"Fuck… my head hurts like shit."
I woke up with a headache that felt like my skull was being sliced open with a knife.
Probably because I drank myself into oblivion last night and passed out. My head feels like it's about to split apart.
The piercing pain stabbing through my brain was, by now, a familiar sensation.
Ever since that day, I've been chain-smoking cigarettes I hadn't touched before, all for the sake of coping.
Nights spent drowning in alcohol, forcing myself through sleepless hours it's become routine.
When I opened my eyes and looked around, the room was shrouded in darkness. It must be nighttime. My room has a window, so if it were daytime, it would've been brighter.
I sluggishly sat up and glanced down at myself. I was wearing a black tank top and track pants with three stripes.
Guess I drank my fill at the convenience store table last night, came home, and passed out without even changing.
Whatever. I didn't care enough to change clothes. I got out of bed and reached for the cigarettes that should've been on my dining table.
Groping around in the dark where they're usually placed, my hand came up empty.
"…I always leave them here. Did I smoke them all while drinking last night?"
Irritation surged at the absence of something I desperately needed. I rummaged through the pockets of my track pants.
Normally, I'd feel the familiar bulk of my wallet, but all I found was a crumpled piece of paper. Pulling it out and glancing at it with eyes adjusted to the dark, I saw it was a 10,000-won bill.
"Fucking great. Why's it just 10,000 won? Where's my wallet…? Nothing's going right."
Sighing, I stuffed the crumpled bill back into my pocket and headed out to the convenience store to buy cigarettes and booze, still in my black tank top and track pants.
I didn't care if I looked like some jobless loser or a shut-in. It's not like I had anyone to impress.
(At least the convenience store's close by.)
It's just a three-minute walk from my place.
The fact that I could quickly get what I needed without trudging far felt like a small comfort.
It's kind of funny when I think about it what kind of pathetic comfort is this?
I reached the convenience store in no time. When I opened the door, the familiar jingle of the bell grated on my ears like an annoying noise. Ignoring it, I stepped inside.
"Welco—uh… uh?"
The part-time worker at the counter started to greet me but froze, staring at me with wide eyes.
What the hell?
Do I look like a criminal or something?
I glanced at her. Long hair, delicate features, and makeup obviously a woman.
Fair enough. I hadn't showered, was wearing a tank top and track pants, and while I hadn't looked in a mirror, I could imagine my disheveled hair and hollow face.
A burly guy like me walking into a convenience store where a woman's working alone, looking like this? Yeah, she might be scared.
Still, no need to be that scared.
No matter how messed up my head is, I'm not the kind of asshole who'd pick a fight or hit someone for no reason. Especially not a woman.
But given my appearance, I figured I might be misunderstood, so I gave a curt nod in response to her greeting. Not wanting to linger and make her more nervous, I decided to grab what I needed and get out.
I had 10,000 won.
That should be enough for two bottles of soju and a pack of cigarettes. I realized I didn't have a lighter either probably not at home either so I decided to buy one too.
I opened the cooler, grabbed two bottles of soju, navigated the maze-like aisles, and stood at the counter to pay.
But when I looked at the cashier to check out… something was off about her.
Why was she staring at my chest and face, her eyes darting back and forth?
Wondering if something was wrong with me, I looked down at my chest and realized my track pants' zipper was down, leaving my black tank top exposing my chest.
Maybe it looked bad to her, so I set the soju bottles on the counter with a thud and zipped up my pants.
*Ziiip.*
The cashier seemed to snap out of it but started to zone out again while looking at my face. I tapped my fingers on the counter, making a sharp snap to get her attention. Startled, she suddenly apologized.
"Eek! I'm sorry… I didn't mean to stare, it's just… my eyes couldn't help it. I'm really sorry."
I didn't get what she was apologizing for. Staring at a guy's chest isn't exactly a crime.
If anything, maybe i was the rude one for flashing my chest at a woman in a tank top?
Figuring she was just shy or overly polite, I waved my right hand dismissively to brush off her apology.
She let out a relieved sigh but then froze again, staring at me with a pale face.
Hesitating, she spoke in an unsure voice.
"Um… do you have ID?"
Oh.
Fuck.
I forgot I lost my wallet and only had the 10,000 won.
I'm 22, but with a face that still looks a bit like a high schooler's, there's no way I'd pass an ID check.
(I'm really 22… ugh, losing my wallet is such a pain in the ass)
Facing this grim reality, I was about to head home to grab something to prove my age when the cashier spoke again.
"Um… do you not speak Korean? H-How old are you?"
???
I stared at her, confused. What was she doing?
I'm obviously Korean, and she suddenly switches to English after asking in Korean?
Maybe she thought I was a high schooler mocking her by not responding to the ID question.
Whatever the situation, I decided to tell her my age.
"I'm 22."
"22 года."
"Uh…"
A silence hung between us.
The cashier stammered, looking troubled, while I was thrown into confusion by the fact that a language I'd never heard before came out of my mouth.
I was sure I spoke Korean, but some unfamiliar language spilled out instead.
What the hell? Have I been drinking so much that my brain's already fried?
