Early morning, the lab was up and about already.
Jin was leaning over the bench and looking through a bunch of notes and Han-kyum was busy adjusting a flask
Jin exploded with a big sigh, perhaps a little too much for the situation.
"So," he said, with a slight turning of his chair, "we have to submit the chemical documentation for the sequence we did today. The finalized breakdown. Concentrations, reactions, all that dull stuff."
Han-kyum nodded his head. "Is it you who is submitting it?"
Jin stopped for a moment. Then he dropped his face on the table.
"...As a matter of fact," he groaned, "I think this is the one that I should have given to Elijah for finalization."
Han-kyum looked at him. "Was?"
Jin was turning his head very slowly and he looked at Han-kyum with one eye only. "Bro," he said in a very small voice, "I'm out of energy. I don't want to go. I've been standing like... twice already today."
Han-kyum was blinking furiously. "Your so lazy.."
"That's right," Jin answered without hesitation. "Emotionally exhausted, Spiritually drained, Physically dead, Please." he gave a puppy eyes
Han-kyum was looking at the folder for a long time... then he let out a deep breath.
"You are totally unbelievable," he said.
"But lovable," Jin added, without the slightest trace of embarrassment.
Han-kyum took the papers in his hands. "Okay. I will bring it to him," he said.
"Thank you," Jin said, as if it were a favor, and was already turning to his work again.
Han-kyum fix his lab coat and walked out of the lab by himself.
____
Han kyum walks towards elijah's office
But Elijah's office was silent
Han-kyum knocked at the door once. No answer.
Not quite sure of himself, he rapped at the door again.
Still, there was no response.
"Elijah?" he called.
When he slightly opened the door, this is the person he saw.
Elijah was sitting at the desk, with his sleeves rolled up, and a pen in his hand, and he was just writing, and it was really boring :p
Han-kyum came in.
"Elijah," he tried once more.
Hmm, no reaction.
That made Han-kyum stop.
He was frowning a little, and the feeling of curiosity was taking over his mind, so he cleared his throat. "Uh... Jin told me to give you this. Here's the chemical document. For finalization."
He put the folder very neatly on the corner of the desk.
Still, no reaction.
Elijah didn't glance at him. And keep his boring business
"...Alright," Han-kyum responded after a while.
He stood up, adjusted his coat for the umpteenth time and was heading for the exit. "I'll... let him know you got it."
Han-kyum exited the room without saying another word.
The door quietly closed.
The moment the door closed—
Elijah put down his pen.
He clenched his jaw. His hand was holding the pen so tightly that it was almost breaking.
His teeth were grinding, his anger was very intense and it was being directed towards the closed door, towards the silence, and towards himself.
However, he remained silent.
And the office kept on being quiet.
_____
A few minutes later, Han-kyum entered the lab again, and the door quietly closed behind him.
Jin looked up from what he was doing almost right away. "So?" he asked. "Did he take it?"
Han-kyum got up from the bench, went back to the table, and dropped his gloves with a sigh. "Yeah. I put it on his desk."
Jin looked at him closely. "And?"
Han-kyum seemed unsure, and then he gave a shrug. "He just keep his mouth"
"…You mean he Ignored you?" Jin repeated.
"Absolutely," Han-kyum explained. "He didn't glance at me. he didn't even show any signs of recognition. At first, I thought he didn't hear me."
Jin stopped what he was doing and gave him a long look. "That's… quite unusual. Elijah is the type who will yell at you if you breathe too loud."
"Yes, that was my point," Han-kyum said. "But he kept on with his writing as if I was invisible." he rolls his eyes with annoyance
Jin smiled slightly. "Maybe he is angry."
Han-kyum forced a small laugh but there was no smile in it. "Is he ever not?" he gritted his teeth and clenched his fist "and why would he be angry?"
Jin gave a short, thoughtful sound and returned to his work. "However, that is new. The silent treatment from Elijah is… scary."
Han-kyum was supported by the counter, his hands clasped together in front of him. "whatever, who knows?"
"Maybe a little," Jin said. "I like you alive."
Han-kyum cast a look back at the door, his face not giving anything away. "Yeah. Same."
The lab doors slid open without a sound.
Han-kyum noticed and his expression changed right away. His anger from the very moments before was wiped off completely as if it never happened.
"… Oh."
Jin noticed it. Naturally, he did.
"Wow," Jin said with a deadpan voice. "thats fast."
Han-kyum was taken aback. "What?"
"You were literally yelling off your chest against Elijah a minute ago," Jin told him. "And now you seem… alright."
