Citra, Lexing State — 7:15 p.m.
Michael showed up right at the door of their rented apartment.
Since it was a cheap place, there were, of course, no security cameras around — nothing for him to worry about.
He started knocking on the door; the doorbell had been broken for ages, and their miserly landlord never bothered to fix it.
(— thud, thud...)
After a few more knocks, Rick finally opened the door — wearing just a tank top and a pair of shorts.
He looked completely stunned to see Michael, as if he'd just seen a ghost.
"What the hell, man? I texted and called you so many times — you didn't reply to anything! And now you just show up out of nowhere?"
"Ah, I was a little busy," Michael said casually. His eyes fell on a pair of women's shoes by the door. "But tell me — what's with the ladies' shoes? Is your aunt visiting or something?"
Before Rick could respond, Michael brushed past him and stepped inside. Rick tried to stop him, but Michael ignored him completely.
He walked in and froze for a moment. The room was surprisingly neat and clean — completely opposite of what he expected. They weren't the kind of people who cleaned their houses regularly.
As Michael was still processing that, he suddenly heard a woman's voice. Rick tensed up a little too.
A girl stepped out of the bathroom.
"Hey, Rick, who's here...?"
Michael saw a young, beautiful Vietnamese woman. He immediately recognized her — she worked as a cashier at the small grocery store near their place.
"Hana, what are you doing here at this hour?" Michael asked, clearly caught off guard — especially by her rather revealing outfit.
The girl named Hana looked just as surprised to see him. She gave an awkward little smile, unsure of how to respond.
Then, almost suddenly, she grabbed her bag from the small wooden table. "Ah, I just remembered something important! I really have to go now. Bye — bye, Rick!"
She hurried past Michael and slipped out the door before anyone could say another word.
On the other hand, Rick stood there with his hand over his head, looking completely lost. After Hana left, he sighed heavily and dropped onto the couch in frustration.
[Host, Emotional Status Detected: Subject "Rick" appears to be in a state of disappointment and mild irritation.
Recommendation: It is advised that the Host attempts emotional reassurance. Providing comfort may help stabilize his mood and restore trust levels.]
"Holy shit, Rick! What the hell were you doing with her? I leave for a few days, and you've already started bringing girls home? You've actually managed to score a girl — seriously?"
Rick's face twisted in annoyance. "Dude, what's your problem? You think I'm just gonna sit around forever doing nothing like you? You're still a virgin, man — don't drag me into your misery. Do you even know how much work it took to get Hana here? I'm talking hours of texting — hours! I had to pretend I liked her favorite K-pop group, watch her stupid drama show, even fake laugh at that awful cat video she sent me. And then, finally, finally, she says yes and comes over… and you just blow it all up in two minutes!"
He let out a long groan, dragging his hand down his face before gripping his hair like he wanted to tear it out. "Do you even understand how rare this was? The universe doesn't just hand out chances like this to guys like me, bro. I had one shot — one shot — and you just had to show up knocking like a damn cop!"
Michael raised an eyebrow, half amused, half bewildered, while Rick kept pacing back and forth, muttering under his breath about ruined opportunities and "divine punishments for being too nice."
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, alright? I rushed over because you texted me saying Ryan was bothering you. I didn't think I'd be ruining your perfect timing," Michael said, his tone half-apologetic, half-defensive.
Rick dropped onto the couch again.
"Man… you always do this," he said, exhaling hard. "You show up outta nowhere, stir things up, and then act like it's no big deal. You know, Ryan's been losing his damn mind looking for you ever since that night. Seriously, you shouldn't have hit him. The guy might be annoying, but still."
He leaned back and waved a hand as if he were giving a lecture. "Honestly, I think you should just go apologize to him already — get this thing sorted out before it gets any worse."
"Huh? Apologize? Are you insane? You think he'd forgive me that easily? Besides, I have no intention of apologizing. My suspension's been lifted, I'm back — and if he tries to mess with me again, that'll be his problem," Michael said, dropping onto the couch beside him.
Rick stared at him, his expression caught somewhere between confusion and disbelief. Michael shifted, clearly uncomfortable under the scrutiny.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Rick rubbed his chin. "I mean, I'm trying to understand. None of this adds up — you're seriously planning to hit Ryan again?"
"If he tries to mess with me again, then—"
"Bro," Rick interrupted, holding up a hand. "Where is all this confidence coming from? Did you secretly master martial arts while you were gone or something? Or are you just really high right now? Because this is weird, man."
Michael gave a small grin. "You know very well I don't do that kind of stuff. And don't worry — you'll see soon enough why I'm this confident."
"Okay…" Rick muttered, sounding half skeptical. Then, after a short pause, he added, "Alright, whatever. You're buying dinner tonight. I'm starving. I need to eat now to relieve my frustration."
He got up, grabbed his shirt from the chair, and started putting it on in a hurry.
But Michael, who was still full, began to hesitate. "Dude, I just got here. I'm tired," he started, trying to make an excuse.
Rick scoffed. "Tired? You don't look tired. And besides, you owe me."
He slipped on his pants, shaking his head dramatically. "Unbelievable. You just stroll in here, ruin my night, and think you can just sit there like a lazy cat? Nope, not happening."
Michael let out a sigh, rubbing his temple. "Rick—"
"Uh-uh, no excuses!" Rick cut him off, pointing at him like a drill sergeant. "Get up and prepare your wallet. I want something greasy and expensive. I deserve a damn treat!"
"Rick—"
"Don't 'Rick' me! Get up! You're coming whether you like it or not. You know I'll keep forcing till you do."
Michael looked at him for a moment, exhaling through his nose before finally standing. "Fine, fine. You win."
"Yeah, that's my boy! Now come on!"
Michael let out another long sigh. Well, at least I showed up at the perfect time — if I'd been even a bit later, something definitely would've happened between him and Hana.
Damn, I'm jealous. I haven't even been able to flirt with her properly yet.
"Hey, dude, hurry up!" Rick called from the doorway, slipping his shoes on.
"Uh, yeah, coming…"