—I read it on the Internet. A fetus is basically a foreign object lodged inside a woman. And there’s nothing worse than pregnancy and giving birth for the body. So just give me the abortion.

—Who says that?! Who?!

The doctor, in a loud and angry voice, lectured her for about another three minutes on the baseness of the Internet and the ignorance of the masses that refused to trust educated people before pulling out the ultrasound scan and waving it at her.

—There’s a life already growing inside of you. Why can’t you understand that your body is a sacred temple?

—Enough with the sacred bullshit, doctor, just tell me if you’ll do the surgery.

The doctor then went on another rant about the importance of (her long-gone) virginity, which was the final straw for Jaehee, who burst out screaming.

Heaving from anger as she recounted all this to me, she said:

—It’s smaller than a peanut. How could it be a person?

—OK, I get that. I get all of that, but maybe stealing their uterus model is not in your best interest? It’s important to them.

—That’s why I stole it.

—You have a point, it’s very “you” of you.

I giggled as I smoked a cigarette with her. Soon, I could see the gynecologist’s nurse walking up to us. Still as expressionless as she’d been when she was sitting in the reception area, the nurse held out her hand to Jaehee.

—Miss Jaehee. Please give that to me.

—Oh, unni, I’m really sorry about all of that, but he truly was an asshole.

—Yes, I know. He’s a decrepit bastard who drives people up the wall, but you’re only making things harder for me.

Jaehee rubbed out her cigarette on the pavement.

—All right. But I’m only giving this back for your sake.

As if she had any other choice. The nurse took the model offered to her.

—There’s a clinic near Sungshin Women’s University. They do abortions, and the service is much better. That’s where I go.

—Thank you so much, unni!

Jaehee suddenly embraced the nurse and said she would buy her a drink after it was all over and got her number and everything. What the hell, I thought, does she think drinking money just falls from the sky?

But you had to admit Jaehee was nothing if not personable.

And so we arrived at the gynecologist near Sungshin Women’s University, where I felt cowed by the large pink sign in front of the building. Jaehee saw my reaction and remarked:

—Don’t you feel like we’re the Fellowship of the Abortion?

I forced a laugh, and we walked arm in arm into the clinic.