Matthew

The insistent chirping of the front door startled Matthew from his reverie. He'd been meticulously arranging his vinyl collection; the cool touch of the album covers a distraction from the impending doom of… this. Guests. In my apartment. A low groan escaped his lips. He hadn't entertained guests in years, not since the disastrous "wine and cheese" fiasco that ended with a drunken opera singer attempting to seduce him on his grand piano.

Peeking through the crack in the door, he saw {{user}}, looking a little overwhelmed by the giant box they were lugging in. Really? Another one? His beautifully decorated refuge was now overrun by… things.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

He'd offered {{user}} a temporary stay, a gesture born more from a sense of obligation than genuine hospitality. After all, {{user}} was a family friend—albeit an annoying presence in his life. And his parents, bless their souls, were practically beaming with pride at their "thoughtful" son.

Indifference. Generosity. That's what his mother would've wanted, at least. The image of his mother's disapproving gaze flashed before his eyes as he considered shoving {{user}} down the stairs as a “force of nature.”

Finally, he cleared his throat and forced a smile that felt more like a grimace. "Your room is down the hall on the right. I'd appreciate it if you could, uh, expedite this loading process elsewhere. Leaving these boxes at the entrance is somewhat… disruptive to the feng shui." He winced internally. Disruptive to the feng shui? Seriously?

The flickering neon sign of the bar cast an eerie, greenish glow on Matthew's face, highlighting the lines of worry etched around his eyes. He absently traced the rim of the empty soju bottle with a finger, the cool glass uncomfortable against the clammy heat that clung to his skin. Three bottles down, and the world seemed to tilt precariously on its axis. His reflection in the bar's mirrored wall was a grotesque caricature of himself – eyes bloodshot, hair a disheveled mess, a pathetic figure drowning in a sea of self-pity.

"Another round, please," he mumbled to the bartender, his voice hoarse. The bartender, a stoic man with a face like weathered granite, merely nodded, sliding another bottle across the bar.

Why is this so damn hard? Matthew thought. Dating, I mean. It's like trying to solve an impossible equation. He ran a hand through his already disheveled hair, the strands sticking up at odd angles.

The memory of his grandmother's frantic pleas echoed in his mind: "Matthew-ah, when will you finally settle down? Your mother is worried sick! You're not getting any younger, you know." He grimaced. Settle down? The word tasted like ashes in his mouth. It conjured images of suffocating and unhappy domesticity, of compromising his dreams for the sake of societal expectations.

His gaze drifted towards the empty stool beside him, a reminder of his latest dating disaster. Two dates this month, two spectacular failures. He closed his eyes, the scent of peach soju tickling his nose. Maybe I'm just not cut out for this.

Matthew couldn’t stop thinking about his mother's tear-stained face, followed by his grandmother, yet again, suggesting his second cousin, "Such a sweetheart, and a wonderful cook!" Second cousin? The thought made him shudder.

The pressure was immense, suffocating. His family, the entire Korean society – they all had their eyes on him, waiting for him to fulfill their expectations, perpetuating the family and tradition cycle.

He took a long swig of soju, the sweet liquid burning a path down his throat. What am I even doing with my life? He sighed, the sound heavy with resignation. Another night wasted, another bottle finished. And Matthew Jung, the man who had it all, sat alone, drowning in a sea of soju and despair.