Invisible in My Own Home
As soon as I opened the door, the living room's atmosphere washed over me. The house was warm, but I knew that warmth wasn't meant for me. The drone of the TV, the rustling from the kitchen, and my wife's eyes flicking toward me the moment she realized I'd arrived.
"Oh, you're back?"
There wasn't a trace of welcome in her voice. I stepped into the living room and answered.
"Yeah."
Seo-a stayed glued to her phone on the sofa, offering nothing but a slight nod without lifting her eyes. Seo-jin emerged from his room, shot me a quick glance, then headed straight for the kitchen without a word and yanked open the refrigerator door.
"How was school?"
My question might as well have been spoken into empty air. The only reply was the sharp hiss of a beverage can opening. A sigh rose in my throat, but I swallowed it and turned toward my room. That's when I heard the unmistakable shutter sound from Seo-jin's phone.
"What... are you doing?"
"Ah, nothing. The guys were curious."
"About what?"
"What you look like now."
"You told them? About this?"
Seo-jin let out a derisive snort. I lunged to snatch the phone from his hand, but my altered sense of distance betrayed me—my fingers closed on empty air.
"Delete it."
"Why should I? I'm just showing my dad to them."
"Delete it right now!"
The moment I raised my voice, Seo-jin clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Why? It's funny. What's the big deal?"
"You think this is funny? Your dad's become your punchline?"
Our voices had grown loud enough that my wife finally looked up.
"Why are you two fighting?"
"It's not me. Dad's telling me I can't take pictures."
"Ugh, so damn petty."
Those three words drained every ounce of strength from my body.
"What...?"
"Kids do stuff like that. All the kids are the same these days. Aren't you being too sensitive?"
I turned to stare at my wife instead of Seo-jin.
"Kids do stuff like that..."
"It's just a prank. It's not a big deal."
"A prank... when I've ended up like this... it's not a big deal?"
"A big deal? Who dies from a couple of pictures?"
The sneer at the end of her sentence made my stomach churn. Seo-a, annoyed by the noise, slipped back into her room. Seo-jin seized the chance to retreat as well, muttering under his breath.
"Acting all sensitive for no reason..."
Now only my wife and I remained in the living room. The TV kept spilling artificial laughter into the air, but the only sound echoing in my ears was the conversation that had just taken place.
"So, what about the company?"
The sudden question stole my breath.
"...Does it have to be right now?"
"Then when?"
I steadied my breathing before answering.
"I was let go."
My wife's eyebrows twitched.
"What? Let go? Then what about money?"
"I'll get severance pay. There'll be compensation too."
"How much?"
"It should... last us a few months."
She immediately started tapping at her phone.
"No way—with the new bag, Seo-a's tutoring fees, and everything Seo-jin wanted me to buy, the card bill is already huge!"
"What? You bought another bag—"
"Be quiet! I was planning to go out with Minseong's mom. We can still go, right?"
Her voice climbed higher with every sentence.
"Isn't there any kind of support money?"
"...No."
I deliberately kept the existence of the support grant from her. She gave me a suspicious look.
"Ha... so it's really just the severance pay?"
"...Yes."
She shook her head and let out a long sigh.
"This is seriously driving me crazy."
Her tone held far more irritation at her own inconvenience than any worry for me. I bit my lip in silence. Anything more I said would be pointless.
"So what are you going to do now? Are you getting a job?"
She crossed her arms and looked down at me.
"I'll figure out a way—"
"A way? What exactly can you do right now? You're a woman and you've been fired."
Inside, I wanted to say You could help a little too... But her eyes made it perfectly clear she had no intention of ever working.
"My condition is different now... I need to rest a little before I look for work again—"
"That's what makes it even funnier. Who would hire you? Even with experience, you're young and female. Just do some part-time work or find something that fits that body."
At that moment Seo-a burst out of her room.
"Mom, it's too loud. Shut up already."
