Work Text:
I was convinced I deserved some sort of award for successfully juggling the irritating hulk of Assistant Manager Lee Kangheon's body along with our empty cans. My shirt, soaked through with coffee and chilly as a result, made me recoil each time it brushed against my chest.
The sound of thunder in the distance indicated that more misfortune was on the way, though I hoped I'd be fast asleep by the time it arrived.
Dragging Lee Kangheon's body along while disposing of our rubbish took more out of me than a typical day at work—and I wouldn't even be getting overtime for this!
I clenched my fist, stung by the injustice of it all. The sky echoed my displeasure.
If he were anyone else, I would have seriously considered just leaving him slumped over on the sidewalk. There were at least five over shitfaced salarymen passed out in this street alone. He would've been fine.
As it was, he would definitely remember me tomorrow and ream me out for abandoning him. I'd never be free from him after that.
You see, this all began after our mandated company dinner, when our squad-mates had dumped his drunken ass in my lap as soon as he stopped latching onto them. They'd even jumped over to the table next to us to get away from him!
So, he'd attached himself to me instead, buying round after round of beers that I pretended to drink, unwilling to fall into a seedy bar-based Darkness the night before a long weekend.
My calculated suggestion to have coffee instead, the next time the bartender came back to us, was met with guilty eyes and hands that pressed together and separated again. I'd realised that Lee Kangheon was mimicking the state of his wallet—that is, totally empty.
It’d quickly occurred to me that this had, in fact, been the state of his wallet for the entire night.
Bidding goodbye to a sizable chunk of my latest paycheck, I'd left the bar in search of the nearest convenience store with Lee Kangheon dogging my footsteps.
Consecutive glances at him had shown me a pout that grew larger with every look—the cashier had eyed the both of us and seemed more ready to kick us out the longer it took us to get out. Deciding on a brand of canned coffee that wouldn't send my bank account into the negatives ate away at precious, police-free seconds.
I'd ordered a taxi while shuffling through the line at the front counter, desperate to get home as soon as possible, cost be damned.
But, as I'd perched the both of us on the sidewalk and cracked open our drinks, Lee Kangheon had tipped over towards me, pouring what must've been the entirety of his can onto my chest and lap.
"..."
Even though his eyes had been closed, and his breathing had been steady and shallow...
It felt like he'd done it on purpose.
Now, I pulled him along, shoving him into our taxi roughly. He mumbled a sleepy protest, but scooted along the backseat as I pushed my way inside. As I confirmed the final destination with the driver, Lee Kangheon made himself comfortable on my shoulder.
When we took off, and thunder rumbled above us, a gentle pitter-patter began. Rain appeared on the window in minute dots, then droplets. The noise of it hitting the roof of the car was accompanied by the gentle music from the radio, like one of those "Jazz on a Rainy, Late-night Car Ride ASMR" videos.
Pressing my head against the car door, I found myself drifting off.
The warmth of Lee Kangheon's body, the smooth ride...
As though hearing my thoughts, he snuffled and pressed closer to me.
"Roe Deer..." I felt his breath on my neck. "You smell nice."
My eyes flew open. One of them may have twitched.
Lee Kangheon, none the wiser, began to snore.
Torn between annoyance and exhaustion, I succumbed to the latter.