Chapter 1.1

Chapter 1.1

“Excuse me, move aside.”

As soon as the stern voice cut through the air, Shim Hongju snapped awake as if from a deep sleep.

The station, revealing the unmistakable marks of passing years, had only one exit. Well, more precisely, people constantly came out and in of the door, leaving it unclear whether it was an entrance or an exit. The desolate train station, with more people leaving than coming in, was exceedingly dimly lit.

With no plan in mind, Hongju hurriedly stepped off the train station platform, barely muttering an apology as she moved as if chased. She squeezed between unfamiliar faces, and followed wherever her feet led her.

Once outside the station, people gradually disappeared one by one. Some took taxis, others rode family cars, while some simply walked away.

Now alone, Hongju stared blankly at the bleak street.

“Rain….”

Torrential rain poured down. It was such a downpour that she wondered how she hadn’t noticed earlier. The sound roared in her ears.

The rain whipped around like a mad storm, lifting her skirt as gusts of wind cut through. Umbrellas of pedestrians passing by were mercilessly turned inside out.

Checking her wristwatch, Hongju was startled to see that noon had already passed. It felt much darker than it should have been. The thick, overcast sky seemed ready to unleash lightning at any moment.

This incessant, muggy rainy season in the midst of summer was unbearable and exasperating.

The air was so humid it was suffocating. Rainwater clung damply to her skin. Or rather, she was about to be drenched walking through this heavy rain.

But she could still avoid the rain for now. If it passed like a brief shower, she might stay dry today.

She settled to wait for a while on a bench at the station. Just then, another gust of wind and rain blew in. Her hat flew off as she staggered.

Struggling to catch her hat carried away by the wind, Hongju resembled a drenched mouse. Rainwater trickled incessantly into her eyes. Her trembling hands struggled to fix her hat.

As she was about to turn back to the station, a faded yellowish bus approached, splashing through puddles. Hongju stared at its slowly opening door as if something compelled her.

With a vague hope that the bus would shield her from this atrocious downpour, or maybe take her somewhere, Hongju boarded.

Even soaked, no one paid her any mind as she found a seat. There were hardly any passengers on this sparsely occupied bus.

Seated by the window, Hongju wiped the misty glass with her palm.

[Seomgyeong Station]

Seomgyeong. It was a city she had never heard of before.

Hongju wasn’t afraid of an unfamiliar city. She simply wanted to get away. From anything and anyone.

The bus steadily made its way somewhere as Hongju wished. It climbed through narrow mountain roads and rattled along unpaved paths. Mud splashed heavily, staining the bus windows.

After a while, when she saw what looked like a proper bus stop, Hongju got off. She trembled sitting on a plastic chair and then got back on when the next bus arrived.

She felt like she was going deeper into somewhere. It felt like she had already crossed over one mountain.

Later, the bus driver stretched and said it was the end of the line. Right in front was a commonplace convenience store. It felt more connected to civilization compared to the quiet neighborhood she had while crossing over the hills.

Jumping under the convenience store umbrella, Hongju looked around. There weren’t many people around, probably because of the foul weather.

In a rural neighborhood that she had only seen in movies, there was a street right in front of her that could at least be called the downtown area.
Across the street were a hardware store and a shabby Chinese restaurant lined up side by side. She was gazing at them endlessly.

“Hey! Kim Ok-hee!”

A clanging bell sounded, and someone behind her suddenly shouted. Hongju was startled by even the slightest sound and turned around.

A man in a convenience store vest looked at Hongju and burst into a chuckle before immediately closing his mouth. He was large and, above all, very tall.

Instinctive wariness enveloped her whole body. Hongju frowned, her face suddenly turning pale.

The man was already embarrassed from mistaking her for someone else, and at her reaction, he scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I mistook you for someone…”

“…”

“I’m really sorry… But who are you? I’ve never seen you before… Would you like to come in and have some Odeng soup*? Looks like you got caught in the rain.”

*Odean Soup is Korean fishcake soup.

The man showed signs of opening the door. Hongju harshly shot him as if to block his steps.

“… It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”

Men approaching like this pretending to do her a favor were nothing new to her. She was fed up with it. But despite Hongju’s sharp words, the man seemed completely unaffected. Instead, he opened the door even wider.

Hongju, who had been watching the man’s actions closely, suddenly stepped back. After regaining her senses, she realized she was running away.

“Hey!”

It wasn’t until the voice became faint that Hongju finally stopped running. She panted heavily, gasping for breath, her cheeks turning red.

Taking shelter from the rain near the store entrance, Hongju looked at her reflection in the window. Just like at the station, she was thoroughly soaked, with water dripping from her clothes. The warmth from her recent run made her face flush.