Good Night, Brother! - Chapter 7.10

Watching his brother drink in silence, Yi-hyeon felt frustrated. It was clear something had upset him, but he wasn’t talking. Suddenly, Yi-hyeon spoke up.

“Hyung, should I give you a shoulder massage?”

“What? Why?”

“You seem like you’ve had a rough day.”

Eun-hyun hesitated, then nodded. “Alright, go ahead.”

Turning sideways on the sofa, he let Yi-hyeon’s large hands knead his shoulders. The firm pressure worked wonders.

“Ah… that feels nice.”

“Am I good at this?”

“Yeah, you’re good…”

Eun-hyun relaxed under Yi-hyeon’s firm yet careful hands as he massaged his shoulders, neck, and even scalp. With his muscles gradually loosening, the tension that had gripped his heart all day began to unravel as well. From deep within, a hidden truth slipped out unbidden.

“Ah… if only I could win the lottery and quit my job…”

Yi-hyeon lightly patted his brother’s shoulder with his fist and asked, “Do you want to quit that badly? You said you’d never leave since it was so hard to get in.”

“It was hard to get in… but working there is even harder. Who actually works because they like their job? People just endure it because they need money…”

“…”

“Oh, that spot’s good…”

“Here?”

“Yeah, right there… Ah, that’s nice…”

Eun-hyun’s shoulders were stiff, likely from spending too much time at his desk without much exercise. As he worked out the knots, Yi-hyeon continued the conversation naturally.

“If you win the lottery and quit, what would you do? Just take it easy?”

“I don’t know… Ah, maybe open a café. That’d be nice.”

“A café?”

“Yeah. Isn’t that what people say? That everyone starts their own business when they quit their jobs.”

“Have you always wanted to open a café?”

“Not really… but at least I wouldn’t have to pay for coffee anymore.”

“Should I open one for you?”

“Haha, sure. You go ahead and open one for me.”

“How much does it cost to open a café, anyway?”

“I don’t know… probably a lot…”

As his words trailed off and his eyelids grew heavier, the exhaustion from a day filled with anxiety, combined with the alcohol and massage, proved too much. Sleep began to creep in, and soon, Eun-hyun’s head bobbed forward as he dozed off.

For a while, Yi-hyeon quietly watched his brother nodding off, his head drooping forward.

The next morning arrived. And with it, the fact that Eun-hyun had to go to work. That simple reality felt unbearably oppressive today.

When the loud alarm from his phone jolted him awake, he irritably silenced it and thrashed around under the blankets, kicking at the bed. Vigorously tossing and turning, the blanket puffed up and deflated several times until he finally let out a groan and sat up.

“Ugh… I really, really don’t want to go today…”

Jung Eun-hyun. Six months into his job. While work had never been a source of joy that made him want to sing, it had also never felt quite this dreadful before. But the thought of seeing Manager Choi Min-gyu and Deputy Lee Sang-jin again made his chest burn with anger. So this is what they mean when they say every office worker carries hidden stress…

Still, he had to go. There was no other choice. Shoulders slumping, he trudged to the bathroom.

After draining half his energy wrestling through the crowded subway, he arrived at the same office building, opened the same office door, and sat at the same desk as yesterday.

Compared to the previous day, today flowed relatively quietly, like calm waves. But no one could predict when the wind might suddenly pick up and whip up a storm. The possibility alone was enough to make Eun-hyun uneasy.

After lunch, his team members invited him to join them for coffee, but he declined and returned to the office. Even lighthearted chatter with colleagues consumed social energy, and Eun-hyun needed to conserve his reserves to endure the rest of his workday.

In the nearly empty office, he put on his earphones and quietly listened to music to recharge. While scrolling through some lighthearted humor online, his phone vibrated.

DP Bank – 12:45 PM