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“Fuck you, Choi Soobin,” Hao whimpers as he tries his very best to wipe the waterfall of tears on his face.
He just came down from the Namsan Tower. He thought it was a good day to finally step out of his apartment after locking himself in for a week because his boyfriend had just broken up with him through text last week. He’s still feeling broken, but he's grown tired of the mess his life has become and decided to feel the romance of life, in hopes of wiping out the last of his feelings for his ex.
Unfortunately for him, he chose the Namsan Tower, the place they used to frequent. Just like any other couple, they put a lock with their names on it and throw away the key, hoping to be together forever.
But the joke's on them because they didn’t even last a year.
Even though they didn’t last long, the memories they shared are real and were truly priceless — they were genuinely happy and in love. That’s why Hao can’t understand how Soobin can just end it all through a simple text, without even meeting him to say it face-to-face.
He is so heartbroken that he didn’t even realize he was walking in the center of Myeongdong. Thankfully, autumn is still doing its last stretch before winter officially begins, so he is wearing a scarf that covers half of his face and a cap that hides his eyes. He stops on his track, suddenly feeling highly conscious of the eyes of the people around him. He knows they probably cannot fully see his crying face, but he still feels the need to hide out of shame.
He looked to his right and saw a stairway leading to an underground store. He didn’t think much about it and walked straight down the stairs in hopes of avoiding the crowd of Myeongdong.
One store welcomed him at the end of the stairs. It is painted white, and there are tons of white buckwheat flowers in front. It looks like a cute cafe hidden below the road, but then Hao noticed the printed sign on the glass door that reads, "The Heartbreak Store."
“An odd name for a cute cafe,” Hao said as he entered.
Once inside, he immediately noticed that no customers were around. There’s only a lady smiling at him behind the counter. She didn’t say anything and just bowed her head at him before pointing at something. Hao turned around and saw another printed sign on the wall with a lengthy introduction of the store.
Welcome to The Heartbreak Store! Please feel free to look around the shop. Everything here was once a memento of two people in love. We ask for your respect as you look closely at each item, as these are not just simple objects of someone but a testimony of the love and heartbreak they shared.
PS. If you are heartbroken yourself, you can sell an item from your past love.
Hao stopped reading, then proceeded to look at the entirety of the store. That’s only when he noticed it wasn't a cafe but a store with random things on each shelf.
Everything here was once a memento of two people in love.
Hao felt a tug on his chest. It is a shop for people like him — the heartbrokens.
Hao walks around, carefully looking at each item displayed. Some of them are common things like plushies, hoodies, and couple shirts. While some are even more personal items like anniversary letters, photobooth strips, and even rings with their names engraved.
Rings. All of a sudden, Hao noticed the ring on his thumb. It is a ring he bought himself and gave to Soobin at the start of their relationship. Soobin then gave it back to him just 2 weeks before their breakup. Hao should’ve known it by then.
Hao felt the tears coming back to his eyes as he looked longer at the ring on his thumb. He hasn't taken it off once since, even while he’s showering, even when he got the text.
PS. If you are heartbroken yourself, you can sell an item from your past love.
By the time Hao decided to sell the ring to the store, he was already weeping. The ring is important to him, but for some reason, it felt like he had to leave it here at the store. A part of him was still reluctant as he stood in front of the counter, but in the end, he pushed it with shaky hands. The lady smiled at him and carefully nodded as a comfort. She then moves her hands like some kind of sign language.
When she realizes Hao is still at the height of his emotions and doesn't understand what she’s trying to say, she pulls out a brochure with the shop's introduction.
She then pointed out the second paragraph that Hao had not continued reading earlier.
Monetary compensation will be made through bank transfer. Please write your banking details in the notepad … and drop it in the blue mailbox.
But Hao’s eyes are still blurry from the tears he shed, and he only read a part that says about the bank transactions, banking details, and the blue mailbox.
Hao nods to let her know he understands, then walks to where the lady pointed. After several steps, he is in front of the two mailboxes colored in pink and blue, and below them is a notepad that asks for his name, banking details, and contact number.
Hao felt skeptical about the request for his banking details, so he wrote his contact number linked to his online bank instead. After that, he dropped the note into the blue mailbox without any doubt.
Days later, he would receive a text that says he won a blind date voucher from The Heartbreak Store, and a man with the initials of SHB had unknowingly bought his ring and won a date with him.