Gold is heavy.
Yujin confirms that when he wakes up everyday and looks at himself in the mirror. His gold eyes, clear yet questionable, stare back at him. The eyes that the world trusts before listening to. The eyes that grant him passage through guarded doors, softens voices mid-sentence, turns disagreement into careful phrasing.
He wears it well,he always has.
The hall is already full when Yujin arrives. Designers,regulators, advisors. Yujin moves through the tough crowd with practiced ease. Authority, when done right, does not announce itself. ''Director lee.'' someone announces, others bow. Yujin acknowledges them, and moves forward with no effort. He doesn't linger. Lingering invites expectations, expectations that he can't afford – nor meet. At the far end of the room Park Seoujin stands, away from all the noise and chaos. His face is unreadable, as always.
''Your early.'' Seoujin observes, not even bothering to look up from his notebook.
''I prefer to observe before conclusions are drawn.'' Yujin replies.
Seoujin scoffs ''that explains why you're tolerated.''
Yujin inhales through his nose, the closest he comes to a laugh most days. They stand shoulder to shoulder now, watching the room like a board in motion. Seoujin tilts the notebook, displaying projected layouts and approval stamps. All immaculate.
''Lower district submissions are up forty percent.'' Seoujin mumbles as he flips through the pages in his notebook. ''Mostly Blue- and black-eyed. Red eyes are predictably…absent.'' he says and chuckles slightly.
''As they should be.'' Yujin answers without hesitation. Seoujin finally looks at him. His purple eyes linger, sharp and curious. ''You say that like its settled truth.''
''it is settled.'' Yujins shoots back. ''Red eyes destroy systems. Thats not prejudices, thats data.'' Yujin growls, almost challenging Seoujin to keep questioning him. ''Mhm.'' Seoujin hums ''Data is shaped by the questions we allow.'' he says, a smug grin on his face. Yujin doesn't respond, he's learned that silence carries more weight than petty arguments (especially when you're losing the argument).
They part here, Seoujin melting back into the crowd,Yujin heading deeper into the building, towards restricted corridors that recognize his eyes and unlock without further questions. The review room is dimmer. Colder. The file opens. Illegal materials. Radical silhouettes. Construction that ignores regulation and still…works. Not chaotic. Intentional.
Yujin leans closer to the screen. Then he sees him. Red eyes, unfiltered. Standing in a frame like a challenge, gaze lifted straight at the camera – as if the person knew who would eventually be watching. The name appears beneath the image, stark and unadorned. Jin Taehyeok. Yujin feels something unfamiliar clench in his chest, disgust? no. Unease, bordering on distress.
He closes the file. Too late. Because for the first time in a very long while, Yujin Lee isn't certain the gold around him is armor – or a cage.