I wanted to open a separate account for my severance pay
On the third day after retiring, Jihyeon was about to give her name at the bank counter. But her Husband handed over the account book first.
On the third day after retiring, Jihyeon went to the bank to keep her severance pay in her own name, but her Husband tried to decide first again.
After leaving the job she had held for years, Jihyeon stands at the bank counter. Each time she tries to say how to handle her own money, her Husband's decision comes first, and she tells Onyu how hard it still is to break free from the role she used to play.
When someone else decides what is mine to decide
Before deciding what comes next in your life, first notice who is saying the conclusion.
What is someone else deciding for you these days?
The scene where her husband's call came before she could even write her name on the form stays with me. What stood out was not how the money would be used, but that someone was still making decisions for her even after she retired. If you're going through something similar, please tell me that story slowly next time.
Scenes
- 01 · At the counter — On the third day after retiring, Jihyeon receives a new account application at the bank counter. Jihyeon: I've retired. I want to keep this money in an account under my name. Bank employee: Yes, please fill in your name and contact information here.
- 02 · The call that came first — Before she can pick up the pen, her Husband calls. He says he's already decided how to use the severance pay. Husband: We should pay off the loan first. I'll come with you tomorrow and take care of it. Jihyeon: Yeah… okay.
- 03 · The account book handed over again — That evening, her Husband brings up going to the bank together again and places the account book on the table first. Husband: I'll come with you tomorrow. Don't go alone and make things more complicated than they need to be. Jihyeon: I told you I wanted to open one separately.
- 04 · Where the words stopped — Jihyeon says that each time she was about to write her name on the form, her husband's decision got there first. Onyu: Jihyeon, what stays with me is that your name couldn't come out before the account book did. If this happens again, how about writing just one line on paper—“mine to decide”—before you speak? Jihyeon: If I write that down… will it really become mine to deal with?
Stories by Onyu
- Onyu
- Right before quitting time, just thinking about learning makes me check the clock.
- Right before clocking out, I can’t think of what to say to a friend.
- I keep checking the clock just before quitting time.
- When I pause at the door, my dinner gets pushed back again.
- The path where she stopped to retie her shoe
- When I get home from work, my family is already doing okay.
- When we come home from work and stand in the entryway, our future feels uncertain.
- After work, I stand in the entryway, unsure where I’ll live in the future.