1.
The recipient suddenly went bankrupt overnight. His usually taciturn friend unexpectedly offered a helping hand, proposing a marriage alliance so the recipient could lie low for a while.
At the wedding, through a layer of white veil, the recipient met the gaze of the giver, seated below.
Dressed in a black suit, the giver sat with his long legs crossed and his arms folded over his chest. His face held the brash confidence unique to young people, his features sharp as he stared fixedly at the recipient, his hostility plain to see.
The recipient looked away and exchanged rings with his friend amid the officiant's enthusiastic blessings.
2.
Life as a stepmother really wasn't easy.
The giver had a nasty disposition and would take a jab at him at the slightest provocation. The recipient chalked it up to the giver acting out during puberty and occasionally humored him with a few perfunctory replies. But he never expected the giver's behavior to grow even stranger. The recipient merely attended a banquet with a friend, yet when he got home, he discovered that the giver had blocked him.
The recipient couldn't make sense of it.
Even stranger, late that night, when silence had fallen, two knocks sounded at the door.
The giver stared without a word at the recipient, who had just come out of the bathroom.
Steam filled the air. His black hair was damp, and the corner of his mouth was slightly swollen.
His gaze was blunt and undisguised as it fixed on the recipient's reddened lips.
