I stood in the bathroom for a long time.
It was small and plain, but it had hot water, and that alone made it more than enough.
After spending the entire day running around the city, my body felt heavy with exhaustion. The warmth soaked into my skin, easing the ache in my muscles, washing the weariness away bit by bit. It was comforting enough that I stayed longer than I usually would.
When I finally stepped out, Alex was still lying on the bed, wrapped tightly in his blanket.
Nearly the whole day had passed like that. I doubted he had eaten anything at all. Watching him in that state was painful, but I reminded myself it wouldn't last forever. Sooner or later, he would return to himself.
As I moved farther into the room, he peeked out from beneath the blanket. His eyes were dull, lifeless. It wasn't surprising—how could he have any energy left when he hadn't eaten all day?
I watched him for a moment, then let out a quiet sigh. I pulled the damp towel off my head and tossed it aside, missing my aim, before setting a bag down beside him. Inside was the food I had managed to buy with the little money I had left.
"I'm not hungry," he muttered, not moving, his eyes fixed blankly on the bag.
I ignored him.
Reaching inside, I took out a sandwich, unwrapped it, and held it up to his mouth.
"Who asked if you're hungry or not?" I said.
It was one of the rare times I could look after him like this. I wasn't about to let it slip by.
Only then did he finally push himself up and take the sandwich from my hand.
"Alex, I found a job."
He froze.
A strange sound slipped out of his throat as he stopped mid-bite. His hand lowered slowly, and he looked up at me with wide, disbelieving eyes.
"Why? I told you to wait a little longer. So why are you working?"
Just as I had expected, he was angry. Still, he didn't raise his voice. Maybe he didn't have the energy. Or maybe it was because his mouth was still full.
"I'm not quitting that job completely," I said. "I just took this one to help us get out of this situation."
I wanted to add that the pig-like man might never give us work again, but I swallowed the words.
"I know, but no matter how much we work, we'll never earn as much as we do with that job."
He wasn't wrong.
It would never be enough. And maybe, he would find someone else to rely on. But for now—
"It's just for now. Until we go back to it."
I didn't want to stay at the new job for long either, but I kept that to myself. The position had been arranged by Elara, and there was no way I was going to tell Alex that it was meant as payment for my debt.
And I definitely wasn't in the mood to start explaining that he was the only person in the world I truly trusted.
"Where are you working?" he asked at last.
He couldn't do much about the situation right now. The least he could do was make sure I wasn't being taken advantage of.
"A bar," I answered honestly. "And it's not what you're imagining. It's a decent place. Drinks, a small stage for singing. I'm just working there as a waiter."
Even after that, his expression stayed doubtful. He still didn't look convinced—as if he could never fully trust what I said.
"If you don't believe me, you can come see it for yourself."
Alex let out a low grumble and pulled the blanket tighter around himself, curling into it like a cocoon.
I knew what was going through his mind.
He was blaming himself again. Thinking this was his fault—for not handling things sooner, for letting things get to this point. Now I was the one going out to work in some bar because of it.
Watching him retreat back into the bed, I reached for his blanket and tugged it, pulling half of it away before he caught hold of the edge.
"That sandwich wasn't the only thing. I brought more food too. Get up before it gets cold."
This time, he didn't resist. He pushed himself up slowly, muttering that he wanted to wash up before eating.
While he went to the bathroom, I started unpacking the food and turned on the television for some background noise.
That was when my phone buzzed.
I glanced at the screen, and the moment I saw the name, I sucked in a quiet breath and cut the call without thinking.
My eyes flicked toward the bathroom door. I let out a slow breath of relief. It didn't seem like Alex had heard it. If he had, he would've already peeked out to ask who had called.
Why was Elara calling me now?
My stomach tightened. I knew I couldn't just ignore her, but I also couldn't answer while Alex was here. After a brief hesitation, I stood and slipped toward the door.
"Where are you going?" Alex called from the bathroom.
"I forgot to buy something to drink," I replied quickly.
I walked for a while before stopping, but even then, I didn't call back. I had a feeling she would try again.
And sure enough, my phone lit up once more.
The same name filled the screen.
"Hello?"
"Why do you always refuse to answer the first call?" As usual, Elara didn't bother with greetings and went straight to the point. I didn't really care about that. Honestly, it would've been easier if she would always just said what she wanted right away.
"I was about to answer, but It cut off."
I reached a convenience store and sat down on one of the chairs outside, letting out a quiet breath.
"How was the interview?"
At night, her voice carried more clearly through the line, almost as if she were whispering directly into my ear.
"I'm starting tomorrow. I just hope it goes well."
"Does it seem doable?"
No matter how many times I heard her voice, it still unsettled me. It brushed against my ears in a way I couldn't ignore. Before I realized it, my fingers were already fidgeting with my earlobe.
"I haven't tried it yet," I paused. "Why are you asking?"
"I'm the one who introduced you to the job," Elara replied coolly. "If you make a mess of it, it reflects badly on me."
Then shouldn't she be calling the manager instead?
I sighed quietly and shifted the phone to my other ear.
"You could've just texted," I muttered. I preferred texts—especially with her. Phone calls with Elara always left me feeling strange.
My palms dampened, my chest tightened, like I was balancing on a thin wire.
"Too bothersome," she said simply. "Work hard. You still need to pay the money back."