"bro, im fine," Han-kyum said but his glance had already gone back to the door.
Seo-jun arrived with his hands in the pockets of his coat, his face as serene as always.
He looked over at Han-kyum.
"Hi."
That was all.
Han-kyum's mouth pretty much did the opposite thing of what he was thinking. "You're early."
"I just can't sleep," Seo-jun said with a shrug
Jin was slowly turning his head to look from one to another.
"…Wait," he said. "Did I miss something?"
Han-kyum suddenly very interested in a vial, "No."
Seo-jun moving close to the table and checking it out. "Repeating the same formula as yesterday?"
"That's right." Han-kyum said. "But we changed the ratio."
Seo-jun made a soft sound with his throat. "That's reasonable."
Jin could not take his eyes off of them.
Then he looked even more intensely.
"Alright," Jin said slowly. "Earlier, you were showing signs of irritation and now you are beaming while looking at lab equipment. Also, he hasn't said a single word to you."
Han-kyum scowled at him. "I'm not smiling."
"You are," Jin persisted. "And it's unsettling."
Seo-jun's smile was a small one—barely. "Did I do something?"
Han-kyum waved his hand. "No. Everythings alright" he gave jin a side eye
Jin threw his hands up. "Fantastic. Really! I go away for one day and you two suddenly develop a vibe."
There was silence for a moment.
Seo-jun holding a tablet and reaching out his hand. "What do you want me to handle?"
Han-kyum did not hesitate to respond. "Come with me."
Jin was watching them as they were working together like partners from the past, and he was leaning against the counter with his arms crossed.
"…Yeah," he said softly. "There is definitely something going on."
Han-kyum didn't disagree.
Actually, for the reason that Seo-jun was there, the lab seemed to be lighter.
And that terrified Jin much more than it should have.
_______
Lunchtime arrived quickly
Seo-jun after cleaning his hands, moved away from the table.
"I'll go," he said as if it was nothing, he was already taking off his gloves.
Han-kyum raised his eyes. "You're not having your meal here?"
Seo-jun replied by shaking his head. "I'm not hungry."
Then,
"See you." Seojun said smiling
Han-kyum didn't even realize he was smiling until—
"Okay, enough."
Without any warning, Jin reached out and grabbed Han-kyum's sleeve, dragging him to a place which was half-covered by the shelves.
"What are you talking about?" Han-kyum whispered.
Jin was not amused, and he showed it by folding his arms. "Now. Right here. Explanation.
"Explanation of what?"
"You seemed to be very angry not long ago. Angry enough to throw something. Right? Then suddenly your face is calm as he comes in," Jin told him.
Han-kyum was indecisive.
"Its just.. he reminds me of Jae heon..."
Jin looked at him quite strangely. "What?"
Han-kyum spoke hesitatingly, "Seo-jun. He is like that. The way he talks. The way he doesn't insist."
"Jae-heon... huh?" Jin was perplexed.
Han-kyum did not meet eye contact and murmured, "Someone."
"Someone," Jin repeated slowly.
"Yeah," Han-kyum said in a low voice. "A person I used to rely on. Someone who made me feel… safe."
Jin was looking at him intently.
"So that's the reason?"
"It's not like that," Han-kyum was quick to reply. "I'm not emotionally involved or anything. It's just—that when everything here makes it hard to breath, somebody that I know helps me to breathe."
Jin let out a long breath. "You really don't listen to yourself, do you?"
Han-kyum caught his breath. "What do you mean?"
"You know, in this lab," Jin lowered his voice, "anything that is giving you a feeling of safety too soon is to be watched out for."
Han-kyum was quite tense.
"…Seo-jun is not a threat."
"I didn't say he is," Jin responded. "I am just suggesting that you are projecting."
Han-kyum was quiet.
After some time, Jin changed his tone. "Just don't imagine one person to be another, understand?"
Han-kyum slowly nodded his head. "I promise I won't."
The sound of footsteps could be heard from the corridor outside.
Neither of them were aware that they decelerated their steps
for a brief moment-
before continuing on.
Once the meal was over, Jin shoved his empty tray off the table and reclined in his chair. A tired sigh escaped his lips.
"I swear," he mumbled, "if I don't get some real food pretty soon, I'll go completely crazy."
Han-kyum was smiling slightly, but his eyes seemed to be somewhere else.
He waited
Until the sound of the steps outside disappeared.
Then he brought his face closer to Jin's and spoke in a very low tone, almost a whisper.
"Jin."
Jin looked at him. "What?"
Han-kyum looked down for a moment just long enough to make Jin feel uncomfortable.
