Imitation
I knew the situation wasn't good... but... you know, we really are at a crucial time, right? You know that too, right, Miss So-yeon? Most of the team members are working overtime, yet... ah... I'm truly sorry for saying this. It seems like you aren't helping our team. Of course, I know your situation... very well, and we want to understand in any way we can, but... that is...
Got it. I understand what Team Leader-nim is trying to say.
So-yeon cut her off. "I've been a burden. Rather than vacation... I should just resign. What about the resignation letter? Can I send it every day?"
Ah... that's not what I meant. I wasn't...
It's okay. Even though you've helped me a lot up until now, I won't resent you.
Haa... I'm truly sorry...
The team leader's expression turned awkward, and then... he couldn't bear to stay with her any longer and turned back to his desk. Alone in the break room, So-yeon collapsed onto the sofa there. She stared silently at the untouched coffee for a moment, then took a small sip. Tears threatened to spill over, but she desperately held them back. She didn't want to cry. She didn't want to be weak here. So-yeon sat silently sipping her coffee for a while before returning to her desk to pack her things and head straight home. Today had been a truly unlucky day.
// // // -Imitation-// // //
For several days she stayed cooped up in her house. Sitting in the living room, she lost herself in thoughts until she eventually fell asleep. Out of worry, she went to the park where she had lost her daughter. The sky was just as gloomy as back then. Winter was slowly approaching. This year it seemed like there would be quite a bit of snow. So-yeon wandered endlessly in the park before returning home. At night she would sit before her smartphone, staring blankly at it. She wondered if her daughter might call again. Afraid that she might miss it if she was busy with something else, she kept the phone right in front of her. Even when charging, she made sure it stayed in view. After all, what if her daughter was desperately looking for her again? As time passed, the New Year came. On January 1st, she finally got a call from her mother after a long time. She must have been worried about So-yeon. She forced herself to say she was fine. She couldn't tell her mother that she had quit the company, because then her mother would worry even more. "I sent some side dishes. Put them in the fridge right away if you get them..." "Okay... I will..." It would worry her mother a lot. With just a voice, her mother would know exactly how her daughter was. Yes... that's how her mother was. So maybe she wanted to look after her mother even more. If it was So-yeon from before, she might have said it was troublesome. Because the fridge was empty, she would have told her not to send anything. But So-yeon only kept repeating "I understand." She didn't realize that this answer only stirred up her mother's worries even more. "Eat well." "Okay..." The call ended. So-yeon put down her phone and sighed. It wasn't her daughter's call. When she glanced at the window, it was already dark outside. Had so much time passed already... With a tired expression, she rubbed her eyes and, as usual, stared at her phone before heading to the kitchen. She hadn't eaten anything yesterday or today either. She thought she really needed to eat something. She opened the fridge. This fridge was completely empty. Nothing at all. Of course she had been living like this even after her divorce from Jun-hee, but she had always made side dishes that So-hee liked... Now nothing remained. Staring at the completely empty fridge, tears suddenly poured out. She wiped them away with her sleeve, but it didn't stop. In the end, she had to sit there for quite a while. Her hands stayed still, pressing against her swollen eyelids that brimmed with tears. Soon she heard the ringing... ding... ding... ding... from the fridge. It meant she had left the door open for a long time. She barely calmed her heart and closed the fridge door. Then she opened the kitchen cabinet and searched around, thankfully finding a cup of instant ramen. When had she bought it? She couldn't remember. At one point it had been something Jun-hee, who was different from her, always carried. Unlike her, who spent the day writing at home, he always ate cup ramen for lunch. She had decided not to buy any after they divorced and moved to a new house because she hated seeing that. But it turned out she couldn't help it. She took it out. Thankfully, it seemed edible still.
// // // -Imitation-// // //
Slurp... slurp... she had no appetite. But she had to eat to survive. She forced the cup of ramen into her stomach, thinking she needed to fill it with something. After barely finishing one, she was about to throw away the trash when her phone rang again. She startled and stopped. She looked at the phone on the sofa. Thump-thump... her heart suddenly pounded hard. She paused her actions and headed for the sofa. The phone flashed and vibrated with the ringing tone. And again, it was an unknown caller ID. Worried, So-yeon carefully answered. "H-hello?" Her voice trembled slightly. It carried a desperate hope, like hoping the caller was her daughter. "I received your call. Please speak." No reply came back. Instead, there was a very faint sound of breathing. At that moment, So-yeon was certain. "So-hee? Is it So-hee?" She hesitantly called her daughter's name. At that instant... "Mom..." the answer returned. Ah! Tears started to spill again. "Our daughter... where are you... where are you? Please tell me!" She asked, sobbing. "Please teach me for Mom... Mom will come pick you up right away... okay? Please..." So-yeon begged desperately. Every time, the phone clearly conveyed her daughter's voice. "Mom..." "Yes! Mom's here. I'm home. So can you tell me? Where are you? Which way do I go to meet So-hee? Huh? Please... please let Mom find So-hee? Please..." "Mom... here..." For the first time, So-hee started speaking something else. So-yeon swallowed dryly and focused on that voice. "It's cold... it's too cold here..." "Yes! Mom will bring the clothes you like. So please tell me? Where are you right now?" "Outside..." "Outside?" So-yeon suddenly looked beyond the living room balcony. "Outside where? Where are you? I don't know." She asked again with a desperate heart. Then So-hee answered this time. "Here... here. Outside..." she said. What did that mean? What was "here" supposed to mean? So-yeon couldn't understand. Then... "Eh..." below the apartment she lived in, there was a small playground. A tiny child stood there. Under the playground lamp. She couldn't see clearly. But somehow the figure was familiar. "Is she really at the playground right now?" "Yes... here... I'm here... here..." So-hee seemed to be saying she was at the playground. So-yeon's eyes refused to leave the lamp under the playground in the apartment. The outfit was familiar. The surroundings were dark, and shadows cast by the light made the face hard to see, but it was definitely... our daughter So-hee. "Wait! Oh, Mom's coming right down! Mom's coming! Wait! Never hang up! Got it? I'm coming right now! Never! Never!!" So-yeon emphasized it repeatedly, even forgetting her coat, and rushed out of the house. At the elevator, waiting, the elevator wasn't coming. She had no choice but to descend the emergency stairs. Her apartment was on the 10th floor. Normally she never would have gone down the stairs. But now her mind was full of her daughter. She couldn't even wait for the elevator. That could mean her daughter might vanish again. Her breath was about to burst out, her thighs felt like they would tear. Finally she reached the first floor. "So-hee! Mom's here! Where are you? Where?" "Mom..." So-hee's voice came from the phone again. She didn't have time to catch her breath. Panting, she kept calling So-hee as she ran. The place So-yeon ran to was right in front of the playground. She arrived, and reached the lamp where the child thought to be So-hee was, but... ah! She was already gone. "So-hee! So-hee! Please... please where are you? Huh? Tell me! Tell Mom..." So-yeon begged pathetically. She called So-hee loudly many times, scanning the surroundings, but the dark night apartment felt empty. And... plop. Sadly, the call ended. "So-hee! No! Please... please!!" So-yeon shouted her daughter's name loudly again and again, searching everywhere for So-hee, but... ah! Sadly, she still couldn't find her. Instead, So-yeon went to the police station once more.