On Sunday afternoon, because it was a holiday, Luca had just woken up after staying up all night working on a project for his upcoming graduation. Today, he just wanted to relax at home. Luca rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and reached for his phone on the nightstand. 12:43pm. Too late to be considered a decent amount of sleep for a normal person, but still an improvement over the last few nights, which had been filled with far too many all-nighters.
He opened his phone, blinking at the glare of the screen. He had several text messages from Seo-in, asking him to call her or stop by her house and spend some time with her. He hadn't seen her since Tuesday, and he felt guilty, knowing she would probably be disappointed that he had once again put her behind his work, but there was just no time.
Luca replied to Seo-in's message and apologized that he wouldn't be able to visit her until later that afternoon. He felt bad about telling Seo-in that he couldn't see her, but he didn't want to worry her by talking about the state of his apartment. The room was a mess, and the mold growing on the walls was getting worse. The apartment smelled faintly of damp air and instant noodles. The mold on the wall had grown into shapes he didn't remember seeing last week.
He got out of bed and walked to the bathroom. He stared into the mirror. The man looking back had hair that stuck out in every direction. He poked at the dark circles under his eyes. As if he checking whether exhaustion has finally taken physical form. Luca grabbed a brush and ran it through his tousled hair, trying to make himself look a little more presentable. He splashed some water on his face, hoping to hide the dark circles under his eyes, but they remained stubborn.
"I guess I should buy some eye cream after that project is done," he muttered to himself.
The bags under his eyes were a permanent fixture on his face nowadays. He had been pushing himself too hard with his studies and the side projects he was working on. It was taking a toll on his physical appearance and his mental health, but he told himself it would be worth it in the end.
The thin little man walked back to his bedroom and started rummaging through his drawers, trying to find a pair of clean clothes. His room was a mess, with clothes and books scattered everywhere. He realized he hadn't done laundry in weeks and most of the clothes he found were dirty.
He ended up putting on a faded, oversized hoodie with a few stains and a pair of jeans that looked and smelled clean enough. He checked his appearance again in the mirror, hoping Seo-in wouldn't notice how much of a mess he was.
Luca was acutely aware of how much more put together Seo-in was compared to him. She was from a wealthy, academic family of medical and business professionals, and she always looked immaculate, with her perfect skin and her tailored clothes. He sometimes wondered why she had fallen for him in the first place.
He sighed and picked up his phone again, scrolling through his texts from Seo-in. He couldn't help but feel like he didn't deserve her. She was too good for him, he thought. He was a mess in every sense of the word, and she was this perfect, sweet, rich, beautiful, and kind girl who had a bright future ahead of her.
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