Stranger

Riding the subway, I took out my phone. Although I didn’t look at the handbook, I felt like I roughly knew how to use this. Turning on the internet, I searched for the thing I wanted and found there was a mart near that house. I only gained a small machine, but the world had become very convenient. A convenience always calls for an inconvenience. I lived well when I didn’t have this, but if I lived after I lost this, I would surely feel like not living. 

It’s better to not use this unless for something important. I put the phone in my pocket and leaned my back near the door. The things inside my pocket were the credit card and phone given by Yeon Woojeong. There were only two, but they felt weighty.

I got off the subway while touching the card. Remembering the map I saw on the phone earlier, I took a walk and found the mart.

I entered the mart and went to the section where they sold packaged underwear without turning my eyes elsewhere. Then, I picked out two pairs of black underwear, and after thinking for a while, I picked another one. On my way to the cashier, while holding three underwear, I saw a kid running with a snack in his hand. When I stopped and turned my head, there was a snack stand right next to me. Looking at various kinds of packaging, I chose a potato chip.

As I put them on the counter, the worker scanned the barcodes with an expressionless face by rote. I took out Yeon Woojeong’s card that I kept touching inside the pocket and handed it out.

“Do you want a bag?”

There was a paper with ‘50 won for a plastic bag’ written on it attached to the cashier. When I nodded after being silent, the worker took out a plastic bag and put the items inside it. After that, the card was swiped in the reader. 

As soon as the card got swiped, indescribable joy and anxiety ran against each other and struck my head. The receipt came out after the phrase noting the payment was completed, and the worker gave it along with the card. Holding the rustling bag, I left the mart.

After returning to the officetel, I opened all the packages of underwear and put them in the washing machine. While the washing machine was operating, I went to the living room, opened the snack, and put it on top of the table. I put one of the thin and round snacks inside my mouth. It was salty and tasty.

I leaned my head on the sofa and blankly stared at the ceiling. The tips of my fingers were cold, and my eyes were hot. Peace brings pain. Even though I knew the world never stopped betraying me, I prayed for this space, this moment, to not betray me —at least for the time being. However, without fail, a wish was like a boat on the raging waves. It always got turned upside down.

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Just like what Yeon Woojeong said, a package arrived in the afternoon. All the things inside the big icebox were frozen lunch boxes. There were only bottles of mineral water and beer cans inside the refrigerator, and only ice cubes in the freezer. 

I put the lunch boxes inside the freezer. I never thought I would eat something like this. Well, he must be eating something like this, since the trace of the kitchen being used was near non-existent.

After recycling the empty icebox, I had nothing to do. As though he lives organized, the house was clean. I returned to sit on the sofa. Then, I turned on the TV with the remote control on the table. I looked at a few channels, but I didn’t get interested.

And so, I spent the time doing nothing until 7 p.m. I was hungry, and the only foods were the lunch boxes. I was thinking of eating that, but Yeon Woojeong had not come yet. But still, I thought it was weird to call him just because of this, so I waited till 8 p.m. then I took out a lunch box and warmed it. 

The lunch box with brown rice, dak-galbi, and vegetables was better than I thought. It was better than the lunch box sold in the convenience store, but it was different from homemade food. Still, considering my circumstances, this was a banquet.

I didn’t need to wash the dish because it was a lunch box. I only wiped the spoon, then I threw out the emptied lunch box. After brushing my teeth and taking a shower, I changed into dried underwear. I folded the other underwear, but because there was no place to store them, I put them under the sofa. 

I didn’t do much, but it was already 10. Yeon Woojeong still hadn’t come. I thought it was already time to get off work, but thinking of the piling documents on his table, and how he was on his phone all lunch, it seemed like he was very busy. It was strange to keep occupying a house without its owner. Whenever I stayed somewhere, I always hoped for the owner to never come, but I didn’t really feel that way about Yeon Woojeong. 

I could wait until he came, but I didn’t use to waiting. It was better to sleep early. After turning off the light, I lay on the sofa and covered my body with the blanket.

I closed my eyes. Falling asleep even though I wasn’t sleepy is one of my few abilities.

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Noticing a presence, I woke up from my sleep. When I opened my eyes, the light disappeared. It seemed like the light in the entrance was turned off.

Yeon Woojeong soon walked to the bathroom. I wondered why he used the bathroom in the living room instead of the bathroom in his room. Come to think of it, it might be because that one was a bathtub, and this one was a shower booth. I closed my eyes again.

The water sound didn’t stop. After taking a long shower, Yeon Woojeong walked again, and his steps passing by the sofa stopped. I opened my eyes. He looked like someone who forgot that I was here.

“What are you looking at?”

A light, soundless laugh flew out at my question.

“Did I wake you up?”

“Yes.”

“I see. I’m home.”

He got me speechless. Yeon Woojeong walked past the sofa and opened his bedroom. Before entering, he said good night and then closed the door. As I had already gotten used to the darkness, I could clearly see the closed door. After looking there for a long time, I closed my eyes again. It took no time for me to sleep again.