My Company Is Black

#032

Taking off clothes, measuring, trying them on again, and fitting… Hwi-kyung, accustomed to buying ready-made clothes, realized for the first time how troublesome it was to get a custom-tailored suit. Can’t I just buy a size M and wear it? He couldn’t even casually toss expensive dress shirts into the washing machine.

Isn’t it a waste of time to scrutinize fabrics that look no different? Hwi-kyung, who prioritized practicality and convenience over style and fashion, wondered why Gyo-ha went through such trouble. While all the colors looked the same to Hwi-kyung, Gyo-ha seemed to have a different eye for the world, obsessing over color combinations.

“Black suits you best.”

“…”

“Maybe because you’ve only been in black companies…”

Of course, even Hwi-kyung had to admit that the clothes Gyo-ha chose looked best on him. The designs he picked himself often looked too stuffy or simple.

Gyo-ha stood behind Hwi-kyung instead of the tailor, skillfully trying on the ties he had chosen. One was dark navy, and the other was a forest green.

“These darker colors suit you better than bright ones. Your skin is fairly light. Which do you prefer?”

“The navy one.”

“Hmm. Let’s get both.”

This kind of shopping had been going on for four hours. The tailor, seemingly tireless, happily began packaging the two differently colored ties.

“I thought we were buying within budget.”

“My budget is included in your budget.”

“…”

“Just think of it as a gift. You’re my person now, Hwi-kyung.”

That way of speaking, so prone to misunderstanding, was quite consistent. It wasn’t unusual for the tailor packaging the items to glance up at Hwi-kyung again after hearing Gyo-ha’s comment.

By this point, Hwi-kyung had come to accept that this was just how Gyo-ha was. After spending time with him, Hwi-kyung realized that Lee Gyo-ha casually made such comments even to people he had no romantic feelings for. He was the type to give people hope as easily as breathing.

He was so respectful to Marcia too. While Hwi-kyung was only kind to adults, Gyo-ha was gentle to all humans.

Being such a person, how much kinder would he be to Hwi-kyung, who was bound to him as a “fellow traveler in fate” as he put it? Hwi-kyung no longer felt burdened by Gyo-ha’s kindness. He realized that even if it wasn’t him, Gyo-ha would have done his best for anyone who was a fellow regressor.

Anyone, not just him…

Hwi-kyung decided not to dwell on that thought. While it was a relief that Gyo-ha didn’t truly think of him romantically, the more he thought about it, the stranger his feelings of disappointment became. It was truly odd.

“Alright… it is your family gathering after all.”

For the first time, words of agreement flowed from Hwi-kyung’s mouth instead of “This is too much” or “Let’s stop and go.”

Come to think of it, in all those cycles, he had never experienced having clothes made for himself. Even after reaching high positions, Hwi-kyung would just stay home and sleep on weekends. Or do work-related things.

As a result, going out to buy clothes was naturally rare. For Hwi-kyung, weekdays were for working, and weekends were for housework and sleeping. Any spare time was spent on side jobs or caring for his grandmother.

If not that, then it was a struggle to obtain new certifications at every moment. Arriving at work early to listen to online language lectures, practicing English listening with radio programs on the subway ride home…

Charitably, it could be called diligence; less charitably, it was an unhinged life. Haunted by the pressure of having to watch his grandmother die again if he regressed, Hwi-kyung lived frantically as if someone was chasing him.

Even when he had money, he didn’t know how to spend it, and never thought about wearing nice clothes. Because no one had taught him. Jung Hwi-kyung had only learned how to live busy. At least in that, the world had taught him directly.

“How’s the custom dress shirt? More comfortable than you thought, right?”

“Well… it’s expensive, so I guess so.”

“Do you still think it’s a waste?”

“A little.”

Gyo-ha chuckled softly at the honest answer. Even in the car on the way home, Gyo-ha personally fastened Hwi-kyung’s seatbelt. It was a truly kind gesture. Perhaps a bit burdensome in some ways.

“I can do this much myself.”

“I know. But I want to do it for you.”

“…You must get a lot of misunderstandings.”

“Misunderstandings?”

“When you act like this, everyone thinks you like them.”

Gyo-ha, at the wheel, tilted his head slightly as if not understanding what Hwi-kyung meant.

“It’s strange that we live in a world where showing a little kindness leads to misunderstandings.”

“…”

“And I really do like you, Hwi-kyung.”

Anyway, this guy who’s been influenced by America.

Hwi-kyung inwardly cursed Gyo-ha’s kindness just a tiny bit. Even knowing he was like this with everyone, it was still difficult for Hwi-kyung to take his goodwill lightly.

“I’ll pay you back someday.”

“For what?”

“For what you bought me today.”

“You don’t have to. I just bought them for you.”

“I can’t live with debts.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“Then pay me back now.”

As the car stopped at a traffic light, Gyo-ha turned his head towards Hwi-kyung. Having gone out shopping without styling his hair, his eyebrows were covered, making Gyo-ha look younger than usual.

“Not submitting incident reports. Taking care of yourself first. Pay me back with things like that.”

“What?”

“One more. Don’t feel burdened by the things I do for you.”

“…”

“I’ve thought about it for a very long time, you know?”