"I found the exit," Han-kyum said in a low voice.
Jin was quite surprised. "What?"
"The exit," Han-kyum said, even quieter. "The real one. There is a stairs, a door, and not even closed."
Jin was immediately standing up straight. "You must be kidding."
"I'm not."
Jin didn't waste a second and looked towards the door of the room and then to Han kyum. "Since When?"
"Two days ago," Han-kyum said. "I was pretending to find Elijah's office, remember the day Elijah called me? I didn't really go to his office..."
Jin gulped. "And you kept that from me?"
"I wasn't quite sure," Han-kyum explained. "And… I got caught."
That made Jin stop in his tracks.
"Caught," Jin repeated slowly. "By who?"
Han-kyum didn't respond immediately.
"Elijah," he eventually said.
Jin's face turned pale like a sheet. "Elijah saw you near the exit and caught you?"
"Yeah."
Jin slightly moved his chair back, looked down, and whispered even more, "Han-kyum, can you imagine what would have happened if he had told about it?"
"He didn't," Han-kyum assured.
"That doesn't make it any better," Jin whispered. "It makes it worse."
Han-kyum stared at his palms. "Before I could even touch the door, he took me away."
Jin was clamping his teeth together. "Did he hit you?"
"No," Han-kyum said rapidly. "But if you look at it, he was angry. Not very loud, but hes intense, like i cannot even the emotions of that man,"
Jin put his hand through his hair. "This is terrible. It's really terrible."
"Yeah, I'm aware of the fact," Han-kyum said. "That's the main reason why I'm telling you this."
Jin stared at him with disbelief. "You could have gone off the grid. Yunseok would have—"
"I know," Han-kyum interrupted him. "Besides, what ig Hanrae was there already, watching us..?"
Silence took over after that.
Jin breathed out slowly. "Then, what are you thinking?"
Han-kyum came closer again. "It's necessary that we devise a plan."
Jin frowned. "A plan for what, exactly?"
"For leaving," Han-kyum explained. "lets just do this, this is for us..."
Jin shook his head. "That's stupid."
"What is worse is staying here forever."
Jin looked at him, his eyes filled with terror and frustration. "You are asking me to risk everything."
Han-kyum looked right into his eyes. "I'm asking you to be with me, to survive together."
Jin gulped hard.
"…He didn't report you," Jin said quietly. "That must mean something."
Han-kyum remained silent.
"Either he is protecting you," Jin went on, "or he is waiting."
Han-kyum's fingers tightened slightly. "That's what frightens me."
Jin came closer to him. "If we decide to do this, if we work out a plan, we have to do it cautiously. No rushing. and no hero moves. got it?"
Han-kyum agreed by nodding his head.
Jin looked towards the door once again. "And we don't tell a anyone, Not even—"
"Not even Seo-jun," Han-kyum completed the sentence.
Jin lifted one eyebrow. "You don't trust him?"
"I don't really know him," Han-kyum said. "And, you know, at this moment, not knowing is pretty dangerous."
For a moment, they were silent, and the heaviness of the conversation was between them.
Jin finally let out a long breath. "Alright. We do it. Slowly."
Han-kyum was so relieved he could let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
"However, Jin," Han-kyum's voice was serious, "if next time you come across something like this, you better tell me first."
Han-kyum agreed with nodding his head. "I promise.
They got up, gathered their trays, and made their way back to the lab.
Seo-jun straightaway halted the moment he heard his name.
It was not a call its a whisper.
He was right next to the corner of the hallway, a bit far to be noticed, but quite close to hear the pieces. A plan, An exit.
Han-kyum's voice was a whisper and was equal to one of concern.
Seo-jun's hand was turning to a fist very slowly at his side.
So you found it.
For a very short time, his protective look of the situation gave way. Just a little.
Hope, unfiltered and hazardous was there in his eyes.
He glided his head down a little, as if anchoring himself, as if reminding himself not to hurry. Not yet.
In his mind, absolutely clear and firm, a promise came into being.
I'll wait for you, Han-kyum.
The words seemed to have an escape of the lips, quite inaudible, more of a breath than a voice.
"I'll wait…"
Seo-jun, realizing that he was just a step away from being caught, stood up straight. The tenderness disappeared from his face, substituted by the frigid, inscrutable calm that he was always capable of.
Before steps could be heard.
Before people could approach
He left the hallway quietly, walked into the dark corners of the lab as if he hadn't been there at all, and thus, disappeared.
But this time—
he was not out there wandering in the dark.
(To be continued)