MERRY 18

“I’ll graciously accept your praise.”

After giving the kind of bow only a gentleman in a tuxedo would perform, I extended my arm toward the outside as the elevator doors opened.

“This way. After you, sir.”

Liam let out a sigh at my exaggerated, over-the-top escorting.

“How did I ever get mixed up with a crazy bastard like you?”

“It’s time to admit it—you’ve fallen for my fatal charms. I’m telling you now, you won’t be able to escape me easily.”

“I take back what I said before. You haven’t finally lost it. You were born broken.”

“I am simply grateful for the recklessness it took to invite a madman over.”

I offered another mock-gentlemanly bow and stepped into Liam’s house first.

“Let’s be clear about one thing. I never invited you.”

“You’re going to eat dinner now, right? Don’t worry about me. I already ate.”

“Even a single grain of flour would be wasted on you.”

I stuck my tongue out at the back of Liam’s head as he headed upstairs, then flopped down on the sofa. I idly kicked my feet while turning my phone screen on and off. I expected a message from the stalker I’d just toyed with, but nothing came. Was he deeply hurt?

“He deserves to be.”

Thinking only about me is too good to be called a punishment; it should rightly be considered a reward. I let out a devious heh heh laugh, recalling Ethan’s reaction—which had completely eclipsed the shock of almost getting into a car accident the last time I visited Liam’s.

That’s how a stalker ought to be. Even if you keep your mouth shut, every single one of your nerves should be focused on me. Oh, absolutely.

“Did you eat something bad?”

Liam, who had changed clothes and was coming down the stairs, frowned.

“I ate something reasonably tasty with my mouth, but I ate something harmful with my eyes.”

I thought about my meal. The food at the restaurant was fine, but the menu item called ‘Ethan Reed’ that I’d taken in with my eyes was dangerous enough to cause food poisoning. How toxic he is, tossed my emotions around so ruthlessly.

“I hope you also realize that you’re being harmful to me right now.”

Liam tidied up his street clothes, threw them in the laundry basket, and headed to the kitchen. I sat across from him as he prepared an early dinner and sipped a can of beer. I was full, so I didn’t need any snacks.

Though it wasn’t enough to make me beg for a bite, the well-simmered tomato sauce smelled delicious. As he twirled the springy-looking noodles around his fork, Liam asked:

“Is he a stalker?”

“Huh?”

“You were babbling about it before—stalker this, stalker that. Is that man from earlier your stalker?”

I couldn’t help but be inwardly surprised by his sharp grasp of the situation.

“No, nothing like that. Would a stalker make it that obvious? They move behind the scenes without you knowing.”

Flustered, I had gone beyond keeping the stalker a secret and was now flat-out lying to cover for him.

“True. He didn’t look like a stalker. Is he a manager, then? An aspiring model making a living as a manager. He’d do well if he just took off those tacky glasses. Well, not my business, so whatever. Did you piss off your manager and run away to my place? I don’t know what happened, but go apologize quickly.”

“You don’t even know what happened, so why are you telling me to apologize?”

“Knowing you, you probably acted recklessly.”

“People who don’t know me well say I’m reckless, but people who know my true value…”

Stuck on the word ‘reckless,’ I was grumbling away until I suddenly lunged forward at his next words.

“Given your personality, I didn’t think you could even win against him. That guy didn’t seem ordinary.”

What exactly was Ethan’s reaction that made Liam think he wasn’t ordinary?

“Tell me in detail. What kind of expression did he have? Was he angry? Was he huffing and puffing like a total jerk?”

“You look oddly excited.”

“How was it? Did he look like he wanted to chase after me? Was he burning up?”

“Not quite to that extent, but…”

Liam continued with a look of disapproval.

“It felt like lasers were being fired from his eyes. He looked ready to either blow your head off or char-broil me, one of the 두.”

“So he was burning up. Obsessing, getting annoyed, boiling with rage.”