Hwi-kyung stared blankly at Gyo-ha, unable to follow his train of thought. What he was saying wasn’t easy to understand. Not submitting incident reports was one thing, but how could taking care of himself first and not feeling burdened be a way to pay back the cost of a custom suit?

But before Hwi-kyung could argue, the light changed. The expensive foreign car glided smoothly over the road without a single bump, as if trying to prove its worth.

The shadow of the evening sun fell across Gyo-ha’s profile as he straightened up to drive. Jung Hwi-kyung realized for the first time at that moment that shadows could appear invisible in dim light. It was a completely different appearance from the shadowed face he had seen in the dark kitchen.

“I guess I just want you to be happy.”

At that moment, Jung Hwi-kyung felt his heart drop as if there had been an accident. He couldn’t easily think of how to respond.

All of Gyo-ha’s words were bewildering. I guess I want you to be happy. That ambiguous, speculative sentence left Hwi-kyung at a loss for words.

Why on earth? What am I to you? You would have treated anyone else this kindly too… Because that’s the kind of person you are. Because you’re kind to everyone, not just me, you would have wished for anyone’s happiness.

But Gyo-ha spoke as if he wanted only Hwi-kyung to be happy. Jung Hwi-kyung thought this was truly terrible. This kind of goodwill without malice was more frightening than bothering people with trivial tasks or creating unexpected futures with extreme measures.

Because such goodwill often pushed Hwi-kyung into hell.

* * *

That night, Jung Hwi-kyung had trouble sleeping.

Once again, the reason for his insomnia was Lee Gyo-ha. As time passed, Hwi-kyung found Gyo-ha becoming increasingly difficult to deal with for different reasons.

When Gyo-ha was just an irritating superior, Hwi-kyung could let whatever he said go in one ear and out the other. But now, bound by this strange employment relationship, Gyo-ha’s words kept circling in his mind.

‘I guess I just want you to be happy.’

It was truly a statement ripe for misunderstanding. Hwi-kyung’s head ached from his heart pounding, oblivious to its owner’s state of mind. Is this arrhythmia? Why is my heart racing over such a statement?

While he had many sleepless nights due to anger, it was rare for Hwi-kyung to lose sleep over someone else’s kindness towards him. In his life, only his grandmother had ever truly worried about him.

In the midst of this, having a complete stranger – someone not related by blood, who in the previous cycle had been a parachuted superior – treat him so well as if ready to give him his liver and gall, Hwi-kyung couldn’t help but feel confused.

Does he really like me? No, he’s like this with everyone… But does he usually go this far? What’s with saying he likes me? Am I reading too much into this?

For Jung Hwi-kyung, who had never experienced a normal adult romance due to the ridiculous regression curse, Lee Gyo-ha was too difficult to understand. It was too hard to clearly define whether this was kindness, affection… or pity.

In the end, Hwi-kyung spent the entire night pondering this issue and headed to Gyo-ha’s officetel much earlier than his usual work time. It was about an hour earlier than when Marcia usually arrived.

Hwi-kyung, who swiped the officetel access card key he had received from Gyo-ha and flung open the front door, wasn’t aware that he had come to work too early. It was just the same habit of arriving 30 minutes early to any company, applied even in his fourteenth cycle.

“…What the?”

“That’s my line.”

“Why are you shirtless?”

“Well, this is my home, isn’t it?”

As soon as he entered the living room past the entrance, Hwi-kyung came face to face with Gyo-ha, who was drinking water with his upper body exposed. This marked the second time Jung Hwi-kyung had witnessed Lee Gyo-ha’s undressed torso.

Is he an exhibitionist? Hwi-kyung felt like all his worries from the previous night were just illusions because of Gyo-ha. Even if it’s his own home, how can he be half-naked when Marcia could arrive at any time! In Korea, the land of Eastern courtesy! How is this acceptable!

The young conservative Jung Hwi-kyung marched straight into Gyo-ha’s bedroom and brought out a hoodie that Gyo-ha rarely wore. Then he grabbed the protesting Gyo-ha and forcibly made him wear it.

“Don’t go around half-naked even if it’s your own home.”

“What?”

“Dress properly even when you sleep.”

“Why?”

“Because this is my workplace before it’s your home.”

Insufficient condition: Because this is my workplace before it’s your home.

Insufficient condition: The business premises are being used as living space.

Insufficient condition: Checking property tax adjustments…

Along with Hwi-kyung’s statement, the system window began to pop up notifications as if it had been waiting: ‘Are you… registering residential property as business property?’

Insufficient condition: The business premises are being used as living space.

Insufficient condition: Checking employer’s tax payments…

“Is that perhaps the National Tax Service?”

“Sometimes it does feel like a government conspiracy.”

“This is driving me crazy, really.”

While Hwi-kyung was adjusting the system window with a haggard face, Gyo-ha slightly lowered the zipper of the hoodie that had been pulled up to his neck. Now Gyo-ha was also starting to feel a certain intuition.

“I think we’ve failed this cycle too, haven’t we?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s still try as much as we can.”

“…”

“Don’t give up easily.”

At least now, Gyo-ha’s face was more visible to Hwi-kyung than the HCR Batang font written on the system window. Whether this was good or not, he wasn’t sure, but it was progress nonetheless.