When Hyo-bin woke up in the morning, his bedroom felt completely cold. 

He stared at the gray ceiling, and he felt totally exhausted. The memory of the race still sat heavy in his stomach. He stood up and walked to the small bathroom to take a shower. 

After he dried his hair with a towel, he walked into the living room. His father was still sleeping on the old sofa in his dirty work clothes. The man smelled like cheap alcohol. 

Hyo-bin checked his father's jacket pockets. The pocket was empty. 

He walked back to his bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed. He needed to go to the morning practice, but he still did not want to move. While he sat in the quiet room, his phone made a loud sound on the desk. He picked it up and looked at the screen. 

The text was from Seung-ho.

Let's meet for the project after practice

Hyo-bin did not type an answer. A sudden rage filled him. He threw the phone against the opposite wall as hard as he could. The plastic and glass hit the hard surface with a loud crack, and the phone fell to the wooden floor in pieces.

"Fuck!"

He looked down at the broken phone. The screen was completely dark, and the glass was shattered on the floor.

The small house felt completely suffocating. Hyo-bin grabbed his backpack and left the house. 

Since he had no other choice, he started to walk to the university. As the freezing wind hit his face, he watched the cars drive past him on the gray pavement. 

His stomach ached with hunger, but he was still thinking about Seung-ho. 

When he arrived at the sports building, his lips were purple from the cold. 

Soo-bin was still standing near the lockers. When he saw his friend, he walked over to him.

"Why is your phone off?" he asked. "I was gonna pick you up, but I couldn't reach you."

"I don't have a phone," Hyo-bin said. His voice sounded dry. "It broke."

Soo-bin looked at his face. 

"I have a spare phone at home," he said. "I'll give it to you."

"I don't want it," Hyo-bin said.

"You can't stay without a phone, Hyo-bin-ah," Soo-bin said.

Hyo-bin turned to look at him. 

"I said I don't want it!" he yelled.

His hands and feet were still shaking. As he looked at his friend, his eyes filled with water. He was a mess.

"Wait for me right here," Soobin said quietly.

He pushed Hyo-bin onto the wooden bench and walked out of the locker room.

A minute after he left, the door opened again. Seung-ho walked into the room with his sports bag on his shoulder. He did not look at Hyo-bin at all. He stopped in front of his metal locker and opened the door.

"You didn't reply to my text. I wanna finish the project fast," Seung-ho said as he put his bag inside. "Can we work today?"

Hyo-bin looked at his back, but he did not say a single word. He stood up from the bench and walked out of the locker room. 

After the door closed, Seung-ho turned to watch the empty hallway.

A few seconds later, Soo-bin ran back into the room. He looked around the lockers.

"Where is Hyo-bin?" he asked.

"I don't know," Seung-ho said. "He just went outside."

Soo-bin dropped his bag on the floor and ran out the door.

"Hyo-bin!" he yelled down the hallway.

Hyo-bin was already gone. While Soo-bin stood there, the coach walked out of his office.

"Where is he?" he asked.

"I couldn't find him," Soo-bin said. "I think he's gone."

The coach looked at the main doors. 

"I was gonna give him a day off anyway," he said. "If he left, you stay and get ready for practice."

Soo-bin's mind was still on his friend, but he could not do anything else. 

"Okay, Coach," he said.

He walked back into the locker room to change his clothes. 

Seung-ho was still getting ready a few feet away. He turned to look at Soo-bin.

"Why are you so nice to Hyo-bin?" he asked gently.

Soo-bin looked at him. 

"What?"

"You heard me," Seung-ho said. "Why are you so nice to him?"

“Why would you even ask that? He's my friend.”

Seung-ho leaned against the metal lockers. 

"Do you like him?"

"Of course I like him. Even if you don't get it, he's a good guy."

"No, I mean… do you like him?"

Soo-bin felt a sudden anger rise inside him.

"What?!" he yelled. "What do you think I am? I have a girlfriend."

Seung-ho watched him with calm eyes. 

"Yeah," he said. "That girlfriend we haven't seen for a year."

Soo-bin took a step closer to him. His hands turned into fists at his sides.

"What are you trying to say?" he asked angrily. "What is your problem, Seo Seung-ho?"

Seung-ho did not step back. 

"I have no problem," he said. "You are just a very nice person."

He grabbed his towel and walked past Soo-bin toward the pool area. 

Soo-bin watched him walk away. He narrowed his eyes at his back.

"Fucker," he said to the empty room.

—

Later that afternoon, Hyo-bin was sitting on a bench by the Han River. 

The wind blew over the surface and created small waves. 

He watched the people walk on the concrete paths for a long time. 

Then he looked blankly at the dark water. His stomach was still empty, and his mind heavy with his failure.

A little boy was playing with a small dog near the bench. Hyo-bin turned to watch them. 

The boy held a yellow tennis ball in his right hand.

"Sit!" he said.

The dog wagged its tail and looked at the ball. But it did not sit. The boy looked very angry. He pointed his finger at the ground and commanded it repeatedly. But the dog just barked and jumped for the ball. It never sat down.

The boy lost his patience. He threw the tennis ball straight into the river.

"Stupid dog, I hate you!"

Hyo-bin watched the yellow ball hit the water. It floated on the small waves and moved away from the shore.

"I hate you," he muttered.

He stood up and walked along the river.

—

In the evening, Seung-ho sat at his large desk in his bedroom. He tried to study, but still couldn't focus. 

He picked up his phone and texted Hyo-bin.

Can we start the project now?

He hit send, but the message did not deliver. He dropped the phone back onto the desk.

He turned to look out the large window. The city lights shined in the dark night. While he watched the distant buildings, his bedroom door opened, and his mother walked inside.

"I'm home," she said.

Seung-ho kept looking at the window. He did not turn to look at her.

"Lucky me."

Ji-hye walked fast across the room. She grabbed his shoulder and pulled him around to face her.

"Say it again?"

As Seung-ho looked at her expensive clothes, he felt a familiar exhaustion in his bones.

"Sorry," he said. "Welcome home, Mother."

She let go of his shoulder and looked at him.

"How was practice today?"

"Pretty good, Mother."

Ji-hye did not say anything else. She turned around and walked out of the room. 

After she closed the door behind her, Seung-ho turned his chair back to the window. He looked at his own reflection in the glass.

"I hate you, Mother," he whispered to the empty room.

A second later, his phone buzzed.

"Finally, Choi Hyo-bin."

While he expected a message from Hyo-bin, he saw Ji-woong's name on the screen.

How about we eat barbecue and drink soju tonight?

Seung-ho looked at the text for a moment. Then he typed his answer.

I'll take a shower and come