Chensung | Bits & Pieces

⭐️ Trouble Prologue

Synopsis: When an ordinary man with his ordinary job and ordinary dreams meets the person who turns his entire life upside down.

"A popular magazine about love once said that everyone has someone they're fated to be with..."

"Huh?!"
Hearing the loud conversation of the two girls adjacent to his cubicle made him scoff. It's near evening but the office is still quite full given that they're pressed for deadlines. He works for a publishing company and despite being quite the cynic, he's still experienced in reading the romance genre. Nevertheless, not an ounce of him has changed. Hearing all those clichés made him confirm it even more that he's appalled by it.

"Fate? Bullshit."

In all his thirty years of living nobody had ever proved to him that all those "dazzling" things existed, he then gestured the quotations using two fingers of each hand.
Well there's nothing wrong in being plain, in fact the only wish he had is to remain the same, no surprises, no disruptions just ordinary needs by ordinary means.

"Park Jisung."

"Hm?" Turning to the side a little without looking at the man he took the folders handed to him.

"Yah! Jisung-ah you can't even greet your friend?"

Reluctantly moving to face the guy, he glared at him before responding stiffly,
"We're not clo-
Ah!" A searing pain suddenly erupted at his waist when the guy pinched him.

"Na Jaemin." His expression went several shades darker when the older finally let go of him.

Smiling, clearly happy on his new found form of justice the man responded,
"We need those translated by tomorrow."
Waving goodbye in an innocent manner Jaemin walked away towards the door.

Hours have passed and his desk is now loitered with a cup of noodles and a few crushed cans of coffee. Stretching his arms upward, his head thrown back and thick black rimmed glasses slipping up his nose, he noticed that only a handful of them are left. Peering at the wall to his right he noted that it's already half past midnight.

Deciding to continue this at home, his fingers began collecting his trash cleaning up the mess.
"Shlack! Shlack!"
The sound of folders being straightened up occupied his mind. Shoving it all inside his handbag, he swayed a bit when he stood up. The ache in his knees and numbness of his thighs and buttocks definitely wore the evidence of the long day.

Still in a haze, he exited the glass doors of their department and went straight towards the elevator. He was staring absentmindedly on the buttons when his phone rang.

"O hyung."

"Jisung when are you going to visit dad?" The voice of the older man along with the sound of children playing could be heard from the other line.

"Maybe this weekend." Answering while going outside the lift, his footsteps echoed in the vacant lobby.

"Mhm... Uh... I'm saying this so that you won't be surprised but dad got a new girlfriend."

Obvious worry could be felt from the statement that the younger almost felt guilty.
"That's not something I would find startling hyung."
After that they talked for a little more before they hung up.

Although breathing felt like his lungs was suddenly filled with mud, his skin not welcoming the cold of being outdoors, in the end he wandered from the pathway leading to his apartment building and went on a detour towards the nearby playground.  Fixing his coat, he slid one of his hands inside his pocket.
Slowly approaching the grounds he could hear muffled cries. Alarmed he stopped in his tracks hesitating about what he should do. His uncaring attitude clearly does not include ignoring possible assault or murder but this situation isn't supposed to be taken lightly.