"Teacher Rai, goodbye."
Rai nodded politely, giving a small wave in return. Teacher Lia, however, seemed far more enthusiastic than usual, almost bouncing as she said her goodbye.
She was acting a little too strange, not going to lie.
Rai sighed quietly to himself as he left the school grounds, thinking back on the day as he began the familiar walk home. For some reason, though, his eye kept twitching.
"I don't need anything worse happening today," he muttered under his breath.
He rubbed his eye and sighed again, already calculating in his mind what he should cook for dinner. Something simple, probably. He didn't have the energy to make anything complicated.
But as he reached the house, his thoughts abruptly stopped.
"Whose vehicle is that?"
Rai paused almost instantly when he spotted an unfamiliar car parked beside Zade's.
The car definitely wasn't one he had seen before. Rai narrowed his eyes slightly, examining it as he approached.
"Did Zade get guests?" he wondered.
That thought immediately annoyed him.
"Why didn't that idiot tell me beforehand?" Rai muttered under his breath. "Or… did they arrive later?"
He clicked his tongue in irritation.
Rai hated situations like this. Not because he wanted to hide from people, but because this could have been completely avoided. If Zade had simply informed him earlier, Rai could have easily gone to town, wandered around the shops, or killed time somewhere until the guests left.
Now he had to deal with it.
"Tsk."
Clenching his fist slightly, Rai decided he would simply ignore whoever it was. He didn't have to talk to Zade's guests anyway. As far as anyone was concerned, he was just a roommate.
Nothing more.
With that in mind, Rai walked quickly past the car and stepped toward the house.
One foot landed on the doorstep.
Then he froze.
The guest.
Or rather… that one guest.
The man standing inside the living room was not unfamiliar at all.
'So it's his father.'
Rai stopped completely.
His eyes slowly moved toward Zade.
Something immediately felt off.
Zade's usual smug grin was nowhere to be seen. His face looked pale, tense, almost sick.
That was rare.
Honestly, seeing Zade miserable would normally be a very pleasant sight for Rai. But something about the atmosphere now made it difficult to enjoy it.
"Is this your roommate?"
The voice came from the older man standing beside Zade.
Rai turned his head slowly and looked at him.
The man looked exactly as Rai remembered.
Ugly. Old. And arrogant.
"Yes," Zade answered shortly.
Rai shifted his gaze back to Zade, who was now squinting slightly at him.
The message in that look was obvious.
Don't start anything.
Normally, that would have been enough to make Rai do the opposite out of pure spite. But for some reason, seeing Zade's father standing there drained any desire to argue.
Instead, Rai only felt sick.
He truly hated this man.
"Excuse me," Rai said flatly.
He didn't stay around to exchange pleasantries. He didn't even try to pretend politeness. Instead, he walked straight past them and headed for his room, his fists clenched tightly.
The moment the door closed behind him, old memories began creeping back into his mind.
It had happened after a fight years ago.
Both of their parents had been called to the school.
Rai remembered it clearly.
Zade's father had openly insulted Rai's mother.
And she had just sat there quietly.
She hadn't argued.
She hadn't cried.
She had simply lowered her eyes and listened.
Rai remembered how ashamed he had felt that day.
He had wanted to defend her so badly, but he stayed silent. Because he knew his mother hated causing trouble. If he had argued, it would have only made things worse for her.
He knew the signs.
When his mother didn't speak… didn't cry… and only stared quietly ahead...
It meant she was deeply disappointed.
Rai sighed heavily and leaned back against the wall.
He couldn't completely blame Zade's father. After all, Rai had been part of the reason the parents were called to school that day.
But that didn't stop the resentment.
He was angry at the man.
And just as angry at himself.
"He looks familiar."
The voice outside suddenly reached Rai's ears.
Zade's father.
Rai frowned slightly.
'So he doesn't recognize me?'
At that exact moment, Zade had also gone still.
'He didn't recognize him.'
A wave of relief washed over Zade instantly.
He quickly brushed off his father's doubts, steering the conversation in another direction. It worked, but at a cost.
His father began talking about marriage again.
Inside his room, Rai sat quietly on the edge of his bed.
"So… his father is forcing him to get married soon," Rai thought.
He glanced toward the bathroom door.
Now he felt awkward about leaving his room.
How was he supposed to go wash up while that man was still here?
After a moment of hesitation, Rai gave up on the idea completely.
The old man clearly wasn't leaving anytime soon.
So instead, Rai pulled out a stack of student papers and began marking them.
"I'll wash later," he muttered. "I'd rather stay in this room than see his face again."
Thankfully, it seemed like Zade's father only wanted a brief look at the mysterious roommate.
Or maybe the principal, who happened to be his good friend, had already told him enough about Rai.
Either way, the man didn't press further.
Around 3:30 in the afternoon, Zade felt like a heavy weight had suddenly lifted from his shoulders.
His father finally stood up.
"Daughter, get in the car," the older man said. "It's already past three. Let's leave."
Zade watched as the girl hurried outside and rushed into the car.
He already knew she wouldn't appear in front of him again.
He was certain she had understood something important today.
Either she realized that Zade clearly didn't like her…
Or she realized her future father-in-law would be an absolute nightmare.
"Good," Zade muttered under his breath.
"Zade."
"Dad."
The older man looked at him sternly.
"Apply for a transfer immediately. I will call the necessary people and get it approved as soon as possible."
Zade stared at him.
"…No thanks, Dad."
His father's expression hardened.
"I don't understand why you insist on staying in this filthy place," he said coldly. "But you will not remain here forever."
Zade remained silent.
"I'll give you one month. No, two months," the man continued. "Stay here all you want. Enjoy yourself. Waste time however you like."
Then his voice turned colder.
"But after that, you are coming back home."
Zade's jaw tightened.
"You will marry the girl I choose for you."
"That's final."
Before Zade could respond, his father had already turned and walked out the door.
The conversation was over.
The car engine started moments later.
Zade stood there alone in the living room, staring at the closed door.
His hands slowly clenched into fists.
"Shit…"
He dragged a hand through his hair in frustration.
"Why is my life so damn shitty?"