The Empty Village

Monday. The day Lee Yoo-na took a day off to go to a small theater with Park Ha-eun to watch a play. "Hmm." Using an out-of-office excuse as cover, I arrived at a certain location. "This place is completely rural." Because Hana City itself had only recently begun development, such a remote backwater still existed. A quiet, serene village nestled as though the mountains had spread their wings to embrace it. Hana-3-ri. Even the administrative district name sounded like something only a civil servant would come up with. I chuckled and looked around the village. "The location isn't bad."

Infrastructure, culture, leisure facilities—if you wanted those, the conditions were the worst. But if you wanted a place where anything could happen and still remain buried, it was the best. I flipped through the Hana-3-ri documents I'd brought from the welfare center. The disaster of an aging population always struck places like this first. Vines had taken over the walls of abandoned houses everywhere. The walnut tree that once guarded the village entrance had been cut clean off, leaving only a stump. "No people, and you have to take the long way around to enter." Yet the elevated highway wasn't far; the city center was only twenty minutes away. "I definitely wouldn't come here at night." The unmanaged houses looked desolate. I grinned. That was exactly why I liked it. I could decorate everything however I wanted. "Good thing I charmed Ha-eun noona after all." That was precisely why I'd gone looking for a real estate agent. She knew about a place this perfect.

Thud. I walked slowly, taking in the village. What had once been a stable was now filled with odds and ends left behind by its former owner. When I reached the end of the village, I spotted one relatively clean house. Though it hadn't been maintained and was surrounded by vines, the yard was neat. After checking the very last house, I turned around and looked back toward the entrance. "No school, and the bus that used to run once every two hours stopped last month…" With the last resident gone, it was only natural from the bus company's perspective. I'd decided. This was the place.

I hadn't used all three slots for a simple reason: to buy these houses cheaply. I wouldn't be the one purchasing them—Park Ha-eun would. "I'll start as soon as Ha-eun noona gets here."

Park Ha-eun

I'd wanted to come here alone with Do-yun. Haah. What a shame. "Unni……, are you really going to buy everything?" "Yeah, why?" "Uh……, we're about to run out of time for the play……" "Huuung~, what a shame." With a sigh, I turned to the staff. "I'll take everything we've looked at so far." "Yes, ma'am~!" I accepted the shopping bags with both hands and handed half to Yoo-na. "……?" "A gift." "……Pardon?" "Take them~. Don't feel burdened. It's a bribe so we can get closer~." Since things had turned out this way, I needed to make Do-yun's childhood friend firmly mine. "C-can I really accept these?" "Unni has plenty of money~." "Th-thank you……. Th-then I'll buy lunch!" "Huuung~, sounds good."

