episode_0032

She had planned to refuse Yunyoung’s request this time, but her resolve, surprisingly, dissolved rather easily.

“Please…” Yunyoung pleaded in a heavy, somber voice, as if steeped in sorrow. Yustia startled, then obediently lit the flame for him. He wore such a desolate expression that she couldn’t possibly refuse.

As Yustia conjured fire from her fingertips, Yunyoung brought the cigarette butt he’d picked up to it. Wisps of smoke curled up. Yunyoung, the cigarette butt between his lips, looked up at the night sky. Yustia, who had been standing silently, also picked up a long, discarded cigarette butt from the ground and lit it herself.

-1-

‘It was truly a difficult time.’ Yunyoung, lost in thought, inhaled the cigarette butt deeply into his lungs as he reminisced about the past. A listless, depressed convenience store worker he happened to encounter. He hadn’t thought much of it at first, but then she faced a difficult customer, and he ended up helping her. After that, he somehow kept feeling drawn to her, couldn’t leave her alone, and eventually confessed his feelings first. The days he spent happily with her, nurturing their love. They were precious, unforgettable memories and a distant, hazy past. He wanted to marry Mira and build a harmonious family. He wanted to live an ordinary life, just like everyone else. But Yunyoung never managed to realize that dream. Everything collapsed in an instant due to an accident. Yunyoung himself died, having thrown himself to save Mira, who was about to be hit by a car while jaywalking. Even though he died, he was satisfied that she had survived. He hoped his beloved, though currently suffering, would overcome that pain and recover. However, that burden seemed to have been too heavy for her. Instead, burdened by the guilt of surviving alone, she couldn’t even engage in social life and eventually ended up holed up in her room. As time passed, instead of getting better, she only deteriorated further, and scum like hyenas preyed on his lover, ruthlessly tearing at her wounds and violating her. In the end, she drowned herself in the sea. Only miserable, rotten things happened, one after another. He wanted a happy ending, but what he got was a despairing ending with no dreams or hope.

‘I’ve finally reached the chance to undo all of that.’ Yunyoung put the dying cigarette butt into his mouth and swallowed it. He was doing this intentionally to put an end to his painful past. It was a kind of ritual to steel his resolve. Yustia, watching from the side, startled.

“Why are you eating that?!” “……” “Is it… tasty?” Hungry, Yustia also put the cigarette butt she had been smoking into her mouth, only to spit it out immediately. Tears welled up in her eyes. “It’s disgusting! This stuff!”

But Yunyoung didn’t hear Yustia’s grumbling. His black eyes were completely captivated by a woman across the road. A face he missed… Someone he longed to see… Yunyoung trembled as emotions surged up in his chest. The other person also recognized Yunyoung, and waving happily, she ran towards him.

“Yunyoung!” The moment she cried out like that and was about to step onto the road, Yunyoung roared at the top of his lungs, cutting her off.

“STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!” “Huh?” “STOP!!!!” When he screamed so relentlessly, his girlfriend stopped in her tracks, looking bewildered.

“Don’t just cross without looking! Check for cars, you goddamn woman!” At his shout, Mira, who had been about to jaywalk, trembled, looked left and right, and then crossed. And just a few seconds later, a truck roared past, making a threatening sound. Mira shuddered at the sight. A chill ran down her neck at the thought that she might have been hit and killed by that truck if she had crossed. Meanwhile, Yunyoung crossed the road and approached Mira. And then, he immediately raised his hand and unhesitatingly slapped Mira, who was still bewildered.

