Chapter 7: So, you know what it’s like when you quit your job?

I was being carried somewhere. Nurses in green gowns were saying something to me, but I couldn’t hear them properly. Did I collapse and get 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 silent. I lay on the cold operating table for several minutes.

“Sorry, Dojin. Did you wait long?”

It was Dasom who opened the door and entered the operating room.

“Oh dear… Our poor Dojin, you’re a complete mess. There’s nothing intact.”

Her hand, caressing me as she sighed sadly, felt incredibly loving and comforting.

“But it’s okay, I’ll fix you now. Just trust me.”

Dasom said that and took a scalpel from the shelf. Then, I felt a scraping sensation, as if something was being cut off. It was my tongue.

“First, I’ll replace your tongue… The tongue that enjoys unhealthy animal products, the wicked tongue that tempts our precious Dojin.”

She continued to carve out parts of my body.
My hands, feet, and internal organs were all removed and replaced with parts she brought.

“Just replacing this and we’re done. Yes, once I replace this wicked brain that fills our Dojin with bad thoughts…”

You’ll be cured.

I opened my eyes.
A white ceiling was above me. My hands, feet, everything that had been replaced was back to normal.
I was in my house. My precious house, so empty that it felt like it would fly away if the wind blew.

There was nothing here. Only I was left alone.
Suddenly, I felt unbearably afraid.

—Ding-dong.

Startled by the sudden doorbell, I got up and checked the intercom. Blurry eyes, messy hair sticking out like weeds, and the faint smell of decay. It was Han Yeoreum. I opened the door.

“…You weren’t sleeping? Your face…”
“No, I was sleeping until just now.”

Han Yeoreum scratched her nose awkwardly and continued.

“Anyway, get ready.”
“Where are we going?”
“Where else? The department store. We’re going to finish buying things. The washing machine, refrigerator… and clothes while we’re at it. You’re starting to smell.”

As soon as I heard those words, an image of the department store formed in my mind. A scene packed with goods, without a single gap.

After a simple breakfast at a nearby kimbap restaurant, we boarded the bus to the city center.

“One adult, one student.”
“Okay, you can tag your cards now.”

A middle-aged man dozing off in his seat, a group of boys chattering about internet broadcasts, a woman in a tracksuit memorizing English words with earphones on.
Countless people boarded the bus with their own destinations, while the two of us stared blankly out the window.

****

As soon as I entered the men’s clothing section of the department store, I started grabbing clothes indiscriminately.
Tracksuits, blazers, t-shirts, slacks, jeans, Hawaiian shirts. I shoved any and all clothes into the shopping cart.

“That will be 2.2 million won in total.”

After paying, I went into the next store and repeated the same process. Again and again, until the empty cart was overflowing with clothes.

“…What is all this?”

Han Yeoreum, who was waiting for me at the escalator, gaped at the shopping bags in my hands.

“Clothes.”
“I know that. I mean, I told you to buy clothes, but…”

Han Yeoreum, letting out a faint groan, held only a small shopping bag in her hand.

“Why did you only buy this much?”
“This is enough. There’s nowhere to put them in anyway—”
“Just buy more.”

Annoyed, I took Han Yeoreum to the women’s clothing section and filled her shopping bags with clothes.
Only after her hands were full did I finally stop.

“No, are you crazy? What is all this suddenly?”
“Let’s go buy a refrigerator now. You said you picked one out.”
“W-Wait! Let’s go together!”

In the appliance section, I continued buying things indiscriminately. Not just the refrigerator and washing machine I had planned to buy, but also a clothing care system, a vacuum cleaner, a dishwasher, a latest-generation game console, an air purifier, an air conditioner, and other miscellaneous items.

—What is he doing, so early in the morning…
—I know, he looks younger than my son…

“I’ll pay in full. Do you offer installation services?”
“Y-Yes! Just tell us your preferred date. We’ll handle everything from delivery to installation.”

As I continued sweeping up items, a huge television displayed on the wall caught my eye. A brightly colored animated movie, which had become a box office hit through word-of-mouth, was playing on the screen.

“…Are you going to buy that too?”

Han Yeoreum, looking exhausted, asked tentatively. She had been constantly objecting to everything, but at some point, she had become quiet and remained that way.

“Yeah.”
“It’ll take up an entire wall.”
“It’s okay.”

In fact, it’s even better. If I can fill that empty house, even a little…
I decided to buy the largest television on display. As I finished paying, a man in a suit approached and bowed his head.

“Th-Thank you very much for visiting our department store today. I-I noticed that you didn’t bring a car… If you don’t mind, please leave it to us. We’ll deliver it safely to your home.”
“Yes, thank you.”

After handing over the purchased items to the staff, we left the appliance section and headed towards the escalator.

