The Boy Next World

Prologue

"Where is it? I remember washing it."

In a condo not far from a famous university, on the 18th floor, in a one-bedroom, one-bathroom, and one multipurpose room, a good-looking young man was pacing for the third time. His large, bright eyes scanned the room, and his hands rummaged through the drawers and flipped the duvet in search of something. But no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find it.

"I have no spare either."

The young man was Sisira, or Phukan, a second-year liberal arts student with a cute face highlighted by large eyes, a small nose, and bright lips. His face was becoming increasingly sullen because he couldn't find... his underwear.

"Where are you, Little Orange? Come on out, I'm running late."

Yes, what Phukan was looking for wasn't a textbook, a report, or homework due today, but his underwear. And it had to be orange.

Why orange? Because it was Thursday!

Click.

"Yellow, pink, green, blue, purple, red, they're all here. Where's the orange one?!"

He opened the drawer, revealing neatly folded underwear sorted by color, but today's color was missing. His lips pressed together, and his feet tapped restlessly on the vinyl floor. His big eyes glanced at the mirror reflecting his image.

At the moment, Phukan was wearing a perfectly neat student uniform on his upper body. His hair was still quite messy, but that couldn't hide his cuteness aura. But since he left the bathroom twenty minutes ago, his lower half was only covered by a loosely wrapped towel, leaving what should be covered dangling.

I shouldn't have turned on the air con... it's freezing right now.

RRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

As Phukan hesitated whether to find pants first, his phone rang, making him run to the source of the sound. He knew exactly who was calling.

"Achi, I can't find my undies," he blurted out without greeting his friend, almost like complaining. "I've been looking for ages but can't find it. What should I do?"

[What color are you looking for this time?]

The voice on the other end sounded like someone who'd heard this a million times.

Phukan answered stubbornly, "Orange! It's Thursday, and I have to wear orange."

[Oh, Phu! Any color will do. Just put something on and come out... Phu can't find his underwear again. He's whining now.]

It seemed like his best friend wasn't talking to Phukan at the end but to someone else nearby.

"I'm not whining," Phukan argued, but his voice was nasal. He looked around his bedroom, clothes scattered everywhere just because he couldn't find his beloved orange Kumamon-patterned underwear.

[Oh, really? It's just a pair of underwear, so... Oh, Jin.]

[Hello, Phu.]

Phukan's eyes lit up when the voice on the other end changed to another close friend, making him smile and sit on the bed.

"Jin, I can't find my Little Orange."

[I know.]

The voice on the other end was soft, making Phukan feel relaxed.

"What should I do? If I wear the wrong color, something bad will happen."

[Hmm, but you need to hurry.]