The alarm clock was ringing on the nightstand when Hyo-bin woke up and checked his phone. Seung-ho had not sent a message yet.

He walked out of his bedroom and found his father on the living room floor. Choi Young-ho had passed out next to the sofa last night and empty beer bottles littered the carpet.

Hyo-bin covered his nose with the back of his hand while he crossed the room. He opened a window and let the morning air inside. Then he shook his father's shoulder.

"Dad, wake up," he said. "Go to your bed."

Young-ho woke up and pushed his hand away before he sat up on the carpet.

"What do you want?" he asked in an angry voice. "Leave me alone."

"Sleep in your bed. If you're not gonna sleep, eat something. I'm gonna make some eggs."

"I don't want it," his father said.

He raised his voice and looked around the room.

"What time is it? Why did you wake me up?"

"I didn't want you to sleep on the floor," Hyo-bin said quietly. "It's six in the morning."

Young-ho sat on the sofa and grabbed a half-empty beer bottle from the table. He drank the warm beer and lit a cigarette while Hyo-bin watched him. The smell of smoke filled the room immediately.

This is killing me, Hyo-bin thought.

"Dad," he said. "Can you give me bus fare? I need to go to school early today."

"I don't have any money," his father said loudly.

“How do you not have any money, Dad?” Hyo-bin asked. “I work like crazy and keep paying off your debts. I even do private tutoring, even though I know I’ll get kicked out of school if I’m caught. I’m the one putting food in the fridge, and I’m out there walking around hungry. So how do you still not have any money?”

He rubbed his face with his hands. He turned around and walked back to his bedroom. "He couldn't stand his father ignoring him."

Then he typed a fast message to Seung-ho.

I can't come early

Let's cancel it

He threw his phone onto his bed and returned to the kitchen. He cooked the eggs in a pan before he carried the plate into the living room.

"Come on, eat some eggs," Hyo-bin said.

"Aissh, I don't want it."

"Haah," Hyo-bin said.

He was pulling a chair out when a notification chimed inside his bedroom. He walked back to his room and checked his phone. Seung-ho had replied to his text.

I'll come pick you up

"What the fuck?" Hyo-bin said.

He typed a fast reply.

Just fuck off

He dropped his phone onto his bed. He walked back to the living room and saw his father. Young-ho had already finished the entire plate of eggs.

"Dad?" Hyo-bin asked. "Did you eat all of it?"

"You told me to eat," his father said.

"But those were the last eggs," Hyo-bin said. "What am I gonna eat? Why didn't you save me some?"

Young-ho ignored the questions and checked the empty bottles on the table.

"Is there no more beer?"

Hyo-bin stared at him for a while and walked into the bathroom. He shut the door and took his clothes off.

He was standing under the water when he realized the shower gel was completely empty. He threw the empty bottle against the wall hard and slammed his bare hands against the tiles. He leaned his weight forward and breathed heavily for a moment. Then he took some hair shampoo and washed his body aggressively.

Hyo-bin dressed quickly after his shower and stuffed his notebooks into his bag.

He looked at his father before he opened the front door. Young-ho had already fallen asleep on the sofa. Hyo-bin left the house immediately.

A cold wind was blowing through the street when he stepped outside and saw a black SUV parked nearby. He walked toward the road. A car like that was not a common sight in Sillim-dong. He looked closer for a moment.

Seung-ho was leaning against the car door.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Hyo-bin asked.

"You don't have bus fare and I don't have time to waste," Seung-ho said. "I wanna get this project done."

"Fuck off, Seo Seung-ho," Hyo-bin said. "You can wait till noon."

He turned around and walked toward the main road.

"Hyo-bin!"

Hyo-bin stopped.

Did this bastard just call me by my given name? 

He turned around and walked toward the car angrily, but he stopped again when he saw tears on Seung-ho's face.

"Are you crying?" he asked.

"Ya, just get in the fucking car so we can go, okay?"