Chapter 1 — Affair.1

Cash baccarat, hold'em, slots.

Three years had already passed since I first met her.

Back then, things weren't going well for me. Work was stagnant, and I was drowning in stress—time stretched endlessly, unmanageable and suffocating.

I turned on the computer, sat blankly, and created a room. I queued up a few popular songs from that time—popular in a dubious sort of way—and let them play.

While sipping coffee, a private message popped up. That's how the conversation began.

For about thirty minutes, we exchanged simple greetings and chatted idly about life. Then she asked to limit the room's participants.

"Why did you make this room?"

"Huh...?"

My dumb, clueless reply.

"Are you trying to find a lover?"

"No, just bored..."

When she asked if I was married, I answered plainly that I was.

Then she asked if I was having an affair.

"No..."

I replied awkwardly, immediately embarrassed. How ridiculous.

This woman really asks about everything, I thought.

Her questions kept coming, one after another. My replies were brief, sometimes typed with a nervous sweat. I must've looked like a joke—fumbling through words, trying to keep up.

I asked her back.

"Are you married?"

"..."

"?"

"Yes... I am."

She answered hesitantly. Why?

Suddenly, she said she wanted to hear my voice. Seriously? What a bizarre moment.

When I asked why, she simply replied:

"Just... because."

Then my phone rang. I had to cut the chat short.

"Sorry... work call."

It was a customer consultation, urgent. I switched windows, explained things back and forth—lost quite a bit of time. When I finally hung up and returned to the chat window, she was gone.

That was how that day ended. I forgot about it and moved on.

About a week later, I opened the room again. For a couple of hours, I just listened to music I liked.

Occasionally answered inquiry calls. Drank a few cups of coffee.

After a long stretch of boredom, someone walked in.

Before I could even finish typing "Hello...", a message flew in.

"Looks like you're hunting for a lover again."

"Who is this?"

"You already forgot me?"

She introduced herself—said we'd had that brief chat a few days ago.

"Oh. Sorry."

She told me she'd added me as a friend that first night.

"Oh, I see..."

"But... how do you even do friend registration?"

I asked stupidly. Dammit. If I did this often, I'd know.

"Oh my~ You know how to broadcast, but not how to add friends?"

"Broadcasting just shows up on the main page. I just followed the instructions."

"So you don't chat much?"

";"

"But seriously, did you really make this room to find a lover?"

"My fingers are like eagles—too scared to even try. Haha."

After a few jokes, she suddenly asked for my phone number.

"Just curious what your voice sounds like," she said.

When she followed up by asking what I looked like, I almost embellished it—then thought better of it. It'd be ridiculous.

I gave a modest description of my appearance, then asked:

"Why do you keep bringing up lovers? Do you need one?"

I meant it as a joke, of course.

"............"

She stayed silent for a long time.

Maybe she was busy with something else.

I switched the music, hoping to shake off the gloom, then returned to the chat window.

There was one message from her.

"Yes..."

"..."

I teased lightly, half-joking.

"You must be really bored."

"No. I really need a lover."

"Your husband would blow up if he found out."

"Things between us have been bad lately..."

"?"

"We fight every single day."

"Well... couples argue sometimes. It happens."

"Yes. But our fights last so long now we don't even talk anymore."

"Haha... Still, if you just grab any random guy as a lover, that could end badly..."

"I know. But I'm just... so lonely."

Silence settled between us.

.

"Well... I guess it's none of my business to lecture you. But maybe try making peace with your husband first."

"I'll go now."

"?"

"You're such a fake moralist. I hate that."

"^^;"

"Men... drool over women but act all innocent. I hate it."

"Haha... How can anyone live purely on instinct, doing whatever they feel like?"

"Hmph. Hypocrites."

"Ugh... nothing clever comes to mind. Tsk."

"So you're happily married, no need for a lover?"

Her tone was slightly mocking. I didn't know how to answer.

I'm a man too. I'm not always rational. Geez, I had nothing to say.

"I'll reflect on myself."

"On what?"

"You know—being two-faced. Pretending to be so righteous..."

"Do you not need a lover?"

She asked.

What could I say?

"When I think about it, it's hard."

"?"

"Sex..."

"Yeah... if you're not even talking to your husband."

"My husband probably takes care of things outside."

"?"

