Chapter 12

Jungsik entered his office room where he found his father already standing by the glass window with hands inside his pants pocket, facing his back while waiting for him.

He took a deep breath before knocking the door which made his father turn his head with a serious face. He, of course, looked really mad.

"Jungsik, would you mind explaining the matter by yourself before I asked you? You already know what I'm talking about, aren't you?" his father put his hands on the edge of the table slightly bending his body forward, staring at him with his red eyes, which Jungsik could already understood his father is really angry.

His father is a person who take works seriously, someone who can't tolerate unprofessionalism and he knew it, another reason why he never neglects his work and always try to be someone responsible right from his young age, because he was taught to be one. But he chose to do the things that could anger his father today. And why? Why did he choose to do something he never did before?

"I'm sorry, dad," he couldn't do anything but apologize with his head hung down.

"WHAT SORRY?!"

He flinched and took a step back when his father shouted banging the table with his fist.

"Do you know how hard it was to convince Mr. Park for this meeting? We took a whole of 2 years trying to make this project happen Jungsik, 2 years!! And you messed it up all. He's not willing to work with us anymore now. And that's all because of you. I shouldn't have let you take the responsibility for this project at the first place if I knew you'd be like this. I had to leave my flight and come back here after I got a call that you asked to postpone the meeting when Mr. Park was already on his way here. Mr. Park is not someone whom you can say when to meet and when not. And he's upset with us now. I'm really disappointed at you, Jungsik."

Jungsik could just stand there in silence when his father dashed out of the room. He felt his body shaking, he've never seen his father being that mad, his father have never yelled at him like that before.

"Jungsik-ah, are you--"

Jungsik turned away, trying to hide his eyes that started to tear up when Hosung came inside the room. He already knew the older might've heard everything from outside when he hugged him tightly and pat his head gently.

"It's ok Jungsik. You can cry out if you want to. I'm here."

And it was enough for him to just give in, maybe he's not strong like he thought himself to be. So he buried his head under Hoseok's shoulder and cried his eyes out, letting all of his emotions out while hugging onto the elder until he calm himself down a little bit.

"Jungsik-ah, it's alright. He's just stressed now, that's why he's being like this. Don't worry too much," Hosung said with a pat on his shoulder after he made him sit on the couch.

"But Hyung, I'm the reason he's stressed now. I made him angry. He's disappointed at me Hyung and I'm the reason for all these. I'm... I'm really a bad son," he covered his face with his hands.

"Susssss... Jungsik-ah, don't say such things, please? I know you and I know how you've been doing your whole life, trying your best to be a responsible son, helping him by doing all these loads of works in the company. And I'm sure he knows it too. He's just stressed. So don't think to much. If I'd be honest, you're younger than me but you're still someone I can learn a lot from. And you're father obviously know what you can do, that's why he let you take the responsibility for this important project. Maybe he's just disappointed a bit because he expected more from you."

He just hung his head down, regretting everything. His father trusted him and he disappointed his father.

"Hey?" Hosung tapped his shoulder, he might probably noticed the sadness still written on his face, "I didn't say those things to make you more sad though? Why are you still wearing that long face? It's not like you Jungsik."

"But--"

"No more buts", said the elder who now got up from the couch, "Now, how about you try to solve this by yourself and let this project happen again and make up with your father instead of crying here like a kid?"

He lift his head up, looking at the elder, "Should I?"

"Of course, you should."

He hung his head down again, biting his lower lip and sighed before looking at the elder again, "But I don't know how. Like, I'm scared I would mess up everything again."

"Jungsik-ah. Don't you think you need to have more confidence in yourself and your own abilities? I mean, you can actually do this, like, it's nothing for you. But you need to trust yourself first that you can do it," the elder said, patting his shoulder to encourage him. "Don't worry. I know you can do it. If you need any help, just ask me. I'm here to help you. I may look dumb sometimes but I'm quite of an intelligent person, you know. I kinda store all of my intelligence and skills inside my head and never use it. But I'll use it if it's for you."

Hosung closed his eyes, spreading his arms in the air. Thanks to the elder who was trying to be funny, it really made him chuckled.

"You should smile more often. At least you should know how you look when you smile. You really look like a happy bunny."

"HUH?!" he slightly pushed the elder a bit when he called him bunny but the other just dramatically fell on the floor, sticking his his tongue out and it finally made the younger laugh.

"Thank you Hyung", he smiled at him.

"I know. And you should also know I'll always be here to make you laugh no matter what."

He would gladly call himself lucky to have such a wonderful and cheerful person as his friend whom he can rely on, whom he can share everythng, who can make even his worst day better.

"But... Can I ask you what happened actually? Where did you go today? I really wanna know because you are not a person who would just ignore such important meeting just like that. And you sounded so excited while telling me to cancel the meeting? I really want to know if your whatever matter is more important to you than the meeting, or, is anything bothering you?"

Jungsik furrowed his eyebrows a bit at that before letting out a sigh and just sat there in silence which made the older nod his head.

"It's alright if you don't want to tell me now. You can tell me anytime when you're ready. I'll be there to listen whatever you're gonna say, okay?" Hosung smiled, and turned to walk out of the room.

"Because I wanted to see her."

Hosung paused before he pull the doorknob and turned back when he heard him speaking with his head still hung down, fidgeting his fingers.

"You what?"

He finally lifted his head up to look at the elder, "I wanted to see her, Hyung. Even if it was only for a second, even if it's from afar. I don't even know why. I don't know what's wrong with me. I just--"

"Hold on. Her means who?" the elder rushed back and sat beside him, "What do you mean? Wait. Jungsik-ah, just take a deep breath and tell me from the start properly what exactly are you trying to say."

"Hyung, I really don't know what's gotten into me recently but... I... I just... I keeping wanting to talk to her eventhough there's nothing to talk about, I feel like... even her voice can calm me down, she has that kind of voice which no one can get tired of listening to. I know this is kinda wrong but why do I still feels so right to wish us to be closer? I wish she could smile at me like the way she did to--"

"Jungsik-ah, do you, perhaps, like her?"

He frozed at the elder's question. He just sat there in silence staring down at his fingers fidgeting each other on its own. He didn't answer. Because he doesn't have the answer even for himself, because it's the same questions that he keep asking himself afterwards.

"Like her? Do I?"