52nd Korea Times Translation Awards Fiction Commendation Award: Half of His Egg Muffin
Cover of “I've Been Thinking about It for a Very Long Time” by Kim Keum-hee, which includes “Half of His Egg Muffin” / Courtesy of MaumsanchaekWritten by Kim Keum-heeTranslated by Clare RichardsOnce she'd started working for a company in Sinchon, Seonmi usually sorted breakfast on the no. 1000 intercity bus. Something quick―bread, an apple, a boiled egg. An empty stomach gave her heartburn, so she couldn't not eat. One day, however, Seonmi spent the entire bus journey in hell, desperate for the toilet, and from then on refused to have a single sip of water on her morning ride to work. Instead, she left earlier and got something to eat nearby the office. It meant having to wake up at 6.30am, but at that time the main roads were less jammed, and it was also before her bowel movements kicked in, ensuring she wouldn't end up in another awkward situation ― all in all, Seonmi decided she was probably better off this way. But when she woke up in the mornings, rather than moving of her own accord, it felt as if something was extracting her out of the duvet, like a rad
Nov 23, 2021