121. The Time for Karmic Recompense (1)
I used the excuse of needing a hangover cure to drink with my classmates.
Not to the point of being completely wasted like last night, but enough to get a pleasant buzz. I checked the time after drinking and it was already 4 PM.
Soon it would be Aki’s arrival time in Korea, so I made the excuse of needing to pick up my girlfriend to leave Sung-chan’s place.
Of course, Sung-chan and the others didn’t want to let me go easily, but I wielded the promise of introducing them to girls as a weapon, and no one held me back any longer.
After getting out, I bought a hangover drink and Febreze at a nearby convenience store. I drank the hangover cure immediately and sprayed Febreze on my clothes to get rid of the smell of alcohol.
I didn’t want to go back to the apartment we shared reeking of stale booze, after all.
Beep beep beep, ding-dong-.
“I’m home~”
I greeted the empty house. I know I don’t have to, but it’s a habit of mine.
Mom always told me I’d be liked wherever I go if I greeted people properly, to the point where it’s practically etched into my ears, so it just comes out automatically, even when no one’s around.
Anyway, I casually kicked off my shoes and went straight to the bathroom. I haven’t showered since yesterday morning, so my whole body feels sticky.
I quickly stripped off my clothes, turned on the faucet, and let the water hit my head. The warm water seeped into my weary body, relaxing me from the built-up fatigue.
“Ah, feels good….”
That sound, the kind you often hear in bathhouses, tumbled out of my own mouth.
Not that I intended to. But the hot water on my weary body just…brought it out. So that’s why the older guys in bathhouses make that noise. Though I’m not exactly a salaryman, I understand those men’s feelings now.
With newfound enlightenment, I scrubbed every inch of myself. Aki would be here soon, so I was really putting in the effort.
From head to toe, every crease and fold, even those spots I normally neglected, I lathered diligently with soap. Then, rinsing it all away with water, I even brushed my teeth.
“…Whew.”
Now I’m starting to feel human again.
Refreshed, I stepped out of the bathroom. I toweled my hair dry and headed towards the closet to change. But just as I was about to open the door, my phone chirped insistently.
It was Sungchan calling. The same classmate I had been drinking with earlier. I put it on speaker and placed it on the dining table.
“Hello?”
[Hey, you get home okay?]
“Yeah, I got home fine. What’s up?”
I ruffled my hair with the towel. The background sounded lively. Looks like the others were still hanging out after I left.
[Nothing much, just wondering if you remember that *izakaya* we went to after the entrance ceremony?]
“The *izakaya*? Yeah, I remember.”
[Well, we’re thinking of heading there around 7 tonight, just the guys. Wanna come?]
“What for? Dinner?”
[Yeah? Dinner and drinks.]
“We drank yesterday, and we just had drinks at your place. You’re saying we should drink again tonight…?”
Is his stomach, no, his liver made of titanium or something? Genuinely disgusted, I asked him this, and Sungchan chuckled.
[What, did we even drink that much? Anyway, you coming or what?]
“I don’t think I can. My girlfriend will be here soon.”
[Girlfriend? Oh, right. But can’t you just say hi and then come out?]
“No, that’s….”
[Can’t you?]
“Not today. Let’s drink another time.”
[Next time, what, when? Tomorrow? The day after?]
“Tomorrow and the day after are out. I’m hanging out with my girlfriend this weekend.”
I grabbed the ends of the towel and shook it vigorously, trying to fling the water from my hair. It’s a drying technique I learned from my dad, and surprisingly, it works well.
[You guys live together, so you see each other every day. And you’re saying you have to hang out again on the weekend?]
“Yeah. We haven’t seen each other for two days. Gotta make up for lost time.”
[Hey. Is it ‘us’ or your girlfriend? Just pick one already.]
“What are you talking about. Obviously my girlfriend. Are you kidding me?”
[You like your girlfriend that much? Huh?]
“Yeah. She’s the best in the world?”
[Wow, formidable foe….]
Sungchan on the other end of the phone mutters, sounding utterly defeated.
[You’re really not coming? For real?]
“Yeah. For real. Let’s go next time.”
Normally I’d humor him if I could. But Aki’s arriving soon, and besides, I feel like I’ve been drinking way too much lately, so I had to be firm.
I enjoy hanging out with the crew too… but still, drinking every twelve hours is a bit much. It’s not like I’m dying to guzzle alcohol.
[Fine…. Eat well and live well, you b*stard.]
“Yeah, thanks~ I’ll eat well and live well with Aki~”
[Nah, uh-uh~ You’ll get caught drinking behind her back with us and get scolded~]
“No way, no how? Didn’t get caught, right? Aki’s in Japan, she wouldn’t know~?”
*Click.*
He was suddenly being childish, so I answered in kind. But Sungchan hung up before I could even finish my last sentence.
