was being carried somewhere. Nurses in green robes were talking to me, but I couldn’t hear them. Had he collapsed without knowing it and was taken to the emergency room?
I wanted to ask why, but they left me in the middle of the operating room and went somewhere.
The inside of the operating room was pitch-black and quiet at the same time. For a few minutes lying on the operating table where the cool energy rises.
“I’m sorry, Dojin-ah. Have you been waiting long?”
The person who opened the door of the operating room was Dasom’s older sister.
“Ugh… … . Our poor Dojin is really messed up. There is no such thing as a good place.”
As if sadly sighing and caressing me, my sister’s hand felt very kind and warm.
“It’s okay though, I’ll fix it from now on. Trust only my sister.”
Dasomi noona said that and took the scalpel out of the shelf. Soon after, there was a squeaking sound and a sensation as if something was being cut. it was my tongue
“I’ll change the tongue first… … ? From the tongue that finds unhealthy animal food to be delicious, and the naughty tongue that tempts our precious Dojini.”
My sister continued to cut out parts of my body.
Hands, feet, and organs inside the body are all cut out and replaced with the parts that my sister brought.
“Finally, just change this and you’re done. Yep, if we just replace the bad brain that makes our Dojin only think badly… … .”
it can be cured
I opened my eyes.
In front of you is a white ceiling. The hands and feet that had been replaced a while ago were all restored to their original state.
this is my house My precious home, which seems to be blown away at any moment when the wind blows because it is empty.
There is nothing here. Only me alone is left alone.
Suddenly, I became unbearably afraid.
– Ding-dong.
I got up at the sudden sound of the doorbell and looked at the intercom. Blurred eye color and bangs like weeds sticking out of the rotten hair. it’s midsummer I just opened the door.
“… … Haven’t you slept? What is your face?”
“No, I was sleeping a while ago.”
Midsummer scratched his nose and continued talking.
“Anyway, get ready.”
“Where?”
“Where is it, a department store? You said you were going to cheat. Washing machine and refrigerator… … And put clothes on as you go. It seems that a strange smell is coming from there.”
As soon as I heard those words, the image of the department store was pictured in my mind. A landscape filled with objects without any gaps.
“… … okay.”
After having a simple breakfast at a nearby kimbap restaurant, we got on the bus going to the city.
“One adult, one student.”
“Yes, you can take a picture now.”
A middle-aged man sitting on a chair and sleeping while shaking his head, a group of male students chattering about internet broadcasting. Even a woman in a sweatshirt memorizing English words while wearing earphones.
Thousands of people were getting on the bus with their respective destinations, while only the two of us were looking out the window.
* * *
As soon as I stepped into the men’s clothing store in the department store, I started sweeping clothes at random.
Sweatpants, blazers and short sleeve T-shirts, slacks, jeans and Hawaiian shirts. If it’s clothes, just put them in the shopping cart.
“Second, in total, it will be two hundred and two hundred thousand won.”
After completing the checkout, go to the store next door and repeat the same thing. Over and over again until the empty shopping cart is filled with clothes.
“… … What is all this?”
Midsummer, who was waiting for me in front of the escalator, opened her mouth when she saw the shopping bags in my hand.
“dress.”
“I know that. I mean, I mean, obviously, I told you to buy some clothes.”
There was only one small shopping bag in Midsummer’s hand, who was groaning lightly.
“Why did you only buy this?”
“This is enough. There is nowhere to put them in the motel anyway.”
“Because it’s okay, buy more.”
I felt it was quite annoying, so I took the midsummer with me to a women’s clothing store and swept my clothes.
It wasn’t until I saw his hand full of shopping bags that I stopped walking.
“No, are you really crazy? All of a sudden, what is this?”
“Now let’s go buy a refrigerator. He said he had a choice.”
“Come on, wait a minute. let’s go together!”
Even in the home appliance section, I bought random things. Not only the refrigerator and washing machine that we originally planned to buy, but also miscellaneous items such as stylers, vacuum cleaners, dishwashers, the latest console game consoles, air purifiers, and air conditioners.
―Well, what are you doing, starting in the morning… … .
―Well, he looks younger than my son… … .
“I will pay in a lump sum. Do you do the installation separately?”
“Hey, four! Just tell me the date you want. We will take care of everything from delivery to installation.”
As I was sweeping things one by one in that way, the huge televisions displayed on the wall caught my eye. Across the screen, an animated movie that was a huge hit by word-of-mouth with brilliant colors was playing.
“… … Will you buy it too?”
Midsummer with a tired face spoke to me. I was walking in a different direction every now and then, and at some point it got quieter, and it’s been like that all the time.
“uh.”
“It would fill one side of the wall.”
“it’s okay.”
Rather a better story. If only I could fill that empty house a little more… … .
I decided to buy the largest TV on the shelf. When the payment was finished, a man in a suit approached and bowed his head.
“Oh, thank you very much for visiting our department store today. Well, when I checked, it seems that you didn’t have a private car that you brought… … . If you don’t mind, leave it to us. We will deliver it safely to your home.”
“Yes, thank you.”
