Chapter Text
Your manager was always rude to you, regardless of how hard you worked to earn their respect and trust. Their remarks about your work ethic were always condescending or just plain unfair, even when you were battling homelessness prior to meeting Seung-min.
Some of their harsher comments include:
"You aren't trying hard enough. Splash some water in your face and get back out there."
"I'm not going to give you any pity if you haven't showered in more than a week. Wash your hair in a sink somewhere."
"So what if you slept on cardboard all night? That doesn't give you an excuse to sit on the job."
These were some of the harsher things they told you when you were down on your luck, but your determination to earning yourself a shared apartment mattered more to you than their remarks.
Screw-ups were bound to happen, you were only human after all; not some robot that does anything and everything as perfectly as possible.
At one point in time, you accidentally messed up while using the cash register, and the customer got upset that you were dumb enough to slip up. There was simply too many buttons, too many numbers, and too many words in your face that completely threw you for a loop.
That's when they asked for the manager. Your manager.
And so your manager appeared, their face mixed with a look of blame and annoyance that you would bother them for something so trivial, and they were forced to fix your mistake while you stood there like a dunce. All you could do was clench your fist as you blamed yourself, your nails digging so far into your palm that you swore you could feel them beginning to break the delicate skin that lingered there.
Your cheeks felt hot with embarrassment as the manager and the customer both shared conversation with a sort of... forced decency, like they knew you were only trying your best but you just had to go and ruin something.
Like always.
The manager was all smiles with the customer as they tapped the screen and pushed imaginary buttons you didn't even know existed on the register to fix your mistake, but you knew it was coming.
That customer service smile would be wiped off their face the moment they left. You knew it.
You were dreading it, and your stomach was practically tied up in knots at the thought of being reprimanded. But was it really your fault that you could barely sleep even a wink once you found out your housemate was a cannibal and serial killer?
While it was true that your housemate, Seung-min Kim, graciously took you in when no one else would, the idea of him eating human meat wasn't exactly something you could just brush off.
What you thought was simply an exhausted and overworked salaryman who had unusually sharp teeth, eyebags on top of eyebags, and dead-eyes was a dangerous individual that could put you on his plate at any moment.
You were exhausted and barely able to function after this discovery; your door was constantly locked on the off chance he had the bright idea of eating you next, and your work ethic spiraled as a result. Apparently the concept of having a housemate to share the rent mattered more to him than an easy meal, surprisingly enough, but the point still stands.
After you and Seung-min had that heart-to-heart while eating human meat, Alisha's meat, the two of you somewhat realized that you couldn't live without the other. You were two peas in a pod in an ever-worsening capitalistic dystopia with nothing but exhaustion and high blood pressure to show for it. But, he was nice enough when he was home.
And damn was he a good cook.
Maybe even a little handsome too, in a scruffy kind of way-
Wait, no, you can't be thinking about that now. You're in trouble at work.
By disassociating, you screwed up a transaction, and now you were going to pay the price for it.
By this point, the manager had fixed your mistake and bid the customer a farewell while you stood there like a brick wall. Not saying anything. Not making eye contact. Just staring down at your shoes like they were the most interesting things in the world.
You could hear your manager make an exasperated sigh as they watched the customer leave, not even bothering to say anything to you yet as they picked up the remnants of your mistake. The register almost felt like your nemesis rather than just a simple machine.
By this point, you barely managed to squeak out a pitiful and desperate, "I'm sorry." to the person who wouldn't even give you a passing glance if they saw you on the street. You didn't even know what to apologize for. There were so many things that you wanted to say but you could barely manage to let it out.
Sorry for the hassle.
Sorry for wasting your time.
Sorry for not trying hard enough.
Sorry for acting like a fool.
Sorry for-
"I don't want you to be sorry. I want you to be better at your job. How difficult can it be for you to just push a few buttons on a computer? It's not rocket science!" Their harsh voice cut through the silence, causing you to momentarily flinch in surprise at their sudden hostility. "I can't believe I put up with you." The manager mumbled that last part, but they said it in such a way where they wanted you to hear it.
Just to make it sting a little bit more.
"Okay-" Your voice is barely above a whisper by this point, your heart feeling like it was going to jump out of your chest in fear of what they would do or say next. The idea of losing your one and only job lingered in the back of your mind, but it was just one mistake.
It wasn't like it was the end of the world, right? Your manager was probably just having a bad day and they would apologize for their outburst later.
Just like you thought they would the last few times they reprimanded you. This wasn't anything new with them.
The other managers often understood that you weren't perfect, and that anyone could make mistakes.
This manager, however...
"Are you going to continue standing there looking stupid or are you going to take the next customer?" They condescendingly ask, already walking off and not allowing you to reply. "We don't have all day and we have to get the line down before it gets too long. And wipe that frown off your face, this is all your fault and you know it. Don't try to act all remorseful, it makes you look pathetic."