I chuckled to myself, still holding the phone.
“Ah, how childish, really….”
He must be properly sulking because I wouldn’t drink with him. I guess I should make it up to him sometime.
Muttering to myself, I headed to the walk-in closet. I only took out my underwear from the drawer, then grabbed a t-shirt and shorts that I had hanging just outside the closet. Then, I slowly strolled back to the living room.
“Oh, that’s right…. Come to think of it….”
It’s past 4 PM; shouldn’t Aki be arriving soon?
I turned on my phone and checked if Aki had messaged me.
Not a single message.
“Hmm….”
I asked her to contact me before arriving. I guess the lack of a message means she’s still on the plane or hasn’t even taken off yet. It’ll take at least another hour or two.
What to do in the meantime? Maybe watch a movie?
Lost in idle thoughts, I reached for the bedroom doorknob.
*Creak-*
And just then, I was about to head towards the mini dresser that held my clothes…
“Aish, you startled me!”
I was truly taken aback.
Because something resembling a person was sitting on the bed.
“Wh-what is it…?!”
Clutching my pounding heart, I looked closer at the figure on the bed.
I thought it was either a thief or a ghost, one of the two…but that wasn’t it.
“……”
The figure on the bed was, none other than, Aki.
I don’t know why, but with a sulky expression, Aki was sitting there with her arms crossed.
‘What, why is she here…?’
Wasn’t she still in Japan…?!
Still not quite grasping the situation, I stared at Aki with wide eyes. For a fleeting moment, I even suspected ‘Am I seeing things…?’ which says everything about how fl*stered I was.
“Uh, Aki…?”
“…….”
Jiiii.
Aki stared at me wordlessly.
It was a gaze that felt almost accusatory, so, feeling awkward, I slightly covered my upper body with the towel and said,
“When did you get here…?”
“…….”
Aki only extended her index and middle fingers.
A body language that meant either a V, or the number 2.
“T-two, two o’clock?”
Nod, nod.
Aki nodded her head.
The meaning behind that action was, in other words, that Aki had been home since 2 PM.
‘Ara….’
Which meant, did Aki know that I had been out of the house…?
“……Did you have fun hanging out with your friends?”
“…….”
My mouth clicked shut.
*How does she know that…?* The thought barely had time to form. I soon realized the reason.
The phone.
Our shared studio wasn’t exactly soundproof, and I’d taken the call on speakerphone. She could’ve heard everything I said to my friend while blow-drying my hair in the living room, all the way in the bedroom.
“……”
“……”
So.
Aki had been back in Korea since two, knew I’d ditched the apartment to hang out with friends, and even figured out that I’d lied in the process… hadn’t she?
‘Well, she couldn’t *not* know…’
I’d texted that I was working out at home, but I was only just now coming in.
“……”
“……”
“……”
“……”
Silence.
Silence hung between us.
It was at that moment.
*Ding-dong, ding-dong—!*
“──Delivery!”
A man’s voice echoed from outside our door. Sounded like a delivery driver.
“……”
“……”
“Should I… go get it?”
“……”
Aki stared at me, expressionless.
Neither agreeing nor disagreeing, I cleared my throat loudly and went out to retrieve the package. But when I opened the door, the delivery driver had already left two boxes and headed to another floor.
I read the writing on the boxes.
[Love Love white lingerie~♡]
[Hot girl sailor suit]
“Ah…”
This was it. The cosplay outfit Aki had ordered from that foreign website she’d mentioned.
But… why, of all moments, did the delivery have to arrive *now*?
Regardless. I couldn’t leave a parcel with such… eerie lettering sitting outside. I brought it in.
Then, feeling all awkward and twitchy, I showed Aki the freshly delivered box.
“This, uh, arrived…”
“……”
“……”
“……”
Aki’s expression remained unchanged.
Just a few days ago, she was all hyped, telling me to look forward to when her cosplay outfit arrived, warning me not to get *too* excited and attack her when she wore it.
That same Aki was now staring down at the parcel with the most utterly indifferent look on her face.
Aki was mad…
“……”
“……”
Well, anyway… I figured I should apologize.
“Um… Aki.”
I managed to pry my lips open with difficulty.
“I’m, uh, sorry…”
“……”
“It wasn’t like I meant to lie from the start… It, uh, just sort of… happened…”
“……”
Maybe it was just my imagination, but Aki’s expression seemed to grow even colder.
I carefully knelt down in front of her.
For some reason, it felt like the only thing to do.
“No, no, that’s not it. I’m sorry. It was my fault…”
“……”
“……”
“……”
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Aki crossed one leg over the other in a way that felt… charged. She folded her arms, bracing them under her chest.
“…Yah.”
“Uh, …huh?”
Aki inhaled sharply.
And then, looked down at me with a gaze as cold as the world itself.
“Take it off.”