Jangmi started to spend more time with Taehyung. He knew that she was lonely and he felt bad for her, so he tried to make time to see her as often as possible on campus. Jangmi couldn't get used to being lonely. She felt empty when she sat alone in the library. At least she was studying more since she had plenty of time for it with no distracting friends.
She was currently seated outside since the weather was nice as she was checking her mails. Her partners for the research project had finally contacted her. Jangmi felt hopeful that they would get along and she would make friends with them but the mail implied that they wanted to rather work on this project individually, putting the contributions together as one in the end. That's what Jangmi usually preferred too, but for once she had hoped to actually meet up and work on the project together.
It was Thursday afternoon and Jangmi was on her way to the hospital to get her cast removed. She was alone, since Taehyung was taking an exam. It didn't take long and she was finished at the hospital. Her ankle still felt a bit stiff and it did hurt a little whenever she put pressure on it, but it was nowhere near the pain of two weeks ago.
Jangmi went to work as per usual afterwards. Mr. Lee had become her guardian in many ways. He cared a lot about her. When he found out about her injury he looked up all sorts of herbal medicines and creams to help with a fast recovery. He made her do light work only, taking care of the rest himself too. In many ways he viewed Jangmi as a granddaughter.
She was very fond of Mr. Lee and took advice from him. He wasn't one to judge at all. He always listened to her and gave his honest opinion, which were typically some wise words or some sort of comfort.
When Jangmi entered the store, the old man came from the backroom immediately.
"Did you get your cast off?" he asked as he came closer, his eyes landing on her ankle. When he saw that the cast was finally removed, he smiled big.
"Does it still hurt though? It must hurt a little I suppose" he said.
"It's nothing really" she reassured, feeling a lot lighter now that she saw Mr. Lee's smiling face.
"Did a lot of customers stop by today?" she asked, taking off her jacket and hanging it on the back of her chair behind the counter.
"I think it were 6 in total" the old man chuckled at the small number. Jangmi laughed along even though it did actually worry her a bit. She wondered how Mr. Lee was able to still run this store when there were barely any customers. The rent prices for stores were insanely high these days and she was concerned about the financial situation of his small business. But Mr. Lee never complained about having few customers or financial problems. He was always cheerful and positive, showing no hint of distress. Had he no problems at all in life? Didn't he feel lonely? How was his health? Jangmi cared a lot about Mr. Lee, but she didn't know how to address these questions. So she kept quiet and observed his mood and watched out for any signs of health problems. She wanted to give back to him for all the kindness he had showed her from the very beginning.
Her shift flew by without her noticing and the evening hours approached. It was getting dark a lot faster now so that Jangmi was forced to walk home in the dark. Most of the time she didn't mind, but sometimes she was paranoid, feeling like someone was following her.
It was another one of those days where she felt scared. Since she had to be careful with her ankle, she was walking very slowly and somehow she felt vulnerable, knowing that in case of an emergency she wouldn't even be able to dart off. That was probably why she felt especially uneasy that night. The way to her apartment led through narrow alleys in the backstreets of the city. Some alleys were not illuminated by street lights, leaving them pitch black. Firmly holding onto her handbag, Jangmi walked down the street all her senses alert.
