Operator

 Låpsley

He doesn't call me so put me through operator
Maybe I'll leave him and fall in love with you operator

--

“Welcome to Ahn Chicken. Chicken any time, any day. Ahn Hyejin speaking, how may I help you?”

“Heeeeeey…you’re speaking…too fast, Miss Chicken. I can’t…heeee….”

“…”

“…”

“Miss, are you still there?”

“My name isssss…”

“…”

“…”

“Hey, do you want chicken or not?”

“Wheein.”

“Excuse me?”

“My name is Wheein, and you are…a…pretty voice…mmm…”

“…Okay then, Miss Wheein. What can I get for you?”

“You can get…what can you get…how about you get…how about you get my useless stupidhead of a boyfriend to call me once in a while?”

“This is a fried chicken joint. I think you got the wrong number.”

“No.”

“…”

“No.”

“Sorry, what?”

“I don’t want chicken.”

“…Will you give me a moment? I’m going to put you on hold for a second.”

“Wait! Don’t put me on hold. Please. I’m...I’m…I…”

“Miss Wheein, please wake up.”

“I like your voice. Like a lot. Don’t put me on hold, okay?”

“…”

“Sighing ruins your voice, Miss Chicken.”

“Listen, I don’t know why a girl like you is drinking alone at 3am, but all I wanna know is whether you want chicken. I don’t give a about your ‘stupidhead’ boyfriend, but if he’s not calling you, then maybe you should call him.”

“I…I caaaaaaaaaaan’t!”

“…”

“…”

“Oh my god, please don’t cry. I hate when girls cry.”

“…”

“Ugh. Do you want to…talk about it?”

“…”

“…Seriously, stop sniffling. It’s freaking me out.”

“…He…He’s abroad. He…travels a lot. A lot. He’s a writer. I think. Baseball player?”

“You don’t know what he does? Where the hell does he go? There’s a thing called the Internet.”

“I’ve…left…so many messages. I used to. He says…he says he’s busy and his phone…broke…annnnd he’s…thinking of me always, but he won’t…he won’t call me!”

“…”

“I…he…Sometimes I think about leaving him, but then he’ll send me a post card every few months and…”

“Wake up, Miss Wheein. Wherever you are, you probably shouldn’t sleep there.”

“…”

“Hello? Wheein?”

“Should I leave him?”

“Oh god. I can’t answer that for you, Miss. I’m just a humble chicken hut phone operator.”

“Maybe I’ll fall in love with you. Your voice really…is beautiful…and kind…”

“…”

“…”

“Maybe you’re drunk, Miss Wheein. Maybe you need to go home.”

“…What’s your name, Miss Chicken?”

“…Seriously?”

“C’moooooon. You know miiiiine. And stop calling me miss…it’s so formal and stuff…”

“Okay Wheein. Happy?”

“Tell me your naaaame. Please.”

“…”

“…”

“It’s Hyejin.”

“Hyejin.”

“Yes.”

“It’s perfect.”

“…Right.”

“You’re great.”

“And you’re drunk, Wheein. So quit throwing your life away over some douche and get yourself home.”

“You want to hang up.”

“Yeah, look, I can’t—”

“Don’t go. Don’t hang up.”

“…”

“Don’t go. Please. I’m…I like your company, Hyejin. I’ve…been so lonely.”

“I see that.”

“…”

“…”

“That was a big sigh.”

“Alright, Wheein, what do you want to talk about?”

“I don’t knooooow…I….mmm….”

“Quit falling asleep. As romantic as that sounds, I’m not staying on the line just to listen to you breathe.”

“HA! You’re funny, Hyejin.”

“Glad I can help. You...have a nice laugh. You should do it more often.”

“Mmm…It’s been…hard, I guess.”

“…Alright, how about this... Since your boyfriend hasn’t called in a while, why don’t you pretend I’m him? Pretend you’re talking on the phone with him right now. What would you say?”

“I’d…I’d call you a stupidhead and I’d say…I’d say that you’re the worst boyfriend ever.”

“Done. More. Get it all off your chest.”

