The tteokbokki lady kept her promise. I didn't know it was her last day alive.

okay I wasn't going to post this but I genuinely think about it all the time so here goes.

Back in November 2012 I was working at one of those shopping complexes with a bunch of small stores packed together, like the outlet villages in Yeoju or Paju. Cold as hell that time of year. Quitting time was 6pm, but starting around 3pm this lady we all called the 'tteokbokki auntie' would make her rounds through the main corridor with her cart, calling out 'tteokbokki's here~~' and honestly?? it was the highlight of the whole workday. Everyone would poke their heads out and order. People started giving her feedback on the taste, she'd actually tweak the recipe, the tteokbokki and sundae got better and better. She basically became everyone's favorite neighbor in the complex.

So one cold afternoon my whole team pooled together to order. That day she gave us SO MUCH food. Way more than we paid for. We were like '...we only ordered 5,000 won worth, why is there this much??' and she just smiled and said:

'my son's starting university and we're moving, so this week's my last week. wanted everyone to eat well. I've been so proud of this little business of mine... it's a shame. gonna miss you all, you're like sons to me.'

and she laughed while she said it.

I felt this weird mix of sadness and also genuine grief that the tteokbokki era was ending. idk it sounds silly but it really meant something.

Later that same day I stayed late for inventory. By 5pm she still hadn't come around, which was weird. my manager and coworkers were like 'huh, did she not come today? did she leave early?' We figured she'd just wrapped up sooner than usual and didn't think much of it.

So it's now around 8pm. Every other store in the complex had shut off their lights by 7, so the hallways were completely dark and honestly kind of eerie. Just our store with the lights on. I'm starving, can't focus, doing inventory half-delirious with hunger.

And then something flickers past the window.

I ran out and. it was her. the tteokbokki auntie. pulling her cart down the dark empty hallway, calling out softly 'tteokbokki... tteokbokki's here~'

I was SO excited I literally started clapping like an idiot and called out to her. she didn't stop. kept walking. just kept going down the corridor.

I thought okay I cannot lose her, I ran and grabbed my phone and called the number I had saved for her.

It rang a few times.

A man picked up.

'...who is this?' His voice was heavy. Like he'd been crying.

'Is this... the tteokbokki lady from the OO shopping complex? Is this her phone?'

I just stood there holding the phone.

It was her son.

She had gone out before dawn that morning to pick up supplies. There was an accident. She didn't make it back.

She had died the night before I saw her in that hallway.

I still see that silhouette sometimes. Her just walking, cart rattling, calling out into the dark like she always did. She said it was her last week. She was so proud of that little cart business.

I think she came back to finish it.