Oneiric Tryst

4. Mac n Cheese

Hongjoong had fallen asleep while monitoring Park. After long hours of his insomnia giving the man no rest, he had finally fallen into a light slumber. Nowhere near the dream stage, he had just slept peacefully for several hours. In the beginning, Hongjoong had still been watching an interview with the police officer he had found in the depths of the web. It had featured him after an incident at a high school. The police had been called upon a kid trafficking drugs to his classmates illegally. While Park had shown his best sugar side in front of the camera, his colleagues had struggled in the background to get a screaming and kicking kid into their car.

Seeing Park outside of his dark dream worlds had been grounding. The man had looked neatly put together. His black hair was styled to fall into his forehead on one side and combed back at the other. With an orderly posture and a kind smile, he had explained the issue in the most comforting and warm way for worried parents.

If Hongjoong knew only that interview of him, he would never expect the man's dream worlds to be so sinister. And Hongjoong was no fool. He knew that the small shift of his heart in his chest had taken a liking to that smile and how brightly it hid his loneliness and fear.

Despite Hongjoong having crushes on many people and getting called out by San regularly for liking the underdogs and emotionally unavailable people, it was still early. Foremost, Park was a pretty officer that just so happened to be the centre of Hongjoong's work.

Seeing people's deepest darkest fears made it easy to sympathise and fall for them. It happened to Hongjoong all the time. But he rarely acted on those feelings. After all, those dreamers didn't even know him.

Park's smile followed Hongjoong into his dreams. His mind imagined those kind features and the timid smile that crossed them ever so shyly but was so pretty.

In his dream, he talked with the officer and made him smile. His desperate attempts at humour got graced with exactly that crooked grin and Hongjoong's heart hummed for it.

When Hongjoong startled awake, it was to the noise of a door slamming downstairs. His eyes went directly to the monitor. Seonghwa was calm, still sleeping peacefully.

Hongjoong glanced between the macaroni in his lunch box and the computer. Then he pulled up the group chat with his coworkers downstairs.

Me: Could someone please come and get my lunch to heat it up for me?

Fleet Captain: I sure hope it contains a lot of nutrients.

Wise Guy: its mac n cheese isnt it?

Fleet Captain: That shortens your life span.

Me: I didn't plan to live without pasta until 100. Better live until 30 and enjoy good food. No hate, boss

Wise Guy: Dang 30 is soon though. You sure, honey?

Me: I am. So could someone help?

Mingles: I can fetch it, count on me!

Jongho: If Park remains stable, I have uploaded his medical record for you. Look through it while you eat.

Me: Aye, Sir and thx Mingi

Hongjoong logged out before Jongho could nag San for whatever he likely messed up right now. For being such a busy person, Jongho sure hung around a lot in the group chat and watched over his subordinates like a hawk. No wonder, he was the only one who wore suits to the office.

Mingi jumped up the stairs taking two steps at once. Mumbling about his stupidly long legs, Hongjoong brought out the box for him to take. Mingi took it from him with a bright grin that showed his adorable smile and took his eyes away in exchange.