Even If It's Not Love

Her words would not reach them. They would just crumble. Ridiculously, she tried to force a smile. What was horrifying was that this sensation was terribly familiar.

“That Kim Beom-sik… who was murdered by his stepdaughter and his own son?”

The words someone said to their group reached her ears.

“That’s crazy. I’ve lost my appetite.”

“I’m getting goosebumps.”

All those words tore her life apart and dragged her down like a water demon.

“Yoo… I mean, kitchen helper.”

“Father.”

The owner shouted in a loud voice, and Seong-woo spoke as if to stop him. Although he called the owner, Seong-woo’s eyes were directed at Yoo-hwa.

Seong-woo acted as if he had noticed something. The fact that she, who had been swimming to live, had at some point stopped moving and was floating, and the fact that her floating movement had come to an end, and she was now sinking.

“Don’t interfere.”

“I’ll take her outside for now. We should check the facts first.”

“Why are you checking the facts!”

“Did you flirt with a man here again? You seduce a lot of people with that pretty face. Hm?”

“Watch your mouth! How can you speak like that to someone else’s grandchild!”

At the sarcastic words of the mart owner’s wife, the grandmother threw the spatula she was holding to the floor and cursed.

“Who are you cursing at?”

“At you, you bitch! At you! How dare you come to someone else’s business and act like this! You uneducated bitch!”

“What did you say?”

The situation was chaotic. Someone asked the employee standing near the counter to pay the bill, and someone else was looking at the situation with an excited look on their face.

The owner and Seong-woo had an argument, and when the mart owner’s wife and the grandmother seemed like they were about to get into a scuffle, the employees began to stop them.

All of this confusion started with herself.

Her unlucky and ill-fated self.

Thinking about the others, Yoo-hwa undid her apron strap, took off her sanitary hat, gloves, and mask, and put them down on the floor.

She stared at the things she had taken off for a moment. When she leaves, everything will be thrown away. Like everyone else who knew she was Kim Beom-sik’s daughter did. Just like the things she used, the memories of her would become gossip for a while and then disappear.

The people were murmuring, and their voices sounded as if she was underwater. It seemed like someone called her name, but strangely, she didn’t hear it.

“I won’t take today’s payment. Thank you for everything.”

With her gaze on the floor, as she always did, she said the usual goodbye and stepped out the back door of the store. When she closed the chunky iron door, she didn’t hear any noise coming from the store, as if nothing had happened.

The alley leading from the back door had three branches. All three were narrow and long, dark and shabby. It felt like she was back in that neighborhood alley in the redevelopment area.

One thing that was different was the colorful light at the end of the alley, but Yoo-hwa couldn’t walk a few steps before leaning against the wall.

Going around and around, maybe that place was the place that best suited her life. She may have to keep living while trapped like that. Apparently, her wish was crossing the line. She had to go home, but she was so exhausted that it was hard enough to take a step. Then, when she forced herself to continue walking, holding onto the wall,

“Where are you going! How did we meet again! Where are you running away to!”

Following the shouting, she stared at the end of the alley on the left. The breathing of the person walking into the alley was rough, as if they had stormed out of the store and wandered around looking for her. She knew who it was just by hearing their voice.

“How sorry would I feel for my husband if I just let you go? I will never let you go so easily!”

The silhouette of a woman stumbling down the alley was seen through a backlight.

“You were the one who killed my husband, weren’t you? There’s no way an accident would happen so suddenly like that. The police also said it was weird. It was you, wasn’t it? Hm? No wonder my husband appeared in my dream last night… He appeared to tell me to meet you today and release the unfairness.”

The wife’s breathing became more and more violent. At the same time, a long shadow stretched out from the woman’s body, covered the top of Yoo-hwa’s feet, and crawled up. Calves, knees, thighs. Suddenly, the shadow came up to her neck. It was around the time she thought that if this shadow completely covered her, she would die.

“Let’s go to the police! Go tell them that you killed him and turn yourself in! If not you, no one else is going to do that! Come on! Or save my husband! My poor, miserable husband! He was living a good-natured life…! Because of something like you!”

Meanwhile, the wife often said things she couldn’t understand, but she didn’t try to understand. She was just sick and tired of everything.