After returning to the dorm and finishing his shower, Doha roughly dried his wet hair with a towel and threw himself onto the living room sofa. His body went limp like cotton soaked with water.
“Uuhhh……”
A groan escaped naturally. Actually, he hadn’t done much today, but he was mentally exhausted.
Even while enjoying a moment of peace, one part of his heart was anxious. It was the unease of not knowing when Lim Sehyun would burst in and shatter this peace.
“This is comfortable though.”
Every time he sat down, he thought about it—this sofa was really soft and nice.
Doha burrowed deep into the sofa and searched for the remote control.
Beep beep beep beep.
Just then, the door lock sounded. Startled, Doha looked toward the entrance. Haram opened the door and came in.
Phew, he let out a sigh of relief.
“I’m baaaack……”
As soon as Haram took off his shoes, he tossed his bag in the entryway and trudged over to the sofa.
“You’re back?”
“Doha hyung. You weren’t sleeping?”
“It’s still early evening.”
Haram plopped down in the seat next to Doha, snatched the remote control, and turned on the TV. A rerun of a variety show was playing. It was the perfect program to watch mindlessly without thinking.
“Ah, today was really exhausting. The director suddenly said we’re changing the choreography……”
“Good work.”
“What about you, hyung? Nothing happen?”
“……Well, just so-so.”
“But why is the house so quiet?”
“Because Sehyun isn’t here.”
“Oh, right. Sehyun said he’d be late. His empty space really is this noticeable.”
Haram grinned.
“With no one nagging, the air is different. I can breathe freely, freely.”
“I know, right.”
Lim Sehyun was OnX’s official nag. Whenever they tried to relax and watch some TV, he’d appear like a ghost and go on about singing, dancing, and feedback from past broadcasts, and even interfere with their sitting posture, saying things like their backs would get twisted or they’d get turtle neck. He constantly pestered people so they couldn’t rest, making everyone avoid the living room.
To unite everyone with one heart and mind like this. In a way, he really is an amazing friend.
Just then, the sound of the front door opening came again. Doha and Haram’s heads whipped around.
“Oh, Yunbeom hyung.”
Fortunately, it was Yunbeom.
“What? Everyone’s already here?”
“Sehyun’s not back yet.”
“Ah, then I should rest here for a bit.”
Yunbeom plopped down on the sofa.
Creak.
The bathroom door opened, and Eden came out with a towel wrapped around his head. Looking at the living room scene with his flushed white face, his eyes widened.
“What. Why is everyone gathered here.”
Eden naturally took a spot at the end of the sofa. A faint shampoo scent spread from his wet hair. Four men sat huddled together in the living room. A variety show rerun was still playing on the TV, and the cast members on screen were strutting through the complicated streets of Delhi, India.
“Wow, where is that? There are so many people.”
Haram pointed at the TV screen with wide eyes. The screen showed complicated streets tangled with people wearing colorful saris and rickshaws. It was a scene of pure chaos, with hazy dust and intense colors mingling together.
“That’s India, India. It says so in the subtitles.”
Doha replied listlessly as he tore open a bag of snacks. Snacks that would normally have been taken away by Sehyun with a “no late-night snacks,” but today there was no one to stop him.
“India…… The Ganges? I want to go there too.”
“Then go. Later when you get vacation.”
“Will you go with me, hyung? Those kinds of places are scary to go alone.”
Haram looked at Doha with sparkling eyes.
Together? India. Doha hesitated for a moment. It was quite a high-difficulty travel destination. Both the hygiene and public safety.
“Well, I’ll think about it.”
For Doha, this answer was a euphemistic refusal.
“Oh! Really!”
But Haram took it very positively.
“Yunbeom hyung, you’ll go, right?”
Haram changed targets. Yunbeom was staring intently at the screen as if interested.
“Where? India? Sounds good. We can go meditate, do some yoga.”
“Oh, as expected of Yunbeom hyung! What about Eden hyung?”
Eden was lying diagonally at the end of the sofa, eating a tangerine.
“I absolutely hate places with lots of people and heat. The hygiene is worrying too. Unless I just order room service in a hotel room.”
“Ah, what kind of trip is that! We have to go with backpacking vibes!”
“Vibes my ass. It’s just suffering.”
Eden giggled as he threw the tangerine peel at Haram. The TV screen changed, and this time showed the cast eating at a local restaurant. Colorful curries and naan on a large tray, and unidentifiable stir-fried dishes. The cast members skillfully used their hands instead of spoons, mixing curry with rice.
