Bang

I handed in my resignation letter to the Vice President today. 

Normally the company would try to convince its employees to stay, but he took it well as I noticed another few resignation letters scattered on his desk too. 

So I wasn't the only one to quit after what happened yesterday. 

"You can pack and leave today.", was all he said. I bet he was preparing to quit too once he processed everyone else's resignation letter. 

I didn't really have anything to pack though. 

I left the office with empty hands and an empty heart. So this is how my first job ended. The first chapter of my life in the society closed prematurely. Where to go from here?

I felt directionless. 

For most of my life I just did as I was told by my parents, mostly by my Mom. 

I wasn't particularly good at school but wasn't a dumbass either. She sent me to lots of cram schools and that got me good enough grades to enroll in a university in Seoul, which is no small feat in the hyper-competitive academic environment in Korea. 

I majored in English Literature but nobody in the university was actually interested in any sort of literature. It was just a common major people chose if their score for English subject was high on the standardized test at the end of high school. My Mom said it would at least make me skillful in English, which should help me land a job after graduation. 

Aim low and achieve the achievable targets. 

That seemed to be the unspoken motto in the family. 

While some of my friends at the university were taking a year out - or even longer - to prepare for the job market, enrolling in various courses and going for certificates, internships, and all that, I just studied four years straight. It helped me graduate earlier than the other students who entered in the same year, but with no other qualification than an average university degree. 

A good job at one of those famous Korean mega-corporations was impossible. 

So I aimed low and met the expectations easily. A small sense of achievement and pride for my modest parents. 

And my boss in that company just got killed yesterday. 

I walked down the streets aimlessly with a large cup of ice-Americano. 

It was a very sunny day. Hot and sticky. Just a normal day in July. 

"Hey"

Someone tapped on my shoulder from behind and it startled me, almost dropping my precious drink - the fuel for the day. 

But I was more puzzled than shocked when I turned around and I saw someone wearing the exact set of clothes that I wear sometimes - but not in summer. 

A gray hooded top that I got from London the previous summer during my short holiday travel when I was having an existential crisis unfitting for a grown-up. A picture of the Tate Modern Art Gallery was printed on it. It was a souvenir. 

She also wore the same jeans I have back home, but a much skinnier fit and shorter, stretching down to just below the knees.

And of course, she had the eyes of a killer. 

"How-, did you find me here?"

"I'm not so bad at tracking people down."

"You are hunting me down?"

"I need your help."

"Aren't you being a little too demanding?"

"Well, sorry about borrowing your clothes."

"It doesn't suit you at all."

"Yeah, that's why I need to buy a new set of clothes."

"Surely you know how to shop. You don't need me to walk you through the aisles."

"I don't have good taste in clothes. No matter what I pick out to wear I seem to make myself stand out among the crowd. That's a big no-no."

"Well, you can start by not wearing a thick hooded top in summer."

"I just wanted to hide my head injury."

Well, it's not like I had anything else to do for the rest of the day. 

"Fine, we can go shopping."

"Wicked. Thank you."

After about fifteen minutes of walking, we were in Shinsego Department Store near City Hall, just across the main road along the boundary of Myeongdong. 

"So you are looking for casual clothes, right?"

"Yup. Something not too fancy. Something that lets me blend in."

I ran my eyes from her head to her toe. She was slightly tall for a girl, lean build, and had a face with sharp and well-defined features that looked like a very well-chiseled sculpture. 

"I think you will stand out whatever you wear."

"Huh? Why is that?"

"Never mind. Let's go to the casual fashion floor."

We took escalators to the third floor where they had jeans, shirts, and whatnot.

"I suppose you are looking for something easy to move around in?"

"And pockets."

Well, I know what she wants to keep in her pockets. 

After we looked around a bit though, it became apparent that ladies' clothes tend to not have proper pockets. A lot of times there weren't even any pockets, and when there were, they were mostly ornamental rather than functional. 

"Screw this. Why don't they make some proper clothes?"

"Having things in your pockets kills your body line"

"How are we supposed to carry things then?"

"That's why girls carry handbags and purses."

"Heck, I'm not carrying any handbags around."

"Go figure. I think we need to look at the men's floor."

"Male clothes are more functional."

"Not fair."

"Indeed."

After some shopping, we did find some loose-fitting jeans and T-shirts that were more suitable for her, although the shop assistants were a little puzzled as to why a girl was trying out male clothes. 

:Mm-hm, hm, hm~:

I could hear Miho's humming from behind as I led the way out of the Shinsego Department store. We crossed the main road via an underground passage and popped out on the other end, entering Myeongdong. 

"Where are we going?"

Her question seemed to be out of genuine curiosity and amusement at not knowing where we were heading, rather than challenging why I was taking her to some place she didn't know of. 

"I feel like having some sweet dessert. A piece of nice cheesecake maybe. I think I might even deserve to be treated."

"Gotcha. My treat it is."

Miho shot at me with her hand, like a cupid's bullet. 

That hit me right in the heart.