I Quit My Job and Open a Café

I got a call saying that my grandfather had passed away.

“What? Who? My grandfather?”

—Yes. Are you Chun Yujin? You know your grandfather’s address, right? Please come there.

Since I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, his passing didn’t feel real.

I asked again because I couldn’t believe it, but the answer didn’t change.

My grandfather really passed away?

Click.

The call ended, and my phone slipped from my hand.

For a moment, my mind went blank.

It felt like the world around me was floating.

The sounds around me buzzed, and the ground felt like it was shifting.

All the strength in my body left me.

‘Now that I think about it…’

Suddenly, I remembered a call from my grandfather a while ago.

‘He never called me first before.’

He had playfully asked when I was going to visit him.

I told him I would come after finishing my project.

Normally, he would just sigh and hang up, 

But that day was different.

He complained more, saying that I always made promises but never visited, and that he had to come to the city to see me.

Then, he talked to me for a long time.

‘At the time, I was busy with work, so I didn’t think much of it…’

I just thought he was feeling lonely.

I told him I would really visit this time.

He made me promise before ending the call.

Back then, I didn’t think it was anything serious…

But now, I could never keep that promise.

I should have gone.

Forget the project. What was so important about it?

If only… If only I had gone right away…

As the reality of the situation finally hit me, my mind started to drift away.

‘No. This isn’t the time for this.’

I bit my lips hard and forced myself to move.

Then, I quickly wrote a leave request and took it to my manager.

Wow. This is crazy.

Even in this situation, I’m applying for leave?

What am I doing?

But even though I was feeling confused, I wasn’t ready for what my manager said next.

“You want to take leave now? Don’t you know how busy the company is?”

What?

For a second, I thought I had written the wrong reason on the leave..

But no.

Even in my shock, I had written the correct reason.

So, did the manager not read it properly?

That was possible. He was known for being careless with work.

But I didn’t have time for this nonsense.

“I’m sorry, but I really want to say goodbye to my grandfather properly. I’ll return as soon as I can and finish my work.”

Even a child would understand after hearing this.

But…

“Oh, come on! Even if you’re young, you’re still a team leader. How can you not separate personal life from work? Everyone is busy and can’t even go home, and you want to take leave now? Are you out of your mind?”

At that moment, I realized something.

He wasn’t misunderstanding me.

‘You’re the one who’s not thinking straight.’

I had made a mistake.

I had tried to explain things to  someone who wasn’t even human.

I let out a small laugh, not from anger, but from disbelief.

I already knew what kind of person he was, but even in this situation, he was still like this?

Was this even real?

—Team Leader is taking leave? Why?

—I overheard his call. His grandfather passed away.

—Oh… But the manager is denying his request?

—Wow, how can he be like that? His grandfather died. He should go.

—Of course, he should go. Why is this even a question? If it were me, I’d have fought back.

—Seriously. And the manager picking on Team Leader? That’s just wrong.

As I stood there, stunned, I heard whispers around me.

Something inside me suddenly boiled up.

‘Yeah. This isn’t right,is it?’

When my senior left, I had been forced to take the team leader position, even though I was young.

What did the manager say back then?

He told me it was nothing hard and tossed me a file.

After that, I worked non-stop.

I barely had weekends.

I didn’t want people to look down on me for being a young team leader, so I worked harder than anyone else.

Because my manager didn’t do his job, I had to work three or four times as much.

I stayed up all night, arguing with clients to get better deals.

Then, I returned to the office, exhausted, and worked until I bled from my nose.

I missed my health check-up because I was too busy working for this company.

But now, at this moment,I have no idea why I did all that.

“Team Leader Chun, you should know better. It’s enough if you visit later and pay respects, isn’t it?”

Even a dung beetle knows how to roll.

And you… You have a real talent for stretching nonsense into long speeches.

“You understand, right? Team Leader Chun, let’s do it this way. We need to finish the project properly. You don’t want to get into trouble, do you? You’re up for a promotion soon, aren’t you? I’m just worried about you. If I didn’t care about you, I wouldn’t even say this.”

The manager patted my shoulder, pretending to care about me.

And then…

“Why did your grandfather have to die now? The company has been good to you because you work hard, and now you’re acting so important.”

His soft mumbling felt like a loud crash.