Watching this intently, Haram opened his mouth.
“Hyungs, could you eat with your hands?”
“Mm.”
“If we had to eat, we could, couldn’t we.”
“It looks hot and dirty though.”
“Ah, I can’t.”
It was actually not a big deal, but they somehow started seriously pondering it.
“I absolutely can’t. Just thinking about it getting under my nails is horrifying.”
Eden shook his head. Yunbeom thought about it for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, as an experience maybe once? But I’d have to bring tons of wet wipes.”
The sticky curry sauce on your hands, and the act of bringing it to your mouth. No matter how much it’s their culture, it seems like it would be hard to adapt to.
“But what does that taste like? They’re eating it so deliciously.”
“It’s probably different from the 3-minute curry we eat, right?”
“Ah, I’m hungry. Should we order something?”
Haram rubbed his stomach and looked around at the members. He just came in after eating dinner and he’s hungry again. He’s not even at an age where he’s still growing.
“Hey, what are you eating at this hour. You’ll be puffy tomorrow.”
“Sehyun’s not here. Let’s indulge just for today, okay?”
At Haram’s words, Eden opened a delivery app, saying let’s see what’s out there.
Meanwhile, trivial chatter while watching TV filled the empty space. The living room was filled only with the soft light of a standing lamp and the members’ laughter.
Small but certain peace. Doha leaned back diagonally on the sofa and watched the scene.
‘……This is comfortable.’
With the eye of the typhoon called Lim Sehyun gone, the dorm became an utterly cozy shelter. Time where they could just sprawl out however they wanted without anyone nagging or giving them looks.
This makes me feel like we’re ostracizing one person though.
I don’t feel good about it for no reason. No, I feel good. What am I even thinking right now? It was definitely a good situation.
Suddenly, his gaze went toward the empty entryway. With the nag here and then gone, it somehow feels a bit empty too.
“Pizza?”
Eden asked.
“Ah, flour is a bit…”
Hearing that, Yunbeom answered.
“Then chicken?”
“Sounds good.”
What? What’s the context? Doha felt something strange about the flow between the lines.
“Doesn’t chicken have flour in it?”
No one else seemed to care about this, but it was an issue that needed to be addressed. I don’t want to be a buzzkill…… but it seems I’ve caught it from Lim Sehyun. What you learn becomes habit.
“The grilled kind.”
But at Yunbeom’s answer, Doha was startled.
He’s Solomon though……?
* * *
It wasn’t a lie that Sehyun was busy. He was so busy he even stayed out overnight. It was a windfall.
Thanks to that, last night passed well, but today was the problem.
A makeup shop flooded with bright morning sunlight. Doha rubbed his puffy eyes and plopped down in his designated seat. Whether it was because of yesterday’s chaos and eating late-night snacks before sleeping, his appearance in the mirror was a mess.
“Hello, Doha-ssi. You’re a bit swollen today?”
“Ah, yes…… Yesterday a bit.”
The manager in charge smiled and handed him anti-swelling tea. Doha thanked her and took the cup.
‘Ah, I’m tired.’
The problem was staying up too late playing around in the liberation of Sehyun not being there last night. But he had no regrets. That sweet chicken and beer, and the taste of freedom were worth it.
‘Is Lim Sehyun coming today?’
He suddenly noticed the seat next to him was empty. Usually around this time, he’d come and start nagging. Is he still not here? Or does he have another schedule?
It was the moment Doha tilted his head and looked to the side.
Swoosh.
The curtain of the seat next to him was pulled back, and someone suddenly popped out.
“Hyung, good morning.”
“Uwak!”
Doha was so startled he almost dropped the cup he was holding. It was Lim Sehyun, with his makeup completely done and his hair perfectly styled.
“You, when did you get here?”
“I’ve been here since earlier.”
Sehyun grinned and turned his chair to face Doha.
His sparkling face looked very refreshed and neat. He even looked energized, like someone who’d slept soundly all night.
“What the hell. Make some noise.”
“You were spacing out so I watched for a bit. Wow. Your face is really swollen, hyung.”
Sehyun reached out and poked Doha’s cheek. Doha flinched and pulled back.
“Get your hand away.”
“So prickly. Ah, right. Hyung.”
Sehyun suddenly thrust his phone forward.
“Why don’t you check your messages, hyung?”
Sehyun waved his phone screen in front of Doha’s eyes. He looked very dissatisfied.