Ever since becoming an adult, I'd never stopped working. I dated occasionally~. Traveled sometimes~. Got my hair and nails done regularly~. But I never really rested, did I? So I'd saved up more than enough money. Spending this much felt like a cheap indulgence. "Thank you, unni~." "Hehe, you're welcome." I leaned toward Yoo-na and whispered, "We were pretty intense yesterday, weren't we?" "Hic!" Yoo-na's shoulders flinched in embarrassment. This was exactly why teasing younger girls was so fun. Do-yun was such an old soul. How had he even lived his life? "Doesn't your belly feel full and heavy when you walk?" "……" Instead of answering, her ears turned bright red. "Pfft, teasing you is too entertaining." "Unniii." Yoo-na called my name with a face that looked ready to cry, so I linked my arm with hers. Honestly, this kind of deep emotional intimacy was unfamiliar. I'd only ever met people for work, names I'd forget the moment we parted. Even my ex-boyfriends barely left an impression. Since they were as capable as I was, there'd never been any real regret. That was why meeting someone who could understand everything—and did understand—was so strange. "The impact feels so good that Do-yun keeps playing those naughty 'pranks' on you." "Hiiing, I know~. Still……" Yoo-na let out a small, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠resigned sigh. "I have to accept it. He's a precious friend." "……You know what? I think you're the kindest person I've ever met." Even earlier on the subway, she'd given up her seat to an elderly person without hesitation. She'd also helped a wheelchair user when we boarded. "But how did you know about that?" "Know about what?" "Helping with the wheelchair. Is it called an elevator? Escalator? I don't even know what to call it~." Yoo-na smiled awkwardly. "It's called a wheelchair lift. My body just moved on its own." The kid was kind. Too kind. "How are you going to survive in this harsh world?" "……Pardon?" I squeezed her arm tightly. "You give and give, but never even hear a thank you. You only end up losing." I'd lived selfishly my whole life and done just fine. Competing selfishly had let me live far better than them. "I didn't start helping people because I wanted something in return, unni~." I couldn't understand. "Mmm~, so it's like a mirror." "A mirror?" A faint smile appeared on Yoo-na's face as she explained gently, "Yes. Everyone was once a child, everyone becomes old, and anyone could become disabled, right?" "Huuung~, so?" "I received help from adults when I was little, and someday when I'm old, someone will help me too. I'm just following the mirror I saw as a child, and making sure I won't feel ashamed when I receive help as an old person. That's why it's a mirror." "……" Her eyes were serious. She was completely different from me. Yet that deep emotional connection still remained strong. "Is that so? I don't really get it." "Hehe, that's fine. I was just trying to sound smart~. I just help because I want to." The gentle smile that accompanied her words made me feel oddly guilty. So this was why Do-yun always stuck close to her. I was starting to understand why they spent so much time together. "Ah, unni! There's a line at the theater! Let's go!" "Huh? Oh, yeah~." Someone endlessly kind didn't suit me. Could someone as endlessly selfish as I was even become close to her? "Unni~, it'll be fun, right? I've really wanted to see this!" The serious expression from earlier had vanished, replaced by a bright, childlike smile. Well, the play was pretty entertaining anyway.

"Why, what is it. Say something, anything." "……" Park Ha-eun rested her chin on her hand and stared at me until I finally snapped. "Sheeeesh~. Yoo-na is just too kind~." What? Was she badmouthing Yoo-na, or just stating a fact? "She is kind." "How is she supposed to survive in this harsh world~." Huh? Was this some kind of female code? "Why, did Yoo-na do something?" I told her what had happened that day. "Sounds like her." Typical Yoo-na. "Huuung~, do you do that too? If my future kids turn out endlessly kind, that'd be a bit much." "Ah, that won't happen." Me, kind? I'd never believed such nonsense. "You're planning to get me pregnant again, aren't you?" "Yes." She was stating the obvious. "Noona, you keep getting pregnant on purpose." "……" She froze, eyes wide, chin still resting on her hand. A moment later, she broke into a wide grin. Of course—if a woman who matched my ideal type said she wanted to keep getting pregnant with my children, I'd laugh too. Raising them was a different matter. "By the way, who's next?" "Hiiing~, the mood was nice." "You did it with Yoo-na when she came back last night and once with noona this morning." She still pouted. "I can go as many times as I want, that's all~." Even as she said that, she handed me some documents. Today was Tuesday, so I'd taken the day off to go around with Ha-eun noona. "It was the house they grew up in. After their parents passed, they couldn't bring themselves to sell it because of the memories." "Hmm." Understandable. But were they really maintaining a house full of memories until the rafters and beams collapsed? "Turns out they bought it cheap from the previous owner." Probably just inflating the price with that story. "Let's go." The hypnosis was simple. - Sell the house quickly to raise emergency funds. If I planted that, Ha-eun noona could swoop in. New names kept stacking up in the play setup. Over the past few days, I'd hypnotized the homeowners whenever I had spare time. Since I'd 'asked' Ha-eun noona to pretend she didn't know, I wasn't worried. "Is this the last one?" Hm? This was the only house in the village that had been properly maintained. "They'll be here soon." "The house looked well-kept. I wonder who owns it." Soon enough, two people arrived. And they were people I knew. "Senior?"

