“Getting off work now?”
It was Roban.
Still dressed in his blue tracksuit, he casually asked what I was having for dinner tonight.
“Are you always hanging around outside?”
I only asked because it was practically Roban’s routine to stop by the convenience store around this time, but to anyone listening, it could easily sound like we were living together. Sure enough, Bin shot me a questioning look.
“Who’s that?”
“Ah, just a neighbor who lives in this apartment.”
“Ah… I see.”
Bin urged me to head upstairs already, but Roban lingered, circling around him.
“Your client? Is that a housewarming gift?”
Roban tried to grab the bundle from Bin, saying he’d carry it instead, but Bin pulled his hand back.
“I’ll carry it myself.”
“I was just trying to help. Well, suit yourself.”
Then Roban came over to me again, saying he’d personally come to deliver something and that he’d promised to teach me how to use it. He cheerfully shook the box in his hand. Maybe because he was waving it around so much—and because it was wrapped in opaque packaging—I couldn’t see what was inside.
“What is it?”
“Aneros.”
At Roban’s proud answer, the golden bundle slipped from Bin’s hands and fell to the ground. The lunchboxes inside rattled loudly, but thankfully nothing spilled and they mostly kept their shape.
I quickly rushed over and secured the bundle before it tipped over completely.
“It’s heavier than I thought. Bin, you can head back now. I’ll just have this guy carry it for me.”
“Haha… No, Du-seon. You had that kind of hobby?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Aneros. You’re going to try using that with him? Does that bastard Seomun Jun know about this?”
“Ah, I think you’re misunderstanding. He sells adult products, so he said he’d explain how to use it… It’s kind of hard to explain out here.”
“Even if he sells that stuff, who does he think he is, offering to teach you how to use Aneros—!”
We were right at the apartment entrance, and people were constantly passing by. It was rush hour, so there were couples walking in with groceries and kids getting off academy vans. I didn’t know exactly what Aneros was, but since it was the name of an adult product, it wasn’t something to shout about in public.
“Let’s not do this here…”
I pulled the agitated Bin toward our building where fewer people were walking. Behind us, Roban followed along, grumbling that he’d stepped on a ginkgo nut and dragging his slippers against the ground to wipe them off.
Bin was usually composed, always seeming emotionally relaxed like his neat appearance suggested. But this was the first time I’d ever seen him this worked up. He kept running his hand through his messy hair and sighing heavily.
“Let’s just go up to my place. You came all this way, after all.”
“But can’t we just tell that guy to leave?”
At the end of Bin’s chin gesture, I saw Roban trudging over. Roban stopped right in front of him. They were about the same height, but their builds were different. Roban had the angular frame of a volleyball player, while Bin looked more like a model than an athlete.
Strangely enough, their gazes were openly hostile. They’d only just met—why were they acting like this?
“Your outfit is really… sloppy.”
“Says the guy who didn’t even shave.”
“That’s because I was busy taking Du-seon to the hospital. I’m never like this normally.”
“I wear this style because it’s comfy. My underwear, though, is different every single day.”
I almost told Roban that changing your underwear daily was just common sense, but it felt like I’d be taking Bin’s side, so I stayed quiet.
Bin muttered “Good for you,” under his breath, clearly annoyed by how Roban kept firing back. In the end, I stepped between them and told them to knock it off and go upstairs.
I asked Bin to hand me one of the bags he was carrying, but he refused until the end. Roban snickered that anyone would think it was filled with gold and jewels.
“Hey, Blue Tracksuit. Wanna drop the formal speech?”
“Sure.”
“Wait a second. Bin, dropping formal speech doesn’t mean you’re going to start swearing and fighting, right? You two literally just met today—it feels like you’re getting way too emotional, so please calm down…”
When we reached the fourth floor and got off the elevator, Bin and Roban bumped shoulders, both trying to get out first. Watching from behind was awkward. Roban walked ahead like he owned the place, as if heading into his own home.
Bin followed after him, but instead of stopping at my door, Roban kept walking all the way to the end of the hallway. I stood there at my entrance, staring at Bin’s back as he trailed behind Roban.
Ah… what am I supposed to do with these two?
When I didn’t follow, Bin turned around and finally realized what was happening. Roban had dragged him all the way to the end of the hall on purpose, just to make him carry the heavy bags longer. As Bin walked back, I saw his lips twitching several times—he was probably cursing under his breath.
“Go on in.”
I opened the door and stepped aside so Bin could enter first. Roban strolled over slowly, grinning from ear to ear.
“Does pulling stuff like that make you happy? He’s technically a guest.”
“Did I tell him to follow me? He came on his own.”
