Breaking the Barriers • BrightWin

Seventeen

Treat

It was a beautiful day when Win wandered his eyes down the letter before he cracked it open, attempting to read it aloud for Gun.

"As valued employee at the Lane Concepts, and as you have been a graphic designer here since July 16, 2020. You work about 40 hours per week and earn an annual salary amount of..." Win froze when he checked the appropriate amount of zeros after a natural number that was sitting in the paper. His mouth was hung open and his eyes went wide; he was dumbstruck. They had just gotten their first paycheck after a hard month of work.

When he hadn't found a voice to speak out, Gun peeked over his shoulder, reading the letter for him instead. "Attached are the stubs from your first monthly paycheck."

"Is this even real?" Excitement and a slight anxiety were evident in Win's voice as he stared down the letter. This was too much, he thought. He had never... he'd never owned that much money before. Maybe there had to be a mistake; that couldn't be what he was going to be paid on a regular basis.

Gun looked at him with the same astonishment glittering in his eyes. "You must've read it wrong!" He screeched.

He shook Win's shoulders, trying to prove a point that they were awake and they weren't in a dream. They blinked repeatedly as they checked the paper time after time.

"What are you going to do with it?" Gun asked out of curiosity. Off paid for everything: their clothes, their food, and whatnot. Aside from paying him his debt, he wondered what exactly he could buy, but nothing had come to mind.

Win, on the other hand, knew exactly what he was going for, he just couldn't bring himself to tell Gun. It wasn't that he didn't trust him, he just wanted it to come off as a surprise.

"I don't know..." he mumbled, but despite knowing where he was going to spend it, he couldn't help but dream a little. With that much money, he could save it for the future.

The sound of a buzz on the little doorbell alerted them. Win's brows crinkled absently but his excitement overpowered. Slowly dragging himself off the couch, he sauntered his way towards the entrance. He gently ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to look somewhat presentable.

He swung the door open only to meet Off's figure standing on the doorway.

"Good morning!" Off started cheerily as he ruffled Win's hair. After a fleeting moment, he felt like a bucket of ice was poured through him as realization hit him. He cut his hair short!

He then froze to his spot as he looked over his face, taking in everything. It was impossible not to notice how his face was familiar to him now; the shape, the lines and the gentle sparkle of his eyes. A slight strange resemblance can definitely be seen. It was as if he was staring at his own reflection.

"H-how are y-you?" His voice stammered but he tried hard to sound it cheerily. His eyes dropped again as he drew deep breaths and the other creased his forehead at the older man's reaction.

Tilting his head to scan the younger thoroughly, Off slowly absorbed everything before a thought passed his head. Oh come on, that can't be right. He said to himself but it seemed like he never noticed he spoke it out until Win asked.

"What can't be right, Phi?" The younger asked, plastering an innocent curve on his lips.

"H-Huh? Uh," Off scratched his temple as he couldn't capture words. "Nothing, nothing..."

It wasn't the first time that he felt this nor those thoughts passed his mind, but everytime it would haunt his thoughts, he would automatically shrug off the idea. It could be impossible. He knew what exactly happened to his family.