Chapter 13: The Tangled Second Act of Life

2. The Tangled Second Act of Life

A cool breeze swept in through the wide-open window. Sunlight, filtering through the gently swaying sheer curtains, settled upon my sleeping face.

The persistent light on my face roused me from slumber, and only then did I realize morning had arrived. Having only fallen asleep in the pre-dawn hours, I’d barely managed a few hours of rest.

‘I’m exhausted.’

It felt as though old memories had surfaced in my dreams, yet they were hazy upon waking. I stifled a wide yawn, then unwrapped myself from the duvet and swung my legs off the bed.

As I slipped into my slippers and headed for the bathroom, my foot bumped against something. Looking down, I saw an assortment of empty liquor bottles scattered across the floor, discarded carelessly from the night before.

‘Just how many are there?’

My tolerance had grown considerably since being here; a single bottle barely registered. I needed at least six bottles to feel that pleasant, tingling buzz.

Consequently, I’d often drink myself into oblivion, only to suffer terribly from hangovers the next day. Even though I knew this wasn’t right, I’d discovered that getting drunk was the most effective way to clear my mind, leaving me with no other choice.

‘I’ll clean it up later.’

Shoving the bottles away with my foot, I made my way to the bathroom. I dropped the duvet I’d been wrapped in onto the floor and stepped under the showerhead.

I turned on the water, expecting warmth, but a torrent of icy water gushed out instead.

“Aargh!”

The freezing spray soaked me instantly, eliciting a scream. The shock cleared away both my hangover and my drowsiness, leaving my mind surprisingly sharp.

My body, however, felt as though it might shatter from the shivering.

This time, I carefully adjusted the water to a comfortable warmth, standing beneath it for a long while to thaw my chilled body. A shower that typically lasted ten minutes stretched into an hour.

As I leisurely finished my shower, my phone, resting on the dresser, vibrated several times. I didn’t check it immediately, focusing instead on drying my hair.

Only after shedding my robe and changing into my出门 clothes did I leisurely pick up my phone. A light tap on the screen instantly brought up a message, as if it had been waiting.

[Mother: Isn’t it about time you came home? I miss my son dearly. Your father said he’d give you a place to work if you come back this time, Seo-jin. Even if it’s just a small subsidiary, it’s an executive position, so it’s worth considering. So please, come back soon. You know you have to seize opportunities when they arise, or there won’t be another chance.] 11:54 AM

The real point, however, lay not in the words of longing but in what followed. How Mother had managed to sway Yoo Hae-jung into abandoning his conviction that Omegas shouldn’t be involved in company affairs was beyond me, but it was truly remarkable.

‘Still, I have no intention of returning.’

I draped the towel I’d used to dry my hair over my shoulder and began typing a reply to my mother. The message, beginning with “Dear Mother,” ultimately conveyed my firm decision not to return.

I pressed the send button, then set my phone down without a second thought. Due to the time difference, it would be night where my mother was, so a reply wouldn’t arrive for several hours.

Or perhaps, a call would come immediately.

‘It’s about time I headed out.’

Checking the time, I realized it was well past noon. While I’d become uncharacteristically lazy lately, as if a screw had come loose, staying in the lodging all day felt wrong.

Having finished preparing to go out, I left my phone behind, concocting an excuse not to answer my mother’s call, and exited the lodging. Since there was no one else I needed to contact anyway, my phone was largely useless.

‘What a beautiful day.’

As I opened the door and stepped outside, the same brilliant sunshine I’d glimpsed through the window poured down. I raised a hand to shield my eyes from the glare and walked along a familiar path.

Perhaps because it was already well past noon, the streets were bustling with people. It seemed I was the only lazy one just waking up.

“Welcome!”

Stepping into the sandwich shop on the corner, I was greeted by a cheerful attendant. I gave a slight nod and ordered my usual bacon sandwich.

“Always the same!”

The attendant, wrapping my sandwich, inquired. Of course, I hadn’t always eaten only bacon sandwiches.