“I feel sorry for your manager. You just poke at his temper and enjoy it. Are you sure that guy won’t take it out on me? Don’t let the sparks fly my way. Clear up the misunderstanding properly. I’m on the manager’s side, not yours.”

“Liam. You say that, but I know you’re on my side.”

I gave him a wink. Liam’s expression turned desolate as if he’d seen something he shouldn’t have, and I giggled, finding it hilarious. Honestly, it wasn’t even that funny, but my laughter had become cheap. The fact that I’d been so upset I didn’t want to say a word after talking to Ethan at the restaurant felt like ancient history.

“Can you stop laughing? You’re ruining my appetite.”

“You never seemed to have much of an appetite anyway. It’s time to accept it’s been that way ever since you lost your roommate.”

“When are you meeting Noah? Why are you meeting him?”

“I’m meeting your former roommate Noah for lunch this weekend. We’re meeting because Noah likes me and I like Noah.”

“I’m starting to envy your symptom of infinite positivity.”

I winked with the other eye this time and took a drink of beer. Liam took the half-finished beer and gulped it down.

Eventually, total darkness fell over the sky, and I walked to the window with a frivolous, hopping gait.

Hiding behind the curtain, I peeked out just enough to see. Searching through the pitch-black night for the black sedan that could easily be swallowed by the darkness, I caught sight of a tall silhouette. Whether he’d moved the car to park it or not, Ethan was crossing the street with his hands in his pockets.

Ethan, look back. Look up. No, don’t look. You’re always the one watching me secretly. That’s unfair, so I’m going to watch you too. That’s the only reason I’m watching. There’s no other reason. Don’t misunderstand. That kind of misunderstanding is only for tacky, clumsy amateurs.

Ethan stood in front of the car and pulled out his phone. After a brief call, someone appeared and spoke with him.

“Who’s that?”

I pressed my forehead against the glass and narrowed my eyes to see the scene. Because the person was hidden by Ethan, it was hard to tell what they looked like, let alone their gender. In the end, the only information I gathered was that they were on the smaller side. After the stranger left, Ethan looked around and got into the car.

Watching the black sedan, I organized my thoughts. For some reason, Ethan and that person exuded a secretive aura. It felt less like meeting a friend and more like a rendezvous.

Are they the same kind? Do stalkers exchange information? Or is that someone Ethan hired to follow me while he’s eating or sleeping? They might be an investigator digging into my private life.

As my suspicions branched out into the dark side of a stalker, I got goosebumps. The chilling sensation was directed not at Ethan, but at myself. I felt disgusted with myself for not only condoning this abnormal situation but even defending it. Rubbing the back of my neck where the hair stood on end, I backed away and threw myself onto the sofa.

Would I have handled things differently if I hadn’t given up hope of meeting you again? If I didn’t have this wretched anxiety that you would disappear if I stopped you from digging into me, would I be making a more rational response? But these hypothetical scenarios, so detached from reality, only made me feel pathetic.

I ran my tongue over my bitter palate and closed my eyes. As I tried to calm my bustling heart with deep breaths, Liam spoke coldly.

“Get up. If you’re going to fall asleep, get the hell out now.”

“I’m far too successful to be seeking pity.”

“Did you decide to talk nonsense all day? Every time you open your mouth, it’s garbage.”

“I’m saying you can pity me enough to let me rest for a bit.”

“While I’m doing the dishes and brushing my teeth. Only for that long.”

After enjoying my limited rest, I sat side-by-side with Liam to watch a TV show. Both of our faces remained expressionless, showing our boredom at the trivial comedy.

“Trashy.”

Liam looked disgusted at the comedian’s over-the-line joke and flipped open a book. It was unbearable, so my patience wore thin as well and I changed the channel. After clicking the remote like a game controller, I turned the TV off and stood up.

“Do you have any underwear I left behind?”

“No. Actually, wait, yeah. Man, take them with you since you brought it up.”

“Perfect. I’m going to shower.”

Liam followed me toward the bathroom and asked:

“Want to do it?”