episode_0001
by fnovelpiaA daily routine that repeats itself like a treadmill without much difference.
It’s really boring.
I hope every day that something special will happen.
Could something like that happen?
I just hope the day passes quietly.
“Eat breakfast.”
“Ha, it’s fried bread and toasted bread.”
“If I just do it, can’t I just eat quietly?”
The problem is that it is impossible to even proceed quietly. And that problem stimulates my nerves more sharply than anything else.
Like right now.
I just said there were fried eggs and toasted bread.
The sigh I let out at first came out naturally due to the fatigue I had from coming home late yesterday.
However, Shin Yujin did not take even such a light word lightly.
“I just said it. What am I not allowed to say?”
“You sighed. You’re annoyed because it’s the same morning.”
“I sighed because I was tired yesterday. Why are you so upset because you can’t eat people?”
“ done. What are you talking about?”
Although it was heavy from the morning, we began to eat the simply prepared food facing each other in an atmosphere that we now take for granted.
Home is a space where you should be most comfortable.
Of course, it is not a comfortable space for me at all. Home is a place where you want to escape as quickly as possible and cannot stay there for too long.
“Hey, Han Yu-chan. Why do you spill bread crumbs even when I bring you a plate? I told you not to spill it.”
“You can just wipe it after you finish eating. And I didn’t shed much.”
“Wipe now.”
Shin Yujin handed me a wet tissue.
A wet tissue was thrown in front of me as if I didn’t want to touch it.
I got frustrated and let out a deep sigh.
At that time, Shin Yujin’s hand movements caught my eye.
He is making a bone sound by pressing his index finger with his thumb.
That habit is a habit that developed after Shin Yu-jin fractured his index finger. He was surprised to hear a bone sound every time he pressed it, and it became a habit.
I told her several times not to call it a bad habit, but Shin Yu-jin did not listen to me from the beginning of our marriage.
“Hey, I told you not to do that. That habit is bad for your index finger.”
“It’s a habit, what should I do?”
“Even if I worry about him, he doesn’t say anything nice.”
“You act like you’re worried because you’ve never cared.”
“What did you just say?”
“Do you know that I feel really uncomfortable every time you do that? Just act like you normally do.”
“If anyone hears this, they will think that I am a person who doesn’t worry about my wife?”
“Then it’s not? When did you say you cared about me?”
“Hey, Shin Yujin!!”
As Shin Yu-jin’s voice grew louder, my voice also grew louder.
Annoying. The very act of eating face to face like this.
A couple should be in a relationship where they comfort each other and gain strength when they are together, but why am I not feeling that?
“You’ve been irritating me since the morning. Done.”
“Hey, where are you going? Eat breakfast and go.”
“What should I eat? It’s the same toasted bread and a fried egg every day.”
“Don’t you think about my feelings for doing something like this?”
“From now on, don’t just prepare breakfast. Don’t eat it.”
“What?! Hey, Hyuchan!! Have you said everything? If you ask me, you can make it and eat it!!”
Countless high-pitched voices were heard, but they were all ignored.
I put down the bread I was eating, put on my coat, and stepped into the front door.
“Hey, it’s late today. I’m tidying up the house.”
“You’ve been saying ‘hey’ since a while ago. If you call someone like that, will the listener feel good?”
“Why are you fighting again? It’s not even a day or two that I call you like this.”
“Ha, let’s stop in the morning. I feel weak.”
I left the house, ignoring the comments I heard behind me several times.
Even though I just got out of the house, my heavy body seemed to become lighter with the fresh air.
As expected, for me, home is a stuffy place and my wife is the one who oppresses me.
***
After everyone has left work, I am left alone in the department to handle the work given to me by the manager.
I really don’t understand why a task with a deadline of this week was given yesterday.
“Damn manager bastard.”
“Yoo-chan.”
“What, when did you come?”
“Just arrived.”
“If you came, show off your popularity and come. You were surprised that I was left alone.”
“Baby, he’s scared. Take this.”
I took the envelope Hojin gave me and looked inside.
Inside was a small sandwich and a Coke Zero.
I guess he saw that I was working alone and brought me some snacks.
“Thank you. After all, there is only you.”
“Do you have a lot to do?”
“A lot. The manager gave me a task yesterday that had a deadline of this week.”
“Can I help you?”
“Then thank you. I’ll buy you food next time.”
Hojin is a friend I met during an information session for first-year college students.
From the first few words we had at that time, we realized that we communicated well with each other.
We remain friends to this day.
Past and present, this guy is a really good friend.
When we got jobs at the same company, we hugged each other and became very upset.
“Can I take a break?”
“Yes. Close your eyes. You worked alone until late at night yesterday too.”
If Hojin wasn’t at this company, I would have resigned and left the company a long time ago.
If I’m working late, he comes and helps me every night.
If that wasn’t enough, I even bought some snacks.
Where else can you find a friend like this?
“How is Yujin?”
“Huh? ah… Well, I’m doing well.”
“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other. See you this weekend.”
When “. Because it might not work.”
Although they have been friends for a long time, they are close enough to have no secrets about each other.
I have just one secret.
The secret is the marital relationship.
I met my wife, Shin Yu-jin, through Ho-jin when I was a college student.
