CHAPTER 04

Jobs

"Haechan, do you want to do this?"
 

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, Hyung. It doesn't happen to everyone."
 

"Winwin will kill us if he found out."
 

"Let him. He's just showing signs of aging."
 

Taeyong sighed. He and Haechan were currently in front of the 12 story building for the NCT Corp. They both looked up at its intimidating structure.
 

"Should we really -" The older of the two was having second thoughts if they were going to enter the building and look for the person with the highest position, but the youngest beat him to it.
 

Haechan entered the tower already, and Taeyong had no choice but to follow him. The latter sacrificed his job at the neorabang for an appointment none of them was sure if the one who gave it was serious. They were on schedule, but Taeyong was skeptical, one because

Haechan was still too young to be taken seriously by that person, and two, what job the CEO could probably offer the older? Haechan was too young but a genius. Taeyong was old enough but didn't have any idea about computer games. They were the opposites. Not to mention the intimidating structure they just entered. For sure, the employees were going to be equally fierce. Taeyong was right.
 

The lady at the reception was very unwelcoming. It was because they were just in their plain clothes layered by a thin hoodie and rugged boots. Taeyong's face was almost covered by his black hoodie, while Haechan was wearing thicker clothes, although much lighter than the usual coats for cold weather. 
 

People who entered the building were often in their suits, and they made the brothers looked like they were looking for scraps or maybe lost puppies. But if Taeyong was intimidated, Haechan acted like an important person who needed to see the CEO. Taeyong was not surprised when the receptionist just raised her left brow and scoffed.
 

"And who are you, kid?"
 

One of the things that Haechan hated was being called a kid. He may be young, but he was not a kid anymore. Reacting that way to a visitor was plain rude, and this would reach the CEO if the lady at the reception were going to let them in. So, although Haechan was not happy with her reaction, he swallowed his pride and gave the lady an amiable smile, albeit forced, and introduced himself.
 

"I'm Lee Haechan, and this is my brother, Taeyong Hyung. Jung Jaehyun-sshi asked us to see him today," he politely said.
 

The lady was still not convinced, but she called someone from the telephone, and after a few moments, someone in a black suit came to them and told them that the CEO was waiting for their arrival. The brothers followed him. Haechan looked back at the lady at the reception and got the satisfaction he wanted with the surprised looked on the lady's face.
 

They rode the elevator, and it stopped on the top floor, 12th, to be exact. It was an ordinary-looking hallway with posters of popular games that only Haechan recognized. The tiles were so clean, Taeyong could see his reflection. He admired the cleaner. It must be hard to maintain that kind of tiles. The guy in a suit then ushered them into a room with a massive wooden door that said 'Creators' Realm' at the top.
 

"Cool," Haechan whispered.
 

The guy then pressed something at a digital intercom and the door opened by itself. They led them to a series of offices with two-way glass as walls.  The brothers couldn't see the inside. 
 

The guy in a suit then stopped at the last room at the end of the hall. It was different from the other room because there were concrete walls and a similar wooden door from the main entrance. This time, he introduced himself to the digital intercom, and Taeyong and

Haechan heard the CEO's very familiar voice.
 

The two were left alone, and they entered the office quietly and slowly. The weather was cold outside, but Taeyong felt that it was much colder inside, just like the aura of Jung Jaehyun.
 

The office of the CEO had a minimalist design. There were no fancy decorations or even a shelf of any awards. Haechan knew they won a lot, but perhaps they were displayed in another room. The only furniture was the large desk, two identical sofas facing each other and a small glass table in the middle, probably for the visitors, and an OLED television on the wall facing the CEO's desk. There were only a few items, but Taeyong could almost see the number of zeroes for their price. Non the less, he was impressed by the simplicity and cleanliness of the office. Of course, he didn't voice it out, and no one would even want to know his opinion.
 

Jaehyun stood and signaled them to sit on the sofa. The brothers sat beside each other with the CEO opposite them. A lady then entered the room with a tray of refreshments. Taeyong didn't see anyone when they entered the office, making him wonder how that lady knew that they were there. But of course, everything was high-tech in the NCT Corp tower. The lady put the tray down in front of them, and Jaehyun started to talk the moment she left the office.
 

"I'm glad you can come. I want to apologize for my brother's behavior. He's been being sensitive these past few days," he started, and Haechan nodded in full agreement.
 

It made Jaehyun even more amused by the teen. But to be honest, his attention was more on the older brother. He saw them when they were in front of the building through the cameras and saw the hesitation to enter. The receptionist didn't need to contact him because he already sent one of his men to usher them.
 

