Reasonable Loss - 29

Eunsoo went straight to the door without waiting for Dokwon’s farewell. It didn’t seem like Dokwon would give a kind farewell.

So Eunsoo crossed a long distance, took the subway, and walked home.

And when he got home,

“Uuuuu…….”

He clutched Dokwon’s coat and cried like a child.

It must have been heart-wrenching for him to doubt Dokwon’s love. And now, doubting Dokwon’s own love as well, it felt like the world was collapsing.

* * *

Eunsoo’s vacation, which felt like it wasn’t really a vacation, ended. This meant it was time to go back to work.

Eunsoo had rarely disliked going to work. Except for when the weather was harsh or when he had a cold, he usually went to work happily.

But today was different.

When Eunsoo arrived at the company, he let out a long sigh. It was a day when he painfully realized how harsh and sorrowful the commute without a car could be.

The company, which had always seemed smooth to come and go, felt like the peak of Baekdusan. Why were there so many people on the subway? Where did they all come from and where did they go? And why was his home so far from the company? Even staring blankly at the station display board and staring blankly again, he didn’t see [Yeoksam Station] getting any closer.

What if he missed the stop he needed to get off at? What if he was late? He looked at his watch, watched people’s reactions, and looked for a gap. However, it was embarrassingly worrying that most people got off at Yeoksam. Being swept away by the crowd of people moving like an explosion, Eunsoo managed to get off at Yeoksam, partly by chance and partly by choice.

And then he squeezed out of the subway, bumping into people. Fortunately, the company was not far from Yeoksam Station, so walking wasn’t too much of a burden.

Finally arriving at work, he was exhausted. Was there anyone among his team members without a car? Who was it? He thought he should buy them a large coffee and give them consolation and praise when he met them, a trivial thought.

Eunsoo took a deep breath when he reached the 14th floor, the design team’s floor. The warm yet somewhat stuffy air. The bustling people. And the shampoo and perfume smells that could only be smelled in the morning.

It was the first time he had been to the company in weeks since the accident. He couldn’t help but be pleased. People might think he was crazy, but Eunsoo liked the company.

Before meeting Dokwon, the company was the only place where he could feel the warmth of people and their presence. It was the only place with busy people and those who called him Team Leader or Eunsoo.

Without working at the company, Eunsoo was completely isolated from the world, utterly alone.

His parents had passed away, he lost contact with school friends due to studying abroad, and he wasn’t proactive enough to join clubs or gatherings to find people.

The company was just right. It became even better after meeting Dokwon.

Eunsoo adjusted his tie and headed to his desk. The team members who saw him flailed their hands and approached him. Their eyes were glistening and their lips were pouting, showing that they were very happy to see Eunsoo.

“Team Leader!”

“Team Leader, you’re here?”

“Are you okay?”

“Oh my, a traffic accident. What happened?”

“It was a huge accident. It was on the news.”

“The driver was a total jerk.”

“Yeah. Drinking and driving. If he wanted to die, he should have done it alone. It wasn’t just a few victims, right?”

“But is it okay for you to be out already?”

The high-pitched voices of the team members buzzed in Eunsoo’s ears. It felt like he was back in his hometown. Eunsoo hung up his coat and blinked his eyes softly.

“I’m fine.”