By this point in time, your nails had dug so far into the flesh of your palm that an indentation had been drawn, the pain of it causing you to wince as another customer made their way up to the check-out counter. You barely managed to wipe the crimson specks of blood onto your pants before they noticed.
Oh well. Another day, another dollar. Retail is hell and you're stuck here for the long run.
As you made your way back into yours and Seung-min's shared living space after a tiresome shift, you take note of the fact that he wasn't home.
Again.
You knew he worked insanely stressful hours, but there had to be some law against keeping someone in the office for more than 10 hours right? The last time you saw him was this morning at like 7:45 am, and he barely managed to share breakfast with you before he had to make his way to the office to get there by 8 am.
Oh well. More quiet time for you, you surmised.
Your stomach hurt so badly from nerves that you didn't want to eat lunch... dinner? It was 4 pm, and that little interaction between you and your manager caused you to skip lunch and barely manage to stomach some water and a granola bar.
All you wanted to do was shower, lie down, and God willing, fall asleep and forget all that even happened. Knowing you, your brain will give you nightmares about work the entire time.
Nevertheless, you stripped out of your work clothes, took a quick yet dissociative shower, put on your pajamas, then fell into your bed to take a much deserved rest. All you had was restless dreams that made it difficult for you to actually relax.
A thump in the living room of the house startled you awake, your guilty conscience causing you to be more on edge than usual.
Seung-min must be home, and expectantly, just as exhausted as you are. You heard him fumble into the bathroom for a much deserved shower as you laid there staring at the dark ceiling of your bedroom. The interaction you had with your manager played in your mind once more, causing you to squeeze your eyes shut in embarrassment.
You groaned discontentedly and turned on your side, then buried your face in the pillow to try and rid yourself of these thoughts, but to no avail. Trying to focus on the sounds of the shower, you attempted to fall back asleep, your eyes barely able to close at the prospect of sleeping once more after living through such an awful day.
Great. You're wide awake.
Before you could start to ruminate on the events of the day once more, you heard the shower turn off as Seung-min finished washing himself off.
Once he stepped out into the hallway, you heard his footsteps reach the kitchen, most likely for a late dinner before he crawled into bed just like you did.
Your stomach let out a small growl at the prospect of food, especially since you knew from first-hand experience that he's actually highly trained in the kitchen.
Overlooking the... ingredients, Seung-min appreciated the fact that you enjoyed his cooking, and his company, so what was the harm in joining him for a meal?
You threw the covers off your body as you got out of bed, momentarily psyching yourself up to open the door. In the short time you've known him, you've come to learn that Seung-min isn't exactly a people-pleaser after working so many hours.
As you open the door and make your way down the hall, you see Seung-min in the kitchen, his back turned to you as the air around you began smelling of spices.
"Oh... hey. Sorry, did I wake you?" Seung-min's tired voice asks, barely even able to stand on two feet as he watched the meat sizzle in the pan on the stove. He briefly looks over his shoulder for a moment, inspecting your form with a glazed-over look in his eyes.
With a single blink, his focus is once again locked on his human dinner.
"It's fine. I wasn't able to fall back asleep anyway and I skipped dinner." You explain, still feeling the effects of the day as you took a single step forward towards your housemate. Just to gauge boundaries. "Figured now would be a better time than any to eat. Want some help?"
"Hm." He hums, as if considering it. You've cooked for one another multiple times now, so this was simply yet another bonding experience between the two of you. Surprisingly, Seung-min gives you a brief, but noticeable smile. Like what you just asked made his whole week. "I would appreciate that thanks. Give me a moment. I'll fetch you your own cut. For now, could you take care of the one I'm already cooking? I'll get some spices while I'm at it."
"Sure, sounds good!" You make your way over to the stove and flip the steak whenever necessary, all while Seung-min opens up the fridge and gets out some Tupperware.
Another pan is added to the stove, including some oil and spices, and your own cut of meat is added to the sizzling sounds of the kitchen.
The two of you work in tandem with the other, occasionally swapping pleasant conversation about the best temperature and spices to use to make it taste so delicious, the tiny voice in the back of your mind scolding you about eating what used to be a human being.
But honestly, you were too tired and hungry to care about the implications of your actions. The meat is fully cooked and ready to eat after a few minutes go by, and you help out Seung-min by discarding the dirty pans into soapy water.
Once Seung-min removes the frilly pink apron he often likes to wear, you managed to catch a glimpse of yet another one of the silly shirts he often likes to wear, a small, barely audible chuckle escaping your lips despite how miserable you felt.
It was a simple print shirt that had a fish on the front. It was staring at a hook with a worm on the end of it. Simple enough, until you read the words, "Master Baiter" and you realized that the seemingly quiet and standoffish man had more humor than he was letting on.
