It is 7:39 in the morning. Everyone's waiting for the subway to come. There are men dressed in blue or black business suits adjusting their neckties, women in their twenties and thirties fixing their make-up or drying their hair with their hands, and aged men and women sitting down in yellow, blue, green, and red seats. When the subway approaches, some people run in a hasty manner, some step up, and some get up from their seats. Most are eager to find seats, especially middle-aged women. The doors slide open, and people barge in, without letting other people get off. There are no empty seats. Instead, many people are standing in front of the doors on both sides. Someone pushes me from behind, and I get on the subway, without making an effort. Although, there are a lot of people, there still is some space between me and other people, but I'm close enough to see what people are doing on their phones. Eyes fixed on their smartphones, people do not look up. They're either on Facebook, Instagram, or any other website they're interested in. The expressions on their faces amuse me. It seems like they all can be very good poker players.
Before the door opens on the next station, I see about ten people waiting to get on. The doors slide open, and they all squish themselves in like sponges. The subway probably looks like a circus car from outside because it is amazing that so many people can fit in such a small space. A middle-aged man stares at me. I stare back. Startled, he turns around in the opposite direction. Regardless of the subway being too crowded, people are still staring at their smartphones in their hands. More people get on from the next station, and a big, black thing blocks my view. It is a backpack, and it almost squishes my face because the person wearing it is very tall.
When the subway finally stops at Jongro 3-ga, people seem relieved. Some sigh while others smile. A lot of people get off, and they all go their own ways to start the day.
Oh, and the title is, Subway Hell -Alyssa Yoo-
ReplyDeleteWell, I thought we should have focus on one person, but intriguing story anyway. This whole writing reminded me of terrible memories about my own experiences of rush-hour subway, so I could empathize with this story easily. Also, I liked the way you described people in detail, for example, mentioning all the people focusing on their phones without any facial expression.
ReplyDeleteI think if you focused on one person with your keen eyes, this story would have been even more interesting.
Moses Choi