Chapter 2 …
The car roof was closed, but a convertible in winter was poorly insulated and unsuitable for driving on snowy roads.
A flashy sports car with a strikingly handsome yet somewhat tacky appearance.
Seeing someone driving a car like that in this small, inexpensive studio apartment neighborhood in Seoul during the middle of winter, it was clear he was a “car poor.”
Lately, the issue of young people being car poor had become a serious problem, and now she was witnessing it firsthand.
The man continued speaking.
“I slipped after I finished parking and locked my car. I didn’t even touch the car.”
“I’m not trying to commit insurance fraud.”
“Well, I guess it’s hard to call it fraud since you’re too pretty.”
“…….”
“Your face is unfair. Even after parking, I feel like I want to forgive you.”
What is he even saying?
Haeju ignored his words and tried to get up, but slipped again. The nearby ground must have been frozen.
The man shoved his cigarette and lighter roughly into his pocket and approached her.
Standing in front of her, he leaned down and extended his hand.
Being tall, his hands were large.
“Be careful not to touch anything while getting up. This is my most prized car.”
As expected, this man looked like a car-poor who relied on his handsome face and expensive car to charm women.
Haeju took his hand.
The warmth of his hand transferred to her frozen fingers, making them feel like they were burning. His hand was firm and hot.
When their eyes met, the man froze for a moment. He didn’t immediately pull her up, pausing instead.
When Haeju was about to ask why, he finally tugged her up half a beat later.
He was strong for his size, pulling her up without shaking.
“Interesting.”
He murmured softly.
Haeju opened her mouth to ask what was interesting but closed it again.
She didn’t want to get involved with him, and the cold weather and her bad mood made her just want to get home.
“……Thank you.”
Haeju greeted him and checked her own condition.
Standing up, she noticed the area under her right toes felt empty.
The front of her slipper was completely torn, dangling loosely. Her toes hurt, and the inside of her socks was scraped.
The man noticed her foot and let out a short, sympathetic sigh.
“Haah…….”
Nothing had gone right since moving in today.
She wiggled her toes. Besides the cold and pain, embarrassment weighed heavily.
Her eyes had welled up as she slipped, now burning from unshed tears.
Crying here would be the worst.
Haeju brushed the snow off her body roughly and started climbing the hill when the man called out to her.
“Hey, you—the one who just fell. Not insurance fraud.”
“Why?”
“You’re almost a snowman right now. Don’t you have an umbrella?”
“It’s close to home, I can just run.”
Climbing the hill in the snow with broken slippers wasn’t easy, but she didn’t want to get further involved with the car poor, so she lied casually.
After all, car poor people were usually obsessed with women and prone to reckless behavior.
Haeju didn’t want to complicate her already tiring life with a strange person.
As she pulled her dangling slippers along, she felt a presence behind her.
“Don’t follow me or talk to me unnecessarily.”
Haeju warned, and at that moment, a shadow fell over her head.
The snow above her stopped falling.
Turning around, she saw the man tilting an umbrella toward her.
“I called you to use this.”
“…….”
“I’m not following you. I was taught never to follow strangers recklessly.”
He smirked playfully.
Standing close, she felt the difference in their builds.
Even with thick clothing, he looked much bigger than an average man.
He stepped closer, holding the umbrella out to her.
From him came a faint smell of cigarette smoke mixed with a comforting scent, like sun-dried laundry.
It felt as if the temperature rose slightly in the space he occupied.
“You should take it before more snow piles up. You fell pretty hard, and it was uncomfortable to watch.”
Haeju hesitated, and he gestured toward the umbrella.
“……I’ll borrow it. Thanks.”
The wooden handle retained the warmth from his hand.
Correction: he was a little odd, but a kind-hearted car poor.
Haeju bowed in thanks and headed home with the umbrella. The hill felt long and steep on her first day of moving.
“Do I have to return it if I borrow it?”
