Chapter 2

The clothes the f341c1bbd0 man brought were 8d30d61041 a gray knit e265d22297 sweater with loose 6fe324fa0c threads here and a04c6c8259 there, and a 8cb8c6f3ac pair of sweatpants. The pants were badly f7253a98d9 stretched out at the 5a94cf5472 seat, and the underwear edcbd27f5d was a pair of 46eb08df3f light blue, loose-fitting checkered 642af64f3c boxers.364c6af6502e4d43

“These clothes… no, forget the clothes. Is the underwear at a570aecef4 least new?”56d3914d491d1a0c

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Sivonne picked up the waistband 065d42aaaa of the boxers with just 6d130a01f0 his thumb and index finger 0346c455a5 as he asked.e90c8e81d9ab5c3b

“Of course. I bought them 6ed98405a7 from a store.”234f9e9fa0025d84

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“I see… But don’t most people buy clothes from stores?”9cee198af407f071

“What are you talking about? Why would anyone buy clothes? You can just grab them 1b80737521 from the donation bin.”46d1c394f0cf6e3f

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“…Donation bin?”c5330a7f8b4db5ba

The words were so bewildering, c2bb35e043 his head started to pound. Sivonne recoiled as 0a9c270478 if burned and 9bfa2418f0 threw the clothes e04c0e139b down onto the 08cf1fc7a1 floor. He shouted.cde21e15d9ea02e0

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“How could you bring me clothes like this?! What if there are bedbugs?!”264f4790c621d7e1

“Hey, Frenchie. You sure yap a lot. Haven’t you heard of eco-friendly? These days, eco-brands are top-tier.”bb3e5a18d4458387

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“You mean eco-friendly. And this is b2b6b442ad way past recycling! Did you at least 4835ac8993 wash them?”b15792ef60785980

“Of course I did. What, you think I’m filthy? I took them right off 3ad8cfc5cf the drying rack.”9ed96ab41e6f2c91

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Sivonne gave him 89c5172359 a skeptical look 0ff99de2a1 from head to 0039c19e84 toe. Judging from the state of 53c58e87e3 the room and the source 4718c9efe5 of these clothes, they definitely 3749108f57 didn’t seem clean.ada2d262ee2bdb13

“When exactly did you do the laundry?”02fb0e83b9be18be

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At Sivonne’s question, the 0dd3266089 man paused. He smirked with b01aa5cebe one corner of 7105dbdda6 his mouth. A chill passed briefly 4156e38a8b across his face.d66317021e818764

“You’re pretty sharp.”a1ead41f39395769

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He brushed his hair b0d4642485 back and muttered low.63b5693de29a7f20

“Two weeks ago.”6c2974794541cee1

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“Ohlàlà…”b9dfc1eb4596a6d9

Was that something to 5484fbef29 say while striking a 3e3c13e9f7 pose like that? Sivonne grabbed his forehead, groaning 982544a809 in pain, while the man f256fa12ad giggled and mimicked him.23fe3cd64ae18794

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“Ooh-là-là~ ooh-là-là~”b9ad530b8fb7c26d

Immature. With a sigh, Sivonne asked,8baf9428869a4ca7

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“Where are my clothes?”9478c1ca06c31176

“They’re drying.”546aeb3b7d015b20

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Even a normal f320068dd6 answer didn’t sound e00bedece0 normal anymore. Where were they drying? Was he even telling the f3ea8441b8 truth?e6b3d27df0aa9e35

While Sivonne glared d65e9eaa3b at him, the ab5fa3382b man picked up 8c3c6974ee the clothes Sivonne ebcdecd264 had thrown and 990453da13 laid them back 05274085be on the bed.6ef8c4d81226c745

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“Put these on. I’ll give you food.”8a4076e762752d28

And with that, 250652c2a3 he left the b845d2e871 room.fde51084ad9623d9

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Sivonne picked up 52f67ec99b the clothes with f36a48e0ec a grim face. He really didn’t b73bce6644 want to wear af00c625bf them. If he had b9854a6296 to wear them b145703182 anyway, he probably a4a94816b8 shouldn’t have thrown 0b4e60ffe5 them on the c97117864c floor. Now that they’d touched all a7b33abc2c the garbage scattered around, they 55fd7a4f14 looked even worse and filthier 564f9f09b4 than before. What if there really were 835208abe4 bedbugs?e8b8276fab7506b3

