“Would you like to eat with us?”
The police officer, who seemed quite old, said, rubbing the warm jajangmyeon that had just been delivered. The noodles were not swollen, so she could hear the sound of the sauce every time he rubbed it, and the smell of savory pork oil filled the police station.
Even in this situation, Minju was very dumbfounded, but on the other hand, she felt fortunate.
“No, I’m fine. Please don’t mind me and eat.”
He told her not to worry, but Minju, who had been sitting on a bench in a police station for hours, was uncomfortable with police officers.
“Did you say it was a check? I’m sure they’ll throw your bag somewhere because you applied for a suspension of payment at the bank so they can’t use it anyway. Don’t worry too much.”
He was not wrong. Both the report of the loss of the check and the application for suspension of payment were carried out in a swift manner because the theft happened just in front of the bank. It was hard to collect money and get a check, but it was so easy and fast to lose it and report it.
Minju managed to get a credit card loan for 4 million won, 20 percent of the lost money, as a deposit. She became indebted again in a blink of an eye.
“But it’s not just a loss, it’s a criminal case, not a civil case, right? I think I learned that we need to catch the criminals to find the check…”
A new employee, who seemed to have just graduated from college, asked the senior with curious eyes.
“What do you know? Be quiet, thank you.”
Their whispers were heard by Minju, who had several times better hearing than others.
When the senior officer noticed, the new employee approached Minju pretending to pour water from the water purifier and begged her to leave now.
“We’ve also given you a missing report card, haven’t we? If you can go home, the patrol will look around and contact you when they find your bag.”
“As I said earlier… It’s because I don’t have a phone at home. I’ll wait a little longer before I go.”
No, so when is the patrol going out and how are they going to find my bag?
Minju sat upright and put a silent pressure on him.
“Oh, then write down your family’s contact information. You can do that, right?”
Write down your family’s contact information. Minju realized it was time to go now.
People needed a background guarantor even when they signed a guardian’s consent for surgery, and even when they were working part-time instead of officially joining a company.
Minju was too hungry to explain how this gateway, which was not difficult for most people, had become particularly burdensome for her.
“It’s the number of the store I work for. Please contact me here. It doesn’t matter if it’s day or night, so if you find my bag…”
“Yes, yes! I’ll contact you right away~ Hey! How many times have I told you not to pour the sauce?”
“Ah! I’ll correct it!”
Police officers quarreled over the sauce for sweet and sour pork without looking at the note Minju wrote down.
Minju left the police station quietly, omitting any further requests, fearing that she would be branded as an unlikable citizen if she kept interrupting their meals.
When she realized that she did not have even a few thousand won to pay for jjajang cup noodles and a can of beer at a convenience store where she went to buy something, she felt really hopeless.
There was not just 20 million won in her stolen bag. Her cell phone, transportation card, ID, wallet…
She could not help but walk alone at night.
She searched all the trash cans she could see while she was walking to the store near the bank where she had been swiped.
It was to find the bag that the criminal might have left behind, but wasn’t she so hungry that she was searching for leftovers as well? It looks like she was.
She stood at the crossing and waited for the traffic light to change. Minju, who suddenly found out that she was missing one shoe, looked around. It was because she did not want to be seen like this even by strangers.
It was a night as empty as an empty stomach and a bare foot.
She took a weak bridge and deliberately chose a deserted alley. When she barely reached the front of the store, a car lamp coming from somewhere suddenly lit up Minju.
“…Who are you?”
She could not see in front of her because it was blinding.
From the darkness beyond the bright light, someone was walking toward her.
Minju was a little scared and tried to open the store quickly, but she kept twisting her hands and got the number wrong. After a third attempt, the store’s door was finally unlocked.
She heard a man’s voice in the dark as she was about to enter the store with a sigh of relief.
“Wait, Choi Minju-ssi! Are you going to stand me up twice today?”
“Conductor-nim?”
What brought Park Sang-yeon here at this hour?
Oh… Minju only remembered that today was Monday and that she did not go to Sang-yeon’s house.
She had been completely out of her mind all day.
“Let’s talk for a second.”
Sang-yeon suddenly put Minju in his car.
The foreign car that she entered for the first time in her life smelled good. The car seat was soft, glossy and felt the unique coziness of a thick cushion.
However, Minju did not know why Park Sang-yeon came to her, so she just sat still like a mute in a stiff posture.
“Could you tell me what was so important that you forgot?”
“Oh, well… I’m sorry. I got robbed by a motorcycle on my way out of the bank during the day, so I was in a daze. I should have called you in advance, but I lost my cell phone… I’m sorry. Is that why you’re here?”
“I don’t know how many times I’ve called. I kept getting a message saying it couldn’t reach.”
