Summary

The first chapter is narrated in the present-tense by Ara. Ara lives in Seoul with her roommate, Sujin. They grew up together in Cheongju and became best friends when they started working at a sweet potato cart. All the “bad kids” in school belonged to the Iljin gangs, who fought for spots on the street to sell their potatoes. Sujin had grown up in an orphanage in the Loring Center, which also housed the disabled and disformed. She and Ara had met when they were assigned to the same cart. Ara had been able to speak back then, before the undisclosed incident that enhanced her hearing and destroyed her ability to speak. After high school, they moved to Seoul. Ara became a hairstylist, and Sujin worked at a nail salon. On Sunday night, Sujin invites their neighbor, Kyuri, over for drinks. Kyuri is...