UX Chapter 2

Chiwon turned the whole house upside down. His phone, which had been there just yesterday, had vanished without a trace overnight. He had received Kim Sangduk’s photo and hotel room number via text message, but now they were gone. He sighed in frustration, unable to find it no matter how hard he looked. 

Could he have left it in the wrong hotel room he had mistakenly entered yesterday?

He repeatedly called his missing phone, day and night, but no one answered as if it were abandoned on the street.

-The person you are calling is not available, please leave a message after the beep…

“Ugh, shit.”

Chiwon scratched his brow roughly, spitting out a faint curse.

At least it was a public holiday, which was a small blessing. Thanks to the absence of an alarm, he didn’t wake up until almost noon. Although he rushed to get ready for work, thankfully, he wasn’t late.

“Ah, should I call the hotel?”

For once, it was a reasonable idea. Since he knew the room number, he could simply ask if they had found any lost items. Having reached a clear conclusion, Chiwon immediately tried to search for the hotel’s name, but then…

“Ah, right. I don’t have my phone.”

It hit him—without his phone, he couldn’t do anything.

“Should I help you look for it?”

“No, it’s okay. Thank you for letting me use your phone.”

“Treat your phone like it’s a part of you, alright?”

“Yes.”

After going to the management office to borrow a phone, the manager, whom he usually got along with, playfully chided him. All Chiwon could do was agree politely and leave.

Returning home, Chiwon threw himself onto the bed, thinking it might be for the best. He could take this opportunity to get a new phone and change his number. Kim Sangduk and everything else – he could now throw away all the past mistakes and regrets along with his old phone. Thinking about it from a new perspective made him feel lighter.

Chiwon flung open the terrace’s glass door. The slightly chilly autumn breeze poured into the house, carrying away the lingering heat. Chiwon spread his arms wide, embracing the wind. He inhaled deeply, filling his lungs, and then exhaled deeply, feeling as if all the knots inside him were unraveling. 

He loved this refreshing sensation at the beginning of winter. The clear blue sky visible beyond the towering buildings, the leaves slowly changing their colors—everything was so beautiful that he found himself smiling.

Bang, bang.

The heavy sound of someone pounding on the front door echoed.

“Chiwon-ah—!”

Chiwon’s face immediately crumpled. 

If it had been like before, that voice would have melted him, and he would have rushed to the door. But today, his feelings were different. He didn’t want to hear that voice, which now sounded only pretentious. The feigned sorrow and grief and the desperate attempt to appear pitiful, were all ridiculous and it grate on his nerves.

Ignoring it, Chiwon turned on the TV and raised the volume.

In fact, if Kim Sangduk hadn’t come to apologize, he would have been furious. He might have stormed over to Kim Sangduk’s house and turned it upside down himself, screaming about his lack of shame. 

But that didn’t mean he was ready to forgive him. After what happened yesterday, any remaining affection or interest he had completely vainshed. The past, where he felt he couldn’t live without Kim Sangduk, was swept clean in an instant.

It was strange. Chiwon had reached a point where he had become indifferent, as if he had no connection with Kim Sangduk.

“That guy from Room 1201 yesterday was really handsome, though.”

The fact that he was commenting on another man’s appearance said it all. 

Chiwon even forgot that the man had persistently demanded an apology from him and smiled faintly. The moment he saw that face, he thought he should forget Kim Sangduk and everything else, and he should have tried to seduce him. 

A handsome guy is probably good in bed. He’s tall, too. I wonder how big he is. His chest seemed big.

Chiwon stretched out his hand in the air, tilting his head repeatedly, trying to gauge the size. Well, he couldn’t be sure without touching it directly, so he decided to settle for a size that was pleasant to imagine. 

Meanwhile, the heavy pounding continued outside the front door. 

Forgetting that he was naked, Chiwon headed towards the entrance. It was time to send Kim Sangduk away so he could more thoroughly fantasize about the man from 1201.

