When I come home exhausted from work and open the apartment door, the first thing that welcomes me is just one thing.

It's an old, shabby gray couch that has settled in the corner of my living room.

The middle has already sunk deeply with butt prints, and the color has faded here and there, clearly showing its age.

When I'm tired and just flop down onto the couch, my mind simply relaxes.

No one says anything, no one expects anything, it just quietly accepts me.

At work, it's always about performance and results.

Even when I meet friends, it's just the same conversation: "How have you been?" "Oh, just the same."

Honest feelings? There's no time to talk about that, and the atmosphere doesn't allow it.

Everyone is busy, everyone is just trying to get by.

But this couch is different.

Even if I sit there blankly or lie down staring at my phone, it doesn't say a word. It doesn't give me any hints.

Perhaps this couch is the only place in the world where I can rest without worrying about anything.

A few years ago, when I moved, I seriously considered it once.

Should I replace it with a new one? How about a trendy black leather sofa? Something more modern?

But while wandering around the store, I suddenly thought.

'Throwing away this couch isn't just getting rid of a piece of furniture; it's like throwing away the last few years of my life.'

I've cried here, laughed here, and there were days I lay here in pain.

This is where I sat alone drinking after fighting with my girlfriend,

where I tossed and turned all night before my first day at work,

and where I sat all day in a daze after quitting my job.

Maybe that's why it feels like this couch knows me better than I know myself now.

It seems to understand how tired I am, what I'm feeling, as if it knows without me saying a word.

Sometimes when friends come over and say, "Hey, you should change this, it's all worn out," I laugh it off, but inside I think.

Everyone has something that understands them.

For some, it might be a dog, a guitar, or a long-time partner.

For me, it's this couch.

Today too, when I come home exhausted, I take off my shoes and just flop down.

Then this guy quietly whispers to me.

"Yeah, you did well. Just rest."