A Restless Night and the Unsettling Calm
Unsettling feelings, much like a habit, came with a sigh that escaped at intervals. It seemed as though things just weren’t going well. Back in the day, college life had been so exciting. I’d finally turned into a legal adult, and I figured that once that happened, I’d live life to the fullest, chasing every dream I’d ever had. Of course, at the time it was just childish thinking, but… I never imagined I’d end up scraping by like this. Re-hyeok picked up his phone again and opened Instagram. His friends all seemed to be doing so well. During the break, some had been skiing with their partners, and others had gone overseas for a trip. There was even one who, still in his mid-twenties, had already gotten married and had a child. Everyone else was just moving forward, while I felt like I was stuck in place. How come every single day didn’t change? How pathetic was I? He clicked his tongue in annoyance and turned Instagram off, then opened the community. He scrolled endlessly through meaningless posts, chasing dopamine like a junkie. He looked for people more miserable than himself to feel a little better about his own life. He did this for an hour, then two, wasting the day away. Of course, his head knew better. He knew he should open a job site right now and hunt for an afternoon part-time job, but his hands and eyes kept staring blankly at his phone screen and Instagram Reels. Even knowing how pathetic he was being, he ended up doing nothing. //////// Knock knock knock… Suddenly, the sound of a knock jolted Re-hyeok awake from his nap. When had he fallen asleep… Like always, he reached for his phone. It was already 10 p.m. Aigoo… His back and shoulders felt stiff. He must have fallen asleep while slouched over the chair. On the monitor, the game streamer was still broadcasting. Whether he was playing a horror game or not, his face looked comically tense. Knock knock knock! Just then, the same knock made Re-hyeok jump. Who could be visiting this late? He tilted his head curiously and slowly stood up. Aah! Whimpers escaped from every tight spot in his body. He moved around to loosen up… Knock knock! The persistent knocks made Re-hyeok answer gruffly. “Who is it?” He made his way to the front door. That was when— “Re-hyeok-ah?” The voice sounded strangely familiar. Especially since they knew his name, the guard in his chest melted away. “Eh? W-who is it?” “I’m inside? It’s me, Young-hoon…” “Young-hoon?” The name hit him like a bolt of lightning. At the same time, memories from that morning flooded back. The dazed look on Young-hoon’s face during their talk, plus the detectives later showing up at the house searching for Young-hoon and Hee-sun. Re-hyeok’s surprise lasted only a second before he quickly opened the front door. There stood Young-hoon, exactly as he had in the morning. Re-hyeok blinked in shock, eyes wide. “What’s up? How did you end up here? Wait… what about the phone call? You didn’t pick up.” “Phone call? Ah… I lost my phone. Maybe I drank too much last night…” “You crazy bastard! You have no idea how much I looked for you? What about the detectives?” “Detectives?” Young-hoon tilted his head casually. Re-hyeok gave him a dumbfounded stare. “What? They didn’t come looking for you? They were asking me this morning where you were, showing me your picture! I was so shocked!” “What happened yesterday? Nothing special with Hee-sun, right?” “Something happened… I guess? Nothing really out of the ordinary.” “Really? Then why are the detectives looking for you? And where have you been all this time? Wait—Hee-sun? Why isn’t she picking up?” “I don’t know.” The answer came back too calmly. Not knowing his own girlfriend? That felt oddly sinister. Could it really be… Young-hoon had killed Hee-sun? But looking at him now, calm and collected like this, it didn’t seem like someone who had just committed a murder. He was giving off the vibe that he truly knew nothing. No, more like he was treating it as someone else’s problem. Re-hyeok had to force a smile to match the awkwardness. That was when Young-hoon grinned and raised his hand. “By the way, you didn’t forget our morning promise, right? Let’s have a drink!” he said. Drinking now of all times? Re-hyeok wondered if Young-hoon was still in his right mind. /////// Since they couldn’t talk outside, he let Young-hoon inside. He studied him closely, but nothing seemed off. Just like always. No strange behavior. If he really had killed Hee-sun, could he act this calm? Could he fake ignorance like that? No way. If he could, he might have already taken acting or theater classes and made it big. Yeah, it had nothing to do with that murder case. But why did staring at Young-hoon feel so unnervingly creepy? Was it because of what happened this morning? Meanwhile, Young-hoon was on the floor peeling snacks to go with a few bottles of soju. Re-hyeok brought out the glasses from the kitchen, still unable to shake the suspicious look on his face. “Sip… have you called Hee-sun?” he asked. The answer came immediately from Young-hoon, who was busy unwrapping his snack bag. “Yeah…” Calm as ever. “She’s probably at home. She must be tired.” Re-hyeok frowned at the nonchalant reply. Was that true? He had been calling Hee-sun nonstop, but she never picked up. She wasn’t even checking her messages. He knew her well. She never let go of her phone in any situation. Yet there had been no word from her all day. “W-well… what about the detectives? Why are they after you?” “I don’t know either. Do you have any questions for me? Because I really know nothing.” He spoke and turned around. Their eyes met. Young-hoon smiled casually. Re-hyeok followed suit, forcing an awkward smile, and brought the glass over to Young-hoon. He sat down, hesitated for a moment, then asked again. “Is it really okay to just sit here like this? The detectives are looking for you, right? At least you should contact them directly… if there’s a misunderstanding, you need to clear it first, don’t you?” “Eh… they’ll call when they want. I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?” “But… well, if you say so…” Young-hoon finally opened the soju bottle and poured a drink into Re-hyeok’s glass. Re-hyeok picked up the bottle and filled Young-hoon’s, saying, “By the way, where have you been until now? Even if you lost your phone, the clothes are the same as this morning?” “Ah! I just wanted to walk around outside a bit.” “Just walk? You said you wanted to walk?” “Yeah! I wanted to.” With that, Young-hoon raised his glass. Re-hyeok raised his unthinkingly and they both downed the soju in one gulp. Aah… Re-hyeok’s face twisted. He had only eaten cup ramen and kimbap after work, so that might explain the bitter stomach. He desperately crunched on a snack, feeling a little better. Meanwhile, Young-hoon refilled his glass with no snacks. Through suspicion and strange caution, they exchanged glasses a few times. Maybe the lack of food made it hit harder. Re-hyeok felt the alcohol creeping up, and the awkwardness slowly faded. The conversation shifted to things they might talk about at their age, and the uncomfortable atmosphere gradually eased. Their glasses clinked again, and a cheerful sound rang out. Re-hyeok didn’t hesitate, slamming the soju down and letting out a satisfied “Kruu…” He followed it with a shrimp cracker and casually asked, “You know anything about that incident at the motel near where I work lately?” Young-hoon tilted his head. Young-hoon’s face was slightly flushed from the alcohol. “Motel?” “What? You don’t know? There’s some kind of trace or something, but no killer or victim, and the internet is in an uproar! You don’t know anything?” The casual question met with the same calm reaction from Young-hoon. No reaction at all. He really knew nothing. He downed his glass and shrugged. “I don’t know.” The answer gave Re-hyeok pause, and he nodded, then downed his glass again. He crunched on a shrimp cracker. “The detectives aren’t looking for you because of that, right?” “Yeah? But I really know nothing… like I said earlier, there must have been some misunderstanding.”