Thanks to Hojin, we fell in love and even got married.
How can we talk about this kind of relationship now?
“Now that I think about it, it seems like your face has aged a lot in the past few months.”
“That’s because there’s a lot of work.”
“You also have a hard time because you met the wrong manager. Okay, this is the end.”
“Thank you. Thanks to you, it took more than two hours, but I finished it in one hour.”
“Buy expensive food. If you buy something vague, I won’t pass it up.”
“Okay, man.”
I came out of the office with Hojin and took a deep breath of the cold night air.
The cool night air seems to come through my lungs and completely empty my stuffy chest.
I could just go into the house like this, but I just can’t move.
“Should I just buy it now?”
“What? Food?”
“Yes, let’s have a late dinner and then go in.”
“I want to do that too, but I think it will be difficult today. I heard Yerim will be home soon.”
“Ah, Yerim? Yes, it can’t be helped.”
“Yujin is waiting for you too. Go quickly.”
Putting our regrets behind us, we each walked towards home.
Since I live on the complete opposite side from Hojin, I have to break up with him as soon as he comes to work.
The lonely night air feels different from before, and my steps make the air even more lonely.
Even though I’m clearly on my way home from work, I can’t help but sigh.
“Maybe I should have just slept at work.”
Now, I’ve gotten to the point where I say these horrible things without even realizing it.
That’s how we arrived at the house.
As expected, all the lights in the house were turned off.
I turned on the living room light, took off my outer clothes, and threw myself towards the sofa.
“Ha, it’s hard. It’s really fucking hard.”
-Dang!! Dang!! Dang!! Tiriring!!
While I was lying on the sofa sighing, I heard the sound of the door lock opening.
Of course, I knew who was coming through the door, so I didn’t really react.
“Hey, whoever comes home first will clean up the house. Why is it the same?
If I just take it a little lightly, wouldn’t it be annoying? Why don’t tired people stay still?
I don’t know why the first words I spoke as soon as I got home were in that tone.
As soon as I heard an annoyed tone without saying another word, my nerves began to get a little irritated.
“Because I’m tired.”
“Why don’t you just protect it like that?”
“Just for that reason? Shin Yujin, have you said everything? Am I just tired?”
As soon as I heard one word that I couldn’t stand, I jumped up from the sofa and looked at Yujin.
He is looking at me with a dissatisfied face.
When I saw Yujin’s face like that, my irritation naturally grew and my voice became sharper.
“If this happens, I’ll have to organize it again.”
“Just leave it alone. I’m going to do it later.”
“Look at the condition of the house. How can you just watch?”
I feel irritated.
I want to let out these feelings right now.
But I knew it was a waste of emotions and time, so I just sighed deeply.
“Ha, that’s it.”
“Hey, Han Yu-chan!! Where are you going?”
“I don’t want to hear your voice, so I’ll stay in my room.”
“Are you the only one working? Are you just tired? I work too, and I’m tired too.”
“Then just rest. Why do you get annoyed and angry over trivial things?”
A sharp atmosphere, as if they were about to cut each other’s throats at any moment.
No matter who says who comes first.
We ended up pouring out our accumulated feelings towards each other.
“ Hey, if I just pass it up even once, what happens? ”
“Then, if you listen to me even once, does it matter?”
“When have I ever not tidied up? It means taking a little rest.”
“It’s already past 9pm, so when are you going to say that?”
“Just wait. How can people do that every time? I’m tired.”
“I’m tired too!! I came home tired, and this is what the house looked like.”
Once the emotions were released, they did not stop and continued to pour out.
And I am.
I ended up saying something that should not be said under any circumstances.
“I really don’t know why I married you.”
“What?! Hey, did you say everything? How can someone say that?”
“It’s not because you irritate people.”
“Hey!! Han Yu-chan. I’m not finished talking yet!!”
Ignoring the sharp voice directed at me, I entered the room and closed the door tightly.
I hadn’t washed up yet, but I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes.
If only I could turn back the past.
If only I could send the past back with these memories.
How nice would it be.
***
My dark vision suddenly began to brighten.
Maybe it’s morning.
Now I have to get up and get ready for work, but the feeling of not wanting to go to work has taken over my body.
You don’t know whether I know how you feel or not.
The sunlight constantly beat down on my eyes.
“Ah, Mr. It makes people wake up.”
Wait a minute and wake up with a deep sigh.
Instantly, I recognized that something had changed.
I don’t know why, but my body feels light. It’s hard to believe that he’s been working overtime for several days.
And above all, this scenery that I see right now.
It feels unfamiliar and yet familiar at the same time.
here is…
This is definitely the studio I lived in when I was a college student.
While I was hesitating due to the sudden change in physical condition and environment, my cell phone caught in my hand and fell.
I turned my gaze towards the fallen cell phone.
Until yesterday, I saw a different cell phone model than the one I was using.
This is the cell phone model I used when I was a college student.
I swallowed loudly and turned on my phone.
Then the lock screen caught my eye.
The year and date were displayed on the lock screen.
I rubbed my eyes and checked again.
March 15, 2009.
Apparently, just yesterday it was July 29, 2023.
Was it a dream? Or reality?
How did this suddenly happen?!
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