Sang-yeon’s voice was subtle but obviously angry.
Minju did not understand Sang-yeon’s reaction, but she did not say anything because she broke her promise with a customer.
“Are you hurt?”
“No, I’m fine.”
Sang-yeon stared at Minju’s feet, missing one shoe. In shame, Minju hid her feet under the seat. At that moment, Sang-yeon’s hand caught Minju’s ankle.
“What are you doing?”
“I need to see with my own eyes if you’re really okay.”
Sang-yeon lowered his head again under Minju’s leg, removed her dirty sock and checked the condition of her foot.
Sang-yeon’s hands were hot as she touched Minju’s foot, which was as cold as ice. Minju bit her lips tightly with her lower abdomen tightened in case her body touched Sang-yeon’s. Nevertheless, Sang-yeon’s head touched her chest.
“Did the thief take your shoe too?”
“Oh… no. Maybe it came off while chasing the thief.”
Minju barely answered while holding her breath.
Sang-yeon raised his body and made eye contact with Minju as it was natural. There was a moment of subtle silence between the two and the air in the car was quite different from before.
However, Sang-yeon indifferently said as if nothing had happened.
“You don’t have to go to the hospital. Where is your house? I’ll take you there.”
“No, you can’t!”
Because Minju denied it so loudly, Sang-yeon wanted to ask ‘Why?’ He stared at Minju with a blank face.
“The police department was supposed to call me when they found my bag, but I don’t have a home phone and there’s no one to answer the call in my stead…”
“So you’re going to sleep at the store now?”
Minju nodded.
“Which police station is it?”
“It’s the Seokgyeong Police Station.”
Sang-yeon immediately searched his phone and called Seokgyeong Police Station.
“Yes, thank you very much. This is Choi Minju’s family who was robbed by a motorcycle during the day. If there is any progress in the investigation, please contact me at 010-xxxx-xxxx. Yes, thank you.”
Family, why are you claiming to be my family? It’s a little too much for kindness. Park Sang-yeon, what are you thinking? Yes?
“Well, that’s done. Now?”
Sang-yeon arbitrarily solved the problem and started the car.
The distance that she usually travelled to go to work felt particularly short. Perhaps it was because it was not rush hour, but this time with Sang-yeon was so precious to Minju. Even the sceneries outside the window looked special.
Sang-yeon’s car slowly entered the alley where Minju’s house was located.
“You can stop here.”
“You must be tired, so go home and rest.”
“The way out is straight ahead and on the main road…”
“Don’t worry.”
Sang-yeon, who had been a little angry before, smiled warmly at Minju for the first time.
When she saw him smile, Minju felt at ease for some reason.
“Be careful driving.”
When Minju said goodbye and tried to get out of the car, Sang-yeon took something out, saying ‘Wait a minute’. It was slippers.
Minju slowly walked home wearing Sang-yeon’s slippers, which were way too big for her.
Minju’s heart pounded like crazy, wondering if it was like this to be protected by someone and to have someone waiting for her and worrying about her.
Perhaps Sang-yeon had been also nervous, but when Minju disappeared completely inside the gate, he breathed deeply.
Even after getting back in the car and changing the destination of the navigation system to his house in Pyeongchang, Sang-yeon leaned in the driver’s seat and closed his eyes for a while.
Knock, knock, knock!
He heard a urgent knock on the car window.
When he lowered the black tinted car window, he saw Minju. He even felt sorry to see her breathing so hard after running fast.
“Conductor-nim! Can I… borrow 50,000 won? I can’t enter my house because I don’t have the key.”
Sang-yeon thought it was fortunate that he did not leave the place in a hurry.
“Get in.”
Minju got back into the car as Sang-yeon told her to. Sang-yeon left in front of Minju’s house without delay. It was a completely different speed than before.
When she saw Sang-yeon stepping on the accelerator, Min-ju suddenly got scared.
“Conductor-nim, where are we going? I think you can just stop me at a motel near the main street…”
“…”
Sang-yeon did not answer.
“Conductor-nim?”
“I know a really nice place to stay.”
“Where is it?”
“You’ll know when we get there.”
Outside the window that Minju looked at quietly, very familiar places passed by. No way? Surprised, Minju looked at Sang-yeon, but he did not even look at her.
Every Monday, she was so excited that she ran all the time. It was clear that Sang-yeon was taking Minju to his house now.
Soon after the car stopped in front of his house in Pyeongchang, Sang-yeon’s eyes finally turned to Minju.
“If you don’t mind, why don’t you spend the night with me?”
As if punched by Sang-yeon’s hot and intense straightforwardness, Minju was stunned and could not speak.