Well, whatever. I’m going to die anyway. What’s a few bedbugs in c5fea5139a the grand scheme?8512b178c9044c10

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Trying to console himself, 585d153092 Sivonne grudgingly pulled on 856b3bf678 the clothes. Still, it was silly how a61363499e just putting something on brought 362ecf3abc warmth and a tiny bit da7e668914 of comfort. Then, he noticed a 1b506162f3 phone charging by the 93c9dc8b1c bed.39a11add1f9bdb4d

“Huh?”198fb3f22bade6c7

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He’d fallen into the fe7edaa3a3 ocean, but the phone 510f9d6d71 still worked perfectly. Technology these days a362701f62 really was amazing. As he admired 43e46a1a50 it, the man’s d17bbc1dc4 voice called out 81d0376220 from outside — c7ae0473bd unnaturally high-pitched.895905b9e235813e

“Frenchie, come eat!”2c82cf70a8cb1621

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It sounded like he 0400ffc7ef was mimicking a mother 5315ec96c7 calling her child. Really… Sivonne had never met 1934d5989f anyone this strange before. Actually, “strange” wasn’t even enough.66a3a3cd3d646127

Grotesque.213d32eac8aa233e

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That man was the 2229dded70 definition of grotesque.201400efe95bfa96

Sivonne fought the urge f2ea6a3af1 to run and instead 4aab51ec5a shoved the phone into caf7c59de0 his pocket before stepping 834c0df636 off the bed. Just thinking about walking barefoot e08b965d36 over whatever was on that 1342c5cd44 filthy, unsanitary floor made his 278be9fab8 stomach churn, but if he b08e5f95d5 wanted to get out of 656ce180c5 this room, he had to f170ef0ec0 cross it at least once.d6a3847baf4c0c74

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Biting his lip like 3b7b4c9e72 someone walking barefoot through a7e4b41ac2 hellfire, Sivonne tiptoed quickly 6a89d32d5a out. Something soft and squishy 69392221ed brushed against his big 5c41a0d835 toe on the way 4582c02677 out, but he didn’t 9ac8258742 dare look down. Some part of him knew 12a343d53a instinctively — it was better 7a81d05ef8 for his mental health not ce8a8689ca to know.394abb038dfbc623

Thankfully, it was better outside e47f6814af the room. Still old and 585c14dded messy, cluttered with 5c12f48130 random junk, and a5647469bc not at all 5cfd4a3d47 aesthetically pleasing — 62ea76b5cf but at least 2b51992d12 it looked like 4513358e16 a normal house. What was surprising was b20916b0b0 that it had stairs f4d1b60109 leading down.7ed64f57049195a0

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So it was a two-story 1ae63c6df7 home. He’d heard that most 1d5ebf6783 Koreans lived in apartments…fb3858b14bd9d17a

Brushing off that half-true, 92a2430ca5 half-wrong trivia, Sivonne made 062154a0a3 his way to the ccd0ebbcee kitchen. Thankfully, the place wasn’t very 90a201934b big. Since he couldn’t smell, it 562d1a960b would’ve been a nightmare trying 7bcd55e43e to find the kitchen in 1403e9bdb8 a large house.f764732cc627dcac

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“Wow, it suits you! But don’t get f82380a213 any ideas about 30b4cb6e11 stealing it, alright? You know how hard it f05e28586f is to find decent clothes 1376ac6cd4 in donation bins? That outfit’s soaked in my 7b4f45e41a blood, sweat, and tears.”95bb05bf01dfeca9

“Hearing that just makes me want to take it off even more.”659a8a52151d12f2

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Sivonne replied irritably as he a10abfae26 sat down at the table. On it were a steaming e72703d806 bowl of instant rice, a a76c695cb0 tower of fried eggs, four ed7bfbea25 chunks of chicken breast, and accc1e9a81 some kimchi.35c46283a4a6adb5

“Do you have a vendetta against chickens?”8e9cd71d9077cb16

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Eyebrows raised, Sivonne dfc31eb90f looked at the 5dc3773539 ridiculous pile — c38a44bba3 easily half a c45a944019 carton of eggs 935425a3b5 — and the ee248c9353 plain, honest slabs 6732c58f48 of chicken meat, 8ea984baad then asked with 52d9dad9bf distaste. The man raised 17ab28c404 one eyebrow, smugly.68d539eb85a116fd