A teasing voice called from behind, pretending to mutter, but the distance was already significant, so she ignored it.
The umbrella blocked the snow and wind, making the weather feel slightly warmer.
She finished unpacking after sunset.
Finally, Haeju placed an old Yamaha electronic piano in a corner and inspected it thoroughly.
On one side of the piano, the faded words “Blue Beetle” were written with a marker.
Even if the light bulbs broke or other things got damaged, she didn’t want the piano to break.
After finishing, she took out instant noodles and boiled water, catching sight of the umbrella she had left by the entrance.
Shiny and sleek like its owner, it stood out among the other household items.
Folding the now-dry umbrella, she noticed the brand and the label: Made in England.
The clasp was a button, not a typical snap or Velcro.
“Even the umbrella has a brand? That’s typical of a car poor.”
Curious, Haeju searched the umbrella’s brand online and paled.
She carefully folded it and placed it by the entrance.
“……I didn’t know it was this expensive. Do I really have to return it?”
Well, she probably wouldn’t see that man again. It was unlikely she’d run into him.
Life is a series of variables, and things never go as planned.
Haeju had felt this deeply throughout her life.
On special days—field trips, school excursions, exams—it rained or snowed, leading to slips, stretched ligaments, or even broken bones.
As a child, she nearly lost her parents during a family trip.
After that, she always paid attention to prevent accidents, but her parents passed away in an accident when she was in the first year of high school.
Afterward, her grandmother moved to the capital to take care of her.
Life for Haeju was full of situations that couldn’t be fixed with effort alone, so she worked multiple times harder than others for a normal life.
Even she once had dreams as old and worn as the piano.
Until her parents passed away, she hoped those dreams could come true.
But dreams remain dreams because turning them into reality is extremely difficult.
For Haeju, life was the embodiment of “reality.”
Any deviation from the ordinary brought misfortune, so at some point, her goal became to live quietly, normally, and steadily.
She never wanted too much and worked diligently to maintain her routine.
As a result, she avoided variables, adventures, and conflicts, striving to evade incidents.
Whenever she got involved in something, it tended to escalate quickly.
The day before the semester started, the café owner urgently asked if she could cover a shift.
When offered double pay, she immediately agreed.
Although she was new, the time slot was quiet before the rush, so it seemed manageable.
Ding—the door opened with a bell, and a customer entered.
Haeju paused washing a cup and went behind the counter.
Looking up to take the order, she saw a familiar face.
“Welcome…….”
“Oh?”
The man looked surprised to see her and murmured quietly,
“Insurance fraud?”
He raised his eyebrows as if questioning.
It was the same car poor man who lent her the umbrella when she moved a week ago.
A woman, presumably his girlfriend, was clinging close to him.
“Can I take your order?”
Haeju ignored him and looked at the screen behind the counter.
He wore a gray tracksuit, different from his previous style.
She couldn’t understand why he always wore tracksuits, even on a date.
‘Maybe he has no money for clothes after paying off his car?’
It was a plausible thought.
She recalled a video about car poor people she had seen a few days ago.
They couldn’t pay rent or living expenses and only accumulated debt.
Haeju glanced at the woman beside him.
The woman looked fully dressed for a date, wearing a short skirt and stockings despite the cold.
Her jacket was cropped, and she clearly had put effort into her hair and makeup.
“I’ll have a hot vanilla latte.”
Although Haeju took the order, the woman specified her own drink to the man.
“I’ll have an iced Americano.”
The man didn’t look away from Haeju, smirking with interest.
Haeju silently confirmed her suspicion.
This café, near the outskirts and close to studio apartments, was especially cheap.
Seeing him repeatedly in this area, even on a date, suggested that his car really was all that mattered.
He stared at her while handing over his card. Haeju avoided his gaze and finished the payment.
The man went to a window seat with his girlfriend.
“Do you know that part-timer?”
The girlfriend glanced at Haeju warily.
