* * *
“Oh, fuck…!”
Watching Haeyoung curse like he was about to crush a phone that was way smaller than him, he shook his head.
It was impressive how deeply Haeyoung got emotionally invested every single time.
“Why the hell are you freaking out at someone else’s sacred workplace? Do your hobbies at home, you jobless loser.”
If it were anyone else, he would’ve cursed right back, but seeing Haeyoung’s clear and innocent face, the retort that had climbed all the way up his throat slipped right back down.
It was always like this.
Haeyoung wasn’t even that small, but looking at him always reminded him of a naive, tiny, adorable puppy—even though the truth was far from it.
“My bad. I just felt like I needed to come out once in a while.”
As if he hadn’t just been fuming at his phone a moment ago, Haeyoung now had a sheepish expression and lowered his gaze apologetically.
And just like that, he felt like the one in the wrong for scolding him.
Though, to be fair, he didn’t actually believe he’d done anything wrong.
“Well, if you’re out, go take a walk or something. If you’re gonna just stare at your phone the whole time, how’s this place any different from your room?”
“It is. The air’s different. A café with big glass windows is much better for photosynthesis than a semi-basement with windows that aren’t even real windows…”
“What are you, a plant? Talking about photosynthesis?”
Like he actually was photosynthesizing, Haeyoung calmly closed his eyes and let the sunlight filtering through the window wash over his face.
He shook his head again at the sight.
Still, this was better than quitting his job and sulking at home.
Haeyoung had said he’d keep this one longer, but it didn’t last.
He just couldn’t help it and quit again.
Figuring Haeyoung had enough on his mind, he decided not to push it.
“So, what are you reading this time?”
When life got complicated or stressful, Haeyoung would dive into his phone rather than tiring himself out physically, unlike him.
Even though he had tried to steer Haeyoung toward healthier coping mechanisms, it never worked.
He’d long given up and now asked with a resigned sigh.
Haeyoung opened his eyes wide, eyes blazing, and shot him a sharp look—not at him, technically, but since he couldn’t glare at a fictional character, he got the brunt of it anyway.
“Seriously, what kind of psychology is that, bullying someone as a grown-ass adult? I just don’t get it. Wouldn’t it be better to do something more productive than torment someone weaker than you? Like, you’re wasting your time and theirs and giving someone trauma…”
Watching Haeyoung get worked up, he was just glad there were no customers around.
The boss would’ve been upset, but as a part-timer, having no customers was more of a blessing.
He nodded and listened patiently.
Sounded like the bullied character was the protagonist.
But when he asked, Haeyoung said no.
He’d thought it was just a side character passing by, but apparently, that guy held the key to the end of the world.
So this outcast had the power to destroy the world, and the others bullied him without knowing.
“A fantasy novel? What’s it called?”
“Huh? Yeah, it’s fantasy…”
Haeyoung’s eyes, which had been sparkling moments ago, suddenly dulled. He tilted his head, puzzled.
He’d usually read whatever Haeyoung was into.
Not the whole thing—just skimmed the start out of curiosity.
Haeyoung tended to relieve his stress through fictional worlds rather than reality, so he read a wide variety—long fantasy epics with over 100 chapters, romance novels between men and women, whatever gained a little popularity.
“…Hey.”
As he waited for Haeyoung to speak, he frowned at the barely audible mumble.
“What?” he asked.
Finally, Haeyoung raised his voice just enough to hear.
“It’s a novel called [My World Has Ended]… Genre? Uh, look it up and decide if you want to read it or not.”
Wondering what that was all about, he was about to look it up—but, of course, the moment he picked up his phone, a bunch of customers suddenly walked in.
Haeyoung, startled by the crowd, sucked down the rest of his coffee and waved as he left.
Once he’d sent Haeyoung off, he looked up the title later—and made a dumbfounded face.
‘Now he’s reading this kind of stuff too, huh…’
Apparently, it was a well-known novel with heavy advertising.
But unlike before, he didn’t even click on chapter one.
One of the keywords in the ad was “angst,” and that alone was enough to put him off.
The other reason was the genre.
[My World Has Ended] was BL—boys’ love. In other words, a romance between guys.
He quickly hit the back button and sent Haeyoung a message:
[I respect your taste. Haeyoung, even if you like guys, I’m still your friend. Don’t worry.]
“What the hell is this idiot talking about?”
Haeyoung furrowed his brows hard as he read the heartfelt message.
No surprise there.
With a groan, Haeyoung replied with a single middle-finger emoji and walked off.
He was actually taking his friend’s advice to go on a walk.
A cool autumn breeze brushed past his cheek.
Just like that, the autumn of his 22nd year was quietly passing by.
He tried to focus on the walk, but he couldn’t.
Even though he’d already read the completed novel over a few days, the frustration still hadn’t gone away.
The bullied side character had tried to burn himself for revenge but failed.
As always, the story revolved around the main characters, so that was inevitable.
Fine, then at least give the protagonist—who was a guide—a happy ending or something…
But as advertised, it was an angst-fest through and through.
The main character’s path wasn’t flowers—it was all thorns.
All the way to the end.
He’d picked the novel to relieve stress, but it had only stressed him out more.
Still, he made it to the end thanks to the author’s insane writing skills.
Eventually, Haeyoung couldn’t take it anymore and pulled out his phone.
Even though he’d never once left a comment no matter how intense the story, the sheer unfairness of the guide not getting even a hint of a happy ending finally pushed his thumbs into action.
[Author, I really enjoyed your work. But did you have to put Yeonwoo through all that pain? Even in an angst story, can’t there be love? It’s BL, but there’s no L… And what about Haeyoung? He was bullied and didn’t even get revenge after death… Is justice just a joke? Still, thank you for the story. I hope the epilogue is brighter. I’ll be waiting.]
Haeyoung’s fingers flew as he left the comment.
As soon as it was posted, the number of likes shot up.
Many replied underneath, too.
But Haeyoung didn’t go back to that page.
He planned to reread the story later, after he’d cooled off some of the leftover frustration.
As heavy and painful as the story was, it was really well written…
“Should I grab a beer?”
His friend always joked about how he couldn’t handle alcohol to save his life, but tonight, Haeyoung felt like he needed a drink to sleep.
Dragging his heavy heart and body, he stepped into the nearest convenience store.
One can of beer and he’d be out like a light.
He was going to buy one big can, but wanting that refreshing feeling, he picked two smaller ones instead.
Even though it’d been two years since he turned twenty, the cashier still asked for his ID.
He didn’t love that, but knowing what his face looked like, he handed over his ID without complaint.
“Thank youuu—”
* * *
