Chapter 10

‘So, now you’re switching to him instead of me?’ In response to Seo Jaegyeom’s seemingly sarcastic question, I said just one thing. ‘Is that any of your business?’ Honestly, it’s not, right? Whether I date Jung Eunsung or Jang Woosan, what business is it of yours, Seo Jaegyeom? “Oh my goodness.” Today has been such a long day. From getting rejected in the morning, to unearthing embarrassing memories, to fighting with bullies in the cafeteria at lunch. During the fifth period, I lost energy dealing with Seo Jaegyeom talking to me from the side. After I responded “Is that any of your business?” to his “Switching to him?” question, he didn’t say anything more, but his expression was strange whenever Eunsung and I were linked afterwards. He seemed to think I was flaunting another guy in front of him after being rejected. As if I were using Eunsung to make him jealous. Come to think of it, Seo Jaegyeom is quite self-absorbed, too. Maybe it’s because he’s lived his entire 18-year life as a popular guy. “If I had enough charm to use Eunsung just to make you jealous, I would have succeeded in seducing you long ago, Seo Jaegyeom.” I muttered to myself as I turned into the alley leading to my neighborhood. After lunch, fifth period, sixth period, seventh period, and then homeroom. I was tense throughout the afternoon classes, worried that Song Yeoreum might come find me during the next break and drag me to the bathroom or grab my hair, but thankfully, nothing like that happened. She wasn’t waiting at the main gate to kidnap me on my way home either. Still, I’m on guard in all directions as I head home, just in case. Ready to throw my bag and run if necessary. While waiting for the green light at the crosswalk, I wrote down my future study plans in my smartphone’s memo app. “First, check how much math I’ve forgotten and tackle it step by step, then for Korean and English, just focus on practicing problems…” “Hey, Dahye! Kang Dahye!” “Huh? Oh… hello.” “Are you just getting out of school?” “Yes.” The ones calling me were a group of middle-aged women sitting on plastic chairs in front of a hair salon. Dark gray towels wrapped around their heads, a strong smell of chemicals wafting over. Paper cups with lipstick marks, old-fashioned snacks, and dried squares are scattered on the table. “Schools let out early these days, huh?” Only when the woman spoke again did I remember who she was. It was our villa’s landlady. ‘I didn’t recognize her for a moment.’ The landlady looks so much younger, too. “Looks like you’re getting your hair done?” “Yeah, covering up the gray. Might as well wet my whistle while I’m at it~“ “Were you drinking coffee?” “Not coffee, soju! Want a drink, Dahye?” “Aiyoo, you shouldn’t say such things to a child!” The hair salon owner sitting next to her laughed, slapping the landlady’s back. “Dahye, don’t drink this stuff when you grow up, it tastes bad! You’ll get fat!” ‘I’ve already had plenty…’ Swallowing the retort I couldn’t make, I accepted a piece of dried squid. The landlady, who moves away to the countryside about 5 years later to help raise her grandchild, is the dispatcher of this neighborhood. She knows everyone and every rumor, and with her loud voice, you’re in for trouble if you get on her bad side. For reference, when she found out I was the top student in my freshman year, do you know what she said? ‘Being good at studying? That’s all useless. Even so, if you don’t believe in Jesus, you’re going to hell.’ And when my mental state collapsed after getting my hair grabbed by a strange old man, causing me to bomb the CSAT, do you know what she said? ‘Let’s overcome this through prayer. That incident was the Lord’s plan to use you differently…’ “So, are you heading home now?” “Yes. I’m going to eat and then go to the library.” “Don’t kids these days do night self-study at school? My daughter used to come home around 11 PM after eating dinner at school.” “Oh, Jieun’s mom! Kids these days don’t do that anymore. Now they go to cafes, order strawberry yogurt blended drinks, and study there.” “What? Strawberry yogurt, what? What’s that?” “I know! Strawberry yogurt blended!” “Oh my! What the heck!” “Hohoho! Surprised!” “Hahaha… I’m out…” I backed away from the increasingly loud woman. “Hey, Dahye! That box of trash left in front of the telephone pole wasn’t from your place, right?! No one’s going to take it if it’s left there!” “No, it wasn’t us~“ “If you see who did it, let me know! Make sure!” “Okay~“ I quickly distanced myself and entered the familiar villa. “Ugh. I’m hungry.” Skipping lunch has made me hungry. I carelessly dropped the