"OH HELL NO, BRO!"
Fucking shit, here we go again!
It's this guy again.
The drunk who is screaming inside the game center. I guess he loses money again. The owner will probably kick him out like usual.
"You bastard, you here to mess my place again?"
The moment the drunk saw the owner, he instantly staggered straight out of the shop, swaying like he was about to fall at any second.
The owner's curses echoed hopelessly inside the shop.
"Damn it! If you can't play, then get the fuck out of here."
This scene is familiar. I've walked this street every day for a long time now. My home. The game center. The secondhand shop. The grocery store. And the small supermarket, where I work.
Ding dong.
I push the door open. The rows of snack shelves are still lined up in the middle, refrigerators on the right. I put on my blue employee uniform, the one with the cat printed in the middle. I once wondered why there was a cat here, but the store's name is Katty, after all.
"We're going to cut some staff. Make sure you do your job right."
The old manager's words are still in my head.
I clap my hands lightly against my cheeks, forcing myself to stay alert. I don't want to lose this job. A person with no degree like me treasures this job than anything. I brush my hair back so it won't cover my eyes.
Ding dong.
A familiar customer walked in- the game center. His face is still angry.
I instinctively smile and speak loudly:
"Welcome."
He glares straight at me, trying to find proof that I was mocking him. After a while, he starts picking snacks and soda. Even when paying, his sharp eyes stay locked on me, like he's waiting for me to make a mistake.
I remember that I was supposed to smile to be friendly.
But in this case, I decide to refuse.
"Have a nice day. Goodbye."
Spring had just arrived, but the air was still cold. I clench my teeth and pretend that I'm fine, though my body is trembling. All I had on was just a short-sleeved shirt and a pair of shorts.
I look down at the bag of food in my hand, wishing to hurry home and feel the warmth of the instant noodles.
As I turn the corner, I see the traffic mirror hanging on the wall. It's like a marker to help me find the way more easily.
Even in the darkness, the streetlight shining down let me see my reflection clearly. Scruffy beard, glasses tilted to one side, and long hair that nearly covers my eyes.
I hadn't taken care of myself for a long time.
A cherry blossom drifts down and lands on my glasses. It brings back memories that I just want to forget.
It's already been two years.
Since that day.
Sometimes I wondered if I was really living at all. But maybe I just like to listen to the beep, beep sound when a payment goes through.
When I pass the secondhand shop, something is different than usual. The signboard had been straightened. A radio was placed outside. And most strangely, a talisman was set beside the sign. Its writing was twisted, almost like the number eight.
This shop hadn't changed in forever. For a whole two years.
"Hey. What are you doing?"
The voice pulls me back to reality. It's a man. Somehow, he felt familiar- like this wasn't our first meeting. Especially his beard, which hung slightly below his neck.
"I asked what you're doing here."
"Oh... nothing. It just felt different than usual."
"Different?"
His tone sharpened, as if I had uncovered a secret.
Suddenly, a sharp pain pierces in my head. Something vague begins to appear in my mind.
Something.
An image.
My wife. Akira.
And....
Another man.
But I couldn't see him clearly.
"Go home."
The head vanished when the man turned and walked back into the shop. It couldn't have been a coincidence.
Somehow, I feel something else stirring inside me.
Whispers.
I turn to look around.
A man in a black suit stands by the mirror, checking his watch.
He turns toward the shop, looking at me.
The scent feels wrong.
He tilts his head, grins from ear to ear, and raises his hands in greeting.
I don't know what's happening right now.
He snaps his fingers.
I blink.
When I open my eyes again, I scream and stumble backward. He stands in front of me.
What the hell.
He's just right over there.
My breath becomes frantic. I grab the bag of instant noodles that had fallen to the ground and run for my life toward my home.
I glance back.
That freak is still smiling at me.
The door opens.
The man from earlier stands facing that freak.
They stare at each other. Like they know one another.
What the hell is going on right now?