— datsuzoku: a&sh
da·tsu·zo·ku (noun): unbounded by convention; free
The job had its perks. The job being the tasks Soohyun was tasked with; designing, creating, executing. The Job being Being Soohyun. On top of his responsibilities being a designer, he had to wake up in the morning and strap on this weight and put on this mask. Yet, he did it. Every day, he woke up. He paid for his morning espresso with a card with the name Kim Soohyun on it. He sat in an office with the name Kim Soohyun on the door. The name on his apartment contract was Kim goddamn Soohyun. The name the owner of the bar addressed him as was Kim Soohyun. And he answered. And so, his life went on, as did his day. He spent the rest of his time before the opening of the bar to discuss minute details of what the owner wanted before stowing away at a nearby coffee shop to work on his design drafts. By the time he was done, having returned back to the bar to discuss the drafts with the owner, the bar was buzzing with Seoulites enjoying their Friday night. The owner insisted Soohyun stay for a drink, waving off to the bartender that his tab would fall upon the house that night. A perk of the job. He had nowhere to be, so he took a seat near the end of the bar, waving to get the attention of the bartender. He had been nursing his drink for who knows how long before finally finishing it off. His intention had been to have a drink and get going, but as soon as he got up to leave, the bar owner found his way to him, engaging him in unwanted conversation. No choice but to sit down and have another drink, it was to Soohyun’s surprise that the bartender this time around was a woman. The bar owner patted Soohyun’s arm to leave just as abruptly as he had appeared, and Soohyun found himself staring at the bartender before him. Perhaps it was the warm haze that the whiskey had left in his body, or it was true familiarity that caused the words to spill out, “Do I know you?”
