46 – 46.
There are times when it feels like each day passes mechanically.
Nothing is interesting, enjoyable, or stimulating.
Some people call this feeling burnout in a cool way, or they shorten it to “hweonta” for “existential crisis,” or simply call it a sense of disillusionment.
I don’t know which one of them it was, but anyway, that’s how I felt right now.
Every moment with my eyes open and awake felt unbearably long.
It wasn’t a particularly unfamiliar sensation.
The first time was when I fought with Mayeonseo and forcibly distanced myself from Hanyeo-won.
The second time was when even just breathing felt like an intrusion to my senior at work.
And now.
Somehow, everything that entangled my body felt suffocating.
Like the feelings of a death row inmate who knows they will soon be hanged.
The house that used to be like a palace where I couldn’t even dream of living now felt like a prison on a remote island.
Mayeonseo, who shamelessly demanded love incessantly, felt like an executioner carrying out a death sentence.
Even Hanyeo-won, whom I never loved, felt like someone who only blew in vain hopes.
“Let’s run away.”
So I left the house.
“To Gangneung.”
Although I left with a hopeful spirit, I couldn’t go very far.
Because I knew that with a snap of my fingers, I would be summoned in front of Mayeonseo again.
Me: [I’ll go get some fresh air.]
Me: [I’ll come tomorrow. I might come today.]
Like a child asking for permission to go play at a friend’s house, I received approval through a message.
♥ [Okay. Be careful and come back safely.]
Surprisingly, Mayeonseo sent me off without saying a word.
Fortunately, it seemed that the good person cosplay was still effective.
…I don’t know if I should consider this fortunate.
Me [I’ll go get some fresh air and come back.]
Of course, on my way, I stopped by the training center and left a brief message for Hanyeo-won.
But contrary to my expectations, she didn’t let me go easily.
[What’s suddenly going on…? Are you okay?]
She called me with a fearful voice, making contact, and asked about my well-being.
If it had been any other day, I would have found comfort in her actions, but not today.
“Just. I just wanted a change of mood.”
[Where are you going? Should I take half a day off and go with you?]
“No, don’t bother. I’m just going to Gangneung for a while to see the sea. I’ve already bought the tickets.”
[Is everything okay…?]
“Yeah.”
[…Alright. Then, eat something delicious. Send me a message when you arrive. And if you’re bored, make sure to contact me.]
“Yeah.”
[I love you. Kiss!]
“Me too.”
[Kiss…?]
“…Kiss.”
[hehehe. I’ll contact you again later!]
Hanryeowon ended the call after receiving a kiss.
Her playful gesture made her mouth slightly curl up, giving off a strangely refreshing feeling.
“…Sigh….”
Having obtained this newfound freedom, I boarded a bus headed for Gangneung.
Perhaps because it was a weekday afternoon, there were not many passengers, and the bus interior was empty.
Feeling a subtle sense of rebellion, going out to play during the usual working hours, improved my mood a bit.
“I made the right decision after all.”
After a long ride, the express bus arrived at the terminal when I had listened to about a quarter of my music playlist.
Despite being a comprehensive terminal in a popular tourist area during the peak season, it was quite deserted.
It suited my mood today.
“…It’s more peaceful than I thought.”
The beach in Gangneung was further away from the terminal than I had anticipated.
I wondered if I had come all this way for nothing….
“Wow.”
But as soon as I arrived at the beach, that thought vanished.
People enjoying themselves under the scorching sun on the wide sandy shore.
The faint smell of the sea, carried by the crashing waves.
It was a liberating feeling, as if something that had been stuck in my chest had been released.
“Sometimes, things like this aren’t so bad.”
It was a time when I would empty my mind and stroll along the beach, wherever my feet would take me.
“…Excuse me! Hi there!”
Tap tap. Someone tapped my shoulder.
“…?”
I turned around to see a young woman smiling at me.
“Sorry to bother you, but could you take a picture of me? I don’t have anyone to take it for me.”
She had her black hair loosely tied up, big eyes, and a sharp nose.
With her very fair skin and bold lipstick, her large mouth stood out even more.
And on top of that, a large bosom that was hard to ignore.
She had a refreshing impression, as if she had come on a trip alone like me, and she handed me her phone with the camera on.
Without thinking, I nodded and took her phone.
“Sure.”
“Thank you!”
She politely thanked me and walked closer to the beach, raising two fingers and striking a pose.
At first, I thought she was a model, but her awkward posing made me think otherwise.
“Since I’m taking it, might as well take it properly.”
As I snapped her picture, igniting the soul of a seasoned photographer, I gladly bent down and took her photo.
Click. Click. Click.
“Check it out.”
As she approached with a bright face, she looked at her phone and let out a small exclamation of admiration.
“Wow… You took a really good photo.”
The result was quite pleasing.
“My skills haven’t died yet.”
With a slight sense of accomplishment, I was about to leave my seat.
“Good job.”
From Noble mtl dot com
Just then.
“Oh wait!”
She suddenly grabbed me and extended her hand, wanting to say something.
“I’ll take your picture too.”
She wanted to take none other than my photo.
“Oh, I’m fine.”
“But since we’ve come this far, we should leave a photo behind!”
Even though I declined, her insistence made me scratch my head, so I handed her my phone.
And she stood where she had been and took a photo.
“How is it?”
As expected, the result was subtle, as if she wasn’t used to taking photos.
“Well… um, it’s well taken.”
