There was no point in Juwon staying in his wake, surrounded by fake people. As soon as the skill's timer ran off, he stood up and left the building without looking back.
As soon as Juwon stepped outside, he breathed deeply and loudly. He knew that the people weren't worth it, but a tear still fell on his eyes.
'I... I don't know what to do.'
The night seemed colder than normal and he couldn't help but stand still for a minute as his brain processed everything that had happened. Maybe he should go home first.
'Ha... I should have brought some jacket.' he thought as he waited at the side of the road to hail a cab. Somehow, he couldn't help but look to his left and right as if it was an instinct.
'Damn did that crash make me anxious or something?" Juwon's forehead creased when he realized what he was doing.
'But remembering that...' He still didn't know who was driving that van and why it crashed into him.
Juwon was about to go back to his wake to get some information when he saw his assistant, Donghyun, crossing the street. Donghyun had bandages on his arm and neck. He looked as if he aged 10 years in the span of days, with black under eyes and messy hair.
Donghyun looked as if he wasn't in his usual self as he crossed the road. He was whispering to himself and was carrying a plastic filled with beer.
For a moment, Juwon stood frozen on his spot. He may have known Donghyun for the last 17 years, but witnessing the scene earlier, he became full of uncertainties.
Was Donghyun just like the others? Had he been putting up a façade all these years, pretending to care only to betray him in the end?
The sudden surge of questions flooding his mind was slowly turning him crazy. And so, he decided to fight his fears. His night was already ruined, adding another one to his list wouldn't be a big deal right?
"I wonder what happened to him..." Juwon thought when he noticed that Donghyun was drunk. It was the reason why he was acting unlike his usual self.
For a moment, Donghyun looked like a man who had truly lost someone close to him.
Juwon's heart softened at the sight. Donghyun may be his assistant, but he was also the closest friend he had, who was by his side through the ups and downs of his whole career.
Without thinking, Juwon crossed half of the road to meet him. As he approached, Donghyun stumbled, clutching the plastic bag in his hand. His voice was barely audible as he continued to whisper something to himself.
"Donghyun?" Juwon called softly, knowing his voice wouldn't be recognized in his current body. Still, his worry and care for Donghyun overshadowed his fear of being seen as a stranger.
With the sudden voice, Donghyun looked up, his eyes were in a state of confusion. The man in front of him was a total stranger in his eyes.
"H-haha... am I too drunk that I need to be helped, young man?" Donghyun drunkenly uttered as he continued to walk in an unorderly manner.
"Yes..." Juwon swallowed hard before answering. He wanted to say that it was him, Juwon, but he knew he would look crazy in Donghyun's eyes.
"Ohh? Ohh... Oh! please take care of this old uncle then." Donghyun closed one of his eyes and raised one of his arms as if calling for something.
Juwon quickly shook his head. It seemed like Donghyun had already drunk a lot. Without a choice, he firmly held onto one of his shoulders to keep him in place. Somehow, it was starting to get embarrassing when he noticed a few eyes staring weirdly in their direction.
"Easy there," Juwon said, his voice calming. "Come on, let's sit down for a minute."
Donghyun muttered something in response, but Juwon wasn't able to hear it. Ignoring it, they found a quiet spot on the side of the road, away from the main entrance of the building.
"I didn't know Donghyun was this heavy..." Juwon sighed as he let Donghyun fall slowly on the ground, dropping the bag of alcohol at his feet.
For a while, Juwon just sat beside him in silence, unsure of what to say. His mind was still reeling from everything he'd heard upstairs.
It was a whole 5-minute of hellish silence when suddenly, Donghyun broke the silence with a loud sob. It was a deep, gut-wrenching sound that seemed to come from the depths of his soul. Juwon's heart clenched at the sight.
"It's my fault," Donghyun choked out, his voice trembling. "I should've protected him... I should've been there on his side..." he repeatedly uttered with closed eyes as if he was in a dream.
Juwon's breathing hitched. He watched as Donghyun buried his face in his hands with tears streaming down his cheeks.
"I-I tried... I tried, but it all happened so fast... that van, that crash... I couldn't—" His words dissolved into more sobs, and he hit his fist against the air in frustration.
Juwon sat frozen, his mind racing. Donghyun was blaming himself. Does that mean that he was genuinely grieving for his death?
"They're all a bunch of fakes," Donghyun muttered bitterly through his tears. "Everyone in that building who attended the wake... they're plastics. Plastics~ Plass... tics~" Donghyun said the last word as if he was singing.
"They didn't care about Juwon... T-they just cared about what he could give them, h-how they could use him. B-But me?I... I really cared." Donghyun's voice cracked, full of pain and anger.
"He was my friend! A brother! A good boss!"
Juwon became silent at the sight. Tears swelled up on his eyes again as his chest tightened. He doesn't cry easily, but damn, this shit was making him a baby.
Juwon had been bracing himself for betrayal, but Donghyun's words cut through the wall of doubt he had built. After everything, Donghyun was a real one. He remained to be a true friend.
He just found it funny how in his drunken state, Donghyun was pouring his heart out in a way Juwon had never seen before — not even when Donghyun got dumped by a girl again and again.
"Donghyun," Juwon whispered under his breath, knowing the man wouldn't understand. "I'm sorry... I didn't know you felt this way. I'll make it up to you... I promise."
For a while, they just sat there, the sound of Donghyun's soft crying filling the space between them. Eventually, Juwon stood up, knowing he couldn't stay much longer. In his new identity as Minjae, he couldn't do much for Donghyun directly.
He turned toward a group of guards stationed outside the building. Quietly, Juwon approached them and, in a low voice, explained the situation. "Please, take care of that man. He's... he's important to Juwon, and he's not in a good state right now."
The guards nodded. Knowing that Donghyun was Juwon's assistant, they immediately moved, gently helping Donghyun up. As they took him away, Juwon's heart ached. He wished he could do more for him, but in this new body, there were limits.