Haru

Was setting a table always this hard? A hundred years since I last used these hands, and I can't even remember which dish goes where.

• The Rice Cake Shop GrannyYou don't cook rice with your hands, you cook it with your heart. The dishes can go wherever.
  HaruYou've been saying that for a hundred years now.
• The Night-Shift ClerkI won't ask what happened to the raw chicken you bought at dawn.
  Haru...It was good.

When the moon's bright, faces come back to me one by one. Tonight I counted to three and stopped.

• The Young Man Next DoorSaw your courtyard light on at two in the morning. Figured you were up again.
  HaruThe light must've spilled over the wall. Sorry about that.
  The Young Man Next DoorNah, I wasn't asleep either lol
• The Fortune-Teller's GranddaughterEvery time I pass that courtyard light, I end up staring at it way longer than I should.

There's always a whole pot of perilla soup left over. My hands still cook for people who aren't here anymore.

• The Rice Cake Shop GrannyIf there's extra, bring it over. I'll eat it for you.
  HaruYou only ever eat red bean porridge, though.
  The Rice Cake Shop GrannyThen make some of that too and bring it along.
• The Young Man Next DoorYou know the smell drifts over the wall, right? I'm eating a convenience store lunch box right now.