As I opened the small door leading to the main kitchen where Seongheon usually ate breakfast, I found the staff breakroom.
It was a space I had never seen before. There was a low table for floor-seating, a heated jade mattress meant to soothe the staff’s aching lower backs, and a tattered television.
“Did you starve all day just to catch someone on their way out?”
Manager Moon set down a tray of soup, rice, and side dishes. Before she could say a word, I stood up from the low table to take it.
“I’m sorry. From tomorrow, I’ll make sure to eat properly.”
“I won’t stop you from eating, but I won’t stop you from skipping, either. So keep your mouth shut, stop acting all sorrowful, and take care of your own meals. You eat here.”
“Yes, Manager Moon.”
I picked up my spoon and chopsticks in the same motion. My fingertips were still trembling from sweeping Yunseondang, and the utensils rattled against each other.
Afraid she would scold me for such weakness after so little work, I quickly shoveled rice into the soup—a shepherd’s purse soybean paste broth with a deep, earthy fragrance.
I took a spoonful, and my eyes widened. Manager Moon, hovering as if undecided on whether to leave or stay, narrowed her eyes.
“What is it? Did you bite into a rock?”
“Oh, no. Not at all.”
I chewed and swallowed.
“It’s delicious.”
“…What kind of nonsense are you spouting?”
“Really. The soup is truly delicious.”
“This is Domyeongjae. Is a bowl of soup like this anything special? We don’t just throw together any old broth for the staff. We use dried anchovies and filefish from Namhae…”
Manager Moon, who had been listing off the ingredients with practiced detachment, let her voice trail off. I was too absorbed in the meal to notice, focused entirely on the bowl.
Still debating whether to leave, she finally gave in, pulling up a chair and sitting across from me. I waved a hand.
“I can eat by myself. You can go home, Manager.”
“It’s not about leaving. It’s about this.”
Propping her chin on her hand with one knee raised, she studied me. I looked up, my cheeks still full of rice.
“You said you lived in Seoul. What kind of company did you work for?”
“A small architecture firm. A small-to-medium enterprise.”
“What did you do there?”
“Just… whatever they told me to. Since there weren’t many of us, the work was never properly divided.”
As I swallowed, the thought of Cha Yoonseok surfaced. A jolt of panic made the rice lump in my throat, and I reached for my water.
Manager Moon pressed on.
“Then why did you quit and come all the way down here?”
“…Honestly, I was forced to quit.”
“Forced? Why?”
The question brought a moment of conflict. Should I tell the truth?
I bought myself time by stuffing my mouth with more rice. Domyeongjae was in a rural part of Moksan-Gun, worlds away from the frantic pace of the metropolis. To me, Manager Moon felt like a person from a different century—someone whose concepts of morals and rules had frozen in time. Explaining a stalker or the harassment I’d endured felt impossible; she wouldn’t understand.
“Ji Yeonwoo. Honestly, didn’t you bait the Vice President first?”
Those words from a former colleague echoed in my memory. I had learned then that most people preferred to sweep scandal under the rug rather than consider a victim’s circumstances. If a colleague could say that, I didn’t think Manager Moon would be any kinder. Plus, this was my mother’s workplace; I couldn’t risk the rumors reaching her.
I swallowed the rice and chose my words carefully.
“I wasn’t happy. I guess the work didn’t suit my aptitude.”
Aptitude? Manager Moon pulled a sour face, scoffing as if I’d said something trivial.
“Where in the world is there a job that fits one’s aptitude? If it fits your aptitude, that’s a hobby, not a job.”
“That may be so, but.”
“Are you going to quit here soon, too? Is this your ‘aptitude’?”
“I think it is.”
As I murmured the reply, Manager Moon fell silent. I ate quietly for a moment before continuing.
“I think I was much more exhausted from living in Seoul than I realized. I was alone the entire time.”
…That night. That dawn.
I couldn’t forget the pouring rain as I left Seoul with nothing but a suitcase.
“My mother is here, and it’s a neighborhood I’m familiar with. Plus, the flowers are pretty and the sky is beautiful.”
Why else would I have left with the resolve to survive at any cost?
“I think I really like it here.”
“You like it?”
“Yes. I like it.”
As I emphasized the word, she raised an eyebrow. I gave a small, genuine smile.
Let me not forget. I left to survive. Because I wanted to return to the days when I was ordinary.
“I like it here so much that I don’t think I can ever go back to Seoul. That’s why I want to get along well here.”