Her tone dripped with complaint, and the glare she shot me was pure annoyance.
"If you're going to fight, take it outside. Why are you doing this in the living room?"
My wife immediately took her side.
"Aigoo, Mommy's sorry~ It's because Daddy won't listen~"
I was speechless. I was the one suffering the most, yet I wasn't someone to be worried about—I was simply the source of their inconvenience. Once Seo-a slammed her door shut, my wife looked down at me again.
"Are you planning to just sit around like this? Go outside and look for a part-time job or something. Do anything."
There was no persuasion or consideration in her voice—only the clear demand that I start earning money as soon as possible. The realization made my breathing quicken. The living room air grew heavier, tightening around my throat with every inhale.
My wife scanned my face, then added as if she refused to waste the opportunity.
"And don't start thinking useless thoughts."
The moment she finished, Seo-jin poked his head out from the kitchen.
"Mom, what's for dinner?"
"Let's order something. What do you want?"
"Chicken!"
In that short exchange I felt like an outsider. Or maybe the family had simply decided I was invisible. Seo-jin wandered into the living room, dropped onto the sofa, and started scrolling on his phone.
"Pfft..."
He glanced at me and smirked. Something about that laugh felt wrong. I stood up, moved to the sofa, and looked at the screen in his hands. There I was.
Seo-jin noticed me looking at his phone and snapped.
"Ah, fuck. Why are you looking at my phone!"
"This... did you post this?"
He avoided my eyes for a second, then smirked.
"Why? Everyone likes it. They're even giving compliments."
"Compliments...? You think those are compliments?"
Instead of answering, Seo-jin let out a mocking laugh.
"If you're a woman, isn't that the highest praise?"
Something inside me snapped. I gripped the phone tighter, but the comments kept flashing behind my eyes.
Every single sentence felt like it was tearing me apart. This was a completely different kind of filthy gaze from anything I'd experienced before. The blatant lust directed at me was almost unbearable.
"Please... please delete it."
"No way. It's already up, and taking it down will just draw more attention."
"Please..."
Tears welled in my eyes. Any pride I once had was gone. I grabbed Seo-jin's arm and sobbed.
"Ah, fuck... seriously!"
He shook me off and shouted.
"What now! Shut up, it's too loud!"
Seo-a opened her door again, took one look, and frowned.
"Why is Dad crying?"
"No, sis, look at this. These are compliments, right?"
Seo-jin showed her the comments.
"Fuck, what a typical incel. Crazy bastard."
"What the hell, you crazy bitch."
My head throbbed. Were these really the words coming from my own children? Had this kind of talk been happening the entire time I was at work?
"Fuck, that's just how guys are."
Seo-a spat the words and slammed her door shut. The moment it closed, Seo-jin went back to chuckling and scrolling through his phone.
I stood motionless in the middle of the living room. My body felt nailed to the floor. My mind had gone completely blank.
The tone of my son's and daughter's voices, their expressions—they kept replaying in my ears and before my eyes. Incel. Bitch. Those weren't words I recognized. To anyone listening, they clearly weren't compliments.
I remained frozen like that for a long time before I finally moved.
"I'm... going to my room first."
No one answered. Even if I vanished, no one would care.
"Haa..."
The moment I collapsed onto the bed, a deep sigh escaped. No matter how long I exhaled, the tightness in my chest refused to loosen. The tears I'd managed to hold back until I walked through the door were now falling even harder.
Was it... my fault...?
The corners of my eyes burned again. It hurt too much that no one was worried about me.
"Kids~ Delivery's here."
"Yeah~"
"Got it."
Even through the crack in the door, their voices held no space for me.
I'd rather...
Not wanting to think anymore, I buried my face in the pillow and closed my eyes. My breathing grew shallower. My chest slowly tightened, and my body sank deeper into the mattress. I couldn't tell whether I was falling asleep or quietly dying. With one final thought—that I wanted to erase every sound in the world—I slipped into unconsciousness.