Yet another day had passed in this forest of concrete. The sun was slowly drowning behind the towering buildings, and the streets were draped in a cozy golden light.
Every street was strung with lanterns and trembling lines of golden bulbs that fluttered gently in the winter wind, carrying a faint sweet aroma. Shopfronts wore garlands of paper and ribbon.
In the roadside park, children in warm clothes played soccer while their parents rested on nearby benches.
A group of boys burst into loud laughter as one of them told a lame joke. On the other side, girls in beautiful dresses were busy clicking pictures.
Near the lake sat a young couple—the girl in a soft pink cardigan and the boy in a beige sweater. Suddenly, the boy went down on one knee, pulling a ring from his pocket. At the same moment, the girl reached into her handbag and brought out a poorly crocheted tulip.
For a moment, they stared at each other in surprise before bursting into silly laughter. Slowly, she leaned onto his shoulder with a soft, almost pristine smile.
Meanwhile, the roads bustled with the honking of cars. Salarymen pushed past one another to board buses, eager to reach home before nightfall.
"Argh, sir, let me out. It's my stop," came a voice from within the crowded bus.
"I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry."
The voice repeated the words as it pushed through the crowd toward the door.
The voice belonged to a young man in his twenties.
He took a deep breath as he stepped off the bus.
"Thanks for dropping me home," he said, bowing slightly toward the driver, who had already begun to pull away.
Unbothered, the young man adjusted his backpack and continued walking along the sidewalk.
"I am so tired. Perhaps I should get a bicycle next month," he muttered.
Sigh.
"Let's see if I can save some money."
It was New Year's Eve. Roy was returning to his apartment after a ten-hour shift.
On his way home, he would usually stop by a small shop five minutes away almost every day. But today it was closed—the owner must have gone home early for the celebrations.
Roy headed straight to his apartment.
"290424."
He entered the password and pushed open the door.
The password was nothing special. It was simply the date he had moved to this city as an aspiring employee of a multinational company. Now, however, it was nothing more than a set of meaningless numbers.
Throwing his bag onto the couch, he headed straight for the bedroom. He took off his shirt and sat down on the corner of the bed, its surface torn with old scratch marks.
Motionless, he sat with his head down. His eyelids slowly grew heavier as his mind filtered through the noise of the entire day.
Before he could even realize it, his eyes closed. His head slowly moved back and forth as he dozed off.
He sat there long enough to lose track of time.
As he came to, he felt something rubbing against his leg.
Meow.
A sharp mew pierced through his foggy thoughts.
Slowly, he opened his eyes. With a soft sigh, he picked up the cat from the floor.
"Ricky… it's you."
Sigh.
"You escaped and went to your girlfriend again, didn't you?"
Roy said as he held the cat in his hands.
Meow.
Ricky meowed back as if he understood and meant to say, So what?
"So how come you're here? If I'm not wrong… it's for food!"
Meow.
"Hah. Fine, just wait for a minute."
Roy scoffed. The kitten he had adopted years ago was now bold enough to talk back to him. On top of that, it didn't even stay at home and wandered around with other stray cats.
"Well, it's better for you in the end."
He muttered to himself. A bittersweet smile spread across his face as he stood up.
Walking around the corner, he went to the bathroom, and the cat followed him from behind.
Leaning slightly toward the mirror, his hands pressed against the ceramic sink, he stared at his reflection.
His eyes carried fatigue—almost lifeless. The skin beneath them had hollowed, as if sleep had long abandoned him. His lips were dry and cracked.
The cold glow of a flickering light caught his face, as though the winter outside mirrored his own presence.
As he gripped the sink, his gaze fell on the reflection of his hands.
Thin needle marks dotted the pale skin of his wrists.
Sigh.
With a deep breath, he straightened himself and splashed water onto his face.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
His cellphone rang from the bedroom.
"Coming."
Quickly wiping his face with his hands, he walked over to the continuously ringing phone.
Mom
Hesitantly, he picked up the call and pressed the phone against his ear.
"Hello," he said.
"Roy! Are you okay? Mr. Kim told me you were taken to the hospital in an ambulance last week. Is everything fine? Should I ask your father to bring you home?"
From the other side came the anxious voice of a woman nearing her fifties.
"Mom, it's fine. It was just dehydration. You know how much I work. But don't worry—I'm doing great now. Don't stress yourself. Take care of your health."
He spoke while moving from the bedroom to the kitchen.
"I can't help but worry. You say you're fine, but it feels like you're lying."
"I'm not lying, my overly worried mother. The doctors just gave me some electrolytes and a few medicines. I'll be completely fine in a few days."
"Still—"
"Don't worry. Alright? I'll come visit you and Father once I'm done with work."
He walked over to the countertop, picked up a pan, and filled it under the tap as the voice over the phone faded slightly.
"I know, Mom. It's Father's birthday, but I won't be able to visit this time either."
"Try to understand. I just have a lot of work."
"Yes, yes, I won't skip dinner. And I'll take care of my health."
Placing the pan on the induction heater, he opened the fridge.
"Hmm… bulgogi," he muttered while staring into the nearly empty fridge.
Finding nothing else, he reached for the pet food on the shelf and poured some into the bowl.
"Here you go," he whispered, placing it before Ricky.
Meanwhile, his mother continued speaking over the phone.
"Mhm… of course. Why would I lie?" he added with a faint smile.
Tring~
A notification popped up on his mobile screen.
Manager:Are you there, Mr. Roy?
Ms. Lina:Mr. Roy? We had a business meeting scheduled for today, right?
The doctor's appointment reminder flashed briefly on his phone screen before another text appeared.
Team Lead:Roy, if you were unavailable today, you should have informed the team.
I am sorry. I had something urgent come up. I'll join right now in a sec.
He texted back instantly, his thumbs trembling.
"Well, bye, Mom. I have a meeting to attend. I'll call you later."
"Mhm. Bye—and give Father my greetings."
Roy ended the call and set the phone aside.
Swiftly opening another shelf, he pulled out a pack of cup noodles from the dozens stacked inside. Pouring hot water into it, he carried it to the small table near his bed, where his computer sat.
Tring~
He had just sat down when another notification popped up on his phone screen.
Team Lead:No need. You're no longer part of the team. The manager wants to see you tomorrow.
Roy stared at the message for a long moment.
His fingers slowly loosened around the phone.
Still, with a deep breath, he pulled himself together and turned on the computer.
On the screen was a wallpaper consisting of drawings that looked like concept art for a fictional story.
For a couple of minutes, he kept staring at the screen, all while slurping the noodles that had gone soft.
Then, after taking in every detail, he carefully lifted his hand and placed it on the mousepad.
He opened a nameless folder on the desktop and clicked on a file titled:
Epilogue
And scrolled to the very bottom.