Thirty floors up, the air was filtered to the point of being tasteless. Yujin sat at his desk, his hands flat on the polished marble surface. He was staring at his reflection in the darkened screen of his terminal. His hair was slightly dishelved, it was a screaming neon sign of his loss of control. He felt sick. Not because of what Jin had said, but because of how he had responded to it. ''Watch your fucking mouth, you bloodeye.'' ringed in his head, the slur felt heavy in his mouth, like a cigarette burn. He was a man of quiet,controlled authority, yet he had resorted to the most impulsive, messy behavior imaginable.
He had become the very thing he was raised to hate in Reds – an erratic,aggressive animal. His throat felt tight. Everytime he closed his eyes, he saw that defiant red glow,it was engraved in his skull. Jin hadn't flinched when Yujin had grabbed him, he had fucking laughed. That wasn't the reaction of someone sane, the opposite.
A soft chime interrupted the silence. His terminal flickered to life, the only light in his dark office. It displayed a message from Park Seojin.
RE: Lower district submissions. Permanent flag confirmed. Awaiting your signature for final disposal.
Yujin's finger hovered over the 'confirm' button. This was the order he believed in. This was the construction of a safe world. But his mind kept drifting back to the way Jin had looked at him – like he could see the cage Yujin lived in. He didn't press the button. Instead, he curled his hand into a fist, his knuckles white. The gold was heavy today. Heavier than it had ever been.