The cashier, looking completely flustered, pulled out her phone, placed it on the counter where I could see it, and started frantically searching for something.
A… translation app?
"I'm telling you, I'm Korean!"
I was thrown by the chaotic situation but tried to stay calm and speak again.
It must've been a mistake. I've been drinking so much lately that my brain's filter is gone, and I'm spouting nonsense.
Focusing, I mentally prepared the Korean words and spoke slowly.
"I'm 22, and I can speak Korean."
There. It came out perfectly in Korean, as far as I could tell.
Relieved, I gave a small smile and handed her the 10,000-won bill.
The cashier's panicked expression softened, and she sighed in relief, slipping her phone back into her pocket. She scanned the soju bottles twice.
"That's 3,600 won."
3,600 won? Oh, I forgot to grab cigarettes and a lighter in all this chaos.
(it's been a while since I've been this out of it.)
Anyway, I spoke to the cashier again.
"A pack of Marlboro Reds and a lighter, please."
"Пачка Marlboro Reds и зажигалка."
What the fuck, why is my mouth spouting weird words again?
And judging by the cashier's expression, she was looking at me like I was some kind of weirdo.
Fair enough. I said I could speak Korean, then spewed some strange language again. Of course she'd think that.
I mentally prepared the Korean sentence again and spoke slowly to the cashier.
"Sorry. Can you give me a pack of Marlboro Reds and a lighter?"
The cashier's face lit up with understanding, and she smiled brightly, quickly grabbing the lighter and cigarettes and scanning them.
*Beep. Beep.* "That's 8,600 won. You must not have been in Korea long, haha."
Goddamn, this is embarrassing. To her, I must look like a lunatic obviously Korean but switching between weird languages and Korean.
Afraid of what might come out of my mouth next, I just nodded slightly.
The cashier, seemingly excited, started rambling.
"Your Korean must still be confusing, huh? I was like that when I was learning a foreign language. I'd mean to speak in English, but I'd get frustrated and accidentally switch to Korean… haha, I kinda feel a connection with you."
She kept chattering as she put the 10,000 won in the register, handed me my change, and then hesitated, her face turning red as she asked me something.
"Um… since you haven't been in Korea long, you probably don't have many friends here yet. Could I maybe get your number? I don't mean anything weird by it, just… I think I could show you around Korea. I know a lot of great places."
I thought to myself, this conversation is weird. A woman asking for my number when I'm dressed like this in a tank top and track pants? Sure, I was a martial artist, so my physique's decent, but still.
Why does she keep treating me like a foreigner?
Thinking back, the whole interaction was off from the start. She asked me something in Korean, then suddenly switched to English. Even though I answered in some weird language, she kept treating me like a foreigner.
If she thought I was a foreigner, she wouldn't have started with Korean and then switched to English when I didn't respond right away.
At first, I thought she was mocking me for looking like a minor, but she kept insisting I'm a foreigner, so it can't be that either.
No way someone who's lived in Korea for 22 years and looks unmistakably Korean could be mistaken for a foreigner… unless…
This woman's a bit unhinged. Unless her eyes are candy instead of actual eyeballs, there's no way she'd peg me as an English-speaking foreigner right off the bat.
Feeling uneasy, I decided to play along and get out of there quickly. Thanks to her thinking I'm a foreigner, I managed to buy booze and cigarettes without showing ID, so I should be grateful.
I was about to respond to her question but paused.
I almost forgot my screwed-up brain might spit out some weird language again.
It's probably the alcohol messing with my head. But honestly, I didn't care much.
My life's already hit rock bottom, so what's the harm? If I keep drinking like this, maybe one day I'll just quietly die in my bed.
Anyway, I mentally formed a sentence and spoke to the cashier, wanting to wrap this up and go sit at the table outside to drink and erase this day.
"Sorry, I haven't been in Korea long, so my phone… activation? Isn't set up yet, so I don't have a number. I'll let you know as soon as I get one."
(Goddamn, this is so embarrassing. What the hell am I doing…?)
I deliberately avoided saying "activation" and spoke like a foreigner unfamiliar with Korean.
Just thinking about it made their mocking faces flash before my eyes, and I almost swung a fist at the air where they lingered.
If I did that, even this weird cashier would probably scream and call the cops.
Thankfully, my act seemed to work. Despite being rejected, the cashier smiled, pulled out a notepad and pen from somewhere, scribbled something, and handed it to me.
"Here's my number. Please let me know when you get yours. Oh, and your face and tattoos are really pretty!"
Yup, she's definitely crazy. I've never gotten a tattoo in my life. Is she hallucinating or high or something?
I nodded in acknowledgment, grabbed my booze and cigarettes, and left the store.
Sitting at a table under the parasol outside, I cracked open a soju bottle, downed half of it, and lit a cigarette.
Feeling the smoke wrap around my throat, my head started spinning. Maybe it's because I hadn't smoked in a while, or maybe it's the alcohol, but I just wanted this day to end.
Once I finish this drink, I'll stumble home and pass out like the dead.
As I reached for another puff, someone grabbed my shoulder from behind and called out.
"Hey."
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Translated by Reversalmanhwa.web.id
/ Reversalnovel.web.id