I received my phone back, able to recognize my face, and naturally bid her farewell.
“Well, have a good time.”
“Yes! See you later!”
I thought she was a really peculiar woman.
*
After wandering around for a while, my stomach started to rumble.
“I should probably grab a bite to eat.”
I wasn’t one to actively seek out fancy restaurants, so I decided to find a nearby seafood noodle soup specialty shop to satisfy my hunger.
“Oh no. What should I do? It’s completely full.”
But it seemed that the day I chose to go was particularly busy. Many others had the same idea as me, and there were no available seats in the restaurant.
I was out of luck.
“Should I go somewhere else?”
I wasn’t starving to the point where I couldn’t bear it, and I didn’t have a strong reason to insist on having noodle soup, so I decided to try looking for another restaurant.
“Well, I’ll come back next time.”
And just as I was about to leave…
“Sit here with me!”
I heard a loud voice from inside, presumably from a grandmother.
It seemed like she was suggesting that I share a table with another customer.
“If it’s okay with you, let’s sit together and eat. Our homemade noodle soup is delicious.”
The elderly woman, who had confirmed the availability of a seat, subtly asked while putting her hand into her apron.
Since all I needed was to fill my stomach, I obediently nodded.
“I’d love to.”
And that’s how I ended up sitting at a table with a complete stranger and eating a meal…
“Uh.”
“Uh!”
The face of the customer who was sitting there first looked familiar.
“Seeing you again?”
She was the young woman who had taken the photo earlier.
“…So it turned out this way.”
Of all the countless restaurants, it had to be this one where we coincidentally crossed paths.
“…Is it just a coincidence?”
As I pondered over her words to see each other again, I quickly dismissed it as a simple coincidence and thought nothing more of it.
“Please give me one seafood kalguksu here.”
After ordering a suitable meal and fiddling with my phone.
“……?”
Suddenly, I felt a subtle gaze from her sitting across from me.
“Why?”
“……”
She, who had been staring at me intently for a while, spoke softly with a very serious expression.
“Do you like dumplings?”
“Yes…?”
“Actually, I was going to order dumplings too, but they looked too many so I didn’t.”
“Oh… I see…”
“This is fate too, what if we order one together and share?”
She raised her eyebrows and asked the question with utmost seriousness.
How much do I want to eat dumplings that I would ask a complete stranger to order and eat with me for the first time in my life?
“I’ll pay an extra thousand won…!”
Acknowledging her strong determination, I happened to approach an older lady passing by.
“Auntie, please give us just one plate of dumplings here.”
“Yes!”
As she obtained the dumplings, she clenched her fist tightly and expressed great satisfaction.
“Exactly 10 pieces. Let’s split them in half.”
“We can eat more.”
“No, we ordered together, so exactly half.”
“…Alright. Then.”
I soon filled my empty stomach with the noodles and dumplings that were served.
Was it because I was hungry? Both the noodles and dumplings were incredibly delicious.
“You’re good at making dumplings here.”
“That’s right. Did I make a good choice?”
With a pleased expression on her face, she picked up a dumpling and subtly asked me as I slurped the noodles.
“Did you come alone on this trip?”
Nodding my head, I rinsed my mouth with water and gave a brief answer.
“Just came out for a little fresh air.”
“Well then, what are you going to do after eating all this?”
“I’m not sure.”
“If you have nothing to do, shall I read your fortune for you?”
“…Fortune?”
“I majored in that field.”
She smiled innocently, offering to read my fortune.
I couldn’t help but think that she might be a scammer.
Or maybe she was a flower snake trying to deceive me.
Either way, it wasn’t a good relationship to get involved in.
“…It’s okay.”
“You seem more open-minded than I thought.”
“You must have a lot of customers.”
“It’s a 100% reservation system, so I’m not that busy.”
Her tone was serious to be considered a joke, yet the content was playful to be taken seriously.
“What a unique character.”
With subtle impressions in mind, I decided to quietly focus on my meal.
“Well then, I’ll see you next time.”
“Sure. It’s hard to see each other here anyway.”
With a satisfied expression, she devoured the dumplings and suddenly left.
“Well then, see you later.”
“…Goodbye.”
After finishing my meal leisurely alone, as I was about to slowly leave the restaurant.
“Auntie, please take care of the bill here.”
“Hmm? Didn’t that customer before you already take care of it?”
“…Pardon?”
I heard a story about her leaving earlier and calculating even my portion before running away.
*
Unexpectedly treated to a free lunch, I tried to find her whereabouts for a while.
But it wasn’t an easy task to find her in this vast Gangneung.
So I decided to just let it go.
“Should I take a walk?”
Wanting to aid digestion and move my body, I aimlessly took steps again.
“It feels nice.”
Perhaps because it’s by the seaside, the wind felt refreshing, and my mood was good.
…At first.
“Ah, it’s hot.”
Unable to withstand the increasingly scorching sunlight, I immediately looked for a cafe nearby as a way to cool down.
Fortunately, there were many cafes around the beach area.
“Shall I go to a private cafe instead of a franchise today?”
Leaving behind the bustling large franchise cafes, I entered a two-story private cafe that looked sufficiently quiet.
“May I take your order?”
“I’ll have a mint chocolate latte, iced.”
“What size would you like?”
“The largest one, please.”
And after receiving the ordered drink, I went up to the second floor…
“Oh, you’re here. Over here!”
“…Huh?”
The girl I coincidentally ran into at the restaurant was already seated.