****
The door. No, in a studio apartment, there isn’t a ‘room’ in that sense, so it must be the entrance.
Since this studio apartment lacked a communal entrance, it wasn’t particularly strange for someone to come up to my floor.
However, if that ‘someone’ turned out to be the Team Leader, then this was definitely out of the ordinary.
“Why… no, who are you?”
Caught off guard, I nearly blurted out nonsense. Fortunately, I managed to stop any strange words from escaping.
I then gazed at him with an expression of feigned ignorance and asked my question.
He cocked his head at my inquiry.
Instead, he looked at me as if I were the strange one before opening his mouth.
“Who are you?”
This was the very person who used to get so angry, insisting that one should never answer a question with another question.
A memory from the past surfaced, causing me to sigh deeply and fix him with a slightly annoyed stare.
The Team Leader’s attire was much like it used to be.
Jeans and a hoodie.
Given the casual dress code in the IT industry, he always dressed comfortably.
The problem was that the hoodie he constantly wore was a design ill-suited for his age.
Moreover, he always chose unnecessarily bright colors, which genuinely infuriated me whenever I saw them.
His blatant efforts to appear younger were painfully obvious.
If he truly wished to look younger, he should focus on self-care rather than just his clothing.
But no, that wasn’t the crucial point.
Why, exactly, was the Team Leader here?
“Isn’t this… Choi Min-hoo’s place?”
Ah. I instantly understood the reason.
‘He’s come looking for me.’
The ‘me’ in question was Choi Min-hoo, not Yeon-bi.
He was indeed here to find me.
I had a rough idea of the reason.
But why was he looking for Choi Min-hoo?
Considering various possibilities, one thought emerged.
‘Because of the chat?’
The first thing I did after becoming Choi Yeon-bi, with assets totaling 500 billion won, was to quit my job.
I distinctly recalled how brazenly I had taunted the Team Leader via chat then.
It wasn’t even that long ago, just a few days, so it would be stranger if I didn’t remember.
Anyway.
So, was he so angry about that, that he came all the way here to find me?
‘How petty.’
If I were the Team Leader, I would have simply forgotten about it.
No, to begin with, I wouldn’t have done anything to provoke such insults from a subordinate.
“This room is under my contract.”
I replied with a subtle smirk.
‘You’ll never find the Choi Min-hoo you’re looking for.’
“That can’t be…”
At my words, the Team Leader’s expression hardened.
His gaze darted back and forth as if he had seen something terrifying.
Perhaps it was my own expression, naturally hardening at the sight of the Team Leader, that caused his reaction.
He stood there alone, looking utterly bewildered.
From this perspective, he seemed somewhat pathetic.
Was it because he forcibly pulled his side hair forward to create bangs, trying to hide his receding hairline?
‘Perhaps that’s why he looks so pathetic.’
As I briefly stared at his balding head, I suddenly noticed his haggard face, which looked different from before.
He had lost a lot of weight in his cheeks.
Moreover, the once venomous upturn of his lips and the irritable gaze with which he used to scrutinize people were nowhere to be found.
‘Did something shocking happen?’
While it was gratifying to see him in such a state, his face looked so unwell that I felt a flicker of concern.
‘He should have lived a good life.’
What could have happened after I left the company?
Perhaps the company collapsed because I wasn’t there.
‘If that’s the case, then he deserves it.’
Justice prevails.
As I inwardly chuckled with delight, the Team Leader suddenly widened his eyes and stared at me.
Startled, I recoiled, and he gently pushed my shoulder, grabbing the door to my studio apartment.
It was an old door that only locked properly when closed and pressed firmly. Thanks to this, the Team Leader violently flung open the improperly latched door.
“Hey!”
His utterly absurd action made me instinctively snap, grabbing his shoulder.
However, he paid no mind to my actions, slumping to the floor instead.
“It can’t be. It just can’t be…”
He began muttering to himself, staring blankly at the empty room.
‘What on earth is he doing?’
His behavior was incomprehensible.
Considering he had always done inexplicable things at the company, his consistency was, in a way, remarkable.
After sitting there blankly for a moment, he suddenly stood up and started picking a fight with me.
“Who are you?”
“Pardon?”
“Who are you, I said!”
The Team Leader shouted, thrusting his face close to mine.
‘Ugh, too close.’
His proximity was a bit overwhelming, causing me to involuntarily frown slightly and step back.
“Who… who are you…!”
Regardless of my reaction, he seemed unable to say anything else, merely repeating the question of who I was.
For some reason, I thought he would look quite fitting if someone handed him a dan-so (TL Note: A Korean bamboo flute).
‘Why is he acting like this?’
Unwilling to continue talking to this seemingly madman, I sighed and glared at him.
“So, who are you, and what exactly are you doing?”
