𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐈𝐃

#.. TWO

"what are you doing?" hyeongjun chuckled, watching gunil sit at the counter, with his eyes closed and hands clasped together. it was a stupid question to ask, as it was literally what it looked like.

"praying."
gunil's answer was short and simple, he didn't move a single bit. hyeongjun never knew that his co-worker was religious though.

it didn't change anything, he isn't in the right position to judge someone based on their religion. no one was.

"praying? for what?" "my sins have to be forgiven." his sins? hyeongjun wanted to ask about further details but decided against it, thinking that gunil needs to be on his own the next minutes.

so hyeongjun was playing something on his phone, too immersed in it that he didn't notice that gunil eventually sat down next to him. only when the elder started talking again, hyeongjun turned away from his phone, looking him in the eyes.

"you know, i've been religious my whole life" gunil started explaining as he noticed hyeongjun's confusion prior.

"god was there for me whenever i needed some advice. he never turned his back on me, yet i did something so unforgivable. i'm a sinner, and he punished me greatly."

hyeongjun didn't know what to say. did gunil murder someone? or what else is seen as a sin in christian beliefs?

"what did you do... if i may ask?" the younger carefully questioned and gunil looked away to look down on the floor, ashamed of talking about it.

"i am in love with a man."
silence. hyeongjun didn't know what to say. it wasn't bad for him at all, but knowing that gunil was hard on himself no matter what made him feel bad. gunil laughed, guilt-ridden.

"god punished me by living amongst spawns of satan. they're here. they're everywhere." hyeongjun was confused. what did he mean by that? was gunil psychotic? spawns of satan?

hyeongjun was too scared to ask so he just nodded, looking away from gunil as he tried to comprehend the said thing.

gunil was gay and lived "amongst spawns of satan"? whatever this was supposed to mean.

"i mean i'm an atheist so i don't really have a say in it but... doesn't, well, god love all of his.. uh.. children?" hyeongjun was scared to say something wrong, knowing that religion is a sensitive topic for many people. and gunil was probably one of those.

"he loves those who follow his rules. he loved adam and eve as well, before eve decided to break his only rule. and well, those who break them, get punished and banned from paradise."

"i don't know a lot about the bible nor christianity.. but i can't recall that homosexuality is forbidden.."

gunil looked at him as if he was malice. "my parents taught me that. they were my biggest lectors, they must know it correctly."

hyeongjun let it be. there was no use in arguing with gunil right now, especially because he stubbornly believed that it was the right thing to think about.

his parents were just some homophobic fucks and decided to force it into gunil's beliefs when it came to religion. hyeongjun just sighed as a response.

luckily, a customer came in, urging both to go back to work and releasing the tension that worked up between them.