Dreaming /#FebruaryJamFestival/

16. So if you're halfway through it

Kwang's body dragged from the effects of little sleep and a packed surgical schedule. The exhaustion was enough to call a car from the hospital to his condo. He texted Jin before collapsing in bed.

"Too tired. I'll call tomorrow."

A few hours later, Kwang woke up long enough to change his clothes and get back to bed. He checked his phone, but Jin hadn't responded. Kwang didn't think anything of it when he fell back to sleep.

His alarm went off, and he dragged himself out of bed. The amount of sleep he had wasn't enough to make up for the last week of poor sleep. He needed to rest. Maybe he shouldn't go out with Jin tonight. He rechecked his phone, and Jin still hadn't replied.

Kwang wondered briefly about her mood the night before. Something had been off; Jin had seemed so frantic and restless. Was she getting bored? Was that why Jin hadn't responded to his text? No, Jin had told Kwang she loved him. That wasn't something you did when you were bored. That wasn't it. She must be busy. Jin had been gone from her company for three days. He would talk to her later about tonight when he called. It was likely still too early to call, so he finished getting ready for work and went downstairs for breakfast.

Joon called while he was making breakfast. He could have eaten at work, but he didn't like the morning cooks. And it had become a habit since Jin began to stay over.

"What's up? It's early for you," Kwang announced after pushing the speaker button on his phone.

"Have you seen the news?" Joon's voice sounded odd.

"Not yet. I usually look at it after I get to the hospital, you know that." Kwang turned off his burner and began to slide his breakfast onto his plate.

"I think you should look at it now before you get here. I've already asked Dr. Yung to round on your patients this morning. You can come in a little late. Let me know if you need anyone to start your first surgery."

"Joon, what are you talking about?" Kwang cocked his head to the side. Why would he need Dr. Yung to round on his patients?

"Just look at the news. I recommend looking at the business news if it isn't one of the main items on your feed," Joon urged.

"Business news? Joon?" Kwang pushed the speaker button off and put the phone up to his ear as he carried his plate to the table.

"Have I ever steered you wrong, Dr. Ahn?" Joon insisted.

"No, okay, thank you. I'll look at it when I sit down for breakfast." Kwang put his food on the table then went to the refrigerator to get juice.

"Perfect, sitting down is good." Joon hung up. Kwang shook his head and sat the bottle down next to his plate. He sat down and looked at his phone, then stood up to grab the tablet he had left charging on the counter. Folding the case open to prop the tablet up, Kwang opened his news feed. He always preferred reading the news on the tablet to the phone.

The first article was what Joon wanted him to see.

Initially, the title of the article made Kwang happy:

Li and Lancaster Family to Merge

The article then went on to talk about how half of Jin's company would be acquired by the Li family while the other half stayed under Lancaster's control. So far, Kwang wasn't sure why Joon insisted he stay home to read the article. He continued the report, skimming past information about the company and each family. His mood soured at a line that he had to read several times to understand.

The company's purchase was made possible by the engagement of the heirs of both families.

Wasn't Jin the only heir to the Lancaster family?