The next day was even worse.
Considering everything that he had felt the day prior, Han had finally come to the conclusion that he was long overdue for a break.
So he called in sick that day, deciding to stay home and relax.
It was right after breakfast, when he was laying on his couch and absent mindedly scrolling through a web novel that the bell to his door rang.
Han slowly got up, putting his phone face down before he went and opened the door.
"Delivery for Kim Han."
Han stared at the delivery man for a moment.
"Isn't this supposed to arrive tomorrow?" He blurted out before he even had the chance to realize.
The man gave him a quiet stare before pulling out a receipt from his bag and handing it to him.
Han stared at the date, which read that it was supposed to arrive today.
He blinked.
He could've sworn that the app said it was going to arrive tomorrow.
The man cleared his throat, before pointing to the paper in his hand.
"Sign here please."
A few minutes later, Han was back on his couch, the box of groceries sitting on the table in front of him as he stared at it.
He couldn't help but let out a weary exhale.
"I'm definitely going insane.." He mumbled to himself before plopping back on the couch, covering his head with a pillow before he went back to sleep.
When Han woke up again, the room was dark.
He lay there for a moment, disoriented, before sitting up and glancing at the clock.
9:47 PM.
His stomach growled.
With a sigh, he reached for his phone, intending to order something quick—then paused.
There was a notification from the shopping app.
Today's order was marked Delivered.
Han scrolled down.
Scheduled delivery: Today.
Status: Delivered.
No trace that it had ever said otherwise.
He stared at the screen for a long time.
Then he closed the app.
"…Yeah," he muttered. "I'm losing it."
Han felt like he had been saying that too much recently.
He didn't look at the groceries again.
He quietly got up from his couch, took a shower. After dressing himself, he locked the apartment and stepped out. His roommate wasn't going to come home today, so he took the key with him instead of leaving it under the rug.
The city was as busy as always. People went on with their business like usual, the familiar sounds of horns blaring from the slow moving traffic assaulting his ears as he walked down a familiar alleyway.
Han's mind still felt groggy, and a certain type of lethargy clung to his bones, making him drag his steps as he walked. He blamed it on the weird new stress that had taken over his life, still, no matter how much he wanted to take his mind off of it, he couldn't manage to.
He turned a corner to the right, emerging in one of the most crowded streets in all of Seoul. After hesitating for a moment, he walked down the footpath, his mind having already decided on a destination.
He had walked for around 10 minutes before he finally reached the familiar street, this one quieter than the last one, the comfortable buzz of human activity pleasant to his ears as his eyes fell on a particular building.
The restaurant was quiet this evening. Unlike the usual hustle and bustle, there was only a couple of tables that was occupied. It looked like all the part timers had already clocked out, and the old lady that was standing by the counter looked like she was ready close shop for today.
The welcoming bell rang when Han stepped in, making her look away from the customers.
"Welcom-!" Her sentence stopped midway through when she recognized Han.
"Son! Come in!" She beamed.
She walked over to him and dragged him into a tight hug. Han hugged his mom back, giving her a strong squeeze as she complained to him.
"Goodness, how long has it been since you came over? I thought you had forgotten about your poor parents." Her sound was muffled from being buried in his jacket.
"Sorry mom, work's been busy." Han said as he let her go.
His mom gave him a warm smile, then turned around and called out.
"Honey! It's Han!"
"Tell him to sit down!" The husky voice of what sounded like an older man came from inside, making Han let out a weary exhale.
"He's still stuck up on that kitchen huh?" Han smiled as his mom led him to the counter.
"Tell me about it, I don't even know how he's managing all that alone at his age."
Han relaxed as he found himself in the familiar comfort of his home. It wasn't long before his dad joined them with a bowl of delicious smelling ramen. Han dug in, enjoying the homey taste, slightly nostalgic as he was peppered with question from his worried parents.
It was already midnight by the time he was finally free from the bombardment of his parent's—well, mostly his mother's, worries.
"Yes mom, I will. But isn't it time for you both to go to bed now?" He finally said, picking up the empty bowl as he got up from his seat.
He placed it in the sink, which was already choke full of a multitude of other dishes.
"I'll take care of closing up." He finally said.
"What are you-"
"Dad." Han gave his dad a look, who immediately folded. He let out a stiff grunt, muttering something under his breath as he walked into the house.
His mom gave him another hug, squeezing him tightly, as if she hadn't already been showering him with enough intimacy.
"I love you." She said, her voice muffled from being buried in his thick coat.
"I love you too mom." Han whispered back.
The silence after she left was a little unnerving, if he had to be honest. It felt empty, Han almost regretted sending his parents away.
He looked at the pile of dirty dishes and smiled, letting out an exasperated breath as the memories of his childhood came flowing back.
"Let's get you cleaned up now." He said to the restaurant, his tone as if he was talking to an old friend, as he plunged into the workload that awaited him.