You, My Past

When Silence Speaks

Ji-hyun watched as customers walked through the door, thinking that today would be just another ordinary day. Fresh morning air drifted in with the people entering the store. Inside, the store was cluttered with items yet to be organized. The soft sunlight streamed through the windows, and the quiet parking lot outside caught her eye.

Though Ji-hyun sometimes found the repetition of her daily routine tiresome, she also found comfort in the stability it brought. One by one, things found their places, and everything moved slowly, lazily, as another peaceful morning unfolded.

After moving from the city to the countryside to cut living costs, the quietness that once felt comforting slowly turned into loneliness, and the unfamiliar environment felt increasingly barren. Ji-hyun had grown accustomed to the increasing silence and the days without conversation, spending more time with feelings she hadn't noticed amid the city's hustle and bustle.

She had faced many challenges over the years, pushing through each moment as it came. While working hard to overcome language barriers and cultural differences, she had gradually lost more than she realized. But Ji-hyun hadn't given up. Life in a foreign land for the past 22 years had always been tough, but she had fought fiercely to protect her family and create a stable life.

A customer entered the store. She had a harsh look on her face, with visible scars and a worn-out, dark leather jacket, its zipper wide open to reveal an old, dirty shirt underneath. Her protruding lips added to her intense expression.

Ji-hyun felt her body tense up instinctively. The woman glanced around, ignoring Ji-hyun's greeting as she quickly moved to the aisle where she seemed to know what she wanted. A dark atmosphere lingered around her.

Standing at the register, Ji-hyun scanned the items the woman brought and cautiously spoke.
"$15.80, please."

The woman pulled out some crumpled bills from inside her jacket and tossed them toward Ji-hyun before asking,
"Do you have any wig caps?"

"Yes, we do. They're in aisle 3, on your left,"

Ji-hyun replied carefully.

"No, I'm asking for a free wig cap,"

The woman's face started to twist.

"Sorry, we don't offer free wig caps. They're two for a dollar."

Ji-hyun said, her heart pounding faster. She had a sudden sense of dread that something was about to go wrong. But she kept her composure as best as she could.

"I don't care if it's a dollar or ten dollars. You should give me a free wig cap. Now you're telling me it's two for a dollar? Are you messing with me? Do you think I care about a dollar?"

The woman grew more aggressive, her gaze sharp.

Ji-hyun's heart pounded violently, the tension spreading down her spine until her lower back ached. As she had done many times before, Ji-hyun tried to avoid confrontation, shifting her gaze elsewhere for a moment.

"What? What? Are you going to do something? Huh? Huh?"
The woman cursed at her, clenching her fists and glaring at Ji-hyun without moving. Ji-hyun looked straight into her eyes as the insults kept coming.

Suddenly, the woman spat in Ji-hyun's face. The situation turned violent in an instant. Ji-hyun stood frozen, unable to do anything but stare at the woman in shock. The woman's eyes were filled with anger and contempt. Muttering something else, she stormed out, shoving the door open with force.

Ji-hyun felt the cold sensation of spit on her forehead as if she were trapped in a surreal dream. Only then did she realize she had been standing there, paralyzed. She hurriedly grabbed an alcohol wipe to clean her forehead, but her trembling hands refused to cooperate. The store was silent, but all she could hear was the rapid beating of her heart.