“Is that it? You’re not buying anything else, right?”
“Yeah.”
“How much did you spend today? A few days ago, you weren’t even interested in shopping…”

She was right. It was the first time I had bought so many things and spent so much money.
And I might be back here tomorrow. That thought crossed my mind.

“Huh?”

Han Yeoreum stopped walking. A tent was blocking the escalator. A nearby employee bowed his head.

“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. This escalator is currently unavailable, please use the one on the other side.”

As the employee said, several workers in safety vests were repairing the escalator behind the tent. They were removing broken parts and replacing them with new ones under the supervisor’s instructions.

—Our poor Dojin.

Suddenly, a sharp dizziness pierced my head. I lost my balance and stumbled, grabbing a pillar with all my might.

“C-Customer! Are you okay?”

The employee and Han Yeoreum were shouting something at me, but I couldn’t hear them properly. My senses were a mess.
No, I could hear something. A scraping sound, like something being cut.

“C-Call 119! Hurry!”
“I’m okay.”

I calmed Han Yeoreum, who was yelling at the employee, and sat down on a chair near the elevator.

“Are you really okay?”
“I’m just a little tired.”

Han Yeoreum looked at my face with a doubtful expression and then got up.

“Stay here. I’ll buy you some coffee.”

I nodded. I didn’t have the energy to say anything more.

“…”

Unlike the store, which was filled with goods and music, the area in front of the elevator was empty. The red light of the elevator, illuminating before me, reminded me of the operating room lamp from last night’s dream.
Nausea rose in my throat, but I couldn’t move. I felt like I was tied down somewhere. I could only hold my breath and pray for the elevator light to turn off.

That’s when the doors opened.

“Yu Dojin?”

A calm voice cut through the silence. Black hair cascading over her shoulders stirred memories in my mind.
An empty theater, the film club’s old projector, a bright, dazzling smile, a friend and a boss.

“It is Yu Dojin.”

And the person I liked.

“What are you doing here?”

Chae Seolha stepped out, and the click-clack of her high heels echoed off the walls. I wanted to answer, but my head was pounding.

“Judging by your clothes, you must be here to flaunt your precious coin earnings. But for someone like that, you look terrible.”

Chae Seolha stopped in front of me and crouched down.

“You must have had a hard time. Seeing as you can’t even speak.”

As if soothing a troublesome child, Chae Seolha met my gaze and continued.

“So, now that you’ve resigned, do you understand? How much I cared for you? That I’m the only one who would put up with you. But dammit…”

Cold, frozen eyes stared at me.

“Why do you keep giving me trouble? Huh? You’ve gotten too comfortable. I told you, don’t come begging later, appreciate it while you have it. What if I lose interest in you?”

Fear.
At her words, the primal fear I had pushed to the back of my mind surfaced.
Chae Seolha’s warm hand caressed my trembling hand.

“Then you’ll be truly alone, right? You wouldn’t want that.”

Chae Seolha smiled sweetly. Her hand was still stroking mine.

“If you understand, let’s do better next time. You can start coming back to work tomorrow—”
“U-Uwaah—”

Suddenly, a brown liquid poured over Chae Seolha’s head.

“I-I-I-I’m so sorry…!”

Chae Seolha blinked, stunned, unable to react to the sudden situation.
Han Yeoreum bowed deeply to her.

“My foot slipped… I’m so sorry!”

The coffee and ice cubes that had spilled over Chae Seolha’s head dripped onto the floor.

“…It’s okay. Are you alright?”
“Y-Yes… I-I’ll compensate you. The dry cleaning fee.”

A farce was unfolding before my eyes.

“No, it’s okay.”
“Let’s go to the restroom. I’ll wipe it off for you.”
“I-I’m really okay…”

Han Yeoreum pushed Chae Seolha’s back while turning to me and mouthing the words:

‘Let’s go, quickly.’

****

After waiting at the taxi stand in front of the department store for several minutes, Han Yeoreum hurried out of the building. Seeing me, she frowned and spoke.

“Why are you still here? What if they see you again?”
“What was that about?”
“What was what about?”

Han Yeoreum looked at me innocently. Her feigned ignorance was almost irritating.

“Why did you interfere?”
“Is there a rule that you can help but I can’t?”

With that, Han Yeoreum walked towards the bus stop. I couldn’t say anything more to her confident demeanor.

We took the bus back home. The bus was even emptier than in the morning, and now we were the only passengers.

“That’s a lot of stuff.”

Han Yeoreum muttered, looking at the mountain of boxes piled up in front of the door. She started carrying the boxes inside, grunting with effort.

“I can do it myself, so just go. You’re free now.”
“Shut up. You have nothing to do even if you go back there.”