As he flung the door open, Kim Sangduk’s unattractive face greeted him. Known for his obsession to handsome faces, Kim Sangduk certainly possessed a handsome appearance that captivated many, but his face, crushingly defeated by the man from 1201, no longer seemed so impressive.

Kim Sangduk, still kneeling, quickly crawled towards Chiwon and grabbed his ankle.

“Chiwon! I’m sorry, okay? Forgive me, please forgive me! I really won’t do it again, okay? I was wrong!”

It was annoying. 

Just a few days ago, he would have blindly believed those words wholeheartedly, uttered some foolish phrase like, “Thank you for apologizing,” and accepted him back. Now, the sight was just pathetic.

Chiwon looked down at Kim Sangduk with utter contempt in his eyes. Kim Sangduk, seemingly not expecting this reaction, flinched and backed away.

“Chi-Chiwon.”

“Hmm.”

“Uh… uh, I’ve been kneeling here for a while. My knees really hurt. Can you let me in now? Please?”

Chiwon smirked.

How shameless.

He had seen Kim Sangduk quickly drop to his knees when the door opened. Chiwon scoffed at Kim Sangduk’s behavior, still treating him like a fool.

Chiwon blocked the entrance and stared intently at him.

“What does forgiveness even mean?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t ask me annoying questions.”

Chiwon, still wearing his slippers, placed one foot on Kim Sangduk’s thigh. Kim Sangduk glanced at the foot, then looked up at Chiwon with wide, innocent eyes like Puss in Boots. Unfortunately, even those eyes weren’t the least bit pitiful.

It was unbelievable. Could a person’s attitude change so drastically overnight? Even he was surprised by himself, so he could vaguely understand Kim Sangduk’s bewilderment.

“Chiwon, I really won’t do it again. Okay?”

“I don’t care where you swing your dick around from now on, just do this one thing for me.”

“What is it? Tell me! I’ll do anything!”

“I want to step on this.”

Without hesitation, Chiwon crushed Kim Sangduk’s groin under his foot.

“Aaargh!”

Kim Sangduk’s heavy, muffled scream shook the entire officetel building. Despite this, Chiwon didn’t lift his merciless foot. The brutal shriek, like a pig being slaughtered, made his ears ring.

Only when he grew tired of the sound did Chiwon finally remove his foot. The bumpy sensation lingering on his toes was unpleasant, so he rubbed his foot on the floor.

“Come here one more time, and I’ll cut it off and put it on display.”

He was half-joking, half-serious.

After delivering a fairly threatening warning, Chiwon felt a decade of pent-up frustration melt away. He had finally broke up with his boyfriend who had cheated on him twenty times in the past two years.

“Wow, twenty times in two years… That bastard is truly inhuman.”

Muttering a lighthearted observation, Chiwon finally breathed a sigh of relief.

* * *

In any case, Chiwon had finally gotten rid of one asshole in his life, which in itself seemed to improve his quality of life.

On a leisurely public holiday, free from the burden of a boyfriend, Chiwon wandered the streets in comfortable clothes and a cap pulled low over his face. Standing under the clear sky, the breeze felt refreshing. He liked the weather, with the gentle wind dancing around him, which felt fantastic. 

Since he had skipped breakfast, he thought he’d enjoy a leisurely brunch. As he strolled along, making casual plans for his meal, an unwelcome nickname suddenly reached his ears.

“Hey, Apple Runaway!”

Who the hell calls someone by that kind of nickname? 

Thinking it might be just friends joking around, Chiwon tried to brush it off and continue walking, but the same voice called out again.

“Running off again, huh? Ignoring greetings now, too?”

Listening carefully, it seemed the words were directed at him.

Why were so many pests swarming around him today? 

His mood, which he had managed to lift after the morning’s events, threatened to plummet back into the mud. Chiwon turned around sharply and retorted.

“Apple? What apple? What do I have to—”

And then his voice trailed off. Standing before him, the face of the other person caught him off guard. His words always seemed to fade away in front of this man. At this rate, Chiwon worried he might be branded a fool who couldn’t even speak properly infront of him.

