Side Story: Her Special Day

From the very morning, I felt strange. It wasn’t that I was sick or under a spell, but it felt like I was dreaming, dazed, and not fully awake.

My heart felt heavy, and even though the weather wasn’t gloomy, my mood was as if I was walking to school on a drizzly morning.

It was odd and strange. No, I was experiencing an emotional morning that didn’t suit me.

If there’s a silver lining, it’s that I don’t have classes since I’ve graduated.

I lazily lounged in bed, indulging in a rare bout of idleness. While I was self-proclaiming it as a condition recovery, the phone rang.

“Hello?”

*―*Hyo-ju? It’s your aunt.

“Oh! Aunt. What’s up?”

*―*What’s up? You little rascal! You never call, so I had to call you myself!

“Sorry, Aunt. I’ve been busy lately. I need to start preparing for the exams.”

*―*Tsk tsk. Are you eating properly? I told you to come live with us!

“Aunt, come on. The distance between my university and your house is quite far. I’d rather study during that time. It’s better to attend on a scholarship than to save on living expenses. Well, now that I will be graduating, it doesn’t matter. But still, this place isn’t bad for preparing for the exams.”

*―*Sigh. What’s so urgent that your dad had to leave behind such a smart daughter? Still no news from your mom?

“…No.”

*―*Alright, alright. I’m sorry for asking. Oh, by the way! Are you free now?

“Yeah. I quit the part-time convenience store job I was doing during the last vacation, and now I need to study again. What is it?”

*―*Then, how about a short-term part-time job? A friend of mine is the director’s wife. You only need to work for 3 days to a week.

“What is it? What’s the job?”

*―*It’s just a simple task like answering the phone.

“Hmm… Should I try it? Since I’m a hungry student, they’ll pay well, right?”

*―*Of course, you silly. Who do you think your aunt is?

“Okay, okay, I understand, Professor Kim. By what time should I be there?”

*―*Now. You have to come right now. Immediately, right now.

“What? Sigh… Aunt!! I’m still in bed!”

*―*So hurry up and get ready, you silly!! I’m hanging up!!

Staring at the abruptly ended call in disbelief, I chuckled and hurried to get ready to leave.

Dad always said that women don’t wash their hair every day. So, I skipped the shower.

I quickly washed my face, put on comfortable cotton pants and a neat white smock blouse, grabbed my bag, and left the house.

I know this job is just an excuse for my aunt to give me pocket money, tailored to my personality that doesn’t like to rely on others. But refusing would hurt both of us, so I pretended not to know and accepted it.

I entered the general hospital that my aunt mentioned.

As soon as I stepped inside, my head turned to one side instead of the information desk without me realizing it.

It was as if I was being drawn by something, as if there was some stimulating scent coming from that direction.

There stood a man. An ordinary man.

He wasn’t a strikingly handsome man, nor did he seem to have any discomfort to bring my attention to him; just an average guy.

But the moment I saw him, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. Coincidentally, the man also stood still without moving.

The man dropped his smartphone and suddenly started sweating and holding his head in pain.

Seeing him so surprised and in pain made my heart ache. My heart pounded, and worry washed over me.

And I was surprised by my own emotional state.

At the young age of fifteen, I was left alone. My father passed away in an accident, and my mother left me behind and walked out.

“I’ve fallen in love with someone. Don’t misunderstand. You might not understand, but I’ve loved him even before your dad died. I want to go to him. But I can’t bring myself to take you with me. I’m sorry.”

Those were the last words exchanged with the person I called mom. I turned my back as I couldn’t bear to watch her walk away without looking back.

Love? Friendship? Such feelings had long since died.

As a result, the people I met were only those worth investing my time in.

Study groups, part-time jobs, professors, and so on.

The only person I met without any reason to invest time in was my aunt, whom I just spoke with on the phone.

But concern? For a man I’ve never met before?

Yet, despite my bewildered heart, my body was already moving towards the man as if drawn by an invisible force.

As I approached a distance where I could reach out and touch him, my mouth moved on its own, independent of my will.

“Are you okay?”

“Hyo…ju?”

The man, his face contorted in pain, struggled to say my name.

I was surprised and relieved by the possibility that this man might know me. Surprised again by my own emotions, my voice rose in pitch, unlike usual.

“Do you know me?”

“…!!”

At my cautious question of whether he truly knew me, the man’s body visibly flinched.

“Hyo-ju? Lee Hyo-ju?”

“Huh? Do you really know me? Who…?”

A strange mix of relief and anticipation made my heart race. I pressed my right hand to my left chest, afraid someone might hear the obnoxious thumping, and asked myself,

‘How does this man know me? I’ve never seen his face before.’

“No, sorry, thank you for your concern.”

However, contrary to my expectations, the man’s face suddenly hardened, and he spoke in a stiff voice. The look in his eyes as we met was incredibly piercing.

“What the…?”

The emotion in his voice felt affectionate, but the gaze and tone at the end were filled with resentment.

After being abandoned by the mother who should have loved me, I developed a talent different from others.

A talent for reading others’ emotions. Like a habit, to avoid being hurt again.

This ability revealed the true nature of increasingly vile people, and my emotions gradually dried up.

After standing blankly in the lobby for a while, I remembered my appointment and made my way to the administrative office. There, I was introduced to the tasks I would be doing for the week.

Simple errands like printing or copying documents. Tasks that didn’t require hiring a separate person.