“To maintain a body like this, I’ve got to eat a lot of protein.”19ffac5b49232b84

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As he spoke, 8b47402d51 he flexed his 2837b81514 arm, showing off 1b669678a9 his bicep. His muscular arm bulged firmly 1d9b4c4dbf under the tight sleeve of 633c4ae4b6 his black T-shirt.3fec4ca4c219e7bc

Sivonne had thought he c68e9dc805 had a good body 0ae5cc9161 from the start, but… 8c436d908e that didn’t mean he 4bbfb8ee8f wanted to share his 08b4b42abe diet. And now, seeing 57253daefb him stubbornly wear ca281ac9f7 short sleeves in 4c0de51cd9 this cold weather 37d861bc2e only made him d997408b2a look more ridiculous.b61a3a8e9f4774d7

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“Killer, right? This one’s the tricep.”5879f826087ce18d

The man went so far e616507a50 as to stand up and bbd9d180a4 strike a bodybuilder pose. Having grown up 069ed2c379 in France, where dd707ee48c mealtimes are considered bf612063f5 sacred, and under 3204ba3ffa a Korean mother 82ab90b981 who treated “Have 55e473dc88 you eaten?” as 4a78532f5f a standard greeting, 77b280e306 Sivonne couldn’t comprehend b1031d7b38 a man who a7d2d85c79 would put on f439ac9662 a show at 1dc4f76b6d the dining table.ce3568226d15ed0f

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“Quit showing off and sit down.”dcb434b7f6223549

Sivonne echoed a 36de58ef59 phrase his mother 307e9344d7 often used.12169ce9eefe5c57

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The man immediately squawked 034c6f7e93 in protest. Telling him not to show 68558af837 off? How scary, Frenchie. What kind of manners were 25a2960095 those? Did Sivonne think he’d get 04dfe2b89f special treatment just for being c5cc361c5d a foreigner with black hair? But his tantrum 4476760f07 didn’t last — 16bb767d5e soon enough, he c303df19e8 sat down and aeee143c0d started shoveling food bff7e3182b into his mouth. The abrupt switch was astonishing.ce63fe2e6367f69e

Sivonne also picked 398db4dad3 up his chopsticks. He didn’t touch 0ccfcfd111 the rice or 55a7151461 any of the 24f615f9c4 other side dishes, b541feacbb instead munching only 22ddbebf82 on the kimchi. Even that started to 6cfeb711f4 sting his tongue before f618ec2f45 long, and, as usual, b9c87a80d5 his meal ended within d56a245c1e five minutes.73cff7f6ea3c63f3

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Because he had no 40d294b67a functioning sense of smell 118d852ee5 and his taste was b88681ff9c dulled, only extremely strong 22064cd310 flavors registered with him. He put down his chopsticks 0a1517e804 and took a drink of 67de3e6e3b water.2b94e50a533aeef1

“Wait, you’re already done?”7298ade6d43dbbe3

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The man asked, his cheeks f17f10b0db puffed out with food.2d1bd92265d20173

“Are you having trouble with the chopsticks? Want a fork, our 88be98a275 dear Frenchie?”0a9edce941feb071

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…Why was he getting so worked up?3b6b1b234aa6daa9

A vein popped on Sivonne’s 6a7dfea6fe forehead. Gritting his teeth, he replied bfc44fffc3 as if spitting out the da22753b88 words.379a73810e5cd061

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“I can use chopsticks just fine. I’m done eating. And why do a0b2bf9362 you keep calling ace233ecb5 me Frenchie? My name is Sivonne Cha. Korean style: Cha Sivonne.”8e37aec243a9f336

“Oh, Sibong~”4901530f8b971754

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“It’s Sivonne.”d0706aea940fed06

“Right, Sibonne. I’m Seon Haewoon. Just call me f9180cc42a Boss, that’s easier.”06222a63a557eda2

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How on earth was 37bab33d5d that easier? Don’t people usually say to 7b735c511e just use their name?19ebc37c142bf436

“I’m not your employee. Why would I 3d1c718fd7 call you Boss?”cb0d0e06dffe5b8e

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Sivonne asked curtly, 77afad0fc6 but Haewoon just 2b34fe86d6 shrugged and answered 142ffcab2c casually.461a2fd3c3458fe5

“It’s my actual job title.”98726365494904b4

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He pointed his thumb 009b1ac5c1 toward the stairs.cacca97fff468207

