One Bowl (2)

That voice was cold. Even without turning around, I knew it was my wife. It felt as if the air itself had frozen solid. Holding my breath, I turned to face her. Her gaze flicked between me, Ji-an whose hand I still held, and Ha-jun standing beside us.

“Ah… that… well…”

I tried to speak, but the words lodged in my throat. Half-formed excuses and explanations spun through my mind, yet none of them reached my lips.

My wife stepped closer, her eyes dropping downward. That look—full of disgust and disbelief—fixed on Ji-an. The little girl released my hand at once and fled behind me as if terrified.

“Ha… what the hell are you doing? Already playing house with someone new?”

“No, it’s not like that—”

“You’ve lost your damn mind, haven’t you?”

“Wait, there’s a child present…”

“What, is the kid yours, you bastard?”

Her words were so sharp, so laced with venom, that I couldn’t answer. While I stood there speechless, Ha-jun stepped in.

“I… I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I was just—”

“A misunderstanding? You’re doing this garbage while you have a wife at home too?”

It looked like my wife and Ha-jun were about to have a full-blown fight.

“It really isn’t what you think. I’m sorry, but could you both step away for a moment? I’ll handle this.”

“No, but—”

“Please… I’m begging you.”

Ha-jun looked like he wanted to say more, but when I lowered my head in earnest plea, he let out a heavy sigh. He took Ji-an’s hand and led her away. Even as she was pulled along, Ji-an kept glancing back at me. Once their figures disappeared from view, the air grew even heavier, pressing down on me.

My wife stood with her arms crossed, scanning me slowly from head to toe. Her eyes finally landed on the shopping bag in my hand.

“Ha, look at you. You even got gifts? So you’re heading that way now?”

Her voice dripped with mockery.

“It’s not like that… I just went out to buy some clothes.”

“Clothes? Of course you need clothes. But why did you go with someone else?”

She let out a derisive snort. Her tone carried a strange mix of jealousy and hostility. I couldn’t tell whether it was aimed at me or at the person I had become.

“…It’s for work tomorrow. I can’t show up in a hospital gown, can I? I went to buy something suitable and happened ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to run into them.”

Normally I wouldn’t have been able to utter a single word, but having spent the day with Ji-an somehow loosened my tongue.

“Work? Right, you have to go to work. You need to earn money. So, they’re not laying you off?”

The moment I mentioned work, the subject changed instantly. Did money matter more to her than I did? Or was she angry at the thought that I might abandon her?

“I’ll find out tomorrow… when I go in.”

In truth, I already knew. The HR meeting during the restructuring period was simply the final confirmation that the company no longer needed me. But if I said that now, I wouldn’t be able to withstand her rage, so I dodged the truth.

“Fine. If you’re going to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the office tomorrow, does that mean you’re being discharged?”

“…Yes. I’ll be discharged tomorrow morning and head straight there.”

“Good. That’s what I came to ask. If you’re gone, I’ll starve to death.”

Having received every answer she wanted, my wife turned on her heel and walked out of the hospital. I had secretly hoped she might have come to look after me. That small expectation shattered the moment the door closed behind her.

I stood frozen in place for a while. The shopping bag in my hand suddenly felt unbearably heavy—like it carried every cutting word I had just heard instead of mere clothing.

I let out a slow breath and began walking. Beyond the glass doors, my wife’s retreating back never once turned to look at me. The sight was painfully familiar, but I refused to dwell on why.

The path back to the second floor felt even quieter, steeped in desolation.

Once I returned to the room, I would pack my things and prepare for discharge. Tomorrow I would face the cold expressions of the HR team. In all of that, there probably wouldn’t be a single person who cared what happened to me.

Ah… maybe Ji-an would.

A faint smile slipped out. It was ironic that the child I had met only today lingered in my thoughts more than the family I had lived with for over fifteen years or the company where I had worked for twenty. Despite the short time we spent together, Ji-an’s small hand and radiant smile kept resurfacing in my mind.

“It really… was a strange day.”

The words I muttered to myself echoed down the hospital corridor.

