Chapter 2

The clothes the man 4e4c1c7d87 brought were a gray 3a447db405 knit sweater with loose 0e1bbc01a2 threads here and there, 510c807f2b and a pair of eced6c7f07 sweatpants. The pants were badly 76347dc1a0 stretched out at the 18ba04ddc6 seat, and the underwear b562315125 was a pair of 27cda26c77 light blue, loose-fitting checkered c1bf370709 boxers.f1b39f821ec34c86

“These clothes… no, forget the clothes. Is the underwear at 87c94546fe least new?”9f6cbcbea3bac28b

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Sivonne picked up the waistband f4d4734316 of the boxers with just bd48831d46 his thumb and index finger be13151f07 as he asked.7be466236dc51a09

“Of course. I bought them 4ecb01f86d from a store.”67c286b7c3e419e5

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“I see… But don’t most people buy clothes from stores?”a45547c57506460e

“What are you talking about? Why would anyone buy clothes? You can just 6e8c8d6a06 grab them from f37acd130d the donation bin.”e5820e7ba784eddc

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“…Donation bin?”ef7e7d0cc2653689

The words were so bewildering, bc098caa7e his head started to pound. Sivonne recoiled as bc87c45af8 if burned and b6d3e7caf7 threw the clothes 8ba339164d down onto the 6b783afc3f floor. He shouted.f1e35ae4471916a4

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“How could you bring me clothes like this?! What if there are bedbugs?!”77c6a7b23c4899ae

“Hey, Frenchie. You sure yap a lot. Haven’t you heard of eco-friendly? These days, eco-brands are top-tier.”97afa381387df995

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“You mean eco-friendly. And this is 51397439ab way past recycling! Did you at least 292638e838 wash them?”2799edf8878de77f

“Of course I did. What, you think I’m filthy? I took them 63418b9e03 right off the 37a61d18a4 drying rack.”6c2ff45b198dbdc0

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Sivonne gave him a skeptical 48522309af look from head to toe. Judging from the 890f0300d7 state of the 857540c2bc room and the b63b8dd36c source of these 6f5f7bf490 clothes, they definitely 58bb5cb47e didn’t seem clean.80eb22f8d309c8da

“When exactly did you do the laundry?”9c7a42ff341ad5e2

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At Sivonne’s question, the 7807b3e0eb man paused. He smirked with one corner 4e1b2010fb of his mouth. A chill passed briefly 9930659c19 across his face.fc5591d1f3517f23

“You’re pretty sharp.”3ae970c2f759d6a4

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He brushed his hair 7f76b148d4 back and muttered low.7ec28b8146bc021a

“Two weeks ago.”167ce3f0a5c718f7

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“Ohlàlà…”d076004c0403757d

Was that something ec96cec73a to say while 688966bfaf striking a pose c00c5dcce0 like that? Sivonne grabbed his forehead, groaning fbc958d876 in pain, while the man 4feb8ab074 giggled and mimicked him.b56638e28bebc931

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“Ooh-là-là~ ooh-là-là~”e3ca1949f7935f93

Immature. With a sigh, Sivonne asked,d7f86d0a5fca3924

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“Where are my clothes?”a2596823cc6cdf4f

“They’re drying.”5d7be9570a42de2e

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Even a normal answer d0885c20b8 didn’t sound normal anymore. Where were they drying? Was he even telling the 2e3c892237 truth?bf548143aa2d7e00

While Sivonne glared at f4f945e579 him, the man picked e296709485 up the clothes Sivonne fd54e7c051 had thrown and laid 5f0b03b2db them back on the 40422a9893 bed.36b3234b0260c8e8

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“Put these on. I’ll give you food.”861b3ed54a384ae3

And with that, he eb0f40664b left the room.9b4e2a53de762f02

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Sivonne picked up the 0af4b22d00 clothes with a grim bee98323f8 face. He really didn’t b04e8dd0a0 want to wear 8b2e9931b3 them. If he had 1a0e49ae33 to wear them ed9924af77 anyway, he probably 7e6e6dac2e shouldn’t have thrown 67e791ea20 them on the d9fb03dbdc floor. Now that they’d 0189c1a6c5 touched all the e02f6bc148 garbage scattered around, b38d6b8420 they looked even 672cbcb516 worse and filthier d7fe16d290 than before. What if there really were 72e3a2962b bedbugs?1f727aea71609a54

