Got a job in Joseon - Chapter 1:  A Cat Can Speak Human Voices?

Chapter 1

A Cat Can Speak Human Voices?

Miyu had simply opened the refrigerator. She was just thirsty and wanted to drink some water. There was nothing unusual about it.

But it was strange.

Inside the refrigerator were tiny models of straw-roof houses and tile-roof houses she had never seen before. There were dirt roads, zelkova trees, and waterwheels.

The tiny things were alive and moving.

There were carts pulled by horses and wagons carrying things. Merchants were in front of shops with thatched roofs, and women were setting up their stalls. You could see noblemen in hats, regular people with topknots, soldiers with spears, and barefoot beggars on the streets.
It was the Joseon Dynasty.

She was so surprised that she felt like her breath was taken away.

Miyu quietly closed the door as if she had mistakenly opened someone else’s room.

In disbelief, she opened the refrigerator again. And…

“Ahhh!”

When she regained her senses after screaming, Miyu found herself in a strange room.

In one corner was a brazier, and on the wall hung a painting of a tiger—she was in a small room from the Joseon Dynasty.

“What is this?!”

—

22-year-old Miyu was drinking beer on the rooftop with writer Jeong-sol. Various sounds surged up from the ground like waves on a stormy day. The sunset above spread like silk.

“I feel reassured when I hear the sounds coming from the ground while sitting on your rooftop, Miyu.”

“Of course, you’re an artist, so you’re sensitive.”

Miyu listened intently to the sounds rising from the ground.

Busy pedestrians, barking dogs guarding homes, delivery motorcycles carrying the smell of food, cars spewing exhaust, trot music playing from supermarkets, and the clatter of shop doors opening and closing…

With her beer in hand, Miyu walked to the edge of the rooftop. The fierce scene of life below looked comical from above. The expression “a comedy from afar, a tragedy up close” fit perfectly.

Having graduated high school, she had been buying and selling paintings for two years. She had chosen her career path early after her family went bankrupt in her first year of middle school.

Since then, she has done all sorts of part-time jobs: distributing flyers, fast food, working in clothing stores, modeling, and even catching rare bugs.

During high school, she ran an online shopping mall.

With the money she saved, she obtained an art dealer certification and started an art distribution business. In reality, it was just a fancy term for buying and selling paintings.

Suddenly, Miyu wondered if her life looked like a comedy from a distance. How far away would she have to be for that to be true?

At that moment, she heard Jeong-sol’s hesitant voice behind her.

“Miyu, I signed an exclusive contract with the Yeongam Gallery.”

Startled by the unexpected announcement, Miyu turned around. Jeong-sol was smiling sheepishly.

Miyu’s heart sank.

“Oh, that’s great. Congratulations.”

She forced a smile and said something she didn’t mean.

“I thought you’d understand, Miyu.”

Understand? Considering the meals, drinks, and time spent, it wasn’t something to brush off with words.

But instead of an apology, it was “understand”—how shameless.

‘You had just said you’d sign with me a week ago.’

After disappearing for a day and making her anxious, he suddenly announced a contract with someone else.

She regretted not handing him the contract right away.

It was frustrating to have lost a year’s worth of effort on an artist to a big gallery.

Miyu wished she could turn back time exactly two weeks. Not 200 days or 20 days, but just this past week.

Thus ended the drinking session, filled with youth and emotion.

—

“Ugh, how unfair!”

Buried under her blanket, Miyu trembled with frustration, feeling as if she had chills.

‘Just you wait. I’ll make you regret not signing with me.’

The Yeongam Gallery was a place every artist dreamed of. Compared to that, Miyu’s financial power felt like a small corner shop. But she was confident in her judgment. Just look at how she discovered Jeong-sol first. Thinking it was all due to money made her even angrier.

Lying sideways on her single bed, Miyu clenched her fists.

She had a knack for recognizing good paintings. She had an “absolute color sense” that allowed her to distinguish colors from black-and-white photos, thanks to her mother’s special education in art.

Since she was four, she has visited museums and galleries every weekend. While other kids hated looking at paintings, Miyu found it fun, like a game.

Having seen over 500 high-quality paintings in more than ten years of visiting galleries, she naturally developed an eye for art. After her mother passed away, her dream of becoming an art dealer felt like her mother’s last wish.

From large exhibitions to small galleries, she dedicated her time to viewing artworks and sought out young artists’ studios, living intensely.

She bought 20 paintings from two emerging artists. Investing 10 million won she had saved from various part-time jobs, within a year, one of the artists’ works increased in value eightfold.

In just a year, her 10 million won had turned into 45 million won.

And one year ago…

At an exhibition organized for young artists by the Jongno District Office and a gallery, she met Jeong-sol, who had just graduated from K University.

This person was someone special.

She felt certain he would become famous. After talking with the artist, eavesdropping on the conversations of the visitors, checking the gallery director’s evaluations, and even observing his school and daily habits, she was meticulous.

Once her checks were complete, she bought three of Jeong-sol’s paintings.

The newly graduated artist, worried about an uncertain future, repeatedly expressed gratitude, and the two quickly became friends.

Miyu’s consistent visits to galleries and museums intrigued the young artist and built trust.

“How could this be? The price of the paintings will rise soon, so it’s good for me too, right? Is that a joke or what?”

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, kicking the blanket.

