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Chapter 10

He takes off his spectacles and puts them on the table before leaning his back against the chair and looking up at the ceiling. He rubs his eyes for a while before proceeding to massage his forehead. The amount of time he spent on the computer screen begins to take a toll on him. He was too focused on his work earlier that he did not realize how long he has been sitting in the same spot without moving. Right now, his whole body is throwing a tantrum, forcing him to take a break.

He continues to relieve his headache and sore eyes for a while before gazing back at the computer screen. He has no intention or desires to continue with his work for now. Instead, he saves it and gets up from his seat. He walks around the room, stretching and exercising a little as he walks. The cracking sounds that his body makes after each movement give him so much relief and pleasure, even though it is coated with pain. The whole room is filled with his moans and growls.

After spending a few minutes relieving his sore body, he stands up straight in the middle of the room and looks around him. Now that he has finished his little exercising session, the feeling of boredom slips into his heart. However, he is still not in the mood to take his seat and get back to his work. His mind spins, searching for an activity to occupy his time. A few moments of thinking later, he decides to warm up his body and relax further with some hot coffee.

His steps to the kitchen are accompanied by nothing but silence. Only the soft sounds from vehicles on the road and the neighbouring houses keep him from loneliness. Though, a trace of it still found its way into his heart. He keeps reminding himself that he lives alone to comfort himself. Having a conversation with himself helps to get rid of the feeling a bit. Plus, it is already quite late into the night at the moment.

As soon as he steps into the kitchen, he goes straight to fulfil his intention without delay. He grabs a mug from the shelf and puts it on the kitchen cabinet before reaching for a spoon and putting it inside the mug. He pulls out the drawer right below the mug. A few sachets of various kinds of instant drinks greet his sight. He takes out a sachet and puts it together with the spoon.

His focus then switches to the kettle a few inches away from the mug. He taps it with his fingers, checking its temperature. It is cold. As cold as water. He opens the lid, only to find that the kettle is half full. He brings it to the sink and refills it with tap water before returning it to its spot and flicking the switch. While waiting for his hot water, he steps to the table, takes his seat and plays with his phone.

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A sudden tapping sound of the kettle's switch automatically turns off hitting his eardrums. His gaze shifts from his phone screen to the kettle. He takes his time to finish reading the news article before turning off his phone and putting it down on the table. He returns to his mug and begins his work. The sachet packaging is torn and the content is emptied into the mug before it is mixed with hot water. He then approaches the refrigerator and takes out a tin of condensed milk. He scoops some of it with the spoon and mixes all the ingredients in his mug. He spends quite some time doing the same thing until he gets the desired coffee taste. Once he is satisfied, he puts the milk back into the refrigerator, grabs his phone and leads his steps toward the living room.

However, he does not actually have any plan for what to do in the living room. He just stands still in the middle of the living room, sipping his hot coffee and searching for anything that can spark his interest. Unfortunately for him, the living room is so 'clean' from anything exciting. There is a TV there, but he is not in the mood to stare at another screen after his computer and phone. That leaves him with only one option in his mind. He approaches the sliding door that separates the balcony and the living room. He forgot to close the curtain earlier. But now that he can see the outside world, he decides to enjoy the view for a moment.