How to Avoid the Monday Blues Chapter 1

He decided to do something crazy.

Once he made that decision, embarking on the trip he had been hesitating over became easy. Clearing away guilt and obligation by force, the only goal he left behind was to do at least one crazy thing while traveling.

The phone in Sewon’s hand buzzed and vibrated. The Wi-Fi, which had been faintly flickering between one and two bars, stabilized, and a call from Jaehee Han finally connected.

― Sewon, so where are you right now?

Sewon answered Jaehee Han’s barrage of questions in a quiet voice the moment he picked up the phone.

“…Istanbul.”

― Are you crazy? Istanbul, all of a sudden?

“I don’t know… I guess I’m not entirely crazy yet.”

Right, to say he was crazy, he was still far too sane.

Sewon answered as he recalled his neatly organized travel itinerary. Although he had impulsively decided to go on the trip and bought a plane ticket right away, it seemed he didn’t quite have the courage to get lost in a distant foreign country.

― I know things are tough for you. But Sewon, this is still way too reckless….

A deep sigh sounded close to his ear. It almost felt like a reprimand. However, Jaehee Han couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence blaming Sewon.

People’s attitudes toward Sewon, who stood helplessly like a ship that had lost its destination on the vast ocean, were largely divided into two categories: either patting him on the shoulder to encourage him to hang in there, or openly smacking their lips while tapping away on a calculator.

Not knowing how to navigate a situation he was encountering for the first time, Sewon decided to run away first. It felt like the only way he could keep breathing and living for now.

『Lira crashing, omg, is now the best time to travel? Budget-heaven Istanbul travel VLOG』

A video he would usually have scrolled past caught Sewon’s eye like fate. It brought back memories of a travel show he had once watched sitting side-by-side with his mother in the living room. After watching the travelogue that lasted nearly 30 full minutes, Sewon bought a plane ticket to Istanbul as if possessed. It was the moment his passport, which had been used merely as an ID card until now, finally fulfilled its true purpose.

Feeling suffocated, he opened the window, and the mixed sounds of honking cars jammed on the road and ambulance sirens drifted in. Even though it was noise from an unfamiliar city, it felt familiar. As Sewon approached the small terrace, a pigeon sitting on the railing flew away with a flutter of its wings.

“Was I too reckless….”

― Of course… no, it’s not that. But didn’t you say you have an interview with A Group coming up soon?

[A Food Domestic Sales/Support — Opening for 0 applicants]

Only then did the interview schedule marked on the calendar atop his cluttered desk slowly cross his mind. The final executive interview was the day after tomorrow, but surprisingly, he felt no emotion whatsoever.

The anxiety and dread that had accompanied him throughout his job search now felt completely trivial. Sewon had thought from the beginning that the position at A Food—from the industry down to the job description—was a outfit that didn’t fit him, so he felt little regret.

“Yeah. The day after tomorrow.”

― Sewon.

Instead of scolding him or calling him pathetic, Jaehee Han’s voice calling Sewon’s name was gentle, as if offering comfort. Yes, this gentleness was the problem.

“There will always be other opportunities to interview.”

― I’m just saying it’s a waste. If it’s the final interview, the competition ratio must be less than 3 to 1….

“Even if I took the interview in this state, I would’ve ruined it.”

― Sewon, are you having a really hard time?

A terribly sweet voice flowed through the line. This sweetness kept giving Sewon hope, making him get disappointed, and ultimately driving him to run away.

“It’s not because it’s hard…. I just wanted to travel alone at least once before I graduate.”

― ….

Until he arrived in this unfamiliar land, he hadn’t particularly thought that things were tough. The fact that his mother was dead, that she no longer existed, didn’t hit close to home or feel realistic. So he had simply processed the tasks given to him like a machine.

Even now, he felt like if he called his mother, she would answer with ‘Sewon,’ yet everyone around him kept asking if he was okay. Every time they did, the reality that his mother was no longer in this world sank in.

“I’m going to eat delicious food and look around at different things.”

― Right…. Okay.

“Okay?”

