Oneiric Tryst

21. Spider Caves

"Hongjoong, I got you the data you wanted."

Hongjoong glanced up from his phone in time to get his face hit by a rush of air. Dramatically, he coughed through it as he eyed the folder freshly slapped onto his desk, then Jongho.

"Thanks, boss. Is this knowledge I need to be careful with?"

"In front of Park Seonghwa, maybe, yes. I for sure wouldn't appreciate it if people told me private knowledge to my face. Shaman or not." With a brief smile, Jongho left the office.

Hongjoong glanced at his retreating back until he rounded the corner. Recently, their chef was back to his professional and impeccable behaviour. Nothing hinted at any mishaps, and Hongjoong wondered what those few befuddled moments had been.

With a hum, Hongjoong sorted his tumbler with tea, his new documents and his bag under his arm. Mingi and he saluted each other goofily when he passed the man. Apparently, Mingi would soon join San on a special case of a patient with severe sleep paralysis disorders and collect some data there. The redhead was over the moon with the prospect recently and studied twice as hard as usual to do a perfect job. Whenever Hongjoong as much as glanced at the mountains of heavy books on his table, his head spun.

San was upstairs already. He had fled from Jongho's watchful eyes before the man would reprimand him again for leaving the window in the washroom open for three freezing hours after what San described as a 'tacos for breakfast emergency'.

When Hongjoong entered the attic, San quickly excited the open chatroom on his phone. For a moment, Hongjoong spotted his background picture of San, Wooyoung, and Byeol cuddled together on San's couch. Then the phone shut off. San whipped around in his chair, his pink hair unruly.

"I have news so spicy that you might need to take the evening off to digest them," San exclaimed excitedly. With a snicker, Hongjoong closed the door behind him and went over to his working station. Carefully, he put down his precariously balanced equipment.

"Spicier than your tacos?"

"Even spicier."

Hongjoong thanked him for activating the PC for Hongjoong already so it could run its background processes while they chatted. Then, he sat down to sip at his tea.

"Alright, spill it."

San glanced left and right as if the designated poltergeist of the attic (probably also Yeosang) could hear them. Then, he leaned closer over the two tables separating them.

"Jongho and Mingi" San nodded his head at the door "they are fucking."

Hongjoong coughed when his gulp went down the wrong tube. He coughed up his scratchy tea. Having predicted this, San smoothly handed him a handkerchief to wipe his mess away.

"Those two?! Nahh," Hongjoong shook his head in disbelief.

"Oh, yes."

"Nahhhh."

When San nodded gravely once more, the first doubts blossomed in Hongjoong's chest. Their boss? And the one person in the building who was second to Jongho's smartness? Impossible. They barely even talked to each other.

"Do you have evidence?"

"I have a nude of Mingi with an excuse that it was for Jongho if that is enough evidence? I can show you if you want." San already fumbled with his phone when Hongjoong hectically gestured for him to stop.

"No way," he muttered, still baffled.

"Yes way. I bet they fuck in the office whenever they are early. Or when we are up here. No wonder the fieldwork discussion got resolved so quickly."