Felix sat perfectly still at the far end of the polished mahogany table, shoulders squared, hands folded neatly in his lap. Every muscle in his body screamed for him to move, to fidget, to look anywhere except at the man sitting at the head of the table. His father.

The meeting had dragged on for nearly three hours. Executives spoke. Numbers flashed across the projector. Reports were handed around.

Felix heard almost none of it. The only thing he could focus on is his father’s fingers tapping against the table.

Once. Twice. Three times.

Each tap made Felix’s stomach tighten. He knew that rhythm. It meant someone had disappointed him. He just didn’t know who.

“…our projections for next quarter-”

“Enough.”

The room froze.

Every executive immediately fell silent. His father slowly stood, adjusting the cuff of his expensive suit before walking around the table. No one moved. No one dared. He stopped behind one of the regional managers.

“You’ve been with this company…” his father hummed.

“T-Twelve years, sir.”

“Twelve.”

Silence.

“And in twelve years…”

He placed a hand on the man’s shoulder.

“…you still think excuses are acceptable.”

The man visibly swallowed.

“No, sir.”

“No?”

His father’s smile was almost pleasant.

Then-

A crystal water glass that was next to his father was shattered against the wall beside the manager’s head. Glass exploded across the room. Several people flinched.

Felix didn’t. He had learned years ago not to.

The manager looked ready to collapse.

“You cost me millions.”

“I-I can fix—”

“I don’t fix incompetence.”

His father’s voice remained calm. That somehow made it worse.

“I replace it.”

Security appeared almost instantly. The manager wasn’t dragged away. He simply stood, nodded once, and walked out. No one looked at him. No one spoke. No one acknowledged he’d ever existed.

Felix’s throat tightened. His father turned. His eyes landed on him.

“…Felix.”

His heartbeat stumbled.

“Yes, Father.”

“You’ve been awfully distracted today.”

Every pair of eyes shifted toward him.

“No, Father.”

“No?”

His father walked closer. Close enough that Felix could smell his cologne.

“You answered the wrong financial report twenty-seven minutes ago.”

Felix’s stomach dropped. He hadn’t even realized.

“I apologize.”

“You apologize often.”

Another step closer.

“But apologies become habits.”

His father reached up, smoothing a wrinkle from Felix’s tie with almost fatherly affection.

To anyone watching… It looked gentle.

Felix knew better. His father’s fingers suddenly dug painfully into the side of his neck. Not enough to leave obvious marks.

Enough to remind him.

“You represent me.”

The pressure increased.

“You embarrass me…”

Another squeeze.

“…and I start wondering whether you’re becoming a liability.”

Felix forced himself not to react.

“Understood.”

His father’s eyes searched his face. Looking for fear. Looking for weakness. Looking for anything.

Instead, Felix smiled. Small. Polite. Practiced.

“I’ll do better.”

For several agonizing seconds… Nothing happened. Then his father let go.

“I certainly hope so.”

He returned to the front of the room as though nothing had happened. The meeting continued. Felix barely heard another word. By the time it finally ended, everyone practically fled the room.

Felix stayed seated. He waited exactly sixty seconds. Only then did he allow himself to breathe. His hands shook. Just slightly. He clenched them into fists until they stopped.

You’re fine. You’re fine. You’re fine.

He stood and walked through the immaculate hallways. Nodded politely at employees. Smiled when they smiled. Kept his pace measured. Only once the revolving doors of the headquarters spun behind him did the mask finally crack.

Cool evening air hit his face. His lungs refused to cooperate. His pulse pounded in his ears. He kept walking. His vision blurred. His father’s fingers still burned against his neck.

Liability.

The word echoed endlessly. He didn’t realize he’d stopped in the middle of the sidewalk until someone almost walked into him.

“Felix?”

A familiar voice. Felix looked up.

Hyunjin.

“…Hyunjin?”

Felix stared at him in disbelief. For half a second, something warm flickered across his face. Relief. Then it vanished.

His eyes darted over Hyunjin’s shoulder. Across the street. Toward the entrance of Lee Loans. Toward the security cameras mounted above the doors. Toward the employees still spilling out of the building.

Felix’s face had lost almost all of its color. His tie sat slightly crooked. His hands were trembling despite being shoved into his coat pockets. Most concerning…His eyes. They looked exhausted. Like he’d spent hours trying not to cry. 

“Felix…is everything-“

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.”

Felix laughed quietly.

“I promise, I’m okay.”

