Chapter 1
I fall asleep.
Anytime, anywhere.
……
“You have narcolepsy.”
One day, that was the diagnosis I heard at the hospital.
For some reason, I would suddenly lose my strength and slump over my desk.
I would suddenly feel drowsy or fall asleep even while sitting on the toilet.
I just thought it was because I had been a bit tired lately.
“…….”
I realized the seriousness of it after I collapsed on the street.
The diagnosis I received after rushing to the hospital was ‘narcolepsy.’
“It’s severe. Please do not engage in any strenuous activities.”
Was it like being struck by a bolt from the blue?
Was a normal life impossible?
I was prescribed medication, but anxiety was like a passive trait.
Trickle.
When I worked part-time at a cafe, I would faint while brewing coffee.
Clatter.
There were times I collapsed while serving at a restaurant.
Thump.
There were times I fell asleep while working a part-time job in a mascot costume.
Eventually, I had to quit all my jobs.
There was nothing I could do.
Because narcolepsy had completely changed my life.
Sob sob.
I felt a strong urge to cry, but I didn’t.
Still, perhaps because I had an optimistic side, I had a positive outlook that I would eventually find a job that suited me. There’s always a way to survive; I’m the type to move forward rather than wallow in despair.
I’ll find a job that suits me eventually.
The world is so big, surely there’s a place for me?
Even though I occasionally caused losses to the shops, thankfully, they were considerate enough not to make me pay compensation.
Because the world still has opportunities.
Because the sunlight was so bright and the cumulus clouds were so beautiful.
Thud.
And.
I collapsed again.
“…….”
I had no choice but to wait until the illness got better.
I rested at home, hoping for even a slight improvement in my symptoms.
When I was bored, I would sometimes look out the window. There was a park, so many people were walking around.
A couple walking together with a child in a stroller.
An elderly woman walking vigorously while exercising alone.
Even a student riding a bicycle while whistling.
“I want to go out, too.”
While looking outside with envy.
“…….”
I soon fell asleep.
What is this?
Why? Why? Why?
Out of all the countless people, why is this happening to me?
At first, I cursed my body for collapsing and falling asleep at any given moment.
I wanted to look up at the sky and argue, but maybe because the world was always so bright, I had an expectation that tomorrow would be better than today.
Those were the days of waiting for recovery like that.
One day, a reason to definitely go out came up.
“Limited edition!”
A limited edition release held in Seongsu-dong.
Of all things, they said they were selling a limited edition of sneakers that were a hit worldwide.
Ah. Nice’s Airwalk basketball shoes.
It’s my favorite series, and since it was a limited edition this time, I couldn’t not go.
Since there are many shoe enthusiasts, it seemed like everyone would wait in line on a first-come, first-served basis, even sleeping outdoors.
My finances were tight, but I didn’t want to skimp on my only hobby.
For some reason, it feels like my narcolepsy gets a bit better for a while when I buy new shoes. For at least a month, it felt like I only fell asleep twice a day.
“Please.”
Let me be okay for just one day.
The night before. I arrived in front of the store first.
I spread my tent wide and slept soundly through the night.
Zzz.
Since the store opens at 9 AM, I just need to be awake then.
I just need to keep my wits about me for that short time.
The ultra-limited edition Airwalk basketball shoes will be in my hands.
After the night passed.
After waiting and waiting, the time finally came.
Swing.
Finally, the store doors opened.
I headed inside while slowly taking deep breaths.
“Congratulations. You’re first in line.”
Guided by the staff, I laid eyes on the limited edition sneakers for the first time.
That sleek design and delicate seams. The plush feel of the insoles and the sturdy laces. It was a perfect and complete limited edition.
The emotion at the moment they entered both my hands was indescribably moving.
Joy and delight.
Emotion and passion.
Amidst all those emotions, my consciousness grew distant.
Huh?
I tried to hold onto my fading consciousness, but it wouldn't go my way.
I had a dream for the first time in a while.
A nightmare where I got my hands on precious gold only for it to slip away and be lost.
Ah, dammit.
When I woke up, the white ceiling had grown bright.
When I lifted my left arm, I saw an IV needle attached to it.
