"Oh, you're so cute."
"I love you."
"Hey, wait for me."
Their voices overlapped as I walked past them, light and careless, like background music I didn't ask for.
Couples were everywhere. Holding hands. Laughing. Leaning too close to each other in the narrow aisles of the shopping street. I adjusted the strap of my bag and looked straight ahead, pretending they didn't exist.
They'll probably break up in the end anyway.
I didn't say it out loud. I wasn't that kind of person. Still, the thought settled in my chest like something sour.
I was just here to buy vegetables and beef for dinner. My dad would be home late again, which meant I had to figure it out myself. Nothing unusual about that.
I stopped in front of a small market, hesitating for a moment before going in.
Just get what I need and go home.
"Welcome!" the cashier said brightly.
I nodded and walked past her, heading straight for the meat section.
Two packs of beef. Same cut. Different prices.
"They look identical…" I muttered, comparing them side by side.
I stared at them longer than necessary before calling over a nearby employee.
"Excuse me. Which one tastes better?"
He glanced at the packages and pointed to the one in my left hand. "That one, sir."
Of course. The expensive one.
I narrowed my eyes at him. Are you just saying that?
He smiled, completely unbothered.
You don't even know which one tastes better, do you?
I sighed.
"Fine. Thanks."
I put it into my basket and walked away, already regretting it.
"Thank you for shopping with us," the cashier said happily after I paid.
I started heading home, holding a bag almost full of vegetables and beef. I checked my phone.
It was already 6:01 p.m.
Time really does fly.
I put my phone back in my pants pocket. I looked at the recipe and checked what I had bought.
"Onion, broccoli, beef, bananas…"
Bump.
I bumped into someone's back.
"Hey, watch where you're going!" The person scolded me. I didn't apologize. I just walked past him.
"Hey, what kind of manner is that? Didn't your mom teach you how to apologize?"
That word —"mom" —trigger something inside me. I stood for a while and my mind went black. Seconds later, I came back to my senses.
I looked at the man "Sorry" I said, and continued walking home.
"These kids didn't learn anything good from their parents, did they?" I heard him mutter, mocking me for my behavior.
I didn't look back—not because I was embarrassed, but because I didn't like being around people.