"Aah~, so that's why you came~." I smiled as empathetically as I could. To be honest, we weren't that close. When I was a freshman, they were seniors, so they seemed impossibly out of reach. I'd only finished one semester before enlisting, so there hadn't been time to get close. We'd only overlapped at MTs or department events during that first semester. Still, there was a reason they stuck in my memory. "You two really did get married~. Congratulations! I should've gone to the wedding, but I didn't have your number……" It made sense—they really were childhood friends. They'd been famous for it in the department. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Childhood friends dating and then marrying; wasn't that everyone's dream scenario? "It's fine~. We didn't have your number either." They probably only remembered me vaguely too. Ah, right. There was that junior as well. "I didn't know you were working as a civil servant here, Do-yun." "I didn't expect it either……" "Huh? Sorry, did I say something wrong?" "No, no. But why are you two moving here?" The reason the house had been maintained. They'd recently found this place, bought it, and were planning to remodel it themselves. "Both of us work from home, so we figured we'd buy a nice countryside house and live here." Work from home, huh. That was……, actually, pretty enviable. But this was going to mess up my plans. "Ah, this is the real estate agent who's been helping me a lot." "Oh my, I didn't expect an introduction. Here's my business card." The two of them bowed and accepted the cards. "If you need any interior work, please contact us. We have someone we know." "Ah~, thank you. We'll reach out if we need anything." There was a polite grace to Senior Choi's movements. Thinking back, even in college they'd been the envy of everyone. Handsome and well-mannered Senior Choi Woo-hyun. Bright and affectionate Senior Kim Ye-na. They both seemed like characters straight out of a campus romance. Even their names sounded like they belonged in a romance novel. And on top of that, they were childhood friends who dated? It was like a romance drama in the making. "I was also contacting homeowners because I wanted to move here too……, but they're not selling, right?" "Mmm~, probably not?" Instead of Senior Choi, who was looking at the business card, Senior Ye-na answered right away. "I never dreamed I'd run into a junior here~. Isn't this fate? Are you moving into the village too?" Senior Ye-na looked around while holding her husband's hand. "When we first saw it, there were still two other houses, but now there's no one left. It might get lonely……, and a bit scary." She spoke quickly and a lot. "Stop it, you're making the junior uncomfortable." "Aah~, why~. Wouldn't it be nice if university seniors and juniors helped each other out~. Living here with just the two of us would be so boring~." I smiled awkwardly while my mind raced. Did I have to hypnotize both of them? Honestly, they were high quality. But that would mean giving up either Ha-eun noona or Yoo-na. "Seniors, would it be all right if I looked around the house? I haven't decided on anything yet, I'm just checking out houses." "Huh? Sure?" Once inside, there was a small yard, a water tap, and an old but cozy house. The blue slate roof was striking. According to the remodeling plans, everything would be opened up and turned into a modern hanok style. "We're going to cover up the old-style toilet and turn it into a storage room." "I see." "We're also knocking down the guest room and stable to make this……, a study and workspace for the two of us. What do you think?" "It's really pretty." I was getting drained. Excited to see an old acquaintance, Senior Ye-na couldn't stop talking. "You said you only did one semester before enlisting?" "Yes, when I returned after discharge, the seniors had already graduated." "Aww~, that's too bad~. If I'd known we'd meet here, I would've gotten closer to you back then." Senior Woo-hyun was chatting familiarly with Ha-eun noona, the real estate agent. Then his eyes met mine and he gave me an awkward smile. "Tough, huh?" "Ah, not at all." "Do-yun." "Yes?" Unlike the affectionate and talkative senior, he asked in a calm voice, "I need to prepare some documents, but I'm not sure if everything's correct. Could you check them for me?" He added that he'd pay me a consulting fee, so I waved my hand and said it was fine. "As long as the law doesn't change, this should be enough. If you need anything, I can help." "Thanks. I'll definitely buy you a meal." I didn't refuse the offer of a meal. Refusing that too would make things awkward. After touring the backyard, we returned to the entrance. My mind was made up.

I removed Yoo-na. I could always reload her play setup whenever I needed her. But for the bigger picture, I needed Ha-eun noona right now. I smiled and held out my phone toward my real childhood friend seniors. "There's one more document I need you to look at. Could ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you check it for about three seconds?" "Huh? What is it?" "A candle flame?" They looked puzzled but stared at the screen anyway. This was why Korea's good public safety was convenient. People were kind and innocent, so they didn't suspect a thing. If someone asked me to stare at a candle for three seconds, I'd probably do it without question too. Whoosh! One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Welcome to the world of hypnosis, my two seniors.