cherryrose
Stories
1
Chapters
6
Words
11.6 K
Comments
0
Reading
57 m
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“I must be crazy, utterly crazy.” The chopsticks for correcting your posture, lying on the desk like an eyesore, pricked my conscience painfully. I’d coaxed my friend to go out, gone all the way to the very end, and then, abandoning my pride, I’d rushed to grab those chopsticks. A sigh fluttered over the chopsticks I’d bought without a plan. I was already buried under a mountain of practice problems, and now I was just increasing my unnecessary expenses. I bit my lip hard, chastising…-
11.6 K • Ongoing
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The verdant tree laden with fruit now glowed warmly in the reflected moonlight. I carefully leaned my bicycle against the wall of Eui-joo’s house and pushed open the gate with my shoulder. My intention to simply drop off the side dishes, receive the letter Eui-joo had supposedly written, and leave after this exchange vanished the moment I saw the long shadow sprawled on the wooden floor. Seeing his languid posture, as if he wouldn't even bother taking food out of the fridge to eat, I changed my…
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11.6 K • Ongoing
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In my nineteen years without Eui-joo, life tasted like unsauced acorn jelly. The ingredients were excellent, but the flavor was bland, missing the key element. Chowa-ri forgot Eui-joo as easily as boiling instant curry. Perhaps because he was an unremarkable presence at school and in the neighborhood, most people barely remembered him, only recalling the news that he had died of disease of the lungs. The village, extremely wary of outsiders, would bristle and watch any unfamiliar car that entered.…
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11.6 K • Ongoing
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Just as the man, who had become silent, was trying out different kinds of drinks, the power went out. As it turned one o'clock, even the next room, adorned with five wreaths, saw a lull in the flow of mourners. As the man had said, I couldn't just sit there comfortably. It was time to leave. The moment of departure, at least, felt like a proper funeral. I offered incense to Kang Eui-joo as I had learned, and performed two bows. The man, who had acted as if he'd eaten all the etiquette in the world for…
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11.6 K • Ongoing
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All the funeral etiquette I thought I had diligently studied turned out to be useless. The chief mourner, Eui-joo’s brother, arbitrarily skipped the silent tribute, incense offering, and bowing portions. He dragged me to the table, saying we should eat first since a guest had arrived. The black suit he wore, with his back to me, was covered in tiny fuzz. His tie was crooked, and I thought, "So this is what they mean when they say a person's circumstances show in their appearance." Yukgaejang in a…
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11.6 K • Ongoing
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Kang Eui-joo died. Kang Eui-joo, the outcast of Chowa-ri, died. Chowa-ri, Maewa-ri, Dongwa-ri—my home was in this mountain village where these three ris (villages) gathered, a place called Wari Village. According to the village chief, it used to be called "Wari Village" until the Korean War. I had never experienced the death of anyone close to me, except for my father, who passed away when I was a baby. So, I casually asked my mom about the proper etiquette for a funeral, just to be prepared. I put…
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11.6 K • Ongoing
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