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Vino pushed open the apartment door slowly, drained of energy, and collapsed onto the sofa, followed by his wife.
"Both of your throats look very dry. Do you two need a drink?" A voice asked.
Vira and Vino nodded simultaneously. Yes, they were both exhausted, their minds clouded with complicated thoughts.
Someone handed them a bottle of water.
"Thank you," Vino said, grabbing the bottle without lifting his back from the sofa.
"How about you? Do you need a drink too?"
A bottle appeared in front of Vira's face. She nodded and took the drink, sipping it eagerly.
"Ah, it feels so refreshing!" said the husband and wife in unison, glancing at each other and smiling.
Wait!
Vino and Vira's faces shifted to expressions of shock. Their gazes turned sharp. They weren't sitting close together—Vino on the right side, Vira on the left… then…
Who gave them the drink?
Vira and Vino both straightened up, turning their heads to look at the figure standing in front of them.
"WWWWAAAAAA!!!" the couple screamed in fear.
"Oh my God! My goodness!" The figure was just as startled by their screams.
"Who… who are you?!" Vino asked, pointing a trembling finger.
Vira jumped onto the sofa, shivering at the sight of the eerie figure. She quickly jumped into Vino's arms, her face pale.
"Geez, my dear..." The man made a strange sound, reaching out to touch Vino's hand, but Vino quickly pulled away.
"I ask again—who are you?!" Vino said, ready to call security.
"Calm down, honey, don't you recognize my cute voice? And… who is this beautiful woman, dear? Oh my! You two look so close... makes me jealous!" The voice was soft and feminine.
He reached for Vira's shoulder, but seeing her frightened, Vino stopped him, swatting his hand away.
"Geez, honey, why do you look so scared of me? Do I really look that scary to you?" He asked, sitting closer to Vira.
Naturally, this made Vira even more frightened, and she instinctively clutched Vino tighter.
"Ehem!" Vino noticed his wife's embrace and felt a surge of warmth. He tried to calm himself down.
"You, get out of our apartment before I do something rude!" Vino tried to sound confident. "Calm down… I'll handle this," he whispered in Vira's ear, stroking her back.
A chance in a narrow setting!
"My dear Vino, you look so cool, I've been gone a while, and it surprised me to see how much you've changed," the figure said, reclining on the sofa closer to Vira's feet.
"Vino, he keeps calling your name. Do you know him? Who is he?" Vira whispered, trembling. She buried her head in her husband's chest.
Vino sighed, looking confused. "I… I don't know him either. And besides..."
"Oh my, Vino, do you not recognize me? It's me! I've been your guardian since you were a baby—who bathed you, saw you naked, dressed you, taught you to walk!" The man said irritably.
"Have you forgotten this sweet voice? Even though I've turned into a woman, you shouldn't forget me. I'm so sad!" He began to make a sorrowful face.
"There are many types of fraud in the world. I'll call the police and have you arrested!" Vino threatened.
"Look at me, Vino! Do you recognize me now?" The man removed his fake eyelashes, wiped off his makeup with a wet tissue, and tugged at his gray wig, revealing his short, natural hair.
Vino's eyes widened. "Are you Herman?" he asked, surprised.
"Now you're satisfied! I'm Herman, the beautiful person who took care of you from infancy. I even put your diapers on!" The man said with a pout.
Vino breathed a sigh of relief, glancing at his wife's face. He lightly patted her shoulder, smiling.
He noticed his wife's hands gripping his shirt tightly and felt pleased.
Vino squinted at Herman, giving him a subtle signal.
"Very well, I'll leave the newlyweds to it," Herman whispered, picking up his wig and wet tissue from the table before leaving.
"Vira, you can open your eyes now. He's gone. You don't have to be afraid anymore. I've taken care of it," Vino's voice was soft and comforting.
Vira slowly opened her eyes, looking around. "Has he left?" she asked, still looking cautious.
Vino nodded.
"Thank God..." Vira whispered, relieved.
She realized she had been hugging her husband tightly, and slowly let go of him, pulling away from his chest.
She stood up from the sofa, and Vino followed her.
Both were embarrassed and nervous, their faces flushed, avoiding eye contact.
"I can smell the awkward tension of newlyweds. They can't stay like this for too long. I must help my darling, Vino," Herman whispered from behind the wall, peeking at Vino and Vira, finding their behavior adorable.
He grabbed his suitcase and entered Elvira's room.
Herman was shocked to see the room filled with pink décor. "Looks like this is a woman's room. Does Vino have other women? Impossible. There's only one woman in this house, and that's his wife. A wife should sleep in her husband's room! So, I'll claim this pink room as mine!" Herman flopped onto Elvira's bed.
Herman had a unique posture, about 165 cm tall, weighing 73 kg. His cheeks were round and reddish, making him look endearing even at 47 years old.
"Did you hear that noise from my room?" Vira turned to her husband, hearing something crash from the direction of her room.
"Did a thief break into our house? I mean, your apartment?" she asked, worried.
"Should we check?" Vira suggested.
"Mmm..." Vino looked uncertain, unsure of what to say.
"What's wrong?" Vira asked, surprised.
"I'm trying to explain..." Vino took a deep breath. "Someone will be staying here for a few days. I hope you can cooperate. Can you sleep in my room upstairs while our guest stays here?" Vino asked, his face full of hope and anxiety.
"But we agreed not to sleep together," Vira replied, making Vino nod.
"If you don't want to sleep in my room, then do you prefer sleeping with Herman?" Vino asked.
"What? Who is Herman?" Vira asked, surprised.
"The man is named Herman. He just returned from Europe after plastic surgery. He's now part woman. You can sleep with him if you want. Maybe that makes more sense since you're both women."
Vira shook her head. "You said you kicked him out."
"Yes, kicked him out of the living room. So now he's moved into your room."
Vira chuckled. "Vino, how many unique people are there in your life?"
Vino stepped closer, grabbed her shoulders, and embraced her.
"Do you want to know more about me?"
Vira didn't answer.
Vino lowered his head, his lips near her ear. "How about you start finding out from my bed?"
Vira rubbed her forehead. "I don't think I should trust your family either. Besides being unique, are they good at lying?"
[His father said his son wasn't interested in women, but why does he look so aggressive and passionate? Are they fooling me?]
Crash!
"What was that sound?"
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