Stranger

Chapter 13 Stranger’s World (2)

I took a bus. I had no destination in mind. I emptied my mind, letting the time flow, and I got off the bus as it reached the terminal.

The terminal was crowded even though it was a weekday. I checked the bus schedule and I found the bus that left the earliest.

[Suncheon 15:20]

Suncheon. The city name was new to me, so I tried to browse it, but then I realized that I didn’t have my phone with me. I looked at the destinations around it, and I could tell that it was in Jeolla Province. The further away, the better.

I went to the teller window, bought a ticket, and went straight to the bus bay. The bus driver was greeting passengers in front of an open bus. I handed over my ticket, and he gave it back after tearing half of it. I got on the bus.

Through the window, I could see people scurrying to catch the bus. A soldier in a military uniform, a man with a large suitcase, and an old woman with a heavy-looking package wrapped in a cloth in her arms. I closed the curtain and closed my eyes.

I decided to start everything anew. This time, I will work without being picky. I’ll use the money I make to study. Take the GED, get a high school diploma, and don’t do anything embarrassing, live honorably. So that I can face Yeon Woojeong proudly.

Will I ever see Yeon Woojeong again? Maybe not if I’m leaving like this.

He must be angry because I left the house without saying anything. Should I have said something? But then, what would Yeon Woojeong do? He would hold me back. Feigning innocence while I couldn’t promise him anything…

This is right. I should have done this from the start. I rubbed my palms together as if they were suddenly hot, then put them in my pockets. Soon, the bus driver got in, and the bus started. As the bus left the terminal, an announcement reminding the passengers to fasten their seatbelts rang. I fastened my seatbelt and looked outside the window through the gap between the curtains. My eyes stung. 

.

.

.

I opened my eyes to the noises. It was dark outside the window. It seemed that I had reached the destination. I rubbed my eyes, then I followed other people to get off.

It was getting late, so I decided to sleep in a jjimjilbang, and then I had to make some concrete plans. I would look for a job here, and if I couldn’t find one, I would move to a metropolitan city.

As I exited the terminal, I saw a row of low buildings. I followed the road to the intersection. First, I had to ask around if there was a place to sleep nearby. I was looking around and a building caught my eye.

[Woojeong Car Center]

The light blue sign with white lettering had a yellow circle around the letter “car” only. I stopped walking, looking at the car center building, then I walked over there.

One side was for car maintenance, and one side was for the hand car wash. There was a piece of paper taped to a pillar in the building that said, “we are hiring.”

“How can I help you?”

I was looking at the paper, and a middle-aged woman came out of the building. I stared at the questioning face, then I opened my mouth.

“I want to know if there’s any jjimjilbang nearby.”

“Aha, jjimjilbang? It’s in front of the station. If you go straight over there, you’ll get to the station. The fifth floor across from there is the jjimjilbang.”

“Thank you.”

It seemed like she was the boss of this place. She looked like a good person. Looking at the boss, who smiled at me, I asked.

“Are you hiring?”

“Oh, yes.”

“…”

“Are you interested by any chance?”

“Yes.”

The boss quickly scanned me over. I didn’t think my outfit would make a good impression. I dusted off my clothes for no reason.

“How old are you?”

“Twenty, ma’am.”

“I see… But we’re looking only for an employee to wash cars and help a bit.”

“It’s fine.”

“Hmm, then how about you come again tomorrow? I run this with my husband, but he’s going out somewhere now. It’s not something I can decide right away.”

I had no expectation that I would get hired right away. She must have found out that I had nowhere to go because I asked about a jjimjilbang location just a moment ago. In addition, I was young and had nothing, so she wouldn’t readily accept me.

“Yes, I understand.”

“How about 11 o’clock?”

“Yes, it’s fine.”

“Then, see you tomorrow.”

I walked away, leaving behind the smiling boss. As I headed in the direction she showed, I reached the jjimjilbang.

I decided to not be picky in choosing the job, but I shouldn’t just grab any chance. I would start with getting a good contract. And I had to check the pay as well. I still had some money left, so I had to think about how I would use this money first.

After paying at the register, I accepted a jjimjilbang clothes and headed inside. After taking a shower, I wore the clothes and entered the jjimjilbang. There weren’t many people. Some were lying on rugs in front of the TV, and others were sitting with boiled eggs and sikhye from the snack bar. The restaurant inside the jjimjilbang was still open. I felt hungry when I saw the restaurant. I came to realize that I hadn’t had anything all day.

I took out a little money and ordered a seaweed soup. The food was served quickly. The hot seaweed soup, white rice, and some side dishes made my mouth water. As I scooped up a spoonful of rice, I wondered if Yeon Woojeong had dinner. He told me to call him, saying that he would buy me something delicious. 

I suddenly felt like I had indigestion. I slowly chewed the rice grains and stared at the seaweed soup.

It was irresponsible of me. There would have been a better ending than this. I kept regretting it. None of the paths seemed right. I closed my eyes tightly, thinking of the bleeding palm, then I opened them back. I poured the rice into the soup, and after eating it quickly, I stood up.

It was already time for sleep, somehow. I was tired, both physically and mentally. But I didn’t want to sleep right away, so I sat in the bright space, looking blankly at the TV.

Can I live well? I can. Everyone else is… living well with their own circumstances, so why can’t I?

I thought of my strength. First, I have a healthy body. Seo Jihee said I got a quick hand and good memory. That reminds me that Seo Jihee invited me to a meal. I could no longer keep that promise. I turned to look at the empty wall, then I got up and entered the sleeping room.

I grabbed a pillow and went to the corner of the sleeping room and lay down. I blinked my eyes, getting used to the dark, then I recalled the building I saw earlier. Woojeong Car Center. Woojeong. Woojeong. Woojeong…

I closed my eyes. I felt like getting breathless as I embraced his name.

***

I turned my head to the giggles. Yeon Woojeong stared at me, swaying his crossed legs. It was a wide garden. He was sitting on a white chair. I felt like it was a garden I often see somewhere.

“What are you doing?”

“Looking at you.”

“Why?”

Yeon Woojeong only shrugged while flashing a smile at my question. He was in the distance, so I had to approach him. When I was finally in front of him, Yeon Woojeong patted his legs. 

“Sit.”

“Don’t wanna.”

“Why?”

“Why would I sit on someone else’s legs?”

“Because there’s only one chair.”

“I’ll just stand here.”

“Goodness. That breaks my heart.”

Yeon Woojeong smirked smugly. It was his playful smile that I always saw, but it tugged my heart that he said it broke his heart. I looked down. The pants I was wearing were black, and it seemed that they wouldn’t show if I got them dirty. I sat down under Yeon Woojeong’s legs.

He flashed his brows, then uncrossed his legs. I rested my head on his thigh and I looked up at him. Yeon Woojeong stretched down his hand and tickled my chin.

“You look like a big puppy doing this.”

“Puppies are kind.”

“You don’t need to be kind.”