"He comes home late sometimes, drunk in the early morning... Men have opportunities, don't they?"

"I guess so..."

"When we were newlyweds, I didn't get it. But now that I'm older, I sometimes miss the smell of a man."

"I understand. Sex isn't just for men. We're all human, after all."

"Exactly. But women don't get chances to meet men outside their husbands."

"But just meeting random guys through chat like this... feels kind of dangerous."

"I know... but I'm just so lonely."

"Just... please be careful. Find a wolf without any strings attached."

"..."

"Phew."

"?"

"I'm kind of scared."

"As a man, I'm telling you—be careful. One wrong move and it's over."

"I know."

"..."

"You seem like a decent guy..."

"Oh come on~ You flatter me. I'm just another wolf in the pack."

"Then just be friends with me."

"I'm nothing special. Boring, broke, not even that great a person."

"Just someone I can talk to. That's all."

"Well... that I can do."

"Nothing more than that?"

" hahaha... It's not that. I just need free time to even be a chat friend."

"You're busy?"

"No, actually I've been really idle lately. Half-unemployed, basically."

"Half-unemployed?"

"Yeah. Work's been terrible—I'm practically jobless these days... King~"

"Things will get better when the economy picks up. Hang in there."

"Yeah, I should stay positive. You cheer up too. If you keep trying, something good will happen."

"Like finding a man?"

"Ahhahaha."

" ^^"

I was stuck in this half-jobless life, laughing bitterly.

But honestly, having free time during the day—really savoring it like this—wasn't all that bad.

Monday morning. Once again, a jobless man with no job. I stared blankly into the distance, then logged in after a long time, created a music room, poured a cup of coffee, and sat at my desk.

A few minutes later, a private message popped up.

"Switch to private mode."

It was her—the one I'd talked to before.

"Have you been well? Did you make up with your husband?"

"No. Same as always..."

"Huh... What can I even say to comfort you?"

"Buy me a drink."

She suddenly suggested going out for drinks.

"Ah... uh... Actually, I don't like alcohol..."

"..."

"I can do coffee, though..."

"I'm really lonely. Maybe that's why I want to meet anyone..."

"In moments like this, should I just say,'Me too, I'm lonely'?"

""

"Sorry. I just... can't think of the right thing to say. If I upset you, I'm sorry."

"^^"

"Did your husband go to work?"

"Yeah. Left this morning without even seeing my face."

"Wow. That's serious."

"What's serious? It's like this every day. I've just accepted it now."

"I see..."

She asked if I was busy today.

I said no—same as always, just sitting here chatting.

After a long silence, she asked:

"You asked for my number first, but you won't give me yours. Do I make you uncomfortable?"

"Ah... haha... I thought you were just asking casually..."

"I don't feel safe giving mine. Tell me yours."

For a moment, I realized—yeah, that made sense.

"Alright. My number is xxx-xxx-xxxx."

"Just a sec..."

"?"

"I'm writing it down."

"!"

She said she'd had an exhausting, draining day.

"Cheer up. Don't give up easily..."

"You always sound like some noble sage."

"No, I just want you to feel better... ^^;"

"..."

I was staring hard at the monitor when my phone on the desk suddenly started vibrating violently.

I picked it up. The screen read: Caller ID Blocked.

Who could it be?

"Hello...?"

"..."

"Hello?"

"..."

"Please speak."

"..."

I assumed it was a prank call and was about to hang up when a faint voice came through.

"Um... hello?"

A slightly trembling voice.

"Who is this...?"

"It's me... the one you're talking to now."

"Oh! I thought someone was prank-calling because you weren't saying anything."

"..."

An awkward silence stretched between us.

"Um..."

She spoke first.

"Calling like this... do you think I'm a weird woman?"

I answered with an awkward laugh.

"I just... wanted to talk."

"Yeah. I'm glad too. ^^"

Another uncomfortable silence.

I remember exchanging a few more words.

After a short call, we returned to chatting through the message window.

Marital struggles. Parenting stress. Just life in general. ^^;

We probably talked for over an hour.

"Can you meet me today? Be someone I can talk to in person?"

I couldn't answer easily.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"Not exactly..."

"Then... spend some time with me. life's just so dull..."

I said yes, but truthfully, I hesitated.

We set a time and place, then closed the chat window.