"Hm? Why're you laughing?" Seung-min notices you beginning to hide your laugh behind a few fingers, now beginning to sport an amused look of his own as he glances down at the shirt. "Oh. Like it?"
"I do." You reply in between giggles. Even in the midst of plating your dinner, the exhaustion of the day still hung over your head. On the bright side, this tiny interaction between you and your housemate made you feel a little better.
And so, the two of you sat facing the other on the small kitchen island, two delicious cuts of steak right in front of your faces and practically begging to be eaten. Even with the bags under his eyes, Seung-min seemed more than content with your company, and the prospect of sharing dinner with someone instead of an empty apartment made him feel better.
You, on the other hand, kept reliving the situation that barely let you make it through the day. All you could think about was how stupid you felt, how the company expects so much of you, and how that manager thinks they can walk all over you just because you're an employee.
Even as you cut into the steak with furrowed brows and watch the juices begin to roll out, all you could think about was just how easy it would be to turn them into meat. How their smug smile could be wiped off their face the very second Seung-min picks up that butcher knife and plunges it deep into their-
"Are you okay? You're... quiet." Seung-min breaks the silence of dinner, his eyes flicking from the meat on his plate to that look of worry on your face. "Is the meal not to your liking? I know you're still pretty evasive towards human meat."
You stop cutting, and realize that you were silently running the knife across the plate instead of a chunk of steak. That was probably what caught his attention in the first place; you were distracted by something.
"No, it's not that. Okay, a little, but your cooking is too damn tasty for me to care right now, Seung-min. It's just," You find it difficult to look Seung-min in the eye as the two of you face each other on the kitchen counter. Instead, you decide to cut into the steak with a knife and a fork once more to break it down into edible pieces, "Something happened at work. I'm still upset about it."
"...What happened?" Seung-min asks, his voice dropping to almost an uncanny monotone. His fork lazily rests in his hand as his attention switches from his meal directly to you, like he wanted to know what caused you so much grief. "Did a customer give you trouble?"
You momentarily freeze at just how concerned he sounded for you, even when you haven't even told him what it was that made you so unhappy yet. His attention was slightly overwhelming, but that was to be expected when you knew that he was simply curious about what happened.
You open your mouth to speak, your frustrations escaping your lips with a hint of sadness. "I made a mistake on the register, so my manager had to fix it. I apologized because that was all I could do at that moment... but they said that I shouldn't be sorry. I should be better. Like that'll fix everything. They called me stupid."
Seung-min furrows his brows, understandably sympathetic towards your situation. "I'm sorry that happened to you. That sounds really embarrassing, but you're not stupid. Don't let some arrogant big shot make you feel that way, okay?"
"I know... It just stung when they said it. Has that ever happened before? At your job?"
"All the time." Seung-min's voice has some bite to it. Like he's reliving memories he'd much rather forget from the bosses and CEO's who think they knew everything. Luckily for him, he can make them eat their words by quite literally eating them. "Has... Has this been happening a lot? With them?"
"They have some kind of vendetta against me or something. Always have. I ask them to train me when I learn something new, and they say no. I have to "figure it out myself". And then if I don't get trained on something, I make mistakes. And then they blame me for not understanding how to do something when they don't train me on the thing, and then I inevitably screw up, and then they call me the stupid one! They tell me to be better, but how am I supposed to be better when my best is apparently their worst?!" Your voice continues to rise, anger and regret and frustration continuing to spill out of you like a leaky faucet.
Seung-min hums, as if taking your words to heart. He's actively listening to you as you vent, the look in his eyes evident that he was angry for you. Like he was wondering why he didn't help you out sooner, and why it took him this long to notice.
Your hands are shaking and tears are blurring your vision as you recall the interaction, then blink away the memory. "I'm sorry-" You apologize for the outburst, readily picking up your fork to continue eating like it never even happened. "Forget I said anything, I don't want to ruin dinner."
And yet, despite the anger in your tone of voice, and despite the shakiness in your breathing, Seung-min sits there in front of you, completely undeterred. "Hey, it's alright." He leans in a little, hoping to help you see that you mattered more to him than he was letting on. "I understand completely. It's frustrating. It's unfair. You don't feel respected in a place that makes you unhappy."
"At least the pay is... somewhat decent. If I didn't have this job, I never would have met you." Your eyes lock together as your bottom lip quivers, shoulders slouching in the process. "I wouldn't get to live with you, and everyday I'm grateful that I can."
Seung-min lightly blushes at that, his lips curling into a satisfactory smile as you confess to feeling this way. A simple "Yeah?" is all he can muster. He clears his throat and starts to chew on a piece of meat. "I feel the same way. Quite often."
"I'm glad that despite everything we've been through, we found each other. You helped me from the moment you met me." You continue to speak as you plop a piece of steak into your mouth. "I just wish they would disappear off the face of the earth so I won't have to deal with them anymore though."