As soon as we entered, I set the things Bin brought on the sink. When I unwrapped the bundle, it was packed full of side dishes in large lunchboxes—jeon varieties, assorted seasoned vegetables, kimchi, sanjeok skewers. Normally, I would’ve devoured it immediately, but my stomach still felt off, so I decided to put it in the fridge for now.
“Whoa! What is this? Did you go to a banquet or something?”
Meanwhile, Roban had already grabbed a piece of jeon with his hand and was exclaiming in delight.
“We’re eating this now, right? Yeah?”
“I didn’t bring that for you!”
Bin, who’d been sitting quietly on the sofa, rushed over and snapped the lid shut.
“Wow, being stingy with food…”
“I’m always stingy.”
Worried they might start fighting again, I tried to open the lid, saying it was better if we just shared, but Bin firmly closed it again.
“Hey, Blue Tracksuit. If I let you eat this, will you quietly go home?”
“…Really, using food as leverage.”
I thought he’d call him stingy again, but Roban must’ve surrendered to the food—after about three seconds of deliberation, he said okay and carried the lunchbox to the coffee table. Bin chased after him, placed a few sanjeok skewers on top of the assorted jeon, and then took the rest back.
“These are side dishes, so eat them later. Just give that Blue Tracksuit guy this much. I’ll bring you more next time.”
“No, it’s okay.”
I felt burdened by how devoted he was being. All I’d done was broker a deal and collect a commission, yet he’d taken me to the hospital and even bought me side dishes… I was grateful, but more than that, I felt pressured.
“Du-seon! Water!”
Bin pulled a bottle from the fridge for me and told me I should keep my distance from neighbors like that. While he did that, I put the containers he’d given me into the refrigerator. I saw him handing water to Roban and saying something else.
Then the word “Aneros” came up again in their conversation. Roban seemed stubborn about something, but when Bin pointed at the lunchbox and said something, Roban nodded reluctantly.
I turned the box Roban had brought over in my hands, then decided to open it later and placed it on the microwave shelf. It’d be nice if I had an island table, but the kitchen was too small—even a regular table wouldn’t fit.
“Wow, this is seriously good. Where’d you buy it?”
Roban kept reacting dramatically to each bite while watching TV. Bin came over to my side after finishing tidying up and pointed at Roban.
“That guy sells adult products?”
“Yes.”
“How did you two become close?”
“Well… it’s a bit complicated. He helped me out before. At first, we fought like you two did, but now we just live like neighborly friends.”
“Ahh…”
After finishing with the side dishes, I soaked the empty containers in the sink. Bin said I didn’t need to return them, but I figured I’d wash them tomorrow and took off my rubber gloves.
Then I brewed two cups of herbal tea and sat on the sofa next to Bin. Only then did I remember I hadn’t checked my phone. As expected, there were several missed calls—one of them from Jun.
Didn’t he say he was busy today?
While checking the missed calls, a message from Jun came in.
[Where are you?]
[Home]
I sent him a short reply and took a sip of tea. Warmth spread through my body, and the refreshing herbal scent cleared the bitter taste the medicine had left in my mouth.
“The herbal aroma is nice. Do you drink this often?”
“No. It was just a gift, but it’s better than I expected.”
Roban was busy eating, and Bin was busy watching my face even while drinking tea. Our eyes kept meeting naturally, and whenever they did, I just smiled awkwardly.
I want to rest. I want to be alone.
Roban probably wouldn’t leave until he finished eating, and Bin probably wouldn’t leave until Roban did.
Just as I finished my tea, a message arrived.
It was ShutUp.
[What time are you logging in today?]
[Can’t. I’m busy.]
I wanted to get back at him the same way. You’re not the only one who’s busy—I’m busy too.
[Stop talking crap and log in within 10 minutes.]
[ㅗ]
Ha… Only now did it feel like a long-standing knot in my chest finally loosened. Last time, I’d accidentally sent “ㅓ” instead of “ㅗ,” which had been embarrassingly awkward.
He acts like my master in the game when he’s basically my slave in real life. If that’s the case, why doesn’t he just act like a tyrant in real life too? Why go around cosplaying as a slave?
The good mood from sending that reply didn’t last long. Anxiety crept in immediately after, because ShutUp started calling me right away. Seeing my hesitation about whether to answer, Bin asked who it was.
“Ah, just a younger acquaintance.”
He was five years younger than me—no reason to feel intimidated—so I didn’t pick up. Arguing over a single vowel with him felt ridiculous anyway… and he didn’t even know who I really was. Even if I rejected the call, what could he do? It wasn’t like he’d come chasing me to my house.
But just as the phone fell silent, it started ringing again.
