BTS ONE SHOTS

Jin

CW: Angst, minor character death

Jin sighed as he punched out of his office for the day. It was hell today. Just like yesterday and the days before. Sometimes he questions himself why does he keep on waking up and going to work everyday when he hates the place so much.

Money. You need money, Seokjin. The handsome male reminded himself as he stared at his reflection in the mirrored walls of the elevator. At 28 years old, Seokjin has a stable job as an executive secretary for the COO of an established company. He used to love his job but due to the pandemic their company was forced to lay down jobs to cut down costs and he's now taking on more tasks that he can handle. His boss is a nice enough man but is not immune to the stress of the current situation. The man is being moody more than usual and it is Seokjin who's often on the receiving end of his temper tantrums. It's not unusual anymore to find the previously cheerful secretary sulking in the office pantry after being berated by his boss. More than once he's contemplated on just walking out and never coming back but he needs the job and considers himself fortunate that he still has one considering some of their co-workers suddenly doesn't have one. He should be grateful that he's one of the lucky ones, he keeps reminding himself.

Jin sighed again as he stepped out of the elevator and walked out of the building into the cold night. Winter is near, he thought as he zipped up his jacket and walked faster to the bus station. It was only when he's inside the bus that he decided to check his phone. He groaned upon seeing the slew of messages in his inbox, mostly from his older brother and their family lawyer. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to breath for a moment. When he opened them to peek at his phone, he decided that he can just deal with them later and placed his phone back in his bag. He's already ignored them for the last hour, they can wait for another one or two. Besides, if it's really important then they should have called already but they didn't so he assumes that whatever it is that they needed, it can wait.

The man's thoughts drifted as he fought exhaustion and sleep. He really doesn't want to miss his stop just like last week. It really is a wonder how much can change in just a minute. One moment he was speaking to his mother asking how she is coping by herself during quarantine and the next he's being awakened by a phone call from the hospital telling him that his mother did not survive a sudden heart attack. They were not given a lot of time to grieve since holding funerals are discouraged due to the pandemic. So, they had her cremated and just asked their friends to pray for their mother's soul.

The hospital bills and funeral service were easily settled. What they were not expecting was the revelation that their mother had incurred a lot of debt since their father's passing. Now he and his brother are suddenly left with the responsibility of paying for it. He cried so much when he realized that the money he was saving so that he can finally buy a nicer apartment will just go down the drain. His brother had to sell his car so that he can contribute to the payments. But even after pooling their money, it's still not enough. Thankfully, their lawyer and accountants were able to draft a payment scheme agreeable to all parties. But that meant that a huge chunk of his salary will go to paying their mother's debts for the next several years. And that's why he cannot afford to lose his job even if he hates it so much.

Jin looked out of the window and tried hard not to let the tears fall. Just how much more can he take?

***

Upon arriving at the apartment, Jin glanced at the wall clock. 10:30 pm. A new record. He's been coming home not earlier than 10:00 pm since last month. And he's just tired and stressed and maybe just a little bit depressed. He exhaled harshly as he toed off his leather shoes and shrugged off his jacket. He still has to wash off today's grime then he can finally rest. But only to do it all over again tomorrow. Sigh.