This time, Taeyong was not sweaty and breathing abnormally, unlike the first time they met, but he was still obviously nervous around Jaehyun. Taeyong didn't know that the latter was also anxious and could feel his heart would collapse anytime. 

If a sweaty Taeyong affected Jaehyun so much, this Taeyong in old but fresh clothes with messy good looking hair already swept him off his feet. But of course, no one was going to know about that.
 

He was practically looking at Mystic Man, the exact face he imagined when he was still developing the character. It took him a very long time to complete the last character to join the league for his first-ever computer game, for he wanted him to look perfect, angelic, and ethereal. 
 

He had a hard time putting his imagination into graphics. In the end, he gave up and left the character's eyes covered with a black hoodie and shadow blocking the entire face. He even left it without a name. The guy he imagined was so mysterious he couldn't even describe him, hence the name Mystic Man.
 

It felt like when someone saw the person he'd wanted to see in a long time and finally got to see him in flesh and blood. It was surreal.

The face he imagined and was the subject of his dream was now in front of him, in a black hoodie just like Mystic Man. 
 

He finally got to see the eyes he tried to put into the character he loved the most for a long time. Mystic Man finally got a name. It was

Lee Taeyong.
 

Jaehyun wanted Taeyong more than just the face of Mystic Man. His genius brother was a bonus. He reminded himself to thank Mark later for being overly dramatic and sensitive at the right time.
 

"I will be honest here. I want Haechan to work for me. I think he's a perfect help for me to fix the error of our game." Of course, Jaehyun didn't need any help. He could fix it by himself, but he put it on hold because their main focus was Mystic Man. He already prepared codes to be tried after the reveal, but Haechan would help develop the game. The teen was a genius, and he would be a great help, but of course, Taeyong was not thinking the same way.
 

"Haechan is just 16. He's still in school and under scholarship. I wouldn't allow losing his scholarship because he lost his focus," Taeyong reasoned out. Haechan was against it, but he knew Taeyong was right. Finals were fast approaching, and losing focus meant losing the scholarship.
 

Jaehyun won't enter a war without enough ammunition, though. He was well prepared. "He could work for me after school and during the weekends, and he doesn't have to come when he has exams. Two hours every day will be enough, and I promise to pay him as a regular employee."
 

Unknown to Jaehyun, Taeyong had a more profound reason, and he was not going to let the CEO know about it. He would convince him just to let Haechan go and look for someone at the right age.
 

"I don't want other people to see him working when it's me who's supposed to be working." It was the only reason he thought acceptable.
 

Jaehyun had anticipated that reason.
 

"Haechan is smart for a 16-year-old. He's in high school now, and whatever contribution he will give to the company will not be counted as work but as an internship. Being an intern in a company like NCT is a huge deal for every high school student who wanted a high-caliber university scholarship. You know we don't compensate interns, but I will give Haechan what he deserves because I was the one who asked for his help, and I don't ask help from anyone." He looked directly at Taeyong's eyes but not without guarding himself against drowning. He saw hesitation, his tight hold of Haechan's hand was an indication that he was not willing to let his brother go.
 

Haechan knew he needed the work and got excited when he heard that it would count as an internship. Computer games were one of his interests, and he would love to develop his skills while earning at the same time. He faced his worried brother and held his hand like someone would snatch him any minutes.

"Hyung, it's hard to apply for an internship, especially to a big company like NCT. It will be my chance to increase my qualification for a university in the coming years. It will save us a lot of money, and I can earn here while doing what I love," he said as he put his other hand on top of his brother's cold one. "I can finally help you. You could even quit one of your jobs so you can have more rest."
 

Jaehyun, who was listening, smirked at Haechan's last statement.
 

"How many jobs do you have?" he asked Taeyong, but Haechan answered for his brother.

"He currently has three because he quit modeling."
 

"You were modeling?" Interesting, Jaehyun thought.
 

Taeyong immediately dismissed the question. He shook his head and said, "I quit before I even started."
 

"I'll be honest, Lee Taeyong-sshi, aside from hiring Haechan, I also want to propose something."
 

The brothers looked at him intently.
 

"The very reason why I asked you to come with your brother."
 

Taeyong looked at Jaehyun for the first time that afternoon, but he avoided his eyes, much to the CEO's dismay, but thankful at the same time. He was unprepared.
 

"Wh-what is it?"
 

"I want you to be the face of Mystic Man."

aejae22