At that moment, her phone rang. It was her father.

“Hey, how was your day? Did you eat?”

Miyu snapped back to reality.

“I made kimchi fried rice, and it was delicious. Home-cooked meals are the best.”

She replied cheerfully, like a little bird singing in the morning sun. But…

“Is something wrong?”

Her father immediately sensed her forced tone.

“Of course, Dad, you’re sharp.”

“What’s going on?”

“Do you know Jeong-sol?”

“Of course. I told you he’d become a goose that lays golden eggs.”

“He is a goose that lays golden eggs, but he said he’d lay them somewhere else.”

Wanting to avoid worrying about her father, she spoke lightly.

Thinking about Jeong-sol’s audacity made her grit her teeth.

“Oh no! Tell me his address right now.”

Her father’s voice on the other end sounded angry.

“I already visited him. He moved to avoid me.”

“Should I contact the National Intelligence Service and send agents after him?”

For a moment, she was choked up. Instead, she felt grateful for her father’s anger.

“By the way, tomorrow is your mom’s Memorial Day.”

Miyu changed the subject. Continuing to talk about Jeong-sol would make her cry.

“I miss Mom.”

Her father’s gentle voice pricked her heart like a needle. Miyu fiddled with the necklace around her neck. It was a pearl pendant necklace her mother always wore. Today, her mother’s absence felt particularly heavy.

“Dad, when are you leaving Gangneung?”

After their family went bankrupt, her father had been working odd jobs at construction sites in different regions.

“Tomorrow at 9 AM on the KTX. Let’s go eat something nice for lunch.”

“Okay. See you tomorrow.”

“Make sure to have fun and date like other kids.”

Just as she was about to hang up, her father said something unexpected. He placed an emphasis on dating, not just having fun.

He didn’t nag her or interfere, perhaps feeling guilty for the hardships she faced. But every time her mother’s Memorial Day approached, he would casually drop such hints.

“Dating? No way.”

“From my experience, the most important thing in your 20s isn’t money; it’s love.”

“Enough. Love doesn’t fill your stomach.”

“Even if it doesn’t fill you up, it can make you feel full.”

“You’ll gain weight.”

“You won’t gain weight, but you can still feel full. Listen, daughter. Believe in the power of love.”

“I’d rather believe in the devil than in love.”

“You’ll only understand once you fall head over heels in love.”

“What happens if I do?”

“The voice of that person will start coming to you from everywhere.”

“Everywhere?”

“From the air, from the clouds, from walls, from dogs and cats, and even rocks.”

Her father was being absurdly silly.

‘A cat can speak human voices?’

“That’s a hazardous thing.”

“The scariest thing in the world. Maybe your true connection is closer than you think.”

“Not a chance.”

Miyu replied blankly, looking around her vintage room decorated with wooden and green accents.

“Just don’t pretend you don’t know me when you meet such a person later.”

She could almost see her father smiling softly, like summer shade, through the receiver.

“Anyway, I’m so regretful. I should’ve bought all the artwork. They’ll soon increase in value several times.”

That was a privilege she could only express to her father.

“Don’t worry; there will be better opportunities.”

“I put so much effort into it. We became close.”

Suddenly, the thought that she had lost a person made her heartache, and her mouth felt dry.

“If only I could go back exactly two weeks. Then I would have signed the contract right away…”

As Miyu stood up from her bed and walked to the kitchen, she muttered.

“Time, turn, stone, good… all, deal.”

Miyu suddenly heard her father’s voice breaking up. It sounded like he was in an elevator and wanted to go back in time.

“Right. Just this week would be perfect,” she thought.

“Huh? You, day, two, did, you say?”

“Yeah, I said I wish I could go back two weeks. Dad, can you hear me?”

“Sound cut…”

Zzzzt. Zzzzt. Zzzzt. As she heard the sound of interference, she opened the refrigerator door. Suddenly, her whole body stiffened.

Inside were the miniature thatched houses and tiled-roof houses. There were dirt roads, zelkova trees, and waterwheels. Horse-drawn carts, freight wagons, merchants in front of thatched shops, women setting up stalls, noblemen in hats, commoners with topknots, soldiers with spears, and barefoot beggars…

This was the Joseon Dynasty.

“Oh my! The refrigerator is strange!”

She shouted into her phone, but perhaps the call had ended, as she could no longer hear her father’s voice.

Miyu quietly closed the door as if she had mistakenly opened someone else’s room.

She stared intently at the refrigerator.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes, four minutes…

Taking a deep breath, she grabbed the refrigerator handle again.

There were boats loaded with cargo reaching the ferry, porters carrying goods, an old man smoking a pipe at a tavern, and a man wearing a cotton cap with cotton flowers…

Her mouth fell open in shock. But her scream lingered in her throat.

‘Is it possible for Joseon to be inside a refrigerator?’

Slowly, she reached her arm inside.

She gently touched the cotton cap.

Then, like lightning striking, a bright white light filled her vision.

It was a brightness she had never felt before.

In the next moment, Miyu felt her body being sucked into the refrigerator like a tissue in a vacuum cleaner.

“Ahhh!”

—

**“Ahhh!”**

Miyu opened her eyes wide.

Lying flat, she felt like she could touch the walls with her limbs in this small room.

Where is this?

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a patchwork of light on the floor.