When Last Night Didn't End

Epilogue: The Choices We Didn't Have

Rin dropped the boxes of files on his desk, heaving a sigh before sitting down on his squeaky ergonomic office chair. His seatmate in their cubicle gave him a brief glance before hulking over to his own work. Well, lucky him—that's probably the only task he had for the whole week,

The smell of stale, brewed coffee filled the work room, irritating Rin's nose. He couldn't even go to a coffee shop without being reminded of the mountain of work his boss had piled on top of him. Hye-jin didn't seem to notice his aversion to coffee and anything connected to it, nor would she ever. It's not like Rin had enough energy to tell her.

He sighed again and brushed the hair off his forehead. It didn't matter what he looked like, considering he left the office at dawn and already had to report back at the first working hour. If not, he'd have his paycheck slashed for every minute late. Sleep hung heavily on his lids, joining the growing headache in his temples. A break. That's what he needed. A damned long one at that.

But to earn enough credited leaves, he had to pull his weight and please his boss. Easier said than done. Karla Ashley was the most unreasonable and most senseless person he had met in his whole career. There's no pleasing her and getting on her good side was enough work in itself.

He stood up and opened the box he had hauled from the archives room. This wasn't even his job, but for some reason Ashley made him do it because it would "affect the department's image". Probably her image to the higher-ups. He just couldn't care less about images and all that schtick. He's here to get paid. That's all.

One by one, he laid the records on his desk, covering the other task he should be doing. Unlike the archives, that one was actually part of his JD. He flipped through the pages of the binder he held and numbers upon numbers greeted him. They swam in his frayed consciousness, making his headache flare further.

Ugh. He might snap and turn to coffee any day now. It's better than drowning himself with alcohol even when there's no department huddle to plan and attend.

A figure whizzed past him, settling on the opposite side of the divider. It was Andrews, one of Rin's teammates. "Boss is asking for you," he jerked his chin in the general direction of her office. "Now."

Rin swallowed another incoming sigh. He pushed his office chair deeper under his desk. It's a miracle if he was able to sit in it for longer than thirty minutes. "Got it," he said. His teammate gave him a brief nod before Rin was able to follow-up. "Thanks, Andrews."

The tall man raised a hand in acknowledgement as he walked away. Rin pursed his lips, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Then, he trudged towards Ashley's office. The moment he opened the door, her needlessly-expensive perfume slapped his nostrils. It was worse than the coffee permeating in the work room. At least that had been a pleasant smell if only he hadn't gotten tired of it.

His boss sat on a high-backed, leather chair—more vain than the higher ups. She squinted in front of a square desk mirror, puckering her painted lips at it. When she sensed Rin's presence the moment he closed the door and locked themselves inside the sound-proof, fire-proof, and probably bullet-proof glass room, she beamed.

"What do you think of this color?" She made kissing sounds in front of the mirror and tucked her luscious, brown curls behind her ear even though she wore her hair in a high pony-tail today. "Should I just buy the whole palette?"

Rin stayed where he was, forcing himself to not blurt that she looked like a stylish fish with fake eyelashes. "I'm not the best at women's products," he said. Hye-jin wasn't the best at getting dolled-up either. Her entire skincare regimen includes hordes of facial cream and rejuvenating serums. If he as much as breathed words about those, Ashley would sack him on the spot. "You should be asking Sanchez or Banks. Do you want me to call them?"

Of course, he'd do everything to avoid himself getting more work outside his JD. And being a secretary to this primping woman was something he'd rather die than get.

"You better start learning, then," Ashley arched a sketched-on eyebrow at him. "Unless you don't want my recommendation?"

Rin felt his fists clenching at his sides. How dare this woman...

But it had been truly his mistake. He didn't think twice to let his intentions and his goal show. Ashley, now that she knew what he really wanted and having enough power to make it happen, decided it was time to push him around and get him to do what she wanted.

It's not like Rin had a choice, though. Hye-jin made a huge sacrifice so he should get on his side of the couch and provide the balance they so deserved. "I want it," he said, hating himself even more. He wasn't even doing something illegal but the fear and guilt of being caught red-handed pressed against his shoulders more than the exhaustion did. "What more do you need?"

That's the only invitation Ashley needed. As Rin marched out of her office, the note on his phone labeled Ashley Tasks had five more bullets. He was supposed to take her by car to the club downtown in order to let loose—not even to close a deal with a client. And it fell on a weekend, when he should be home and helping Hye-jin with his own family. Then, he's to take her home, which meant waiting for her until the wee hours of dawn.

After that, it's a couple more personal errands like buying jewelry, make-up, handbags, and shoes. Everything needed to be done also by the weekend, so that meant Rin having to take the time shopping right after he got off work.

He made it back to his desk. His stare could have lit the binders and his buried keyboard on fire. He's on the edge of everything, teetering to his death without anyone to stop him. Just a little more and he would tip over, letting the winds take his lifeless self. Hang in there. It's only a little while. The promotional board would be convening soon. If he played well for Ashley's favorable side, he'd get a chance to be recommended. Maybe.

Hold on—that's all he could do. Because he promised Hye-jin he'd get far. Because his family's depending on him. Because if he didn't, if he failed, then he'd let a lot of people down. Then, they would leave him, just like the people who had done so over the years.

He couldn't let that happen, so he's doing the only thing he thought to do. Bite back the hate. Smile like nothing was wrong. Everything would be alright. These things would pass.

Like a light he wasn't sure to have existed at all, he let himself believe so. Because he had no other choice.