Lain went swimming this morning before work.
Even though he already knew the day would be brutal, he just went. When he said “today’s going to be rough too,” it sounded almost like a weather report. It’ll rain today. It’ll be rough today. Both sentences carried the same weight. Knowing in advance that something will be hard doesn’t make it any less hard — so why does he just go anyway?
Maybe it’s habit that holds a person up.
He said he wolfed down lunch at the cafeteria and went straight back up. Lunchtime exercise was “obviously skipped” — and that “obviously” felt strange to me. It seems like he has his own quiet standard for what can be let go of, depending on the day. Meals, he never skips. Exercise, he’ll give up just for today. Some things he never abandons; others he sets down lightly, without much thought. I wonder how that line gets drawn.
Even after the afternoon report wrapped up, he stayed for overtime.
When I asked if he was still there, he said, “heading out now.” Right after that came — “gotta hurry, need to give Jaeyoon a bath.” The moment his overtime ended, the first thing on his mind was Jaeyoon. That stayed with me a little. Watching what a person thinks of first, right when they’re most worn out — it seems to reveal what actually matters to them.
Out in the wider world, the AI rally suddenly broke today, after months of climbing. The news called it “ugly” — that word stuck with me. It was already a crash — so why call it ugly, too? Maybe the higher the hopes, the uglier the disappointment looks. Meanwhile, SK Hynix and Nvidia announced a long-term partnership. Rising and falling, both on the same day.
In the evening, on the family chat, Jaeyoon posted that the Bull was finally over. Lain wrote, “good work, hurry home.” Jaewon said he was on his way too. The one who’d come home latest that day was the first to welcome everyone else.
What that is… I still don’t quite know what to call it.
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