After handing over the items to the staff, we left the home appliance store and headed towards the escalator.
“End with this? Are you no longer living?”
“yes.”
“How the hell did you spend today? A person who wasn’t even interested in shopping until a few days ago… … .”
It was like a midsummer’s word. It was the first time I had ever bought and spent so much money.
And maybe tomorrow too. I thought so.
“what?”
The footsteps of midsummer stopped. It was because a tent was blocking the front of the escalator. The clerk next to him sighed and shook his head.
“We are very sorry for the inconvenience. This escalator is currently unavailable, so please use the one on the other side.”
As the clerk said, from beyond the tent, several men in safety suits were repairing the escalator. They followed the instructions of the person in charge to remove the defective part and then put in a new one.
– Our poor Dojin.
I lost my focus and collapsed due to the sharp dizziness that suddenly dug into my head, and I grabbed the pillar with all my might.
“Hey, customer! Are you okay?”
The clerk and Midsummer were shouting at me, but I couldn’t hear them properly. The sensations throughout his body were a mess.
No, there was a sound. A squeaking, the sound of something being cut.
“1, 119. Hurry up!”
“it’s okay.”
I calmed the midsummer screaming at the clerk and sat down on a chair near the elevator.
“Are you really okay?”
“I’m a little tired.”
Midsummer looked at my face with an expression of disbelief and got up.
“I’m not going anywhere, I’m just sitting there. I’ll buy you a cup of coffee.”
I nodded. I didn’t have the energy to respond anymore.
“… … .”
Unlike the store filled with goods and the sound of music, the elevator in front of it was empty. The red light of the elevator that was lit in front of my eyes reminded me of the lamp in the operating room I saw in my dream last night.
Sickness was running down my throat, but I couldn’t move. It feels like something is tight. I couldn’t help but hold my breath and pray that the lights in the elevator would go out.
It was then that the door opened.
“Yoo Do-jin?”
A calm voice cuts the silence. Black hair running down my shoulders lifted my head.
An empty theater, an old projector from a club, a mischievous smile that tickles the eyes, a friend and boss.
“It’s Yoo Do-jin.”
And the one I liked.
“What are you doing here?”
Chae Seol-ha’s feet are heard, and the sound of high heels echoing through the walls. I wanted to give an answer, but my head hurt like it was going to break.
“It looks like you came here to do some flexing with that handsome coin. But for a person like that, doesn’t it look so good?”
He squatted down as he stopped in front of me and was shoveling snow.
“Looks like it was very difficult. Seeing you can’t speak.”
As if to appease a troublesome child, she kept eye level with me and continued the conversation.
“How is it, now that I’m retired, you know? How much did I usually care for you? That I am the only one who can accept something like you. But f*ck… … .”
Read at nobelmtl.com
Cold, frozen eyes stared at me.
“Why do you keep getting upset? uh? I was very hungry. I said, don’t beg later and do well while you’re there. Then what if I fall for you?”
fear.
At her words, the primal fear that had pushed her into the corner of her heart raised her head.
Chae Seol-ha’s warm hand caressed my trembling hand.
“Then you’re really alone, aren’t you? I hate that.”
Chae Seol-ha laughed bashfully. Her hand was still stroking mine.
“If you know, let’s do better next time. Starting tomorrow, I will go back to work as usual-”
“Uh, uh-”
In an instant, brown liquid poured over Chae Seol-ha’s head.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry… … !”
Chae Seol-ha, blindly blinking her eyes, without being able to properly respond to the sudden situation.
Midsummer nodded his head towards her.
“Suddenly my foot slipped… … . I’m really sorry!”
Coffee and ice cubes spilled over Chae Seol-ha’s head dripping down to the floor.
“… … it’s okay. Wasn’t there any injuries there?”
“Yes Yes… … . Hey, rice, I’ll pay you back. That, laundry.”
A skit was taking place right before my eyes.
“No, it’s okay.”
“Let’s go to the bathroom first. I will wipe it off.”
“Hey, I’m really fine… … .”
Han Yeo-reum pushed Chae Seol-ha’s back and at the same time turned her head toward me and spoke to me.
‘Get out, quickly.’
* * *
Waiting for a few minutes to stand at the taxi stop in front of the department store, I opened the door of the department store and walked out with the footsteps of midsummer. Midsummer, who found me soon after, frowned and opened his mouth.
“No, I’m not going, what are you doing there? If you ever get caught like this again.”
“What are you doing.”
“What?”
Midsummer looked at me, taking off the shichimi. It was enough to feel a bit of displeasure at that abominable expression.
“Why did you intervene?”
“Is there a law that says that he can help and not me?”
Midsummer uttered only those words and walked towards the bus stop. With that dignified appearance, I couldn’t continue talking any longer.
We got on the bus and returned home. The inside of the bus looked even quieter than it had been in the morning, and now there were only the two of us in it.
“A lot of it.”
Midsummer murmured when she saw the parcels piled up like a mountain in front of the gate. The guy soon started moving the box with a whimper.
“I can do it alone, so let’s go now.”
“It’s noisy. There’s nothing to do if we go back there anyway.”