It had definitely read “Seojun” when I left earlier, but the name had been changed. I stood before the hospital room door and took a moment to steady my breathing. The thought that opening this door would bring the day to an end kept circling through my mind. Still, I knew wishing tomorrow would never arrive was pointless.

Slide—

I checked the nameplate once more and opened the door. As expected, the room was cold and silent. I set the shopping bag beside the bed, leaned my back against the wall, and slowly closed my eyes. Ji-an’s voice and my wife’s icy stare alternated in my head.

By tomorrow… everything will be settled.

Comforting myself with that thought, I rested my hand on top of the shopping bag.

Early the next morning, my eyes opened on their own.

Outside the window it was still dark, and the air inside the room had grown even colder overnight. The clothes I had prepared the day before and the discharge papers lay neatly beside the bed. I already knew how this day would end, yet I still had to get ready.

With some effort I rose, heading to the bathroom to wash my face. Cold droplets ran down my chin, and a thin breath escaped me. I wiped the moisture away with my palm and looked into the mirror again. I was less startled now by the woman reflected there, but it still felt awkward.

“…Let’s go.”

If I stared at the mirror too long, I would lose the courage to begin the day. I dried my face with a towel and put on the clothes from the shopping bag. The thought of wearing normal clothes instead of a hospital gown felt strangely foreign.

I gathered the discharge papers from beside the bed and left the room. The documents were light in my hand, yet their contents weighed heavily on me. The hospital corridor was still quiet, thick with the smell of patient meals and disinfectant.

When I reached the first-floor reception desk, the staff member looked up.

“How can I help you?”

“Ah, I’m Seoyeon from Room 205. I’d like to complete my discharge…”

I handed over the papers. The nurse checked them briefly, typed something into the computer, and passed me an envelope.

“Your discharge is complete. Mr. Park Hyun-soo has already taken care of the costs, so you’re free to go.”

“Thank you.”

I bowed, turned away, and opened the envelope. Inside was the paperwork for a new ID card, but the photo section was blank.

I read the note, tucked the papers away, and walked out of the hospital. When I turned on my phone to check the time, it was still only seven o’clock.

I should head to the photo studio first.

As I left the hospital grounds, the cold dawn wind brushed the tip of my nose. At the corner where the hospital path met the main road, an old sign caught my eye.

There was still about an hour to wait. I wandered around for a while before stepping into a nearby café. A fair number of people were already inside, mostly students studying.

“Welcome~”

The part-timer greeted me with a bright smile. I returned an awkward one of my own, scanned the menu, and ordered an Americano. The coffee arrived quickly. One sip and the caffeine sharpened my mind.

I carried my cup to a seat by the window and gazed at the hospital across the way. The gentle aroma of coffee blended with the sweet scent of cakes the students had ordered, wrapping me in unexpected comfort. I closed my eyes for a brief moment.

“Excuse me…”

Thinking a staff member had come to wake me after I dozed off, I opened my eyes. An unfamiliar young man was looking at me.

“Could I… possibly get your number?”

“Pardon?… Me?”

My mind went completely blank. The student-looking man wore a serious expression with no trace of playfulness. He studied my face for a long moment before speaking again.

“Do you… happen to have a boyfriend?”

“Ah, I don’t… well, actually I did have someone.”

I didn’t have a boyfriend. What I had was a wife and children.

“I’m sorry. I don’t really have the freedom for that right now…”

I wrapped both hands around my coffee cup and averted my gaze.

“Ah… I see. Sorry to bother you.”

The young man gave a short nod and returned to his friends without another word.

“Told you she’d say no. She’s probably a trainee—dating ban and all that.”

“Ugh, shut up.”

I heard their conversation but deliberately ignored it. Fortunately, no one else approached me after that. I finished my coffee in peace. When I checked the time again, it was nearly eight. I cleaned up my table and left the café.

The studio door was already open, soft lighting spilling out. I stepped inside, and a middle-aged photographer greeted me warmly.

“Hello~”

“Ah… yes. I’m here to take an ID photo…”

“You must have just graduated? Then this is for your résumé, right~”

“No, not at all! It’s for an ID card, not a résumé.”

“Oh dear, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my mistake! No wonder you looked so young!”

At the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠photographer’s words, I found myself at a complete loss for what to say.