I had reached my limit.

I had to calm down.

Calm down.

I couldn’t let myself explode like this. That wouldn’t be like me.

But my mouth moved on its own, filled with anger.

“My grandfather passed away.”

My voice was low, pressed down with emotion. The manager, who had been walking away, stopped and turned around.

He put on a fake, innocent face, pretending he hadn’t said anything.

“Oh, he hasn’t passed yet? Tsk! Who’s saying anything? I know, I know. But isn’t the living more important? You really want to mess up your promotion? Would your grandfather be happy about that?”

Snap.

That was it. The last piece of patience inside me broke completely.

Just like the leave request I was holding, my reasoning crumpled into nothing.

“…Is that something you should say to someone in mourning? Promotion? You’re the one who needs that, aren’t you? That promotion! You’re barely hanging on in this company, and you think I don’t know?”

Now that my self-control was gone, my words came pouring out.

“You! You… Chun Yujin! What did you just say?! Huh?! You think you can talk like this because the higher-ups are being nice to you?! This is a company!”

“Yeah, it’s a company. But if we met outside, you’d just be the fat old guy from next door. That’s why I’ve been cleaning up after you all this time.”

And just like that, I realized something.

Why had I ever thought working under him was worth it?

And more than anything…

Why had I stayed in a company that allowed people like him?

“I don’t care. I’m leaving this shitty company. Do whatever you want.”

I grabbed a blank piece of paper and quickly wrote two words:

Resignation Letter.

Then, I dropped it on his desk.

“You! You think quitting will solve anything?! Huh?! You think you’ll get another job in this industry?!”

I looked him straight in the eyes.

“Say one more word. I dare you.”

He flinched.

And I walked away.

* * *

On the bus going down for the funeral, a wave of emotions hit me.

It wasn’t because of what I had done at the company.

It was because I finally realized that my grandfather was really gone.

The truth slowly sank in.

I should have visited him more often.

I should have talked to him more.

Why did I forget that time was passing for him too?

No, why did I ignore it?

His minutes passed faster than mine…

But now, it was too late.

Useless regrets hit me like a big storm.

Through the window, I saw the long road my grandfather had travelled to visit me.

One thing stood out.

“A rest stop…”

I suddenly remembered something from my childhood—riding the bus with my grandfather.

Back then, it was a happy memory.

We talked.

We slept.

We ate boiled eggs and drank soda.

Maybe that’s why I never realized…

“This road is so long…”

We had stopped at a rest stop and travelled far, leaving the city behind.

But even now, alone, the journey wasn’t over.

My grandfather had come all this way, just to see me for a few hours.

And I, too busy, had found him annoying for even a moment.

I felt disgusted with myself.

Grandfather was right.

“You think you’re so smart, but you’re just a fool.”

“You work so hard, but do you even know what’s really important?”

“Just move back home and live with me.”

Back then, his words didn’t mean much to me.

But now, I understand.

Now that he was gone, I finally knew what truly mattered.

I had been blind.

Losing my parents so young, I had pitied myself.

I thought I was surviving on my own, strong and independent.

But I wasn’t the only one who had lost someone too soon.

How had Grandfather felt, raising his little grandson all alone?

Even now, I felt empty, like a hole had opened in my heart.

The anger I had thrown at my manager—maybe it should have been aimed at myself.

But I had only just realized it.

I really was…

“Alright! We’ve arrived! Don’t leave anything behind—double-check your belongings before getting off!”

The bus driver’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.

I got off the highway bus and transferred to a village bus.

Bit by bit, I travelled deeper into the countryside.

Finally, I reached the village where my grandfather’s house was.

I had returned to my hometown after so long, but there was no time for nostalgia.

I headed straight to the house.

“Ha ha ha!”

“Hey! You came too?”

“This is the only time we can all get together!”

“Wow, Mr. Jin! I heard you’re doing great overseas! You actually made it!”

“Ha ha! Of course, I had to come!”

For a moment, I wondered if I had come to the wrong place.

I checked the nameplate on the gate.

[Cheon Kang-sik]

Yes, this was Grandfather’s house.

But why were people gathered outside, laughing and chatting?

Just then—

“Huh? Are you the old man Cheon’s grandson?”

A strong-looking middle-aged man with big muscles walked up to me and asked.