Jiyong woke up to orange tinting the back of his eyelids, warmth spreading across his face and a tingling feeling against his bare chest, were the covers had abandoned him during his slumber.

He scrunched his eyebrows, his mind still foggy, and he turned around once and then twice, trying to pull away from the annoying light hitting his face, that was until he was on the floor. Just then his eyes opened up, taking in the damage he caused to himself, only to find out that his legs were trapped in what appeared to be a cocoon, positioned in a very strange angle at that, as those were the only parts of his body still –kinda– on the bed. 

He pushed away his confusion as he proceeded on the surprisingly hard quest to free himself from the questionable position he was in. After a long struggle to understand in which direction the sheets were tangled and twisted and turned –somehow the bottom part was clockwise and the top part anticlockwise– he was finally free to stand properly on the ground, and just then he noticed that the orange tint he woke up to, was caused by the parted curtains that let the sun light bask his usually dark bedroom.

Strange. It wasn't like him to forget to close the curtains after his nightly smoke and drink, but perhaps his mind was more clouded by alcohol than how he thought, which was even more strange as Jiyong was one to hold his liquor. Then again, last night wasn't usual at all, neither the night before, and maybe those apparently unsubstantial changes, did something to him. After all, he smiled. Not a bitter smile, nor a fake smile, one of those he had the habit to portray each time a camera hit his face in the past. No, the smile he felt was a pure smile, and although he could blame the stupid cat video, he knew the true cause of his little worry less moment.

Was it silly? To feel lighthearted by the mare sound of a laugh? By the mare carefree attitude of someone without a face? Without a name? Maybe.

But Jiyong was alone, alone day and night, alone with himself and nothing else, so troubling himself to deny the fact that he was so easily stirred by a laugh, was pointless. He had no one to fool, no reason to pretend, and so, in all his loneliness, he admitted that the change was positive, surprisingly, at that.

***

He fished his phone from the stool beside his bed, and for a second, he gazed at the windows that let him view the outskirts of the city, the reason why he bought the apartment in the first place, and he dwelled on whether closing the windows or let them open. 

He made his way to the windows, letting his eyes fall on the view right in front of him. It was a rare occasion, the one he was in. He rarely looked out of the windows ever since he came back from the military camp, which was three years ago. When he walked the roads to go buy what was necessary for his living, he looked down on the concrete, or at the feet of people going by, only to avoid bumping into strangers. 

He once wrote a song about a life like this. When he performed Crooked, he was always trying to portray a kind of life he never thought he would lead, and only now that he did feel crooked, he realized how much wrong he was when he thought that the life of a crooked man was like that.

He avoided people on a daily basis, he realized that anger and spite were far from what he felt. It was disappointment and bitterness that grew within him at the thought of betrayal. When he tried to engage an interaction with strangers, it was always with the subtle feeling of hope, but he cowered like a beaten pup, when he feared that his attempt was about to be taken, when people actually noticed him.

No, he was far away from the concept of the crooked man he once had.

His hand lifted naturally to grasp the curtains, his decision to close them felt almost instinctual, but as he did, the phone in his other hand rang, Soohyuk's name lighting up the screen of his old iPhone. He slid his finger to answer, while his other hand grabbed the curtain.

«Hei Ji, it's me, Soohyuk» Jiyong pondered for a brief moment if Soohyuk thought he couldn't read, as he always felt the need to introduce himself.

«yeah, I know» he let out as he always did. 

«are you calling for tonight?» he asked right after, a little peeved as he clearly remembered telling Soohyuk to text him, so he could avoid a call.

«no... I mean, yes. Also. But I need to inform you about something» Soohyuk said, appearing, in Jiyong's opinion, a little troubled.

«My client... well, he found the documents you brought to Kim-ssi to buy the apartment he's currently living in. He explained to me that he would like to meet you in person» Jiyong gulped down at that.

«did he— does he know... that I'm.. I'm—»

«no, Ji, relax. He just found the documents, didn't even read them through... and I personally think he wouldn't know you even if he read your name on it... He basically spent his life from a state to the other, always moving around and such. I think it's already amazing he can actually speak Korean» to that, he relaxed, although he didn't want to spend too much time thinking why he felt so much more at ease.

«ok...ok» he replied as he took a breath «then fix a date and I'll be there» 

The rest three minutes were spent talking about the hang out of that night and who'd be there. Only when the phone call was over, Jiyong took the time to let the information sink in.

His new neighbor wanted to meet him. He saw the documents to buy his apartment. It could only mean one thing, and that made Jiyong's stomach churn in a way he didn't consider reasonable. It mean that he wanted to sell the apartment and leave Jiyong alone, again.

Shouldn't he be happy then?

***

«Ji!» was the first thing he heard as he entered the restaurant and walked towards the table.

Xin was flaying his arms as if trying to fly, while Soohyuk had a smile so bright, it felt surreal to Jiyong that it was directed at him. He replied with a shy smile of his an