✓ NETWORK LOVE ━ nct 127 af

❑ chapter five.

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( song of the day :
dreams come true - wjsn )

moon taeil sighed as he stepped out of the office for lunch break. he was basking in the glow of the sun, grateful to feel fresh air after being confined in a room so small. he just needed this hour long break to temporarily loosen the grasp from his exasperating schedules.

he pushed the door of a colorful 7-eleven branch that was only a walking distance from the building. the vibrance of orange, green, and red all mixed up to create a colorful combination that pleased his eyes. it definitely was better than the bland gray wall of his office that he had to look at everyday. the gray paint made him nauseous at times.

the congeniality of his surroundings didn't stop there. even the organization of the store's products captured his interest. convenience stores always gave him fascination, despite how simple they may seem.

what broke him from his thoughts was his classical ringtone. he pressed the green button a little too heavily upon seeing that it was seoyeon. taeil was certain that this would be about work.

( call. )

TAEIL : "hello?"

SEOYEON : "taeil!"

SEOYEON : "this may sound rude, but can you cut your break a little shorter for today? our clients have.. issues that only you can resolve."

SEOYEON : "just 30 minutes shorter? will that work?"

TAEIL : "sure."

SEOYEON : "okay, bye!"

( end of call. )

"why did i even take this job?" taeil whispered to himself, accompanied by a click of his tongue. he couldn't even recall the last time he had a peaceful break to himself without interruptions. everything and everyone just screamed work, work, and work.

"you seem down there, sir," ji youngmi noticed the stress plastered on his face. she beamed widely once their eyes met, hope sparkling like fresh wine in hers. "here, have a slurpee. it's on the house!"

he took it after a few moments of hesitating, his stressed expression turning into a thankful one. his eyes shifted to her name tag. "thank you.. youngmi."

"it's my pleasure," she replied. youngmi gave off an aura of brightness. "you really should smile more! it looks better than a frown."

after minutes of saying thank you and giving each other meaningful stares, taeil finally decided to go back to the office. as he looked at the drink that he was already finishing halfway, he noticed sticker paper attached. this contained a mobile number, and a small note saying :

call me when you're feeling down :)

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