“This makes it the fifth day.” Ilhoon spoke quietly after closing hours in the shop. The staff members stood in the ominous lobby waiting for no one. Their boss hadn’t arrived that morning for work, nor the whole week. He’d been absent without notice and everyone was starting to get worried. Ilhoon threw down the pen and clipboard, having taking up Minhyuk’s spot of critiquing the members, he couldn’t handle the tactless job any longer. “What is that bastard doing?”

Sohyun didn’t feel right in the absence of her boss. It didn’t sit well with her even at the beginning of the week when there was no one to toe the line to. The shop was not being properly managed and payday was coming up.

“Ilhoon, do you know where he lives?” Sohyun asked him abruptly. The others eyed Ilhoon for his response who only nodded afterward. Sohyun suggested that the two of them go check up on their boss together and figure out the issue. When it looked like the duo would leave together Changsub intervened.

“I’m coming too.” He said. Ilhoon glanced him over.

“Why?”

“Why not? I care about Minhyuk just as much as you.” A tactless lie seen by Ilhoon but he didn’t dispute it. Ilhoon switched vehicles with Hyunsik so that the trio could arrive at Minhyuk’s together.

“This is it.” Ilhoon announced parking the car outside of Minhyuk’s gate. Behind it resided a two story house that caused the jaws of Changsub and Sohyun to unhinge.

“Mr. Lee…lives here?” Taken back by not only the size of the house but over the fact that Minhyuk never relayed this information to anyone else; Sohyun stumbled out of the car as Ilhoon rang the doorbell. A few beats passed before a low tired voice came over the speaker.

“Who is it?” Minhyuk asked. Ilhoon responded and the gate buzzed, unlocking briefly for the trio to enter. Minhyuk met them at his front door, shirtless, wrinkled jeans, untidy hair and a muddled expression to match the disoriented combination. He was surprised to see that Ilhoon wasn’t alone. Changsub stepped in front of Sohyun to block Minhyuk from her view.

“Hyung!” He complained, “Put a shirt on!”

“Ah, I thought it was just Ilhoon.” He said unapologetically returning into his house. His employees followed suit and shut the door behind them, realizing that none of the lights were on and it looked as though it were night time. Ilhoon was the first to cut on the living room light where Minhyuk sat himself on his sofa surrounded by trash and over kept food.

“Christ…” Was all Ilhoon could mutter.

Sohyun blurted, “We came to check up on you. We were worried.”

“Really?” Minhyuk asked, more focused on trying to light the cigarette between his lips than properly greeting his guests. “Oh then why is Changsub here? He doesn’t care about me.”

Changsub forced a worried laugh. “What are you saying, Hyung? Of course I care about you…and my check. Whatever, payday is coming up and we need you at the shop.”

Ilhoon had begun pushing trash into a plastic waste bag, trying to clear the cluttered mess as best as he could.

“You’ve probably guessed it by now,” Minhyuk told him almost sadly, he gave up trying to light his cigarette and tossed it onto his carpet where Ilhoon ended up trashing that as well. “She left me. For good.”

Ilhoon had stopped for a second, quieting the whole room, but then he continued to clean up. “Good.” He responded. “It’s about time you ended it with that woman.”

“That woman?” Changsub asked in shock. Neither he nor Sohyun knew that Minhyuk had been dating.

“That woman, that evil woman,” Minhyuk roughly rubbed his eyes, they welled with tears albeit him trying to stop them. “It’s been two years and she just throws me away like this?”

“Come to your senses already, Hyung!” Ilhoon thrashed out, tossing the trash bag aside. Sohyun flinched at his fuming tone and backed into a corner where Changsub stood in front of her again. “That woman was married and bored. It was only a matter of time before she decided to go back to reality. Only you were left behind in the world she created for you.”

Minhyuk nodded his head regretfully. No matter how hard he tried he couldn’t stop himself from tearing. “I’m a fool. I’ve literally wasted two years of my life over her. This house…the shop…she bought it all for me because it was easy. I was easy. I’m so stupid.” His crying turned into sobbing and Ilhoon couldn’t take it anymore. He left the living room area only to go into the kitchen. Changsub followed him in and watched as Ilhoon raided the refrigerator and whip up a quick meal for Minhyuk.

Changsub asked, “You’ve known all along that Minhyuk was in a relationship?” Ilhoon said nothing and continued to cook quietly. “Of course. You and Minhyuk are closer than the rest of us.”

“I…” He started but then paused, almost equally upset as Minhyuk. “I used to live here. Before the shop was opened, I stayed with Minhyuk for a while. But as his relationship with that woman kept going further, they became more toxic. I couldn’t indulge myself in their poison anymore.”

“Makes sense. You get out while you can.”

Sohyun left her corner not wanting to feel anymore useless than she already had been. Minhyuk’s crying quieted, but he had his head buried in his hands, finding himself in a darker place as each moment passed. Sohyun sat next to him and rubbed his , in an attempt to soothe him. They said nothing for a long while, but Sohyun could feel Minhyuk’s body shaking and his breathing was heavy.

“Mr. Lee…you must have really loved her.” She spoke softly, “Even then, life goes on. You still have a shop, you still have employees. There’s still a lot of other women out there.” She felt his body relax and his sniffling stop. Minhyuk was one to give out a lot of prep talk so she figured he needed one himself.  “It’ll take time, and it’ll be hard, but we’ll support you as much as we can.”

“Ms. Kwon,” His voice was smooth and full, as though he had never been crying in the first place. Sohyun had been caressing him in a matter as she would a child. She felt relieved by his energy.

“Yes, Mr. Lee.”

“Are you dating?” She threw her hands back and questioned his intentions in her own head. Wasn’t he just depressed not even five seconds prior? Why was he changing subjects and why such a personal question? She was too stunned to respond to him verbally so she shook her head. He’d been looking at her unlike any way he looked at her before or anyone else. At that moment he didn’t seem like her unkind boss that would hit her on the head with a clipping board if she said something silly, he seemed like the man she first met that opened the shop doors for her with a warm smile. “Then…is it ok if I hug you?”

He didn’t allow her to respond, let alone express herself dramatically at the proposal. Minhyuk pulled Sohyun’s body to his and embraced her with bare arms. She’s was too in shock to say anything but she didn’t push him away either.

Changsub entered the room with a bowl of chips and immediately tossed the snack food aside. “HYUNG!” He hopped over to Minhyuk only to tear Sohyun away from him and then position himself once again between the two.  “What is this? Are you resorting to ual harassment now?”

Minhyuk stood broadly with a cynical expression. Changsub gulped meekly in front of his superior. “Yah, Changsub, did you lose brain cells while I was gone?” He smacked Changsub’s head and pushed him aside. Sohyun’s eyes drifted over to her boss’s without a choice. He leaned in closer and Sohyun expected another embrace but, “Ms. Kwon, that’s the first and last time I’ll ever do something like that to you. Don’t take it the wrong way.”

“Oh.” She nodded slowly, almost disappointed, “It’s ok.” Changsub caught the flushed expression on her face and gave her a look. Before he could inaudibly scold her Ilhoon brought a tray of hot food demanding everyone, especially Minhyuk to eat. They began enclosing the coffee table to indulge on the food when Ilhoon threw a fit.

“Yah, why are there chips all over the floor?” He screamed. Minhyuk chuckled and asked Ilhoon if he wanted to move back in with him. He responded almost insulted, “No thanks.”