This Book is Not Available for Subscription Under the Age of 18 - Chapter 199

Could you please be careful? (3)

Standing in front of it, the aunt seemed to ponder for a moment before quickly pulling out two hangers and handing them to me.

“Try these on.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“Tsk, tsk. What’s with that dress, did you pick it up from a donation bin?”

Aunt, a foreign worker is not a beggar. But, feeling utterly miserable, I could only nod.

As I was told to change and come out, I unbuttoned and slipped off the dress in one go. The attire she gave me included black span pants with a noticeable ankle band and a flowy t-shirt with a bold leopard print. Regardless of the design, they were comfortable.

After changing, the aunt applauded, saying it suited me very well. Haha, it’s all thanks to the model being so good.

“Just like our Charles!”

“Who’s Charles?”

She pointed to a turtle proudly displaying its hexagonal shell and peeking out its head.

“…”

Ah, a turtle.

The palm-sized turtle in the tank hid its face back into its shell as our eyes met.

Hahaha.

The aunt went back to her room to catch up on some missed sleep, pointing to her son’s room and offering it for me to use comfortably.

However, feeling uneasy about using someone else’s room, I eventually settled for the living room sofa.

Tossing and turning for a long time, I couldn’t fall asleep, so I just stared at the round clock on the wall.

5:40 AM.

Even after the minute hand had made two full rotations, I hadn’t fallen asleep. There was some noise from the room, undoubtedly the aunt getting up. I quickly closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep.

“Get up, it’s time to eat.”

Breakfast was prepared in no time.

Kimchi, dried anchovies, salted fish, seaweed, and what seemed like a fried egg made especially for me. The warm rice was the final touch.

It had been so long since I’d seen such dishes. Already hungry from having nothing but water, this feast was a sight for sore eyes. It was the best meal I’d had in all my life as Erina Holden.

After I quickly finished a bowl, just as the aunt was about to take her second spoonful, she offered me another.

I hadn’t meant to imply…

“Thank you, I will eat well.”

“You really do have a healthy appetite.”

I stuffed my cheeks full of rice, nearly bursting them. The aunt watched me as if she was watching a variety show, eventually breaking into laughter. For some reason, this made me think of Evan.

Naturally, after being treated to a meal, I took it upon myself to do the dishes. After removing the damp rubber gloves and turning around, the aunt had already changed and was ready to head out.

“Where are you going?”

“Off to work. Come with me. If I talk to the boss, maybe I can get you a job.”

The streets were crowded, probably because it was rush hour. I was momentarily captivated by the scene, like someone fresh from the countryside visiting Seoul.

I had seen it countless times before. Had the aunt not pulled me along, I would have collided with a man busy on his phone.

Riding the subway, I had to resist the urge to cover my face. Everyone’s eyes who were supposed to be on their smartphones were all on me. I made a guess. It was likely because of my hair color and features. Or, it was because the clothes the aunt had kindly given me.

Finally, we could escape the subway hell when the announcement came on.

Me and the aunt arrived at a ‘kimchi factory’ lined with long, silver containers.

As soon as the ladies wearing sanitary gloves and caps saw me, they gathered around with curious and interested looks.

“She’s a foreign worker! She was staying alone in a house where someone had passed away, struggling to eat. I felt sorry for her, so I brought her along.”

“Well done!”

“Must be tough living away from home, huh?”

“Do you speak Korean?”

“Yes, a wittle.”

The ladies laughed heartily at my response, as if I was a toddler taking their first steps. The situation was going smoothly.

“What’s your name?”

“Ah, I didn’t even ask for your name, what was I thinking!”

My mind spun for a moment. What should I say? Erina? A flood of English names rushed through my mind. Not wanting to delay, I blurted out the first name that came to mind, a name I had called out many times in my childhood.

“Mimi.”

It was the name of a doll I had begged my mother to buy for me.

The situation continued to proceed smoothly. The factory supervisor, who had been asking me various questions, gave up when I pretended not to understand. It seemed they suspected I might be an undocumented immigrant, judging by the worried look on their face.

However, thanks to the other ladies’ efforts, I was able to secure a job. It was a simple task of soaking cleaned cabbages in saltwater.

The machine kept bringing in clean cabbages, and my hands moved non-stop. It was hard to tell if it was the cabbages getting pickled or myself. It felt like the onions I had handled to the point of exhaustion in the other world had transformed into cabbages.

When my back started to ache and I began to alternate standing on one leg at a time, a much-needed break finally arrived.

I took off my mask and emptied a bottle of water.

“Was it tough?”

“Is my first, so a bit hard.” (It’s my first day, so it’s a bit hard)

The ladies simultaneously encouraged me, telling me to hang in there. I lost count of how many times I thanked them.

Then, one of the ladies asked if I needed anything. Normally, I would have declined, but there was something I had been desperately needing since last night.

“May I use a phone?”

Holding the smartphone, I stepped outside the factory. Sweat accumulated under my thumb, which I wiped on my clothes several times.

My eyes didn’t stray from the dial screen. It took a great deal of courage to press ‘0,’ and even more to enter the next numbers.

After entering the desired numbers, my thumb hovered over the green call button. It felt like an invisible barrier prevented me from pressing it, as if it were enchanted.

“Whoo.”

I closed my eyes, lightly tapped the button, and then turned my head away. Naturally, the ringing tone sounded.

Thump, thump, thump.

One second felt as long as ten years.

“Hello?”

Hearing the voice that stirred my heart from the other end, I involuntarily covered my mouth.

I needed to respond, I had to say something.

—Hello?

It was as if there was a button on my tear ducts. As soon as someone pressed it, tears began to stream down my cheeks.

“Kuhm, hmm, hello.”

—Yes, who is this?

It was my Mom. I had worried her voice might sound drained of energy, but thankfully, she sounded vibrant and full of life. The bustling noise in the background was a stark contrast to my own silence.

―Mom! It’s overflowing, what should I do?

―Turn down the heat! Who is this?

I could faintly hear my older brother, mom, and even the laughter of my dad and older sister in the background. I desperately wanted to be part of that moment. I wanted to shout that their youngest believed to be in heaven was actually right here.

“I dialed the wrong number. Sorry.”

―Ah, okay. No problem.

Click―

16 seconds. It was brief. Too brief to exchange greetings, too brief to make my presence felt.

Suddenly, I felt abandoned in the vast world, without my family, without Merson, just alone.

  *

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