He had expected a longer lecture, but Jaehee Han wrapped up the conversation simply.

― Since you’re already there, have fun. Hearing you say that makes me feel bad. How come the two of us never even went on a single trip together?

Jaehee Han was a friend Sewon had known for well over ten years, and…

“I know….”

― Who knows, maybe you’ll even come back with a girlfriend from there.

…he was the object of an unrequited love whose beginning Sewon couldn’t even pinpoint.

I have to hide it. I must hide it thoroughly so he can never notice.

Jaehee Han would often toss out remarks telling him to get a girlfriend, casually wounding Sewon’s heart—a testament to how well Sewon had kept that resolve.

“Yeah, thanks.”

― Come straight to my place when you get back to Korea. Got it?

Do you have any idea?

That my mood for the entire day is dictated by these ordinary words you say just as a friend.

“Yeah. Jaehee, please tell your parents I said thank you as well. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell them in person.”

― Sorry for what? Don’t worry about it. Just buy us a souvenir. You know my mom collects mugs.

“Yeah. See you when I get back to Korea.”

Silence instantly swept into the room the moment he hung up. Through the hallway of the poorly soundproofed room, the noise of rolling luggage blended with the traffic noise from outside the window.

His goal for this trip had become clear.

First, do plenty of things that are completely unlike his usual self.

Second, resolve his one-sided crush on Jaehee Han before returning.

Although he planned to start proper sightseeing tomorrow, he stepped out of the hotel with the intention of grabbing a light bite in the nearby downtown area. Istanbul in winter was much warmer than Seoul with its biting cold winds, so he threw on a light coat instead of a thick padded jacket.

In the small alleyway leading from the back door of the hotel to Taksim Square, a man holding a large silver tray was standing. On the tray was midye dolma, a street food made by stuffing mussels with seasoned rice. Standing next to him was a familiar face. It was the hotel staff member who had helped him check in yesterday, and as if recognizing Sewon too, he raised one eyebrow with a smirk and spoke to him.

“Koré?”

It seemed like he was asking if Sewon was Korean. Sewon politely declined the man’s attempt to feed the stuffed mussel directly into his mouth, taking it with his hand instead, and replied with a nod. At Sewon’s response, the hotel employee switched languages to English and asked a new question.

“My name is Volkan.”

“I’m Sewon.”

“Aha, Sewon. Why did you come to Istanbul? Travel?”

“Yeah, I came for travel.”

There were many men with beards in Istanbul, but Volkan had a smooth face. While it was hard to gauge a foreigner’s age, Sewon felt certain that Volkan was at least his peer.

“Are you a university student?”

“Yeah. I’m graduating soon.”

“I’m a university student too. Though I’m currently taking a leave of absence and working at the hotel for a bit.”

Perhaps because he was a university student, Volkan’s English was quite fluent. Having communicated through gestures and body language all the way from the airport to the hotel, having a conversation in ‘at least somewhat’ familiar English was an absolute delight.

“Where in Korea are you from?”

As Volkan tossed out the question while eating a stuffed mussel, his face showed goodwill and curiosity.

“I’m from Seoul.”

“I’ve been to Korea before, too.”

“Really? You went on a trip?”

“Yangju, Gyeonggi-do.”

Not Seoul, Busan, or even Jeju Island, but Yangju. Sewon found it unexpected, as it wasn’t a region famous as a tourist destination.

“Yangju?”

At Sewon’s question, Volkan replied that his close friend was Korean.

“I can speak Korean too: Annyeonghaseyo (Hello). Jagiya (Honey). Saranghae (I love you).”

Although his pronunciation was awkward, his charm was a solid hundred out of hundred. A smile naturally formed at the corners of Sewon’s lips.

It seemed Volkan’s friend wasn’t just a ‘close friend,’ but a lover. Sewon thought about asking if he was still in touch with that Korean friend, but decided against it. He didn’t have the emotional bandwidth to listen to someone else’s love life just yet.

Volkan taught Sewon a few simple Turkish phrases and tossed out mundane questions, asking why he had come to Istanbul for fun and whether traveling alone wasn’t lonely.