Nortufe Letter ✧ cheolsoo

(4) Pre: ach

There's a word for this.

What was that? Awkward? Yes. That's the one. It's already past two the afternoon, with the sunlight pointing directly at their spot in Earth, and at some point in the carnival, amidst the people, balloons, and vendors, are two creatures packing up. One of which, had (bleached) blonde hair and is wearing a neon get-up, and the second of which with a top hat and stripes.

"Hold on a sec," Joshua says, grunting as he folds the chairs and table. Seungcheol stands there awkwardly, holding the radio with both hands. "I'm thinking of a plan on how I will talk to my manager."

"Your who?"

"Manager." Then he looks away.

Seungcheol tries to repeat what he just said. "Man-jer. Ma-nga-jeerie." Wait. Wrong. "Manger."

He frowns. Why are the human words so difficult to pronounce?

"Yo, Ji!" The human calls to some other human, with a stick in his mouth, who is pumping balloons for his booth. Seungcheol notices small thingies with arrows. And a set of balloons behind him.

What is that? What was that for? The letters on the booth are foreign to him. But from all of the objects present, he deduces it must be some throw-the-sharp-thingies-to-pop-the-balloons kind of booth.

"Where's our manager?"

"Ji" stops pumping balloons and takes out the stick (Seungcheol later learns it's a cigarette.) "Sorry? Didn't hear ya."

"Our manager."

"Ji" stands up and walks towards them both. He takes a look at Seungcheol, then back to Joshua again.

"Gods, Shua, who's this guy?"

"Some childhood friend." Is that a lie? Seungcheol feels safer that the economic rates might go up even for a little bit. Joshua stands up. "Listen. Is our manager here?"

"No, but I overheard he'll be coming next Saturday."

"Shit," Joshua mutters.

"Why? What's the matter?"

"I have to leave today. It's such a short notice thing, but. . . yeah. I have some stuff to do." Joshua looks up and mutters, audible to Seungcheol, "I wish I follow my own predictions." Then back to the guy with a cigarette. "Do you think that's possible, Jihoon?"

Jihoon, Seungcheol learns, nodding while mouthing the name. Jihoon looks at him weirdly and shields himself from the heat with his arm.

"Before we rule it out as possible, Shua, what makes you think it would be?"

"Well, for starters, not many people are interested in learning their future. And... I barely earn shit here."

"You're firing yourself?"

"It's called 'resigning,' Ji."

Jihoon shrugs. "Okay, but if you think your reasons are valid enough, I can give you their new number. Don't know why they had to change it. If they ask where you got it, tell them I found it. Those shitheads think that because I'm their employee they got full control on me. Hell no."

Seungcheol tilts his head curiously.

"Got it. I'll tell them my hiatus will be indefinite."

Jihoon smiles. "Good luck, Shua."

After some time, Seungcheol found himself inside an office — yes, he read that one, he was proud of himself — with Joshua, who is calmly staring at a wall with a black thing on his ear. And this black thing is connected to another black thing placed on another wall.