Jihyun commutes here nearly every day. There were a few days he couldn’t make it, but as if he wanted to make up for those days, he visited several times on other days. “You’ll be discharged tomorrow. It’s a good thing, but I almost feel sad that I won’t be able to find you here anymore.” He trails off, and pulls out a CD from the inner pocket of his jacket. He opens the CD player—he got it for me for my stay in this room—and gently places the CD into the slot. Last night, he shared that he actually wanted to major in music, but his mother was fiercely against the idea, so he went to study dentistry. He said he’s sick of looking into the mouths of strangers every day. He said he’d like to play his electric guitar for me and added that since the hospital room wasn’t a good place for that, I would have to come over to his place—I couldn’t tell if he was joking or serious. The music he put on feels dark. Sounds like … progressive rock?

“They’re a Sicilian art-rock band. They were active in the Italian underground scene. After releasing albums in 1972 and 1973, they disappeared like a ghost. This is their second album. Pretty good, huh?”

“It’s a little depressing and monotonic, but mesmerizing. What’s the band’s name?”

“Their band name means Byeontae, it means …”

I interrupt. “Eek, what?”

“Haha, no, not the perverted byeontae. Byeontae—transformation. Their name is Metamorfosi.”

At the end of the sentence, we both get noticeably sadder. The cover image of the album looks like the hell from Dante’s Inferno.

“I did a background check on Sungyun … He has several criminal charges of attempted rape. He’s paid a million won in fines. There were a bunch of other cases he tried to settle with the women … His reputation among the vendors in the neighborhood is not good. What do you plan to do after you’re discharged?”

“I feel conflicted. A few days ago, my friends stopped by, including Sol, and we were discussing what we should do after I’m discharged. My Sunbe’s suicide also seems to be linked to him, and I feel like I shouldn’t just sit around and do nothing. I’m a little scared. I’m not sure what to do. Do you know where he is?”

“The rumor is that he ran off to the countryside, or that he’s lying low somewhere nearby. Is hanging out with your friends from the Blue Stockings a good idea? Isn’t that dangerous? It’s not just Sungyun you’d be dealing with. He’s a part of Onchun-2-dong, that group of gangsters. It’s going to be tough, but …”

“But?”