But because the tasks were simple, I had plenty of free time, and the man I just met kept coming to mind.

‘What the heck! Making someone worry for nothing!! Seriously!! What terrible manners!’

In a state of confusion, unable to gather my thoughts, the phone in my pocket vibrated relentlessly.

Annoyed, I swipe the screen and bring the phone to my ear, only to be greeted by a barrage of curses.

*―*Hey! Where are you?!

“Who is this?”

*―*You wretch!! It’s the boss!! What time do you think it is, and you’re still not here?!

“The boss? Oh! The convenience store?”

*―*Yeah!!

“I already told you I quit, didn’t I? And I even worked an extra month for you to find a replacement.”

*―*Hey, you crazy girl! You should quit only after finding a replacement!! You young people these days!!

“Excuse me! Why are you yelling at me? Anyway, I clearly said I was quitting.”

Already in a bad mood because of a strange guy, I felt even worse because of the clueless convenience store owner.

Suddenly, I noticed the surroundings had gone quiet and looked up. Then I realized I was in the hospital administration office, not at home.

‘Ah! Seriously!!’

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

With my face burning, I apologized several times, and somehow managed to get through the day until it was time to go home.

When I got home, I threw myself onto the bed. The sudden emotional swings made me feel several times more exhausted.

After lying on the bed for a while, the phone started vibrating relentlessly, and it felt like the annoyance was piercing through my skull.

I answered the phone roughly and yelled without hesitation.

“I said I’m not doing it!! It’s your fault for not finding a replacement even though I informed you in advance! Do you want to be sued?!”

―**…It’s your aunt, you fool.

“Oh! A-Aunt… Sorry.”

*―*Hyo-ju, is something wrong?

“No.”

*―*Don’t lie. What’s going on? Is it the part-time job? Are you talking about the convenience store near the school?

“…Yeah. I told them a month ago that I was quitting, but they’re still like this. Phew… And on top of that, there was a weird guy today, so I’m all over the place…”

*―*A guy? A guy?!

“No, it’s nothing.”

*―*Hyo-ju, I’m coming now. Wait for me! And don’t worry about that convenience store!

Staring blankly at the phone after the call ended, I shook my head, cursing this damned mouth of mine and body that moved regardless of my will all day long.

The short-term job at the hospital ended quickly, and I received a large sum of money as a salary compared to the time and labor.

And today, I arrived at the convenience store in front of the school where I worked during the vacation to meet the problematic store owner.

As I entered the convenience store, I met eyes with the fat owner at the counter. The emotions in his eyes shifted from anger to curiosity, and finally to acceptance.

“Well, I was too harsh last time. I’m sorry. I’ll transfer the overdue salary today.”

“Yes.”

“Of course, it’s not a month’s salary, but since it includes additional work, there will be extra pay.”

“Yes.”

“So, does that mean you’ll accept my apology?”

“Yes. Then is my business here finished?”

“Yes, yes!! It’s done.”

Just breathing in the same space as this grotesque and greedy middle-aged man made me want to vomit, so I quickly tried to leave the convenience store.

Or at least, I was about to.

“What?!! An accident?! How did that happen?! Which hospital?!”

If it weren’t for the store owner’s frantic shout that didn’t suit him, coming from behind.

When I turned around to look at the counter, the owner was anxiously hanging up the phone.

“Is something wrong?”

“Oh! Hyo-ju, it’s just… my daughter had an accident… Anyway, I have to go.”

The sight of the owner, who was always so greedy, fumbling and not knowing what he was saying as he called another part-time worker was unfamiliar.

I guess even this owner, who was just full of greed, was a father and the head of a household to someone.

“Whew… Just for today, until the next part-timer arrives, I’ll cover for you. Go on, hurry.”

“Oh! Really? Th-thank you. Thank you, Hyo-ju. If you’re hungry, don’t hesitate to eat whatever you want. Thank you.”

I watched the manager’s hurried back as he left without even grabbing his coat.

Lately, my emotions had been all over the place. It was unfamiliar and just exhausting.

I calmed the unnecessary surge of emotions, put on an apron, and took a book out of my bag. I hoped that studying would help me forget these feelings and focus.

The woman appeared just as my emotions were settling down.

I was slowly getting absorbed in the book when suddenly, a woman disrupted my concentration. I wasn’t pleased at all.

And the words that followed, they pulled me back to when I was fifteen, not the cool-headed, emotionless twenty-four-year-old I am now.

“Your father, he didn’t die in an ‘accident’ but was ‘murdered,’ right?”

“…What?!”

“Do you want to know?”

“What are you talking about?!”

“If you want to know, you have to make a ‘contract’ with me.”

“…Who are you?!”

It was strange. This woman, like the man I saw at the hospital recently, felt familiar even though I was seeing her for the first time.

But unlike that man, seeing this woman made me angry and uncomfortable. I didn’t want to approach her or be with her.

Yet, the word she threw at me drove me crazy.

“Contract.”

“I said, who are you?!”

“Lee Hyo-ju, there’s no point in getting angry. I told you, you have to make a contract.”

“A contract! What kind of contract?!”

I was too agitated to even think about how she knew my name or how she found me.

After a while, I arrived at the place filled with clocks and met with the woman. Before I could even gather my thoughts on what was happening, I had to listen to an explanation about the ‘Battlefield of the Gods’ and the proxies.

And that day, I became the proxy of Aetas, the God of Time.