The reason I cleared out my high-rise apartment in Gangnam and moved into a two-bedroom officetel was really nothing special. That house was just too big and empty to live in alone. When I returned to a vacant home where no one welcomed me, all that greeted me was the sound of the front door closing echoing through the vast space, followed by silence and darkness.

In that sense, I liked the place I moved to. Security was maintained to some extent since there were only two units per floor, and above all, the house was appropriately small. When I turned on the lights, the brightness reached the end of the living room, and when I turned on the TV, I could hear human voices from anywhere in the house.

Because of that, I inevitably ran into my neighbor occasionally. I figured it didn't matter since I wasn't a celebrity anymore anyway.

The first time I exchanged greetings with the neighbor was on the day I moved in. While taking a walk to explore the new neighborhood, I happened to stop by a rice cake shop. The elderly owner, saying I was a young man she hadn't seen before, asked if I had just moved in. When I said yes, she suggested I should hand out moving-in rice cakes, and somehow I ended up buying a whole batch of sirutteok. I wondered if people even did this kind of thing these days, but since I'd already bought them, I decided to just give them out and rang the doorbell. Fortunately, my neighbor accepted them with a smile. In return, I received a few plums. The plums were delicious.

Coincidences were frequent. Once when the neighbor's package was misdelivered to my door, a few times in the elevator, and a few times at the trash disposal area in front of the building.

It was just that much. The kind of relationship where we greet each other when we meet and exchange a few trivial words about the weather or dinner menus while the elevator goes down. Exactly that much. I didn't know their name or contact info, but it was pleasant enough that I couldn't really call them a stranger anymore.

That day was just another ordinary evening. It was a little past 11:00 PM when I noticed the trash bag was full. It wouldn't have mattered if I waited until tomorrow, but I figured it would only take a few minutes to go down to the basement and back. So, I didn't even bother changing. I was wearing light blue teddy bear pajamas, and the hair clip I'd haphazardly stuck in because it got in the way while washing my face was still there. I even had a black trash bag in one hand. I didn't think anyone would see me like this.

Until I ran into my neighbor, who had stepped out with a trash bag just like I had.

I had stood before thousands of people in stage outfits, and I had smiled in front of rehearsal cameras with a bloated face. I had spent years having photos taken from head to toe at the airport.

But that was when I was an idol. For some reason, right now... it was a bit embarrassing.

After a brief silence, I stepped into the elevator. I tried to subtly hide the bag behind my back, but then I gave up, thinking it was already too late.

The doors closed.

Being alone with them in the cramped elevator made the clip in my hair feel even more bothersome than before. I should have taken it out. I stared blankly at the floor numbers before finally looking to my side. When our eyes met as if they had been waiting, a dry laugh escaped me in spite of myself.

"...Could you maybe pretend you didn't see me today?"

I laughed awkwardly after speaking. Even though I knew it was pointless since they'd already seen everything.

"I'm usually a bit more presentable than this."