The Cast List Came Before the Reply
The person who said they’d reply today posted the cast list in the group chat instead.
After asking whether the first scene of the presentation could be changed, Jiwoo waits for a reply—then spots her name first on the cast list her friend posted in the group chat.
At the club’s practice room, Harin says she’ll reply that evening. But instead of a reply, a cast list with Jiwoo’s name appears in the group chat, and the next day Harin sets the script down in front of her. In the counseling room, Jiwoo begins to talk about what she noticed first while waiting.
When Waiting for a Reply Makes You Lose Your Part
Rather than trying to shorten the wait, first look at what is making decisions for your day in the meantime.
When did waiting for a reply end up deciding your day for you?
The scene where the cast list appeared before the reply stays with me. I come to see that the person waiting wasn’t only waiting for the other person’s decision; for a while, they had also left their own words in someone else’s hands. If you’re passing through a similar moment, please tell me about that day too.
Scenes
- 01 · Should We Change the First Scene? Should We Change the First Scene? — Jiwoo opens the first scene of the presentation script and hands it to Harin. Harin skims that part, then closes the script. Jiwoo: Can we change the first scene of this week’s presentation? Harin: I’ll look at it and let you know by tonight.
- 02 · The Cast List Comes First The Cast List Comes First — Instead of the personal reply Jiwoo was waiting for, Harin posts the presentation cast list in the group chat. Jiwoo’s name is written beside the first scene. Harin: Practice starts at seven today. Jiwoo: What about me?
- 03 · The Day the Script Was Set Down The Day the Script Was Set Down — The moment Jiwoo closes the chat window where she had been waiting for a reply, Harin sets the first-scene script down in front of her. Harin: You read this part. Jiwoo: Was I supposed to do it?
- 04 · Before the Answer Before the Answer — The counselor unfolds the daily fortune chart beside the cast-list photo. Looking at the photo, Jiwoo brings up what she had been waiting to say. Jiwoo: The reply never came. But the cast list went up first. Jirisan Mansin: Today, the cast list came before the answer. What did you notice first then?
Stories by Jirisan Mansin
- Jirisan Mansin
- While doing the dishes, I hesitate over deleting my friend’s number.
- Even after we pick a day to move in together, I check the calendar again while getting ready for work.
- I meet someone I might work with, and the first thing I think of is their zodiac animal.
- When I catch my breath during a workout, my love life feels just as stuck.
- On a rainy day, an umbrella tilted for someone
- On the way home after the work dinner, the dream of getting lost stays with me.
- I want to let go of my parents’ expectations, but I open the almanac again while doing the dishes.
- I say yes to family right away, then feel uneasy on the way home.