Something inside Felix cracked. Not enough to break. Just enough that, for one terrifying moment, he wanted to lean into the warmth instead of pulling away. Instead, he put a little distance between them, just in case.

“What are you doing here?” he asked quietly.

Hyunjin blinked.

“I was just-”

“No.”

Felix interrupted him, his voice barely above a whisper.

“What are you doing here?”

Something about the question made Hyunjin pause. Felix wasn’t asking out of curiosity. He sounded… Afraid.

“I came to get coffee,” Hyunjin said carefully. “I just happened to-”

Felix looked back toward the building again. His breathing picked up.

“No…”

Hyunjin frowned.

“Felix?”

“We can’t stand here.”

The words came out rushed. Almost frantic. Before Hyunjin had time to respond, Felix reached out and grabbed his wrist. His hand was freezing.

“Come on.”

“Felix-”

“Please.”

There was something desperate in the single word. Not pleading for himself. Pleading for Hyunjin. Felix didn’t wait for an answer. He started walking quickly, weaving through pedestrians with surprising urgency while still holding onto Hyunjin’s wrist. Within seconds, walking became almost jogging. Hyunjin stumbled after him.

“Felix, slow down!”

Felix didn’t. He glanced behind them.

Once. Twice. Three times. Like he expected someone to be following. His grip tightened. They crossed one street. Then another. Turned down a quieter side road. Another corner. An alleyway.

Only when the towering glass building had completely disappeared from sight did Felix finally stop. His hand slipped from Hyunjin’s wrist. He doubled over, hands braced against his knees as he struggled to catch his breath. Hyunjin stood a few feet away, completely confused.

“Felix…”

No answer.

Only shaky breathing.

“What’s going on?”

Felix shook his head.

“I…”

His voice cracked.

He swallowed hard.

“I’m sorry.”

Hyunjin stepped closer.

“For what?”

“I shouldn’t have…”

Felix squeezed his eyes shut.

“What?”

“You shouldn’t have come there.”

“I don’t understand.”

Felix laughed quietly. The sound was hollow.

“I know you don’t.”

His shoulders trembled. Almost imperceptibly. Hyunjin noticed anyway.

“Felix…”

“I tried.”

Felix whispered.

“So hard.”

His breathing grew uneven.

“I tried to keep…”

Another shaky breath.

“…everything away from you.”

Hyunjin’s heart sank.

“What are you talking about?”

Felix looked at him. Really looked at him. His eyes were bloodshot now. Glasslike. Filled with a fear Hyunjin had never seen before.

“If someone saw us…”

His voice barely existed.

“…they’ll know.”

“They?”

The question hung unanswered. Felix’s composure cracked. His breathing became ragged. One hand came up to cover his mouth as though trying to force the emotions back down. It didn’t work. A single tear escaped despite his efforts. Then another. He turned away immediately. Embarrassed. Ashamed.

“I’m sorry.”

The apology was almost inaudible.

“I’m so sorry.”

“You apologize a lot.”

Hyunjin said it lightly. Without knowing those exact words had already haunted Felix once today. The small smile on Felix’s face faltered. Only for a heartbeat. Hyunjin caught it. His expression shifted. Hyunjin closed the distance between them carefully, giving Felix every chance to step away. He didn’t.

“Felix.” No response.

“You don’t have to apologize.”

“I do.”

His voice broke completely.

“You don’t understand what happens if…”

The sentence died before it finished. Like even saying the words out loud was too dangerous. Hyunjin didn’t ask another question. Not because he didn’t have hundreds of them. Because none of them mattered right now.

All that mattered was the man standing in front of him trying so desperately not to fall apart. Without another word, Hyunjin slowly opened his arms. Not forcing. Not expecting. Just offering.

For several long seconds… Felix simply stared. Then, with the smallest, most hesitant movement… He stepped forward. The moment Hyunjin’s arms wrapped around him, every ounce of control Felix had been clinging to finally shattered. His fingers twisted desperately into the back of Hyunjin’s shirt as silent sobs shook his entire body. He cried so quietly it somehow hurt even more. Like he’d learned long ago that making too much noise wasn’t safe.

Hyunjin held him tighter. One hand rested gently against the back of Felix’s head.

“It’s okay.”

He whispered.

“I’ve got you.”

Felix cried harder.

Whatever happened in that building… It hadn’t just been a bad meeting. And for the first time…Hyunjin realized there might be an entire side of Felix’s life that he knew absolutely nothing about.