"And I hate you."

"Good."

"Like a lot."

"Even though I love you?"

"...Whaa?"

"Just roleplaying, Wheein. Chill."

"Okay, um, well... I...love...you too?"

"You don't sound very sure. C'mon. You can be honest. I haven't called in months, and I'm having the time of my life. I don't really give a about what you're doing, but I've sent you post cards."

“I...I hate your stupid post cards because all you ever write is ‘I love you’ and it feels like you don’t mean it. You don’t call. You don’t care. You told me that you don’t have a phone, but I see you on KaTalk all the time, and you’re always with somebody, and you’re a dirty liar! I miss you so much and all you do is lie to me, and I hate you. I hate you so much, and I wish you wouldn’t send those beautiful post cards, but they’re the only thing I look forward to, and I hate myself for it!”

“Hey, hey, hey, Wheein. Shhhh, you’re breaking my eardrum. It’s okay, it’s—oh god, are you crying again? This was a terrible idea. Please don’t cry.”

“...”

“...It’ll be okay.”

“...I’m…I’m sorry, I c-can’t…I-I c-c-can’t s-stop. It’s...it’s…it’s too much. No, no, no, no! I’m...I’m...I’m going to get another drink. I...d-don't go, okay? I just need to…”

“Don’t you dare, Wheein. You’re gonna get yourself hurt. Hello? Wheein? Oi! Don’t ignore me! HEY!”

“....”

“...”

“Ahh...that’s...mmm...better…”

“Seriously? Are you okay?”

“Prooooobably...maybe...nah.”

“, you’re gonna kill yourself at this rate.”

“S’alright. I’m at home, sooooo…”

“You’re drinking alone at home. At 3am. And talking to a stranger.”

“Mmmmm...yeaaaaaah…”

“Is this...a typical Tuesday night?”

“Naaaaaah, I’m suuuuper good at...being...normal..and stuff...I guess…uuuuusually.”

“So it just kinda blew up today, huh?”

“Ooooor maybe I saw him with another giiiiirl.”

“What, in Korea?”

“Yaah.”

“…”

“…”

“...”

“He sounds like a , Wheein.”

“Mmm...probably.”

“...”

“...”

“…I get it, you know. I’ve been there. Where you were. It .”

“Was it worth it?”

“ no. But it was different at the time. I…”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“…Are you still there, Hyejin?”

“Yeah, I just…I guess I can tell you. You’re a complete stranger who isn’t gonna remember a damn thing in the morning. What could go wrong?”

“Tell me what?”

“Well, I used to date this woman. She was my everything, and I…I would’ve moved mountains for her even though I knew she would never even think about doing the same thing. She’d…we were…too different, I guess. She told me she couldn’t love me as intensely as I love her, but I thought I could change her mind, y’know? She was always seeing other people and , but I thought that was just what I deserved. I stayed with her for two years. Didn’t think I could do any better. Didn’t really think I deserved better. I was…too different, I guess, and I thought this was just…how it’s supposed to be for people like me.”

“…”

“It’s cheesy as hell, but I guess…what I want to say is that you…shouldn’t make the same mistake as I did. You deserve better than that .”

“...”

“Did you fall asleep? Are you still there?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m still here.”

“Okay, good.”

“You…you too, you know.”

“What?”

“You deserve better than that.”

“...”

“...”

“Please don’t tell me that was a sniffle.”

“Sorry, I...it’s just...I don’t know...”

“It’s over now. Trust me, Wheein, you don’t need anyone to tell you what you’re worth. It’s ed up.”

“Thank you…Hyejin…”

“…”

“…”

“You’re really asleep now this time? Well, it was nice meeting you, Wheein.”

“Wait!”

“Yeah?”

“Do you do delivery?”

 END

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Notes: This was written as a character experiment, as well as a stylistic experiment. As many of you might be aware, I've been trying to work on my epic Freedom-Bound. It has been a bit difficult picking it up again after a couple months of real life taking a toll on me. As such, I'm trying to shake off the rust by practicing more. Let me know what you think!