“Why do you want to sleep here when you have a perfectly fine house?”
“This is what friends are for, isn’t it? Let me sleep over for the night.”
Sooil lay on the sofa, looking like he had no intentions of getting up. Maru barely woke him up by kicking him on the flank before sending him into the bathroom.
“It’s fine to not wash up for a day.”
“Not in my house you can’t.”
Maru could hear sighs from the bathroom. He seemed to be praying against the toilet as there was no sound of water.
“If you’re going to throw up, do it in the toilet.”
“Okay. But hey, were you always this naggy?”
“If you don’t want that, then you should grab a taxi now and go home. Stop smelling like booze too. I knew things would go like this ever since I saw you accept every drink that you got.”
“I didn’t know everyone would be good drinkers. Your friends are pretty amazing.”
“You’re amazing too for being sane amongst them.”
“Hey, do I need to get washed? It’s such a bother.”
“If you come out without getting washed, I’ll throw you out the door, so think carefully.”
“Yes, Mr. Cleanliness-Maru.”
While Sooil was getting washed, he put a t-shirt and a pair of shorts he prepared for guests in front of the bathroom door. These were something he had no choice but to prepare because of Ganghwan and Geunsoo barging in all the time. Whenever they drank outside, they always barged into his house saying that the 3rd round had to be done in Han Maru’s house, and when he acted like he wasn’t there, the two of them would go on a riot outside his door, so he had no choice. Such was the fate of a life of living in someone else’s house. Even when he changed the passcode for the door, the magical password ‘The president said’ made him rush towards the door.
“I’ll give you food, so don’t be in such a hurry.”
He went to the kitchen with a shiba-inu wagging its tail by his foot. This was a docile dog that he took in after the five conqueror dogs left the house. This one had a bad leg muscle from birth which gave it a problem walking, but it still ran around everywhere as though it didn’t matter. When the president asked him if he wanted to raise one, Maru responded ‘yes’ with too much ease. The moment he looked at those pitch-black eyes that had no doubt that he would take it away, he wasn’t able to refuse.
“Let’s live a good life together since we’re both wounded.”
He had not thought of the dog’s name yet. He would have to name it at some point, but he couldn’t think of a name he liked, so he just went with whatever. Hey, you, over there, and damn dog when it pissed under the table.
“Damn dog, you pissed here again. Why don’t you change even if I educate you? You should have understood if I taught you three times. It’s not here, your poop pad is over there, okay?”
It seemed to have noticed that it was being scolded as it lifted its head from the food bowl and made glimpses at him. It was practically human.
“If you’re lonely, then you should be dating.”
Maru turned his head around to face the bathroom. Sooil, who came out after washing, was looking at him like he was pathetic.
“And don’t get mad at a dog.”
“Hey, go bite him. If you bite him, I’ll forgive you even if you poop on the bed.”
He tapped on the shiba-inu’s buttocks. It ran over to Sooil, sat down, and tilted its head before rolling onto its back and panting. It was a symbol of submission and an act of cuteness.
“Hey, this guy seems to have taken a liking to me.”
“Then take that dog away. I don’t want a dog who doesn’t even recognize its master.”
He sent the dog to bite, yet it was acting cute instead. When the ancestors said that raising your children is of no use, they were probably basing it on their own experiences. With the dog in hand, Sooil went to the sofa in the living room. Seeing him play around with the dog as he would a baby, Maru could remember events of the distant past.
When he lifted up his chubby infant daughter, she would giggle but then start tearing up because of her dislike for the stubble beard. He would repeat that several times because he found her smiling and tearful expression cute, and his wife would scold him with a slap. He would then watch as his wife snatched their daughter away from him while saying ‘you’re so childish for being an adult’, and then proceed to hug both his wife and his daughter at the same time with a smile. When he did, his wife would grumble, saying that she was suffocating, but she would still stay still. The breath of his daughter and the breath of his wife would become a calm wave within his heart and take everything over. It was the most cozy place in the world. It was the most peaceful place in the world.
“Han Maru.”
He blinked when Sooil called out to him. The image of a warm family, that faintly appeared in front of his eyes like a layer of frost, disappeared, and he saw Sooil who was giving the dog back to him.
“It looks like the dog likes you more than me. It keeps reaching out to you.”
“Maybe it realized who’s giving it food.”
He took out some energy drinks from the fridge and tossed one to Sooil. Maru also got one for himself and sat on the sofa.
“Are you really going to come over the weekend?”
“I did promise.”
“If you did that because you were swept up by the mood, you can cancel it now. I’ll tell the others about it.”
“I made my decision after much thinking. The fact that I don’t have anything scheduled played a role too. Above all, though, I wanted to know what it feels like to shoot a low-budget film.”
“We only have one camera, a clumsy reflector, and a cheap microphone that’s attached to the camera. The rest is solved through manpower.”
“Sounds romantic. Do you eat cup ramyun for food as well?”
“Well, food is a different story. They find local specialty foods like it is nothing.”
