The Space We Created, The Space We Used to Create, The Space We Were – 1

She opened her eyes the day before Kang In-ho’s funeral.

Her mother was by her side when she regained consciousness in the hospital.

After hearing the situation from her mother, Mina hurriedly got dressed and left.

She urged the taxi driver and arrived at the funeral hall at 2 a.m.

Mina’s eyes, frantically searching for his mortuary, caught sight of a funeral wreath with the company’s name on it.

“Ah…”

A hoarse sound escaped her parched lips.

She moved forward, dragging her feet like someone with a leg injury.

[Kang In-ho]

The mortuary with his name on it.

“Ah…”

The time had come to accept the truth she had been denying in her heart.

Inside the mortuary, a man with graying hair stood as the chief mourner.

“…”

The elderly man approached her and extended his hand.

“You must be Mina… I’ve been waiting for you.”

Mina slowly followed him into the mortuary, the heavy voice resonating in her ears.

The face he wore when he smiled before going down to Busan.

The face that always smiled kindly at her was imprinted on the portrait.

“Ugh…”

Something between a sob and a scream clawed its way up her throat.

She gritted her teeth and bowed.

Once.

A sob with the first bow.

Twice.

A scream with the second bow.

“Ugh…”

She couldn’t get up, her chest burning with pain.

Mina remained prostrate for a long time, weeping silently.

Only she and his father were in the quiet, guestless mortuary.

“I told his mother to rest for a while. It’s early morning anyway.”

What should she say?

An apology? Consolation?

Countless words swirled in Mina’s head, but she couldn’t confidently utter any of them.

“I’m… sorry.”

After much thought, an apology was what came out of her mouth.

“If only… I hadn’t sent Inho to Busan…”

“You didn’t know when you sent him. It’s alright. It’s not like you sent Mina because you wanted to. It’s part of company life.”

His father was just as kind.

And that made it even more heartbreaking.

I wish he would hit me, I wish he would curse me.

She had resolved to atone by being resented.

“I’ve heard a lot about you from Inho. Although he hasn’t been in touch lately, for some reason.”

“…I see.”

“Yes. He said you were a good boss and that he was learning a lot.”

Am I a good boss?

Mina was confused. The one who drove him to his death is a good boss?

“And I also heard that you were very close personally. I also know that my son was interested in you.”

“…”

How happy would she have been if she had heard these words in a different place?

But the person who liked her is no longer here. He’s dead.

“I know you’re confused, but don’t be too attached to my son. That’s what I want to tell you.”

His father said that and stood up.

It was an expression that he had nothing more to say.

Mina staggered to her feet.

“…Thank you for your advice. But… I’ve never imagined a life without Inho.”

She bowed briefly and turned away.

Watching Mina slowly walk away, Inho’s father couldn’t hide his complicated expression.

“Oh, Inho… What was the rush to leave so soon?”

His father muttered sadly, looking at the unresponsive photo.

The night deepened.

On Sunday morning, she completed her discharge procedures and locked herself in her house.

She thought her mother said something, but she couldn’t hear it properly.

“…”

Like burnt ashes, not a trace of life could be found in her eyes.

“Inho. Inho.”

The TV and the internet were full of stories about the derailment accident.

Some analyzed the cause of the accident, and some mourned the victims.

Inho’s father didn’t blame her, but she couldn’t accept it.

“Someone like me doesn’t need to be in this world.”

A hoarse, cracked voice.

Why am I alive? Inho is no longer in this world. What’s the point of such a world?

The touch that caresses me, the voice that calls me, the gaze that looks at me.

I can’t feel it anymore.

Then why should I struggle to live in this world?

Why should I exist!

She slowly went to the kitchen, took out a kitchen knife, and held it to her wrist.

Was this how it was done?

She tried to recreate what she had seen in movies. She puts down the knife.

It wasn’t because she was suddenly afraid of death.

It was because her phone rang briefly.

-New updates from a close friend.

What kind of function is this?

She clicks on the pop-up window. It opens Instagram.

-Pension with my oppa. The atmosphere was so good~ #Pension #Healing #HateOvertime

Photos of well-grilled meat and wine at a pension with a good atmosphere.

She checks who posted this.

Yoon Hye-young.

“Haha… Haha…”

A dry laugh escapes her. She keeps giggling, not knowing what’s so funny.

“Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!”

The maniacal laughter doesn’t stop.

“Hehehehe uhahahah what on earth… hahahaha”

What on earth did he die for?

She kept laughing at this unfunny farce.