Ding-a-ling! The small bell above the door chimed. 9 AM on the dot—my first customer of the day.
"Hello . is this the place that . erases memories?"
A woman with an exhausted voice entered. Kim Seo-yeon, estimated age 29. She carried a designer
handbag, but her nails showed signs of being bitten, and dark circles were visible beneath her makeup.
"That's right. Please, have a seat."
I guided her to the chair in front of the counter. This space might look like an ordinary café on the
surface, but it hides special devices. The chairs have microscopic brainwave sensors embedded in them,
and the tables contain memory extraction equipment.
"Would you like some tea? It's an herbal blend with calming properties ."
"No, thank you. I just . I want to get this over with quickly."
Seo-yeon trembled as she pulled a thick envelope from her handbag.
"I don't know how much is in here, but I'll give you everything. Please . please erase the memories of that
man."
"Please calm down first, and tell me slowly. What memories would you like erased?"
Tears began falling from Seo-yeon's eyes.
"My boyfriend . we dated for three years. Yesterday . yesterday I found out he was cheating on me. Not
just with one woman, but multiple women."
It's a common story. But that doesn't make it any less painful for the person experiencing it.
"How specifically did you find out?"
"I saw messages on his phone . SNS conversations. It wasn't just one or two people. There were at least
five, and . even my friend was involved."
Seo-yeon continued with her head bowed. "Pathetic, isn't it? I was fooled for three whole years. Everyone
around me knew, but I didn't. Or maybe . maybe I just didn't want to know."
"You mentioned your friend was involved ."
"My college classmate, Soo-jin . I thought she was my closest friend, but she'd been seeing my boyfriend
for six months. Every time I worked late, every time I went on business trips ."
Seo-yeon's voice grew quieter. "Whenever he told me he was 'too busy' or had 'a lot of work,' I said I
understood, that it was okay. I even bragged to Soo-jin about how wonderful my boyfriend was."
I placed my hand on her shoulder. Instantly, her emotions flowed into me—betrayal, anger, self-loathing,
and above all, deep hurt.
"Seo-yeon, you need to think carefully about memory deletion. Once they're erased, there's no going
back."
"I don't care. I want everything related to him gone. From the moment we first met until last night when
we broke up . everything."
I opened the menu, but first, an explanation was needed.
"There's something you should know. Memories don't just disappear—they transfer somewhere else. If
you have them completely erased, I'll take on those memories myself."
"Is that . okay with you?"
"It's my job. But I don't recommend total deletion. If you erase three years of memories, all the growth
that happened during that time disappears too. Everything you learned and felt during that period would
be gone."
Seo-yeon pondered for a long time. "Then . what would you recommend?"
"You have several options. First, selective deletion—we remove only the particularly painful memories.
Second, emotional separation—we keep the memories but neutralize the emotions associated with them.
Third, memory storage—we remove them now, but you can retrieve them when you're ready someday."
"What's emotional separation like?"
"The memories remain, but the pain and anger you feel when recalling them disappear. You'll be able to
accept them calmly, like listening to someone else's story."
Seo-yeon thought for a long time before speaking.
"Please do emotional separation. I want to keep the memories . there were good moments too. When we
first held hands, our first kiss . those are part of my life."
It was a wise choice.
"Understood. Let's begin then. You might feel a bit dizzy, so just relax and lean back."
I took both of Seo-yeon's hands in mine. Soon, I entered her memories.
First memory: A chance encounter at a university café.
"I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" The man who spilled coffee apologetically offered tissues. Park Jung-woo,
27 years old. Two years older than Seo-yeon. Graduate student in business administration.
"Oh, it's fine. It didn't get on my clothes." Seo-yeon answered with a smile. I could feel the flutter of their
first meeting.
Second memory: Their first date. Fireworks at Han River Park.
Jung-woo draped his jacket over Seo-yeon's shoulders. "Tell me if you're cold. I'll hold you."
Seo-yeon's heart raced. She'd never felt this way before.
Third memory: Their first kiss. Under a streetlight in a university alley.
Jung-woo gently placed his hand on Seo-yeon's cheek. "May I kiss you?"
Seo-yeon closed her eyes and nodded.
As I examined each memory, I carefully left the happy moments intact while delicately separating out the
painful emotions.
Fourth memory: The first suspicion. Six months ago, a notification on Jung-woo's phone at 2 AM.
"Who is it?"
"Oh, a coworker. Probably sent by mistake during overtime."
But the message read: "Thanks for tonight ♥"
This is where Seo-yeon's anxiety and suspicion began. I absorbed those feelings into myself.
Fifth memory: Discovery of the truth. Last night, while Jung-woo was showering, his phone rang. Soo
jin's name appeared on the screen.
"Oppa, when are you going to tell Seo-yeon? I can't handle this anymore ."
With trembling hands, Seo-yeon checked the message history. There were conversations with Soo-jin and
other women too. It was the moment everything collapsed.
I carefully filtered out the betrayal and despair of that moment, like sucking out poison.
Thirty minutes passed. Seo-yeon opened her eyes.
"How do you feel?"
Seo-yeon sat in a daze for a moment before answering.
"It's strange. I definitely remember everything, but . it doesn't hurt. It's like watching a movie."
"What about the good memories?"
"Those . those are still warm. The flutter when we first met, the trembling of our first kiss . those are still
there."
For the first time, Seo-yeon smiled brightly.
"Thank you. Really . I think I can make a fresh start now."
She paid 3 million won and left the shop. Her retreating figure looked much lighter than when she'd first
entered.
But now I carried all of Seo-yeon's pain. The bitterness of betrayal, the sense of betrayal by a friend, the
despair of three years of love crumbling .
Looking in the mirror, my face seemed slightly different. Seo-yeon's sadness appeared to have seeped
into the corners of my eyes.
"Another weight added," I muttered to myself as I waited for the next customer.
Today was just the beginning