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The customer stared at Arin in disbelief. “Excuse me. Am I being unreasonable right now?”
“Oh my, unreasonable? Not at all. We’re completely in the wrong here,” the owner said, waving his hands.
“No, look at her attitude. She’s standing there defiantly, not even apologizing, like I’m making ridiculous demands over nothing.”
“Oh, you’re right. Daeun, what’s wrong with you today? This isn’t like you,” chided the owner.
The customer, losing her patience, began to rant.
“I wasn’t planning to go this far, but I’m actually quite a famous mom-blogger. Should I post about this place? Tell everyone about a shop that sells sandwiches with blood on them?”
The owner paled at the word ‘blogger.’
“Oh no… I’m so sorry, ma’am. This won’t happen again. …Daeun! What are you doing? Apologize right now. You’re clearly in the wrong. Do you want to lose your job?”
The owner’s voice rose as he grabbed Arin’s arm, shaking it and demanding an apology.
Arin’s lips trembled. She barely registered the two people before her—her gaze was fixed on Yeomyung by the door. He’d heard enough to understand what was happening.
Was he disappointed? Did he think she couldn’t handle even a simple part-time job? She was about to get fired. How could he take someone to space who couldn’t even earn their own living? Useless trash should stay on Earth… She was disqualified…
Arin watched him like someone awaiting sentence.
Yeomyung glanced at her, then turned and left the store.
She thought she saw him sigh and shake his head. His muttered “Failed…” seemed to echo in her ears.
He was disappointed. He’d seen enough.
It was over. She’d come so far, only for it to end like this. It couldn’t be…
“I’m sorry… It’s all my fault…” Arin mumbled, staring into nothing.
What happened next was a blur.
The customer seemed bewildered by Arin’s dazed state. Even the owner sensed something was wrong.
After talking with the owner a while longer, the customer left. The owner told Arin to get some fresh air.
Arin shut down instantly, like a machine with dead batteries. She stood frozen until the owner practically pushed her out.
She stumbled to the back of the store, carried by the momentum of his push, and slumped down beside the recycling bin. This place suited her. Here, among the true garbage, on this trash-like Earth.
There was no point in going back inside. Like studying after failing a final exam—except this test had no retakes. Such a rare chance she’d had, and now she might never see the alien again. This was her one shot.
Why had she scraped her finger? Why let it bleed? The owner had warned her. She couldn’t even follow a simple rule. Why hadn’t she worn gloves? Even with the cut, gloves would have kept the blood off the bread. The customer would never have known.
Maybe the reptilians had orchestrated this. It wasn’t like her to forget her gloves. They must have frozen time briefly to remove them. Or maybe they’d transformed into tiny creatures and planted those red spots in the sandwich.
But she should have overcome their tricks. How could she handle space if she fell for such basic traps? If only she’d managed the situation better when the customer complained. A quick apology might have resolved everything before Yeomyung arrived.
Regret was pointless now. It was over. All of it.
What would become of her? Abandoned on Earth?
Her home would become her coffin. Earth, forsaken by the aliens, would fall to the reptilians. They would freely invade her space. Pounce on her. Drag her away. Endless days and nights of nightmares. They wouldn’t grant her a quick death. It would be the most painful end possible…
Nausea gripped her. She clasped a hand over her mouth, retching.
It was over.
Really over.
Should she go ahead and die first?
Was that better than being caught by the reptilians?
When?
How?
Her spiral of thoughts froze at an unfamiliar sensation on her hand.
Arin slowly turned to look at her right hand. It took time to process what she saw, her vision clearing gradually like mist dissipating from glass.
Blood stained Arin’s fingertips. Her nails were broken, deep scratches visible, the flesh around them swollen beyond recognition.
Another hand gripped hers.
Strong. Large. Firm.
Holding tight to stop her from scratching.
Arin looked up.
Yeomyung was there, holding her hand.
Is this a dream? My last glimpse of the alien?
“Stop it,” Yeomyung said.
Not a dream?