I fell asleep again.
They must have sent me to the emergency room thinking I had fainted.
The limited edition basketball shoes that were in my hands are already gone.
Despair.
Frustration once more.
Those were supposed to be my narcolepsy totem charm.
I curled up on the hospital bed and sobbed for a while.
Just like that, trudging along.
I was on my way back from the hospital empty-handed.
Whoosh.
Suddenly, a piece of paper flew over and slapped onto my face.
“Ugh, what the...”
I roughly pulled it off with my hand and threw it on the ground.
Just my luck; even paper sticks to my face while I’m just walking down the street.
As I continued walking, the same flyers kept appearing as if someone had scattered them all over the ground today of all days.
I walked with an annoyed expression, then suddenly looked at a flyer stuck on a utility pole.
+++
[Job Posting]
– Looking for people with narcolepsy.
– No other conditions.
+++
Huh?
What?
It was a job posting with very simple text.
They’re looking for people with narcolepsy?
Even though sleep comes at any time and I can’t do anything.
Even though no one looks for me.
But they’re looking for me?
The treatment was even good.
+++
– Monthly salary: 3 million won. (After the four major insurances.)
+++
Oh.
I’ve only ever done part-time jobs, so the salary was decent.
I didn’t have any work I could do immediately while treating severe narcolepsy, so these conditions were great.
Isn’t 3 million won after insurance crazy?
Are they going to harvest my organs?
Or is it something illegal?
But even so, what if there really is a job that needs me?
I’ve been deceived by the world so many times that being deceived more wouldn't make things any worse.
“Should I try it?”
I got curious.
Whether it’s an opportunity or another deception.
I didn’t know, but life is about deceiving and being deceived anyway.
Maybe it’s because I hit the reef of life called narcolepsy.
I felt like things couldn't get any worse even if I got tricked a few more times.
“Right now.”
Immediately after leaving the emergency room, I took the flyer and headed there.
“I’ll know when I get there.”
Truly.
Once that thought took hold, my steps became light, and I moved forward thoughtlessly with a grin.
“Ah, here?”
It’s not like I was expecting a fancy office in Gangnam Station.
Still, this was unexpected.
“A tile-roofed house?”
An old building.
There was a Hanok house made of tiles.
“Hmm.”
I stopped my steps for a moment and began to think in front of the entrance.
Should I stop here?
Should I go all the way?
I already knew the answer.
I will not dream.
Because I will go see it for myself.
Creak.
“Hello? Is anyone there?”
When I opened the door and entered, a wide yard came into view.
The flower bed where white flowers bloomed was quiet and desolate, and it felt as though mist had settled over it somehow.
The atmosphere was strange.
“Is anyone inside?”
Since there was no answer, I called out again.
Entering a house without the owner present wasn’t polite.
Just as I was about to turn around and leave.
“Who?”
A person slightly lifted their head from the flower bed.
A woman who had been crouching and digging up weeds with a sickle straightened her back like a meerkat and looked at me.
At a glance, early 30s? Or mid-30s?
A woman with long straight black hair wearing a white hanbok stared with a cold gaze.
She was holding a sickle in her hand.
“Aaaaah!”
Wearing a sobok[1], she was undoubtedly a ghost or a gumiho[2].
At the sight of her looking like she would slash me with the sickle right away, a scream naturally came out.
“What are you?”
The woman, who had slung the sickle over her shoulder, approached and looked down at me as I lay on the ground.
With an expression of extreme ridicule and pity.
“I’m Kim Yu-chan.”
“Not your name.”
Shring.
The sickle held in her hand glinted in the sunlight.
“Ah, hey, hey. Please don’t eat me.”
“Huh? Why would I eat you?”
“Aren’t you a gumiho?”
“Aha.”
She let out a small chuckle.
With her appearance in pure white hanbok and holding a sharp sickle.
It was an appearance perfect for misunderstanding.
“Right. Even I think it’s easy to misunderstand.”
She dropped the sickle with a thud.
She neatly brushed the dirt and dust off her clothes.
At the same time, as the sunlight shone behind her, a sharp nose and large eyes were revealed.
