.

It was hard to breathe.

“Thank you for driving me home.” Baek Hyun bowed. “I’m so sorry I caused trouble for you…erm…” Baek Hyun looked up, realising he had not took the chance to know his department head’s name, he broke out in cold sweat.

What THE FREAKING BAEK HYUN, HOW CAN YOU MAKE SUCH A TERRIBLE MISTAKE, THIS IS YOUR BOSS WHO HELPED YOU, IT’S THE FREAKING 5^TH DAY…

“You have always looked cheerful.” The department head broke Baek Hyun’s train of crazy all over his head thoughts. “It’s very surprising to see you like this…Baek Hyun.”

“I’m…sorry…I wasn’t professional in handling myself.”

There was silence before his department head gently ruffled his hair. “It’s fine, not everyone is professional in everything.”

It’s fine.

That was a long time since someone told him that.

“Are you feeling better now?”

Baek Hyun nodded as the both of them came out from the lift. “I…think…so…” Baek Hyun wanted to be his cheerful self, the one that tells the whole world everything is perfectly normal in his life, nothing is wrong with him, nothing is wrong with his house, nothing is wrong with money, he is just living a happy and simple life with nothing to worry about. But the words just decided to play guard down from his voice.

Obviously, department head was not going to buy that.

“You sure?”

“Erm, I’m really fine. Thanks for worrying.” Baek Hyun pulled out his keys from his bag before sliding it into the keyhole. “Thank you for accompanying me back. Must have troubled you, I am very sorry.”

“It’s okay, I need to retrieve some documents from home, made a good drop by anyway.”

Baek Hyun nodded and smiled before his eyeballs almost dropped out of his socket. “Y….You….You….You l…live…here….?!”

Seriously?
Just right beside him?

The department head nodded, “Yes, since last year.”

Last wait what, last year!!!?

“Hm, come to think of it, we haven’t greeted each other properly. Alright then, as your neighbor now, I’ll introduce myself again, my name is Park Chan Yeol.” He smiled.

Baek Hyun was stunned.

 

His department head is his neighbor, who had lived beside him for a year?

OH MY GAWD!!!

Baek Hyun drank from the beer bottle, this is freaking absurd! Why had he never noticed? What was he doing as a human being? 1 year already! What what what…the is going on with the world?

 

{DING DONG DING DONG}

Chan Yeol checked the time, it was already 11pm, who could be at the door?

He gets up from his work desk and goes to the door, peering through the hole.

No one.

Did he just imagine it?

{DING DONG DING DONG DIN DONG}

Chan Yeol opens the door immediately before catching his neighbor falling on time.

“AHAHAHAHAHAHA~! I’m so dead, hahahahahaha, so pathetic….hahahahaha! Wooo!!! Crazy epic ahahahahahaaha! HELLO!!!"

Baek Hyun was definitely intoxicated, seriously intoxicated.

Chan Yeol pulled Baek Hyun’s arms around him and got his key before locking his door and heads into Baek Hyun’s house, carrying him all the way to the living room sofa.

“You know I’m such a failure in love, cry to sleep, sleep to cry, chased by debtors that aren’t even mine, unhappy for my best friend, abnormal piece of , I can’t even do a single right thing in my life. I even have to…on weekends…Why do you have to be my neighbor now…I don’t want anyone to see this side of me at all, but why do you have to be…department head!!!” Baek Hyun grabbed Chan Yeol’s waist, hugging it tightly as much as Chan Yeol tries to get out of his inhuman grasp.

Baek Hyun’s voice grew softer. “Department head, I’m sorry…so sorry, you have to see this side of me…Please don’t tell anyone else that I still keep Se Hun’s broken glass, I still keep Se Hun’s clothes, I still like Se Hun and…hahahahahaahaha, I don’t know what to do anymore, I dont know how to face Lu Han anymore. Chan Yeol…ah no, Chan Yeol, can you help me do something?”

Chan Yeol looked down at Baek Hyun, tears all over his face, his forehead wrinkles all became nothing but obvious.

“Y…Yea…”

“HAHAHAHAAHAHAH!!! YAY!!! I have always wanted to do this but I have no courage to, I have never told anyone shhhhhhhh, heeeheeeeheee.” Baek Hyun released Chan Yeol and alas he could finally breathe but the drunk decided to head in to the kitchen and grab a knife.

“Yaaaaahhh!!! Baek Hyun put that down! Baek Hyun!”

“This knife…Se Hun loved to chop vegetables with it for me, he chops everything with this when he cooks. The nice little sound it makes, heeeheeeeheee. Chop chop chop chop chop…Here Chan Yeol, take this!” Baek Hyun said, his eyes half opened.

Chan Yeol inhaled and walked over slowly to get the knife successfully from him before heaving a sigh of relief.

“Heehee! I knew you would. So…” Baek Hyun kneeled in front of him. "Here…” He touched his chest, proudly thumping with his fist. “It’s very painful here, hee hee, but maybe something Se Hun used could heal it? HAHA...hahaha! It's spoilt, I can’t breathe properly with it…And and I don’t want to wake up tomorrow with this, I just want to die Chan Yeol, hahahaahhahaa, let me die….haha…ha…let me die…please…I don’t want to live any…more…” Knees on the floor, Chan Yeol rushed towards him before his upper body fell into Chan Yeol’s arms.

“Kill me…please…” His face collapsed completely, Chan Yeol’s shirt was stained wet from his tears. “I’m... really, tired…”

Chan Yeol looked around the empty house, this neighbor he thought all along was cheerful and happy...

A broken photo frame of Baek Hyun and Se Hun laid at a corner.