“Why won’t the temperature go down? ” I muttered, staring at the thermostat. I’d just moved into this officetel, and the heating situation was driving me crazy. “You live in a place with central heating, right?
That’s why it won’t drop,” I reasoned aloud. Having lived in one of those before, I knew the feeling. It’s terrible. Give me a regular apartment or a normal housing complex any day.
“What about spraying water on the floor? ” I suggested, like I was back in the army. It didn’t feel much better, but I was already late. I had to head out to the subway station.
“At least put on some sunscreen first,” I scolded myself. I didn’t care if it looked embarrassing to others—that white cast on my face wasn’t the point. My skin mattered more. I finally made it to a restaurant, ordering the fresh ingredients.
The texture was decent—no mushiness here. Some places just serve it limp and sad, but this one was different. “That’ll be 25,000 won,” the server said. “Plus 2,000 for the drink… so 15,000 would be fair, right?
” I tried to reason. But honestly, it felt like squid cost 25,000 won no matter the season. That’s just how the world works now. The only thing that gets cheaper when it’s in season is fruit.
“I really need to go to the fish market once,” I sighed. My mom used to bring home eels from there and grill them for cheap. But even the market is pricey now. How does distribution work that everything costs so much?
Maybe I have to buy directly from the person who caught the fish. At this rate, I’d only eat this once a year. Then I spotted something on the menu board. “What’s that character?
Wait, it’s the tree one… No, not that. The mackerel box? A wooden box for mackerel? ”
I was trying to remember where I’d seen it.
Some show on Jeju Island, maybe? I couldn’t look it up because my phone was dead. I wish I could say I knew, but I just couldn’t picture it. “Whatever, I’ll check it out during the next stream,” I decided.
Time was ticking. I was supposed to end the broadcast here and head home. Realistically, I’d get there by 3:00 or 3:30. If I was fast, maybe 7 or 8.
“I’ll talk to you all when I get home,” I said to the camera. “Depending on how I’m feeling, I might just do a quick thanks and end it. Or I might keep it short. I’m not sure why I stayed this long.
I’ll just have to see the situation first. ”
I thanked the viewers by name—Black, Eric, Sky, Deer, Pan, Abreka, Skyl, Makimi, Cheongjang, Le, Homini, Sopik, Africa, Tree, Chobi, Nabraeng, Heedong—all of them. “Have a good afternoon, everyone. I’m heading home now.
”
As I packed up, I thought about how this all felt like watching the old Afreeca broadcasts. Just like the first generation. A young guy trying to make his way, dealing with life’s small annoyances—temperature control, prices, and staying connected with the people watching. I stepped out of the officetel, the late afternoon sun hitting my face.
The city hummed around me. It was just another day, but somehow it felt different. Something was waiting for me at home, and I had a feeling I wouldn’t be sleeping as early as I hoped.