Her radiant figure in white clothes was finally revealed.
She was indeed a human, not a gumiho.
Of course, her expression was still cold.
“Haha.”
An icy beauty.
She was a woman who made that exact word come to mind.
“In this situation, you seem more suspicious. Who are you to sneak into someone else’s house?”
“Ah, I’m not a strange person.”
Flustered.
I took the flyer out of my pocket and held it out.
“I came to apply here. I’m a person with narcolepsy.”
I emphasized it without realizing.
Rather than narcolepsy, I spoke the word ‘person’ loudly.
“Aha. Narcolepsy.”
But the woman focused on something else.
She took the flyer I held out and nodded.
“So you’re an applicant.”
She wore a strange smile.
She seemed to be eyeing me strangely from the corner of her eye, as if she were examining every little detail.
With those cold eyes, she looked down at me as if she were a being observing all of creation.
“Your drooping eyebrows make you look generally gentle; you’re not the type who could go around conning people. Your physiognomy is okay.”
“Pardon?”
“Fortune-telling for later.”
What on earth was she talking about?
“So? You sleep whenever?”
“Yes, I have severe narcolepsy.”
“Hmm.”
Her voice trailed off.
Appearing lost in thought for a moment, she stared intently at my face again.
“I was tidying up the flower bed for the first time in a while. Weeds keep growing if you don’t pull them out immediately. It’s a hassle, but they must be pulled.”
Her hand was gripping the weeds she had pulled.
Next to the flower bed, there were countless uprooted and discarded weeds.
As if someone had pulled out clumps of hair in a bathroom and left them there.
“Work is always like that. It becomes a burden if you put it off. So, it has to be dealt with in time.”
Whoosh.
It felt as if she might pick up the sickle again at any moment.
This strange woman who had emerged from the flower bed in a white hanbok—well, she seemed to have a strong personality.
“By the way, excuse me. I’m asking because I’m really curious.”
“Speak.”
“I keep falling asleep because of narcolepsy. Are you really going to hire me?”
“Of course.”
She nodded.
“Because the person I’m looking for needs to be someone who falls asleep very easily.”
It was true.
It was just like the job posting said.
Her answer was straightforward, but I was still half-doubting and puzzled.
Why?
For what reason?
Why would someone need a person who might suddenly collapse and fall asleep at any moment?
What kind of work could it possibly be?
“Excuse me. By any chance...”
“Is there something else you’re curious about? Speak.”
That calm way of speaking.
She was the cynical type, not surprised at all.
“Why are you looking for someone with narcolepsy?”
“Hmm?”
“If, by any chance... like, selling my organs in secret when I fall asleep.”
“What?”
She laughed out loud.
“If I were going to do that, I could just find someone without narcolepsy. I’d just have to kidnap them anyway.”
“Then why?”
“It’s a secret.”
Shh.
She covered her mouth with a finger.
“Because I have to check if you’re really the real deal. I have to verify first if you’re truly someone with severe narcolepsy.”
“Really?”
“To do the work I want, you need to fall into a really deep sleep. For as long as possible.”
What does that mean?
Is she even speaking the same Korean as me?
As the incomprehensible talk continued, my head was in a state of confusion.
“Even if you have more questions, ask them later. Can we start the experiment right away?”
“Pardon? An experiment?”
“It’s an interview. Right now.”
She gave a light smile.
The smile spreading across her lips seemed as if she were craving something.
Her wide, round eyes and the softly spreading smile felt like a witch's grin.
“Go to sleep. Right now.”
It was the first command.
Footnotes
Traditionally, this refers to white mourning clothes worn during funeral rites in Korea. Because of its association with death and grief, a woman with long, unkempt hair wearing a white sobok is the classic, iconic image of a Cheonyeo Gwishin (Virgin Ghost) in Korean folklore.
↩
Literally translating to "Nine-Tailed Fox," this is a mythological creature that can shapeshift into a beautiful woman to seduce men, often with the intent of consuming their liver or heart. Unlike the often-benevolent Japanese Kitsune, the Korean Gumiho is traditionally depicted as a more predatory or malevolent figure.
↩