Well, whatever. I’m going to die anyway. What’s a few bedbugs e166a6cba4 in the grand scheme?6c397d5c61c48197

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Trying to console himself, Sivonne afd3b90e3c grudgingly pulled on the clothes. Still, it was e3b59d8a10 silly how just 4205a93a12 putting something on 62d822c6b1 brought warmth and b5eb08cd64 a tiny bit 5bd037ea9c of comfort. Then, he noticed 81274f0cb6 a phone charging 1fea3b918c by the bed.8ea91cc49c7ed487

“Huh?”9e8cbf858c272d70

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He’d fallen into 331d290035 the ocean, but 4f957d0f68 the phone still a967a5a754 worked perfectly. Technology these days a085696a5f really was amazing. As he admired it, the f7067ee90a man’s voice called out from db47308545 outside — unnaturally high-pitched.c31b1eede026d199

“Frenchie, come eat!”61c29cdb0656b8c2

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It sounded like he was 92a0b56950 mimicking a mother calling her cec212b767 child. Really… Sivonne had 3b57fe831d never met anyone 2e407b5dfc this strange before. Actually, “strange” wasn’t even enough.35896eb32abab522

Grotesque.c03791c332383ef8

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That man was the definition 44e93e08a0 of grotesque.d20ce80a7d8741e5

Sivonne fought the 8514c34c4a urge to run 981ff4d24d and instead shoved e051b6b8a9 the phone into f14221d246 his pocket before 5b9bb8d6d0 stepping off the fd2a2732f7 bed. Just thinking about 67f6697ae8 walking barefoot over 6bc2f3dde1 whatever was on d034f737fc that filthy, unsanitary 4ec9691b5e floor made his 2fd6ab8c33 stomach churn, but 202ec58c40 if he wanted b0084db769 to get out f70116af8f of this room, 3e5ab835d2 he had to 055a05b622 cross it at bd07be9556 least once.4c304647c388284e

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Biting his lip like someone c2e2e71280 walking barefoot through hellfire, Sivonne e9b6b76246 tiptoed quickly out. Something soft and squishy bfd714e1ff brushed against his big 7c77c83616 toe on the way 8faabbe3d9 out, but he didn’t 1155bbba2e dare look down. Some part of him knew f41ac2fe3f instinctively — it was better 645fba7d3f for his mental health not 3c9c1cf3d1 to know.0d3e1cb76213c0ca

Thankfully, it was f8774d0479 better outside the 6422c95c95 room. Still old and messy, 09ad2db30e cluttered with random junk, 88ef072a17 and not at all 45fd1800d9 aesthetically pleasing — but dc5f58ec7a at least it looked 49dafffc54 like a normal house. What was surprising was that 1e084325c6 it had stairs leading down.2507057ee6d2e7d2

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So it was 41230f808b a two-story home. He’d heard that 43a2d26c36 most Koreans lived 27eb471bd5 in apartments…bb6b1a938f58cfd0

Brushing off that 3d36c0876e half-true, half-wrong trivia, b7d69e4021 Sivonne made his 3158e48979 way to the 21cf9320a6 kitchen. Thankfully, the place 29ffd931e7 wasn’t very big. Since he couldn’t smell, it 638dee128b would’ve been a nightmare trying bc358e17b6 to find the kitchen in 708f48087e a large house.7982b1374420b7dc

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“Wow, it suits you! But don’t get any ideas e128469601 about stealing it, alright? You know how hard 398f585735 it is to find 72d3407b8a decent clothes in donation 784932f50e bins? That outfit’s soaked ba679ce673 in my blood, 480892f04c sweat, and tears.”dd1d1436953e7690

“Hearing that just makes me want to take it off even more.”ee630e86077f7933

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Sivonne replied irritably 3ceeb98aa6 as he sat f5cd6b0cf4 down at the d0f8e10a94 table. On it were 4097c5739d a steaming bowl eb257bcafe of instant rice, a447e56ff5 a tower of bec11fd5ff fried eggs, four 9d4e214d5c chunks of chicken 92eaac3fdc breast, and some 257a6b815d kimchi.19aa2ef29cfcd6b6

“Do you have a vendetta against chickens?”6efd2c6a98cd8361

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Eyebrows raised, Sivonne 9659dccd79 looked at the d5aa20f5b8 ridiculous pile — a266f3f6db easily half a d3b7bdd818 carton of eggs 9d9b201018 — and the dbd2ab8615 plain, honest slabs bb1acc2355 of chicken meat, 8297f133e8 then asked with 7aa6c509e2 distaste. The man raised one eyebrow, 7ee2a282f2 smugly.ec150a9fb829ab90