“That sounds even better.”
“Are you sure you don’t need to consult the president about this through your manager? Even if it’s an appearance without a guarantee, you should be bound to several contracts.”
“I went through them all while drinking. They told me it’s fine if it’s a cameo thing. I also got that it’s fine to do whatever I want as long as it doesn’t interfere with my regular schedule.”
“Looks like they got lucky. They get to use a super expensive actor for free. You should be prepared. Kang Sora, that girl, she’s damn good at squeezing every last inch out of a person.”
“She did look quite strong-headed. Are the people I met today all your friends from high school?”
“Yeah. Somehow, things lead to another, and the friendship keeps going strong.”
Burying himself in the sofa, Sooil took out a phone and fidgeted with it. His eyes were half-closed as he looked into the screen.
“Sleep if you’re tired. I’m going to wake you up when I wake up early in the morning.”
“You have work tomorrow?”
“No, going out to exercise in the morning became a habit of mine. Though, the unemployed lifestyle will end next week.”
“What exercise?”
“Nothing much. It’s just a lap around the neighborhood and climbing the mountain to the top to do some vocal exercises and loosening up facial muscles.”
“Bring me with you. I want to do that after a long time too.”
“Can you even wake up in time?”
“Kick me if I don’t wake up.”
“If I shake you once and you don’t wake up, I’m gonna go alone. I don’t want the hassle of waking up a man in the morning.”
“I said this before, but when I look at you, you look like you’re lacking affection. Should I introduce you to someone?”
“Then what about you? Are you dating someone?”
“I did, until three months ago. Choi Injoo.”
“That Choi Injoo doesn’t happen to be the actress Choi Injoo, right?”
“That’s her.”
“That’s amazing, Mr. Yoo Sooi. Stars meeting stars, huh.”
“Working together can sprout emotions and then you start dating lightly.”
“So you were trying to boast. You’re making me jealous, so get to sleep already. Also, have the dog sleep next to you.”
“Get me a blanket.”
“Sure. The great actor Yoo Sooil wants a blanket. I dare not refuse.”
He brought out a thin blanket from his room and tossed it over.
“I’m turning off the lights. So just sleep.”
“Alright, good night.”
After setting the air conditioner to go off in two hours, he went inside his room.
Just then,
“Maru.”
“What?”
“I am your friend, right?”
“You still drunk? Why are you being so cheesy?”
“I was just curious. When I talked to your friends today, I felt really good. They are all honest and say whatever’s on their mind. Being able to talk like that is a good thing.”
“You probably thought that because you wanted to see it that way. The people you met today, they’re all people who are worried that what they’re thinking might be found out by other people. Sometimes they lie, and sometimes they feign ignorance. They aren’t that amazing, but they aren’t bad either. They’re just ordinary people.”
“Really? Then why do I like that sort of thing?”
“If you feel like whining, then do it to that whining creature next to you. That one is a god at listening.”
“How merciless. Your friend is depressed here. How can you go to sleep knowing that?”
“The world is only fun if there’s a friend like that, don’t you think?”
“True, you’re right. Having someone like you should spice up my boring life. The alcohol got the better of me and I called my father, but the first thing he told me was, ‘Did you finally get yourself together and think about returning to the company?’ I had nothing to tell him. Looks like the vice-chairman of a super company thinks that what I achieved is insignificant. I didn’t want his acknowledgement, but I wanted to hear him at least say I did well.”
After sighing, Sooil dragged his blanket over the top of his head before waving his hand.
“Go to sleep. I’m going to sleep as well. Turn off the lights for me.”
Maru turned off the lights in the living room.
“I’m saying this just in case, but if you’re going to cry, don’t cry into the pillow. I just finished washing that recently.”
“I’ll make sure I’ll drool on it too.”
Just as he was about to go inside, Maru sighed a little before speaking,
“You’re doing plenty well. Honestly, if it was me, I would actually succeed the owner position of SC or just live a comfortable life with the money given to me. I wouldn’t have thought about challenging myself like you did. From what I see, I feel like the place you found yourself is much better than the chairman position that you didn’t even work for.”
Sooil didn’t reply. Maru told him to sleep before entering his room and covering himself with the blanket. Not long after he closed his eyes, he heard his door opening.
“Maru.”
“What?”
“Can I sleep on the floor next to your bed? We should talk a little too.”
He lifted his head up to look at Sooil. He had a grin on his face as he was peeping inside the door. Maru threw a novel he placed by his head. Sooil dodged the book by closing the door before speaking in a laughing voice,
“I’m so glad that you’re my friend.”
Maru shook his head. His drunk habits just didn’t get fixed.
“Just go sleep!”
“Fine, I’ll sleep”
Even after that, Sooil knocked on his door at 10 minute intervals. Maru ripped his hair out and thought that he might as well abandon the Han surname if he let that guy in his house again.
“Han Maru, I’m bored. You asleep?”
This guy was persistent.
