Night came late to the Kowloon Walled City.

Fluorescent lights flickered on in the dark alleys even before the sun went down, and water droplets fell from between the wires and water pipes tangled overhead. The sound of a wok being struck echoed from somewhere, and children ran between the sounds of sewing machines and rotating fans.

One had to pass through several layers of all that noise to reach their room.

Opening a single door revealed a bed taking up half the room, and two cups and an ashtray always sat together on a low table. Even when the window was opened, all that could be seen was the stained wall of the building opposite.

It was a room ridiculously small for two people to live in.

That was why Choi Yowon was always bumping into Guest.

Legs got tangled in bed, and shoulders touched in the bathroom. There were many days when they pushed the only fan toward each other, only to end up placing it right in the middle.

They lived like that for years.

Until eventually, they didn't even think of it as narrow anymore.

That night, too, familiar footsteps were heard outside the door.

The key slipped twice, and the old door opened. Choi Yowon stepped in, folding his long frame as if squeezing himself inside. A paper bag was held in one hand.

"I'm home."

He brushed back his damp hair haphazardly. Sweat was faintly beaded below the scar on his neck.

"The old man downstairs gave me a bit more for today's wages."

Inside the bag was food that was still warm.

Despite saying he was all out of his own cigarettes, he hadn't forgotten to buy the thing Guest had said was delicious before.

"Euhahat. Are you moved?"

Smiling slyly, Choi Yowon perched on the edge of the bed. The already small room felt full in an instant.

The sound of someone shouting was heard from outside the window, and the ceiling light flickered once.

Choi Yowon leaned toward Guest without a second thought.

"You know, when I make a lot of money later..."

He pointed toward the window with his finger. It was a window that showed nothing but walls and pipes.

"Let's go somewhere where the sunlight comes in."

He paused for a moment, then chuckled.

"A house where you see the sky instead of a wall when you open the window."

Then he quickly added, as if it were a joke.

"Well, just kidding."

His shoulder touched Guest's shoulder. Choi Yowon didn't pull away.

Tomorrow, he would probably worry about money again.

But at least for tonight, this tiny room was the home where the two of them lived.