Having stayed here for a considerable time, I’d sampled every sandwich on the menu. The bacon sandwich had simply been the one that best suited my palate, leading me to settle on it.

It was so delicious, I never tired of it, even eating it daily.

“This one?”

“I suppose so.”

“Thank you.”

Carrying a paper bag containing a coffee, my sandwich, and some napkins, I exited the shop. With my satisfying meal in hand, I headed towards the very end of the street, opposite my lodging.

There, an emerald sea stretched out before me. With its pristine white sands, the people strolling along its edge, and the salty breeze carrying the scent of the ocean.

Everything felt perfect.

‘This spot is just right.’

I found a suitable spot with a good view of the beach and took a sip of coffee. Then, I pulled the bacon sandwich from the paper bag and took a large bite.

The crisp vegetables and savory bacon exploded with flavor in my mouth. With the sea, shimmering brilliantly under the sunlight, as my backdrop, I ate bite after bite until the sandwich was gone.

‘I’m full.’

After my satisfying meal, I leisurely finished the rest of my coffee. Before, when I lived a life so busy I barely had time to breathe, I could never have imagined such an existence, yet now, this relaxed daily routine had become familiar.

Half a year had passed since I arrived here. During that time, all I had done was travel and drink.

Or simply sit by the sea, enjoying a sandwich and coffee.

‘Not bad. I want to keep living like this.’

Yet, even this breathtakingly beautiful scenery, eliciting gasps of admiration, was bound to grow tiresome eventually. When that happened, I would have to set off in search of something new to bring me contentment.

Since I had no intention of returning home anyway, simply moving on to another place would suffice, but lately, a thought had been nagging at me. Was there truly a place where I could settle down?

“Haa…”

I let out a deep sigh, resting my chin on my sharply bent knees. As the waves swelled and crashed, scattering glittering lights across the surface, I watched, letting my complicated thoughts dissipate.

A corner of my chest felt utterly empty.

****

After spending a leisurely time by the sea, I made my way to the village pub. Despite it being early evening, the pub was already brimming with patrons.

I bypassed the noisy entrance and settled into my usual spot near the counter.

“Seo-jin,”

“Ah,”

Since I ‘clocked in’ almost every day, I’d grown quite familiar with Jamie, the pub owner. We weren’t close enough to share personal stories, however.

“Here,”

Even before I could order, Jamie, as always, brought me my favorite craft beer. I gave a slight nod and lifted the full glass.

A sip of the fruity beer felt like a refreshing blast, clearing the stuffiness from within me. Having quickly emptied the glass, I called out to Jamie, who was chatting with another customer.

“Jamie,”

“Yesterday too,”

“I’m fine.”

I chuckled idly, shaking my empty glass, and Jamie let out a deep sigh. The pattern repeated: a full glass, I drank, another full glass, I drank.

Before long, the empty glasses in front of me numbered over ten.

‘Why am I not getting drunk?’

My tolerance for alcohol had grown, so even after ten glasses, I only felt a slight buzz. All I wanted was to get drunk, but that feeling just wouldn’t come.

Just as I was about to raise my hand to order another drink, I felt an unfamiliar gaze. I whipped my head around to scan my surroundings, yet no one in the pub seemed to be paying me particular attention.

Everyone was too engrossed in their own drunken conversations.

‘Was it my imagination?’

This wasn’t the first time I’d felt watched. For several weeks, I’d repeatedly had the sensation of someone observing me, but I’d never spotted anyone suspicious.

Only after surveying the boisterous pub once more, just as I usually did, did I dismiss my suspicions. Just as I was about to raise my hand to order another drink, Jamie approached me first, offering something.

What he handed me was a small glass of cold water, much smaller than a beer mug. I looked at him with a bewildered expression, unsure why he’d suddenly given it to me, and Jamie spoke.

“That’s for…”

“Worry… about me?”

“Yes,”

Jamie’s question prompted me to ponder the reason I drank. When I was Yoo Joon-hee, it was to forget reality, but now, living as Yoo Seo-jin, I truly didn’t know.

Was it simply a habit?

“…I suppose so.”