I will try my hardest. I won’t invite misfortune; I won’t shrink back.
“G-going already? Why are you standing up so soon?”
“I finished eating. I’m going to do the dishes.”
“You finished already? Did you just drink the soup?”
“I was very hungry.”
If no one will protect me, I will protect myself.
Perfectly.
“Thank you. It was a good meal, Manager.”
I am starting over the life I had briefly abandoned.
*
The second night shift was easier than the first. There were no calls from Yunseondang, and I managed to doze off intermittently.
When the dim dawn broke, Manager Moon arrived and told me to get some sleep. Following her warning that I must be present for the Managing Director’s arrival time even if the sky split open, I set six alarms before dragging myself to bed.
Though the sleep was short, the quality was surprisingly good. Feeling more refreshed than I had in years, I left my quarters with a light step.
“Yeonwoo!”
I turned at the sound of Hyun-wook’s voice.
“Heading to work? You staff at Domyeongjae are intense. Working from this early?”
“Hello, Young Master.”
“Young Master? Where did that come from all of a sudden?”
“The people here call you that. I thought I should, too.”
Hyun-wook looked disgusted, clasping his hands together in a mock plea.
“Don’t tease me. Please, I’m begging you.”
“I’m not teasing. I’m a staff member; it’s only proper to use the right title. Don’t you think, Young Master?”
“Ugh, please! Stop it!”
As he squeezed his eyes shut, unable to bear it, I bowed my head and laughed. Looking up, I asked, “Up early? I didn’t think you were an early bird.”
“Me? Actually, I’m on my way to sleep now.”
He leaned in and whispered, “I’ve been living with my days and nights flipped for a long time. It’s the perks of being unemployed.”
“Ah. Unemployed.”
“I can’t fall asleep when it’s pitch black. Only when the sun is high do I think, ‘Ah, time to sleep,’ and lounge around.”
Even though he wasn’t saying anything grand, the intimacy of the whisper made me nod. We had met as school kids and again as adults, yet Hyun-wook remained unreserved, as if the gap of time hadn’t existed.
“Don’t be envious, though. Being unemployed isn’t all that great.”
“And what’s so bad about it?”
“What kind of woman would like an unemployed man? My love life is doomed.”
Hearing a golden spoon talk about being unemployed was rich. When I blinked in disbelief, he pointed at me.
“Huh? Ji Yeonwoo. You just mocked me in your head, didn’t you? ‘At least those who have everything are worse. Acting like that, even though you’re a Young Master playing on your parents’ money.’ You thought that, didn’t you?”
I didn’t answer, just blinked. Hyun-wook widened his eyes.
“Uh, uh? Not denying it? Hey, you’ve gotten cold. I thought you were just kind and cheerful. I didn’t know you were the type to judge people. You grew up crooked, didn’t you?”
As he wiggled his eyebrows in a playful pout, I burst into laughter. It was a laugh that spilled out naturally.
“Huh? Speak, Ji Yeonwoo. You used to only say kind and pretty words back in school. What made you change?”
“Did I? I don’t remember.”
“What are you talking about? Back at Domyeong Middle School, the teachers loved you. You were the prettiest and had such a way with words. Your face hasn’t changed, but your character has! It’s hurtful.”
His exaggerated, playful hurt made me laugh again. I had slept well, and the morning felt decent.
“Ji Yeonwoo. Don’t just brush it off with laughter. Where did that kind girl go?”
It felt as if the world was truly erasing the old me.
“I’m sorry. I was just joking.”
The version of me tormented by Cha Yoonseok felt like a fading dream. For once, my mind and body were light. I never knew that the simple act of living safely—without anxiety mixed into the air—could feel so different.
I was happy. Happy enough for such idle chatter to flow.
When I apologized, Hyun-wook gave a sheepish smile. Watching him, I felt a little more comfortable with this old classmate. It was as if I had found an ally in a workplace that had seemed hopeless.
It was then—just as I was laughing under the morning sun—that Seongheon, hurrying to work, spotted us from a distance.
Seongheon paused, watching the two of us: Hyun-wook, who wouldn’t stop talking, and me, laughing in response. He tilted his head slightly.
Hyun-wook seemed to be giving his all to make me smile, and I was rewarding that effort with a clear, bright laugh.
Watching in silence, Seongheon turned his gaze away, let out a short breath, and kept walking.
The fact that heat was beginning to bleed into the cool, breezy morning air was something I remained entirely unaware of.