Slowly, Arin brought his hand to her cheek. The warmth felt real. A complete hand—flesh, blood vessels, a faint pulse beneath warm skin…
She felt moisture and pulled his hand away. Water glistened on his skin.
Arin wiped the back of his hand with her free one. Her tears. She touched her own cheek, then looked up at him again.
My savior… and cold judge…
Why hadn’t he left?
Yeomyung grabbed her wrist with his other hand, trying to pull free.
Arin held tighter. She couldn’t let go. Not now.
He looked perplexed, then gave up trying to break her grip.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. “I thought you could distance yourself. Like seeing everything from space.”
“When you believe what’s right in front of you is all there is, it gets suffocating. But from space? Everything down here seems insignificant. All the amazing and terrible things just… fade away.”
Arin wondered if her voice would work. “Sometimes… I can’t manage it.”
“…”
“Am I disqualified?”
Yeomyung studied her silently, thinking.
What was going through his mind? Why not just disqualify her immediately? Was this pity making him hesitate?
“For something like this?” he said.
I’m not disqualified? Why…?
Then what is it?
“Wouldn’t it be better not to make such mistakes?” Arin said. “Shouldn’t I have been more responsible? Taken better care of myself?”
“Not necessarily…”
“…”
“With time… it won’t be such a big deal.”
***
Yeomyung sat against the wall, massaging his right hand with his left. His hand felt numb and burned, his stomach churning like motion sickness.
Earlier, he’d gone to the sandwich shop for lunch, finding Daeun being scolded for some mistake. The scene made him uncomfortable. It would be awkward for both of them if he stayed watching, so he left.
But Daeun’s expression caught him just before he went. Of course she wouldn’t look happy while being scolded… but this wasn’t what he’d expected.
He’d anticipated indifference from her. A look that said, “Why make such a fuss over this?” Or maybe the calculated expression of someone cunning—extreme apology just to end things quickly.
Instead, she looked terrified. Anxious. As if her boss and customer might actually hurt her.
He considered just returning to the dumpling shop, telling the owner they’d skip sandwiches today.
But that look on her face held him back.
Why such terror over a scolding? She was someone who made life or death decisions, who hadn’t flinched when asked to keep quiet about something serious.
Could there be more to it? What could shake someone like that?
Yeomyung lingered outside the store. He told himself he was waiting for answers, but he knew the truth—he was worried about Daeun. He needed to see how this would end.
The complaining customer emerged first, shaking her head in disbelief as she glanced back at the store.
Then Daeun appeared, looking dazed. She stumbled toward the back of the building.
What had shocked her so deeply? This seemed beyond a simple scolding. Perhaps the customer wasn’t ordinary, or maybe the owner had said something devastating…
Yeomyung debated following her. Did she need solitude, or company?
But even if she wanted company, wouldn’t it be strange if he was the one offering it? Was he going to comfort her? He wasn’t trying to exploit her vulnerability.
Yet his feet carried him forward.
He’d just check on her, he told himself. She’d probably be crouching there, dejected, or staring blankly skyward. Once he saw she was okay, he could leave.
Yeomyung softened his steps unconsciously.
As he rounded the corner, he found Daeun frantically scratching at the cement floor, her fingertips already bloody.
Without thinking, he ran and grabbed her hand.
Her face was wet with tears.
Like someone waking from a dream, awareness slowly returned to her eyes. She stared at their joined hands as if seeing them for the first time, then slowly brought his hand to her cheek.
In that moment, Yeomyung felt simultaneously burning and frozen.
The soft skin against his hand sent conflicting sensations through him, like the similarity between extreme cold and scorching heat.
Daeun looked up at him with wide eyes, like a rain-soaked wild animal who’d exhausted itself fighting capture and finally surrendered.
A trembling, feverish shiver passed between them.
When he tried pulling away, she clung to his hand with desperate strength. Yeomyung’s heart thundered like it was experiencing the world for the first time.
For some reason, it hadn’t calmed since.
Even now, as evening approached.
Even now, as he sat in his quiet room.

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