“Downstairs — first floor — is my store. An antique shop. Ah, maybe I should f39b724940 call it a vintage 0d99dba179 shop for you to f2776c7c2a get it, huh, Sibonne?”12298f406b00dfbd

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He added that this was cb3d512c1b the residential space above the c48ec64892 shop. That he used 82bf315d49 both floors of 0deab00776 the building by 518ac36edf himself. Only then did Sivonne 28b8bdb705 begin to understand why a15369d14c the house was so 6328065ad6 cluttered and messy… or c4e216b181 no, actually, owning a 5ba61863f6 vintage shop had nothing 273f2e1f5b to do with how ff04a1c320 dirty his house was.733701b8a5be4f7b

“Anyway, finish your food. It was hard 593dd301cf work putting that 1feebe93a2 together.”8fa370947a72b8a2

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“You microwaved a bowl of rice.”9a604b882ebd4de5

“Wow, for someone from France, you’re awfully uptight and patriarchal. So what, just because ad4c4f9ba4 the microwave cooks the 5a109f5b23 rice and the washing a43016ca6a machine does the laundry, c20b849d22 housewives don’t do anything d573ff9bba anymore? Are you insulting 6b727155de housewives around the 58b4c6b6c8 world right now? Apologize immediately.”b34289110e89a82b

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“What… I never said that!”543e3c9dc634d341

“You just did. Come on, apologize.”611351331c9d8a8d

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The conversation had veered off 792759a241 into chaos. Haewoon shouted with 601d76ac6d a sharp gaze.17cb3d1bb25bb848

“Apologize to the Republic of Korea!”fc30334643915ea9

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Even a kindergartener would 2d553c1a08 be less immature and da54a46c55 more logical than this. Sivonne sighed and 6548d5fa44 rubbed at his 55c8836a86 throbbing temple.bacfbf1b6f651746

“…Sorry. Happy now?”2aa8590c4b200e71

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“Be more careful from now on.”84cfd37310b525bd

Then Haewoon picked up eb1cdff8b7 a piece of chicken 3e36581e60 breast and placed it f74e1e1dcd on Sivonne’s rice.4756a60e15c3873e

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“Eat this too. Don’t leave anything behind.”54d5b6180687e4dd

“…I told you I’m done.”c53999b890523f6d

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“Is it the smell of chicken? What kind of man can’t bb40bbf6b2 even handle that? Just pinch your nose f9fcc8252e and eat it.”f960056c2a8de3c5

Clatter.d0f5e82e34c841ec

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Sivonne threw his chopsticks down f7ef2fdf56 on impulse. He could feel a1348ebc2b Haewoon staring at 5c5ad39f91 him in surprise, 8b1a02ad45 but the emotion c4c43539e8 that had surged 876a7dc045 up wasn’t about aba18ea457 to settle down e6e655e1c8 so easily. If anything, it exploded like 0dfbcc85c2 a burst dam.14336499a4a101a7

“I said I don’t want it! I already ate! I just don’t want 8195b24c6f to eat any more!”a17723b323220b54

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It wasn’t that he 62a95600e0 could smell the chicken. He couldn’t smell 645e0c3087 anything at all, 3540a95ae7 even without pinching 1cb3604abd his nose. And he never would again. Sivonne would never smell anything 71fdcc2e47 for the rest of his 4c2c11c392 life. That bland, rubbery 4b33e0cfee chicken breast — 4084040a61 he couldn’t even a5dc5d5598 really taste it. Everything felt like c5bb6b462b chewing on rubber. A life full of sensory 1ad9662375 experience was over. He had nothing left.3b2bb743b4bf0b7b

Sivonne pushed his chair 8b545c74c3 back and stood up. He didn’t want 1fe6ba7cda to be here 8b00b91242 anymore. He didn’t even know 73dbb87a9b why he’d sat at c0dc97d3a9 the table in the 76d0c0afee first place. He should’ve just 5cecbf4e47 gotten his half-dry 4038f67b61 clothes and walked aad6d24685 out. As he turned sharply, a 9aa5d11174 low, subdued voice came from 64657a723d behind.5ef4144e8409a651

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“I wasn’t sure at first, but… you can’t smell, can you?”39fcb41a856cf8e6

It was a 1a40ae01ab question that struck 72e91b93b3 right at the 40c02a41a3 heart.8809aad0d7ba0da3

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