"...Maybe they can." He replies, a little too nonchalantly for your liking. "I would just be helping you... again."
"Seung-min..." You laugh, lightly shaking your head at the prospect of your manager going missing. It felt almost too good to be true, but the implications of what would happen to you if anyone found out would be disastrous. "People would look for them if they went missing. And besides, if someone caught you-"
"This isn't my first time." He cuts you off, still sporting that smug smile. He's gotten away with making important people disappear before, and he wasn't about to make himself get caught if it meant making you happy. "And besides, the kitchen is running low on groceries anyway. May as well make another shopping trip."
"Why would you want to kill them anyway? You don't even know them." You try to dissuade him from giving in to his cannibalistic tendencies, but then again, you were eagerly digging into steak that was made of the last poor soul who found their way into the apartment.
"Because they're awful to you. Is that not enough of a reason?"
He was right.
You knew he was right, but you didn't want to risk losing your job if he got caught. Not only that, but if the manager randomly disappeared, people would start asking questions. Authorities would get involved and you would end up having to lie low for awhile if it meant they suspected you.
But the idea of killing and eating the person that caused you so much grief did seem like the ultimate karma. I felt a little too compelling given what happened today.
And Seung-min was kind enough to offer, after all.
"And you would... do it? If I asked you to?"
"I would, knowing how miserable they make you. And I would make it hurt." He promises, if the way he narrowed his eyes was any indication. He continues poking at his steak, the expression on his face promising large amounts of bloodshed if he ever got ahold of them. "If it means you're happy and free from their constant beratements. Would you like that?"
The tired look in his eyes did little to ease the tension hanging in the air, and he did seem adamant on going through with it, regardless of whether or not you told him to.
It would be nice not to be your least favorite manager's verbal punching bag for a change.
"What the hell. Sure."
"I'm home..." You exclaim with little to no enthusiasm after working a full shift, the front door of yours and Seung-min's shared space opening and closing with little noise. Another long and arduous day at work has come to a close, and you were more than happy to just shower, eat, and lie down. "Seung-min?"
Unsurprisingly, you could hear Seung-min making noises in the kitchen, most likely experimenting with new kinds of food. You could hear chopping and slicing coming from his direction, and realized that human was going to be on the menu again today.
It was his day off after all, so he was most likely spending it fixing dinner. Yet another poor soul managed to make their way onto the literal chopping block, it seems.
"Welcome home. I'm in the kitchen." Seung-min calls back, his usually monotone voice having a slight twinge of optimism to it. "I have a surprise for you."
Oh yay. Normally you love surprises, but surprises from cannibalistic serial killers? Not so much.
"I'll be looking forward to it. Give me a second." You call back, already heading towards the shower for some much needed TLC.
After a brisk but relaxing shower, you slip on pajamas and make your way down the hall, mouth opening to yawn.
"Did your manager give you any trouble today?" Seung-min asks, just as you step out of the bathroom. You hear his butcher knife make contact with the chopping block in the form of a harsh "thunk". Normally, the sound catches you off guard, but due to the fact that your day was actually somewhat nice, you barely reacted to it.
Bone breaks away from skin as Seung-min continues to hack and slash, and the metallic smell of blood begins to fill the air as you make your way into the kitchen.
Human on the menu again, it seems.
It felt good to finally wear pajamas instead of an itchy and musty work uniform, so your enthusiasm was evident in your voice. You made your way to the kitchen with a considerable spring in your step. "You know, Seung-min, it's the strangest thing. I came to work expecting to see my manager giving me the stink-eye, but apparently no one saw them the whole... day."
There, sitting atop the kitchen counter with their glazed-over eyes staring off into nothingness, was the dead body of your manager.
"Oh... my God."
"Surprise." Seung-min exclaims, ripping off the forearm of your manager to use the meat for cooking. He gives you a toothy grin, the noticeable sharpness of his canines causing you to widen your eyes even further than you initially thought to be possible. "I was thinking of making Manager a la Mode."
"Why can't we ever just have like... a salad?" You whisper under your breath, half-confused and half-joking. You glance back down at the bloody nub that used to be your manager's arm, not entirely sure if you wanted to know where that giant bite-sized hole in their neck came from. Judging from the puncture wounds, Seung-min took matters into his own hands.
"Hm? Did you say something?" He asks, surprisingly nonchalant as he continues chopping up parts of your has-been life-ruiner.
"...I was just about to ask if you need some help?" You offer, putting on an apron of your own. "It's not my first rodeo!"
"And it won't be your last. Here, I'll show you the best way to wield a butcher knife." He says, moving to stand behind you and maneuver your movements to his will.
"Aw, that's sweet of you- Hey, watch the hands! I just showered!"