The man in front of him, grinning broadly, was none other than the man from Room 1201, whom he had met rather unpleasantly last night. The man’s character was certainly consistent. Just like yesterday, he was annoyingly persistent, demanding an apology right off the bat. 

Chiwon sighed.

Catching Chiwon’s gaze, the man shrugged. Dressed much more casually than yesterday, he was also wearing the same national footwear as Chiwon – the three-striped slippers¹. 

“Didn’t you lose something?”

“Like what? And I already apologized yesterday.”

“Oh, yeah, that apology?”

“……”

Chiwon pressed his lips together.

Come to think of it, the man had been the one wronged. To be fair, if someone had randomly snapped at him, he wouldn’t have taken it quietly, either. And if someone apologized with a curse laced in their words, he’d probably have been even less forgiving.

Chiwon decided it would be best to offer a proper apology now. Although reluctant, it was ultimately his fault, and he didn’t want to leave things on a sour note.

“I was agitated yesterday and wasn’t thinking clearly. I sincerely apologize.”

He spoke quite politely this time, but the man just chuckled lightly.

“There’s should be something else besides that.”

He had a handsome face, so Chiwon had thought favorably of him, but his personality was rather unpleasant. No, it was downright fucking unpleasant.

Since he had already apologized, he had nothing to lose. Chiwon reverted to his usual self, leaning back cockily with his legs crossed, and looked at the other man. He wanted the man to say what he wanted to say and go on his way, but he didn’t like the way he kept beating around the bush.

“What is it?”

This time, his reaction was no different than when he dealt with Kim Sangduk. His intention was to convey that he was annoyed and that the man should just say what he needed to and leave. However, the man just laughed even more freely, as if mocking him.

“Last night, at the hotel.”

“Yes, at the hotel.”

“You barged into my room.”

“I apologized for that, didn’t I? Yesterday, and just now.”

Of course, if he had apologized more sincerely yesterday, the man wouldn’t be so sarcastic now, but what could he do about what had already happened?

He hadn’t denied it or refused to apologize, but Chiwon felt he had offered the best apology he could muster. Did the man think he wasn’t embarrassed to make such an apology on the street? He had apologized because he thought it was the right thing to do as a grown adult, but the man’s unwillingness to accept it was frustrating.

The man hummed as if deep in thought, though Chiwon suspected it was just an act.

Chiwon was starving and wanted to have brunch quickly, so the man’s behavior was driving him crazy. As he openly displayed his boredom, the man acted even more leisurely. 

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Chiwon felt his patience snap.

“What, do you want money? Compensation? Something like that?”

“Do I look like I’m short on money?”

The sarcastic tone was anything but welcome. Chiwon’s face twisted in frustration as he retorted,

“Then what are you trying to say? Are you asking for sex or something?”

Ah, that escalated quickly.

Even Chiwon hadn’t anticipated this development, and he inwardly cried out in dismay. The man, who had been expressionless until now, twitched his eyebrows, seemingly taken aback.

“What did you say?”

He should have taken back his words right then, but Chiwon, having already crossed the line, decided to act like a crazy person and continued to blurt out whatever came out.

“If it’s not money, what else would you be dragging this out for? Sex?”

Right, it wasn’t like he’d see the man again after this. Well, it was their second meeting, but still.

As Chiwon hardened his expression, the man suddenly let out a bitter laugh. His playful shrug and consistently relaxed expression crumbled, similar to what Chiwon had seen in the hotel room last night.

Somehow, that brought Chiwon a strange sense of satisfaction. 

As if there was nothing more to say, the man stopped responding and suddenly extended his hand.

“I was actually going to return this. I was on my way to the police station with it.”

Seeing what the man was holding out, Chiwon let out a groan.

Shit, Chiwon, just die. Why do you even bother living? 

If you keep living like this, you’ll only see worse things. 

Since you won’t die peacefully anyway, wouldn’t it be wisest to just smash your face in and die?

This is why you shouldn’t live recklessly.

