Page 6 of Under Construction

Every success makes Dennis feel more like an imposter in his own site.

The inspector straightens up. Nodding in approval. "You've got quite a team here," he tells Dennis.

"Oh, they're not really his team," Chris says cheerfully. "They're union guys. You know, actual builders? We just let him think he's in charge because..." he lowers his voice, pats Dennis's shoulder again so Dennis does skirt out of the way this time, smile plastered on his face like everything’s A-okay. "Well, you know how these legacy admissions turn out."

The inspector throws back his head and laughs and laughs, a deep, gravelly sound. He pulls off his glasses, wiping them on the edge of his shirt and dabbing at a tear with his knuckle as the laughter fades into a warm chuckle.

“You boys are a riot! Not afraid to rib each other for a laugh—makes for good work, that does. Back in my day, we didn’t have half the organization you’ve got here.” He chuckles again, shaking his head. “Hell, I’d have stuck around longer if the crew’d been more like this.”

Dennis’s smile could crack walnuts.

"Any other aspects of my design you'd like to improve?" The words taste bitter, but Dennis keeps his tone professional.

"Not today." Chris checks his watch. "Some of us have actual construction to oversee."

The inspector laughs again, pointing at first Dennis, then Chris with a wagging finger.

Chris’s grin could light up all eight floors of the half-made building they’re standing in.

He gathers his crew with a glance. Then walks out, chit-chatting with the inspector, hand gestures in full force, both of them laughing about something Dennis can’t make out.

The crew follow him like ducklings, already discussing his modifications, completely ignoring their architect's presence.

"Meeting's not over," Dennis calls after them. His jaw hurts from clenching it so hard.

"Sure is." Chris pauses at the door. "Unless you've got more theoretical problems for us to solve?"

He strolls out, crew trailing behind him, leaving Dennis alone with his pristine plans and their practical improvements.

Jason Park, the project manager and Dennis’s best friend by proximity and circumstance, lingers behind, awkwardly gathering his notes.

"He's kind of brilliant, isn't he?" Jason says finally, his smooth cheeks bunching as he gathers his notes. Despite the gym-toned arms visible under his rolled sleeves, something boyish lingers in his features that no amount of working out seems to chase away.

Dennis stares at the modified diagrams still projected on the screen. At changes that make his vision look incredible, while, quite frankly, makinghimlook a little stupid.

Keep breathing. Don’t you dare stop. Count to ten—or a hundred. Think happy thoughts—not the kind that involve Chris under a bulldozer.

Dennis’s body listens to his mind by gritting its teeth and clenching its butt instead.

"Get out!"

At least Jason has the decency to hide his grin until he reaches the door.

04Perfectly Symmetrical

Two days after the inspector incident, Dennis is tapping away at his tablet in the site office when his phone starts buzzing.

Again.

He swipes away three messages from his father without reading them, the notifications piling up like unwanted guests. Then a fourth. Then a fifth. The buzzing grows more insistent, the vibrations rattling against the table.

His father's voice echoes from their last call: "The investors expect perfection. The Kim name demands perfection. Why is that so difficult for you to understand?"

"For fuck's sake," he mutters, his fingers tightening around the stylus.

"Language," Chris drawls from the doorway, his voice smooth as honey. "What would daddy dearest say?"

Dennis stiffens, shoulders tensing under his shirt. When he looks up, Chris is leaning against the doorframe.

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