SMACK! A loud sound echoed through the street, enough to draw everyone’s attention. Mr. Yamahiro, a Japanese tourist visiting Korea at the time, recalled the incident like this:

“That day was my second day of sightseeing in Korea. I was thinking about what to eat for dinner. When you think of Korea, isn’t blood sausage soup and ginseng chicken soup famous? But ginseng chicken soup restaurants were hard to find.” Mr. Yamahiro realized he was speaking off-topic and scratched his head. “I apologize for getting off-topic. The truth is, it was my first time traveling abroad, so I was nervous, and it was also my first interview. Anyway, you see. I was using a popular map app in Korea to find a blood sausage soup restaurant.” Mr. Yamahiro’s gaze drifted into the distance as if reliving the moment. “I was looking for a highly-rated blood sausage soup restaurant nearby and heading there when suddenly a satisfying SMACK! rang out. I looked to see what was happening and saw a man and a woman raising their voices, so I thought there was a fight. The woman was on the ground, and by the swelling of her cheek, it looked like she had been slapped.” Mr. Yamahiro’s voice became a little more serious. “I don’t know what happened, but I was very surprised and, at the same time, scared to see something like that happen on the street. I even worried if it was related to yakuza or organized crime.” Mr. Yamahiro gave an awkward laugh. “But I think that was my misunderstanding. It seemed to be just a lovers’ quarrel. It wasn’t yakuza or anything. Thugs usually have a certain look or vibe, you know. Like black suits or flashy clothes. But that man just had a normal appearance and aura.” When asked how he could be so sure, Mr. Yamahiro said: “Because the neighborhood I live in is where you often see yakuza… Do you know Kabukicho? I live there. It’s an area in Shinjuku, Tokyo; during the day it’s fine, but at night it can be a bit dangerous, so it’s best to avoid it. If you ever have to go there, don’t go at night.” Finally, before the interview ended, Mr. Yamahiro scratched his cheek, looking embarrassed. “I apologize if my speaking skills are lacking and I’ve been rambling. I’m sorry for showing such an inadequate side. On a side note, the blood sausage soup I had that day was delicious. I want to eat it again sometime.” Thank you, Mr. Yamahiro! Thank you, Mr. Yamahiro!

-2-

The frail Mira staggered from the sudden slap and fell to the ground with a thud. It was shocking enough to be subjected to sudden verbal abuse and curses from her beloved, but that wasn’t the end of it; she was even physically assaulted. Mira wanted to cry. Her boyfriend, Yunyoung, who was usually kinder than anyone, seemed like a completely different person now. She was confused and even scared by this unknown side of him, and shivered violently. Why was he so angry with her? One thing she could pinpoint was her jaywalking. But—a question surfaced in her mind.

‘Was nearly jaywalking such a big mistake…?’ Still, this was too much. Moreover, the sudden change in her boyfriend, who had always been nothing but affectionate without ever fighting for years, greatly bewildered Mira. Transparent tears welled up in her large eyes, then a single stream slid down her cheek. Being slapped was one thing, but what hurt and pained her more was having been treated so harshly by her beloved. She pressed her reddened, swollen cheek and wept, her shoulders slightly trembling.

“Are you okay, miss?” “Can you stand up?” Several people came to Mira and asked with concern, while some chastised Yunyoung.

“Are you crazy, mister? How can you hit a woman?” “How can you assault someone in the street?” Yunyoung was annoyed by the passersby glaring and scolding him.

‘They don’t know what I’ve been through. They don’t know even a fragment of the pain and suffering I’ve endured, yet they dare to interfere?’ He was furious.

“Why are you glaring like that, mister? Did you do something right?” “I don’t know what happened, but you shouldn’t assault a woman like this in the street!” “Don’t you know how serious assault charges are these days? You didn’t just lightly hit her; you cursed and hit her hard. How can you do that?” Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. You bastards—shut up. Just close your mouths. You’re interfering when you know nothing. Ugh—it’s infuriating. Homicidal intent boiled over within him. Their every word grated on his nerves like the sound of metal scraping, unbearable. Just then, a sweet voice reached Yunyoung’s ears.

“Yunyoung.” It was Yustia, who had approached him without him noticing. When Yunyoung looked at her, Yustia wore a sweet smile.

“Let’s destroy this world.”