Jake's existence is twisted in complexity. On the surface he appears like any other person, but beneath the mask of his so called normal life, lies ugliness. He dreams to escape this harsh reality, he wants to experience the joy of living like a tru...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Jake and Jay as office workers
J
ake opened his eyes to find himself in a hospital bed with an IV drip attached to his wrist. To his surprise, the entire Sunday get-together group was present in his room.
The 'Sunday get-together' is a weekly ritual that four friends - Jake, Jay, Heeseung, and Sunghoon - started during their first year of college. Later, three others, Jungwon, Sunoo, and Niki, joined.
This ritual began as a way to goof around on the weekends, but even as they got busier with their personal lives, they continued without missing a beat. Now, this get-together has become a part of their curriculum.
They don't have a fixed place or host for these events; the host is decided by an unlucky draw, as cleaning up after six wild creatures is truly traumatizing. Nevertheless, these gatherings surely strengthen their bonds and provide an escape from reality together.
"What are you all doing here?" Jake asked as he slowly sat up, with Sunghoon's help.
"We're here to take care of a teenage girl who faints every now and then," Jay sarcastically remarked as soon as Jake woke up. Jake rolled his eyes at Jay and asked, "Did Jay call you all here?" Jungwon replied before Jay could.
"Long story short, I heard sirens, saw Jay and Niki rushing, asked what happened, and they told me you fainted. So, as a good friend, I closed my shop to tag along. On our way to the hospital, Sunghoon called me and asked why my shop was closed. So, I explained everything to him, and apparently, he was with Heeseung, so they both rushed here. As for Sunoo.......heee..... was blowing up your phone. When I answered, he asked to buy some ice cream, and, once again, I had to explain the whole situation to another person. Now, we are all here," Jungwon finished, taking a deep breath.
Jake chuckled at how hard Jungwon worked to describe the situation.
"Seriously Sunoo, ice cream?" Niki shook his head teasingly.
"I didn't know, okay," people laughed.
"It's all Jay's fault," Sunoo added, "he overworked my Jakey," he showed exaggerated sympathy.
Everyone chatted and laughed for a while before Jake expressed his need for some rest. He announced his wish to sleep, and everyone agreed. He informed them that he'd return home once he'll feel better. Sunghoon and Niki insisted on dropping him off, but he declined. Gradually, people left the room.
The last person to leave the room was Heeseung, who stared at the sleeping figure for a few minutes.
Jake looked comfortable. Heeseung covered him with a blanket before leaving silently.
In the middle of the night, Jake woke up hungry, he went to the bathroom, and, upon returning, he noticed a cup of noodles on the side table, along with orange juice, covered by a coaster. He took the cup in his hand a sad smile appeared on his face. Myung.
-----
"Here's everything you asked for," Jake wiped fake sweat from his forehead after placing the last file on Jay's desk. Jay looked at all the stuff and said, "Good job, Jake." Jake smirked proudly and took a seat on the couch in the office room.
"Now I can enjoy my weekend in peace," Jake exclaimed as he stretched his arms. Jay laughed at his friend's silliness, "Yeah, sure," he said while reviewing the prepared work.
Suddenly, an idea popped into Jake's head. "What is it?" Jay asked, sensing a question from Jake.
"Well~... since I did such a good job, can I go home early today?" Jake asked with excitement while leaning on the couch. Jay laughed, "Let me think... you can, but only if you treat me later."
"Deal!" Jake said instantly and dashed out of the room. Jay smiled, amused by Jake's puppy-like behavior.
Before leaving, Jake placed a yogurt drink on Niki's desk, which he had asked for. He happily reached home, changed into something comfy, and plopped on his bed. Netflix and chill was his next move.
Halfway through the new Avengers movie, his phone started ringing. It was a call from his dad. "You're coming tomorrow, right?" Jake's dad asked.
"I don't care about anything, I want you here tomorrow," Jake's dad argued to Jake who was obviously denying his father's request.
Tomorrow is his dad's birthday, and like any other loving father, he wants his son to be with him on his special day. Jake would love to spend some time with him too but there was one problem: Myung.
That guy never liked Jake's dad. Unfortunately, his hatred grew when he and Jake discovered a dark secret about him.
Myung was not always this violent; there was a time when he adored Jake, loved him more than anyone could ever, however, after finding out about the middle-aged man's dark past, Myung suddenly changed.
He took out all his suppressed anger on Jake and punished him for the elder's wrongdoings. The heartbreaking part was that Jake himself had helped Myung discover the truth. He never would have thought that this small mistake of helping another would annihilate rest of his life.
"Fine, Dad, I'll try, but-"
"No 'buts,' nothing... you are coming, and that's final."
Jake felt defeated after being hit by so many emotional arrows. In the end, he agreed to his father's wish. He just hoped Myung wouldn't be there, as had been the case every other time.