“Ha, shit…”

There was no time to compose himself after the curse that escaped his lips. Chiwon grabbed his hair, plopped down, and squeezed his eyes shut. Should he try to act normal now, offer thanks, and suggest buying a meal? In the man’s eyes, he probably looked like nothing more than a crazy sex addict. It wasn’t entirely wrong, but it wasn’t entirely right either, so he felt uneasy.

Chiwon glanced up, briefly scanning the man’s appearance. He seemed like a local, judging by his casual clothes. He couldn’t bring himself to lift his burning face. He replayed their conversations since yesterday in his mind, and even he thought he was crazy for suddenly bringing up sex.

Letting out a small breath, Chiwon abruptly stood up and faced the man as if nothing had happened. Since he had already been branded a crazy person, and there seemed to be no time to salvage his image, he thought he might as well offer the man to buy a meal and be done with it.

“Thank you. Since I made a mistake yesterday, would you mind if I treat you to a meal?”

“Uh, no. That won’t do.”

“Oh, okay. I understand.”

Alright then.

As Chiwon reached out to take his phone from the man’s hand, the man suddenly twisted his wrist and retracted it. Chiwon twitched his eyebrow, and the man grinned mischievously.

“Buy me bread instead of a meal.”

Well, bread or a meal, what’s the difference?

Chiwon frowned involuntarily. The other man seemed unfazed, shrugging casually as if he had known Chiwon for a long time.

Chiwon’s plan to enjoy a leisurely brunch alone was completely ruined. He had intended to throw away the mistakes of the past along with his phone, but he never imagined he would be sitting across from a man whose name and age he didn’t even know, eating some lousy eggs benedict.

Chiwon kept twitching his eyebrows until his food arrived. He was so displeased with the current situation that he mentally killed Kim Sangduk three times, blaming him for this whole mess. Still, feeling the need to say something, he looked at the man. The man was smiling cheerfully, seemingly pleased with his food. 

What a carefree fellow.

“You must live around here.”

“Uh, yeah, well.”

“Do you work?”

“Uh, yes.”

How boring. 

The man who had been conversing just fine earlier was now giving only short answers, making conversation feel pointless. 

Whatever, suit yourself.

Let’s just eat, Chiwon thought, poking the yolk of his eggs benedict. The runny yolk flowed enticingly. He was about to take a bite when…

“And I like that, by the way.”

“Huh?”

The man’s train of thought was impossible to follow.

What does he suddenly like? 

My eggs benedict? 

Did he order French toast because he liked it and now wants to try mine? 

Confused, Chiwon tilted his head, and the man suddenly looked around. 

Then he said,

“That thing you said, sex.”

This crazy bastard. 

As if he couldn’t die alone, this guy was also a lunatic. Sitting on the terrace of a brunch cafe bathed in warm sunlight, he was talking about “sex.”

Chiwon burst out laughing. He had acted all disinterested and sophisticated before, but now he’s saying he likes sex too. Chiwon couldn’t understand the man’s intentions at all.

“Is it weird?”

Adding the question, the man readily returned the phone. Even as Chiwon took it, he didn’t answer.

“Let’s exchange numbers.”

“Why?”

“I’m curious too, about having sex with a man.”

“Why with me? Go find someone else. You’re good-looking, so I’m sure there are plenty of people who’d want to have sex with you.”

“I want to try it with the crazy guy who keeps saying ‘sex, sex’ the moment he sees me.”

He couldn’t tell if it was an insult or a compliment. If that was the case, then the man was no different, since he himself had been chanting about sex.

As Chiwon thought this, the man stood up and added, “I saved your number yesterday. Answer when I call.”

“How am I supposed to answer when I don’t even know your name?”

When Chiwon asked him sharply, the man smiled and replied, “Just answer when you see a name you don’t recognize. Oh, do you fuck around so much that you don’t recognize who’s calling?”

Chiwon momentarily wondered if he had the ability to spit in the man’s smiling face. 

Was this the beginning of a terrible, fateful encounter?

Chiwon watched the man’s retreating back and hardened his expression.