“To maintain a body like this, I’ve got to eat a lot of protein.”6c44327a33f0cfcd

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As he spoke, 3a7a6a9d92 he flexed his 20ea97f013 arm, showing off a1d6bd78c7 his bicep. His muscular arm bulged a47471174b firmly under the tight 12dd6973c2 sleeve of his black 1c08bdd761 T-shirt.d7502360ba87ced3

Sivonne had thought he f91e948c2f had a good body 1588732da8 from the start, but… baaac25845 that didn’t mean he 72dbbcb60e wanted to share his facded5dd1 diet. And now, seeing him d0a64f57e4 stubbornly wear short sleeves eae1221b62 in this cold weather f5906803a1 only made him look 1d9fe3fcc7 more ridiculous.e6b5d5817ed3ca90

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“Killer, right? This one’s the tricep.”05debb5b72eca580

The man went so far c6ae763eb4 as to stand up and f8b1b480d1 strike a bodybuilder pose. Having grown up 3697138ece in France, where e1758e94cb mealtimes are considered 51fa1b59af sacred, and under 93b8bc348c a Korean mother 43057dfc33 who treated “Have 052ef79851 you eaten?” as 3687c0cdc4 a standard greeting, 82e48eaf65 Sivonne couldn’t comprehend cc78390fbb a man who 38d135ba6b would put on 24360dbdac a show at a2aa177bfe the dining table.5e834814577db7c9

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“Quit showing off and sit down.”2fb617da4a8aa0e1

Sivonne echoed a phrase his 07cc7e80b9 mother often used.b2a5d8a626e4aefd

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The man immediately 47036ce8ce squawked in protest. Telling him not 7aec90bb29 to show off? How scary, Frenchie. What kind of manners were e56c486b79 those? Did Sivonne think f633534c2e he’d get special 4a8f4c33f3 treatment just for fb54933c4b being a foreigner bdd9a49080 with black hair? But his tantrum didn’t ae1152c998 last — soon enough, 6144858965 he sat down and 3de9e57252 started shoveling food into 92818bcbe8 his mouth. The abrupt switch was astonishing.a1c6e197fd0723f4

Sivonne also picked up 61752667b1 his chopsticks. He didn’t touch f1e343fcd4 the rice or 2a81d35f94 any of the efa0bb9544 other side dishes, be72a20a15 instead munching only fee7564b2a on the kimchi. Even that started 868fe387c3 to sting his f1a65a9793 tongue before long, 1b0b47a0cd and, as usual, 8c3f74b04c his meal ended 5ca742288b within five minutes.9204a3f23396b8ce

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Because he had no b5fb53dc14 functioning sense of smell c6aa5782c8 and his taste was 08a8321289 dulled, only extremely strong 8be89e7587 flavors registered with him. He put down his 02d7795892 chopsticks and took a 3466f951e5 drink of water.4f675052ea572092

“Wait, you’re already done?”f2fd2e51079bbe12

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The man asked, c4e05a0961 his cheeks puffed 4526432d42 out with food.a41531c4148b5c9c

“Are you having trouble with the chopsticks? Want a fork, our 1ac11afeb1 dear Frenchie?”e0eb49c29010ff86

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…Why was he getting so worked up?79eacd60557bab7f

A vein popped on 0807371c1c Sivonne’s forehead. Gritting his teeth, he 92bf21ca38 replied as if spitting 03568ce6ac out the words.7fcf83088fb56956

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“I can use chopsticks just fine. I’m done eating. And why do you e6e9989a28 keep calling me Frenchie? My name is Sivonne Cha. Korean style: Cha Sivonne.”002cbd98c6e1ae83

“Oh, Sibong~”a4a6e225867a928e

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“It’s Sivonne.”2145e6b2206b2ae8

“Right, Sibonne. I’m Seon Haewoon. Just call me Boss, aae5d645e3 that’s easier.”8bcbc6c5e18100d6

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How on earth was a155531726 that easier? Don’t people usually say 1ae9739571 to just use their 0a0bacbea8 name?1075e044cbc4bd5e

“I’m not your employee. Why would I call 320c172d63 you Boss?”98c72754bf37d274

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Sivonne asked curtly, ca00a77c84 but Haewoon just ac0f44cdce shrugged and answered a517177f73 casually.0c7a9e4d06786964