bag I’d been carrying on the floor and went to the kitchen to open the fridge. But. “There’s nothing to eat.” The fridge only contained kimchi with just liquid left and gochujang scraping the bottom. I was going to eat even that out of desperation, but there’s no rice either. “I should have bought some ramen on the way.” But I spent my last bit of money buying chocolate milk with Jisoo at the school store after 5th period… After briefly looking into the fridge making strange whirring noises, I closed it and picked up my bag again. “I guess I’ll go eat at Mom’s shop.” My mom, who used to work as a housekeeper at Seo Jaegyeom’s house when I was young, now runs a small snack shop with three tables in the market. ‘The madam can be a bit temperamental, but she’s a good person. When I said I had to quit because of back pain, she even gave me severance pay. That’s how I was able to open this shop.’ That’s what my mom says, still calling Seo Jaegyeom’s mother ‘madam’. For reference, both Seo Jaegyeom and I don’t have fathers. My dad left when I was young… and I don’t know about Seo Jaegyeom’s dad; he’s probably with his original family by now. “I’ll ask for just 10,000 won if the timing seems right. To buy workbooks.” Muttering that being able to earn and spend my own money in college was nice, I entered the market entrance. Just one more block from here is the middle school I graduated from. So all my middle school classmates know that Kang Dahye is the daughter of the market tteokbokki shop owner. We’ve run into each other at the shop occasionally, too. Before the regression, I was so embarrassed by this that I’d rather starve than go eat at the shop, but now? ‘Why not go? The tteokbokki is delicious.’ Spicy rice cakes and glass noodles topped with sesame seeds, japchae tteokbokki. Order some blood sausage to dip in the broth, and it’s the most delicious thing in the world. You must try it! “Mom!” I pushed open the old iron door that looked more like a rice mill than a snack shop. “Mom, I’m ho…me?” My energetic voice trailed off suddenly. The small shop's interior was a mess. The table must have tilted and spilled everything - tteokbokki, blood sausage, cans of cola, and eggs were rolling on the floor, with kimbap fillings scattered everywhere. I could see green plastic-wrapped plates and styrofoam bowls overturned under the table. Broth had splattered on the walls. In the middle of it all, Mom was on the floor, picking up the spilled tteokbokki and kimbap with her bare hands. “Oh, my daughter’s here?” Seeing me, Mom got up, wiping her hands on her apron as if embarrassed. “Mom, are you okay? Are you hurt?” I quickly grabbed the tissue box from the next table and approached. “What happened? Did you drop something?” “No, a customer had their leg sticking out from the table and I didn’t see it… Leave it, I’ll do it. Sit down.” “No, why are you using your bare hands for this? Let me get a mop.” “It’s fine. It’s faster with hands. I was just flustered…” “Mom, you’ll burn your hands like that!” As I was trying to stop Mom from putting her hands in the steaming hot broth. “Auntie, so what about our tteokbokki? How long do we have to wait?” A sharp voice fell on top of my and Mom’s heads as we were bent over. At the same time, a clean white sneaker stepped on the tteokbokki rice cake Mom was picking up. A black footprint appeared on the milky rice cake stained with red sauce. “Tch, my shoe got dirty. Auntie, clean this first.” “And give us some wet wipes too.” Click. At the same time, a faint camera shutter sound was heard. They must have heard the sound too, as they stifled giggles. I slowly raised my head. Three people were sitting at the table right in front of where Mom and I were crouched. Familiar school uniforms. Hair curled with a flat iron in the bathroom during breaks, hair rollers on their foreheads. Faces I hadn’t noticed earlier. “Shit, I think she noticed.” “Of course she did, idiot. The shutter sound was so obvious.” “Oh, this is hilarious. Kang Dahye’s mom is on her knees in front of us.” “Look at her nails. There’s blood sausage stuck in them, it’s disgusting, I’m gonna puke.” It was Song Yeoreum and her friends. The minion who had warned me that I’d end up on it if I lived like this showed her phone screen to Song Yeoreum. “This is so funny. Look at this. The photo came out so stupid.” “Whatever~ What about my shoes~ The broth splashed all over them!!!!! It’ll cost more than this whole shop to buy new ones!” Song Yeoreum stomped her feet in the spilled broth on the floor. The liquid splashed near my eyes. Song Yeoreum burst into laughter as our eyes met.