“It’s strange. Choi Min-hoo. This is Choi Min-hoo’s damn house. The address on her resume at the company is definitely here…”
Were my traces still remaining?
I chuckled bitterly to myself, gazing at the empty room.
‘It was a good thing I got rid of everything quickly.’
No trace of Choi Min-hoo would be found here.
While I was at it, I should change my phone soon too.
Although the number and ownership were all Choi Yeon-bi’s, these minor lingering traces might bother me someday.
Thanks to the Team Leader, I felt like I had preemptively solved a potential future problem.
They say even dog poop can be used as medicine (TL Note: A Korean proverb meaning something seemingly useless can turn out to be useful), so was the Team Leader dog poop?
‘Thank you, dog poop.’
Thinking such thoughts, I listened to the Team Leader’s muttered soliloquy.
“She’s gone. She’s gone. Everyone at the company remembers her, but no one knows anything, even after calling everywhere. No one knows… Am I crazy? Huh? Miss, am I crazy??”
I generally understood the situation.
This old man really intended to sue me on the day I quit the company.
‘What a shame. Choi Min-hoo is gone now.’
Forever.
I hoped he would spend the rest of his life searching for someone who no longer existed.
“I’ve called the police. Get out of here right now.”
When he pushed me and entered the room, I reported him for trespassing. He wouldn’t go to jail, but he’d definitely be treated like a lunatic.
No, looking at him, he already seemed to be one.
“No… that can’t be. It’s strange. Isn’t it strange? She was clearly coming to work just a few days ago… Does this make sense? She just evaporated! Without a single trace!”
He shouted again, pleadingly, looking at me.
Even his hands were trembling.
The Team Leader continued to stare at the empty studio apartment like a madman until the police arrived.
****
Heating the last cup of instant rice in the microwave, I settled down in front of my computer.
Perhaps it was because of my encounter with the Team Leader earlier, but I felt a little conflicted.
“……It seems to be similar to what I imagined.”
Choi Min-hoo.
The records she left behind remained—her resume, text message history, and such.
However, the phone and ID I possessed during my Choi Min-hoo days had all been replaced with Choi Yeon-bi’s.
In essence, all items proving my identity were now Choi Yeon-bi’s, while everything Choi Min-hoo left behind remained as it was.
“It really feels like she just vanished into thin air.”
I could somewhat understand why the Team Leader had lost his mind like that.
Someone who was perfectly normal and coming to work just a few days ago suddenly being described as a non-existent person would naturally drive anyone mad.
It served him right.
Seeing the man who used to torment people end up in such a state filled me with a sense of utter satisfaction.
Though, watching him scream Choi Min-hoo’s name until the police dragged him away was a little pitiful.
“Even after all he put me through.”
I let out a soft chuckle, thinking how foolish I was to still feel a sliver of pity for such a person.
“……There aren’t more people like me, are there?”
Wondering if anyone else on the internet had experienced something similar, I searched online. I thought I might find some helpful articles if they did.
“As if…”
As expected, my search only yielded similar-looking posts, but nothing truly relevant.
[A picture of a red button is displayed.]
[If you press this button now, you will return to 10 years ago.]
[However, you will not retain any of your current memories.]
[Will you still press it?]
– Why wouldn’t you press this?
– No, if you don’t have memories, it’s meaningless.
– If you press it twice, do you go back 20 years?
– Old man…
– It’s not even a 500-million-year button.
– At least that one gives you a million won.
“Absolutely not pressing it.”
I muttered to myself, hastily closing the browser tab.
In any case, I had gained some information thanks to the Team Leader, so I should put it to use immediately.
I promptly stood up and deleted all records from my phone. I removed the SD card and snapped it in half with my hands.
After completely resetting the phone, I immediately headed to a phone store.
****
As autumn drew near, the days grew noticeably shorter.
Having picked out the latest “Space Phone” (TL Note: A trendy term for foldable smartphones in Korea), which could be folded and unfolded, I finally arrived home.
On my way to get the phone, I also made a debit card and tucked it into my wallet.
Now, I wouldn’t have to bother with bank transfers or any other such inconveniences.
“Oh, dear…”
I wasn’t particularly tired, yet strangely, a sigh always escaped me the moment I arrived home.
Instead of collapsing dramatically at the entrance, I headed straight for the bathroom.
After thoroughly washing my hands and feet, I settled onto my camping chair.
Immediately upon sitting, I busied myself with my new phone.
I installed necessary apps, downloaded a few games that looked interesting, and spent a considerable amount of time engrossed in my phone.
Having stared at it for so long, my neck felt stiff, so I did some light stretching.
I heard the satisfying clicks and pops from my neck as I stretched, feeling refreshed.
It was then, as I was browsing a delivery app to order dinner, that I heard it.
– Thump-thump
“Huh?”
– Thump-thump-thump
“Is it the upstairs…”
– Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump
The noise from the floor above began to reverberate.