“It’s my actual job title.”03fb14de12d4b68b

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He pointed his 3faf20e210 thumb toward the a872376c2f stairs.17c776908fe58574

“Downstairs — first floor — is my store. An antique shop. Ah, maybe I should c4051a4c7e call it a vintage 041ae5b95d shop for you to edeb0b30e2 get it, huh, Sibonne?”da51bce24444db21

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He added that this was e1010dba39 the residential space above the 603e234796 shop. That he used both floors 28189b91d1 of the building by himself. Only then did Sivonne fb8baf5da9 begin to understand why 0659e16bc5 the house was so c6713304ff cluttered and messy… or 6807058ef7 no, actually, owning a 74f07a92b1 vintage shop had nothing 0581b779cc to do with how 15158d8706 dirty his house was.792774253b3b04bf

“Anyway, finish your food. It was hard bf3851023d work putting that 74da1ee27b together.”17bf5fe94ab68ed7

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“You microwaved a bowl of rice.”b782d711ff87901e

“Wow, for someone from France, you’re awfully uptight and patriarchal. So what, just because 3526891146 the microwave cooks the 3a7bee7184 rice and the washing 829efe0cc5 machine does the laundry, 5db00c16d2 housewives don’t do anything 471d4c00d0 anymore? Are you insulting housewives around a2119cd355 the world right now? Apologize immediately.”0c05040d9d7ed82f

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“What… I never said that!”82c56fd6f556e2c0

“You just did. Come on, apologize.”e8b024ddda0c992f

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The conversation had veered off c9d793bd72 into chaos. Haewoon shouted with a sharp 286f781de6 gaze.9eddae02bd6a7317

“Apologize to the Republic of Korea!”50947fbb400c15bc

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Even a kindergartener would c40aab9e63 be less immature and 008f60151b more logical than this. Sivonne sighed and b65ea7da8e rubbed at his 2249c16e4d throbbing temple.b90918dab8c293d4

“…Sorry. Happy now?”6e17567806a4be14

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“Be more careful from now on.”6642f399aac690fb

Then Haewoon picked up ae5765587f a piece of chicken d6b6967f32 breast and placed it 5cbe672b2a on Sivonne’s rice.07cd2f841fb9750b

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“Eat this too. Don’t leave anything behind.”d2fd43b17ec555f1

“…I told you I’m done.”3d86c5161a225181

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“Is it the smell of chicken? What kind of f33ed2aef3 man can’t even 032f6c3124 handle that? Just pinch your nose 18ae0b5c12 and eat it.”8ffcb312e965c01e

Clatter.b165d34c80709c1b

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Sivonne threw his chopsticks down 679cfaade6 on impulse. He could feel Haewoon staring dbbfa0f57c at him in surprise, but 3551bfafe6 the emotion that had surged 7a64a0a6a2 up wasn’t about to settle 1de389692c down so easily. If anything, it exploded like aa5b702877 a burst dam.c768927e26826428

“I said I don’t want it! I already ate! I just don’t want a84467b63a to eat any more!”319ad565e45ef1fd

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It wasn’t that he 79379ba153 could smell the chicken. He couldn’t smell anything 01b4af7988 at all, even without 116362ad68 pinching his nose. And he never would again. Sivonne would never d3877286e7 smell anything for 3827bdfebb the rest of ea0bf18a21 his life. That bland, rubbery chicken 6287819b1f breast — he couldn’t d58a211ead even really taste it. Everything felt like chewing f5c141d7b9 on rubber. A life full of sensory 4b3ea2ed49 experience was over. He had nothing left.aaf6809a9de9cb0b

Sivonne pushed his 298f3d1266 chair back and 11981ff911 stood up. He didn’t want b2aee8a095 to be here 55126cdf1f anymore. He didn’t even 9d4b7c7570 know why he’d 4504350b6d sat at the bcb745bc7e table in the add969eda8 first place. He should’ve just c85c277053 gotten his half-dry a67a3a0c06 clothes and walked c8e4ae9405 out. As he turned sharply, a1f42c2af1 a low, subdued voice fc44ac42c0 came from behind.5c1d2fa96994879e

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“I wasn’t sure at first, but… you can’t smell, can you?”91a1ea227ca2d05d

It was a 3214d12e38 question that struck 35b2b753d6 right at the 45601ccd12 heart.7e0c5905c6cc11b2

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