I took the smartphone that was handed to me and turned it back and forth for a moment.
The screen looked like a different version of Van Gogh’s painting, Starry Night.
I could even name it “Repair Costs on a Starry Night,” as the combination of black and white was quite impressively etched.
“It’s completely smashed.”
I heard it broke after slipping from my hand on the way home.
I pressed the side button firmly, and while the light came on, the screen was completely unreadable.
No matter how I looked at it, the display was definitely beyond recovery.
I had used it for a long time.
Now that I think about it, I’ve never once asked for a replacement.
“Can’t it be fixed…?”
While I was turning the phone around, a question came from Siyeon.
Are we really going to try to fix this thing?
If we compared smartphone lifespans to humans, it would be like having a broken back after surgery and then sending it out to pull a cart made of scrap metal.
Realistically, it felt like it would be better to buy a new one instead of trying to fix this.
Shrugging my shoulders, I mentioned it casually.
“Let’s just buy a new one; I’ve used this long enough.”
The other kids change their phones too often, not even using them for a year, but the real problem was that Siyeon had no intention of changing hers at all.
By now, it was obvious that even the repair center would refuse to help because they’d run out of parts.
“I actually like using this one…”
“Fixing this will take longer than just getting a new one.”
As I pointed out that this was an unavoidable choice against her quietly uttered complaints, Siyeon lowered her head slightly and grumbled.
The computer powered on as I pressed the main unit’s power.
These days, it seemed like I had to turn it on more for other reasons rather than for gaming.
Carefully poking a toothpick into the small hole at the top of the smartphone, the SIM card popped out.
Aside from that, I connected the computer and the smartphone, and it turned out I could also extract photo data.
If it’s not completely broken, it’s easier to transfer photo data myself.
Every now and then, I hear stories about data being mishandled at the service center, which leaves a bad taste and makes it hard to leave everything with them.
You have to go to the center prepared so that you don’t get hit with a backstab.
Contracts, installment payments, cancellation fees, plans, add-on services, and so on…
It’s not a fish market; why do consumers have to understand all this before going?
“Ah, wait, fish markets are kind of weird too, right?”
Realizing again that fish markets are indeed strange, I took a glance at the clock hanging on the wall.
Considering the time I usually get back from academy, it seemed like it was already late, but since it was vacation now, Siyeon returned at 4 PM.
That’s not too late after all, and most shops should still be open.
I put the broken smartphone next to the SIM card reader and headed to a nearby store to find Siyeon a new smartphone.
Two students who looked like they just escaped from elementary school without an adult in tow.
They would definitely look like a couple of good targets drooling over sales like the employees who were eager to meet their performance targets.
“Hello, we came to change our phone.”
“Yes, what would you like?”
“Do you have a smartphone you want?”
The employee asked me, turning to Siyeon to see if she had any preference, but Siyeon had absolutely no interest in smartphone models.
“Not really…?”
She shook her head, looking like she didn’t know anything and simply returned an unenthusiastic answer.
The employee’s eyes sparkled like they found an unsuspecting mark and suddenly thrust a model phone towards us.
“Hey kids, how old are you?”
“I’m in first year middle school.”
“A perfect age! Let’s see… this one should be good for you!”
Trying to build an involuntary rapport, the employee immediately asked our age.
Once I answered that we were in first year middle school, the employee added a remark about how it’s a great time to be a student, trying to feign familiarity.
Then, completely unrelated to our ages, they grabbed a smartphone from inside a case claiming this would be a good option for students.
“Please sit here.”
The employee pointed to the seats with computers inside the store, indicating that we should sit there.
As soon as I sat down, they shoved a dense stack of papers at me and launched into a long-winded speech.
“This model is what most students use nowadays! With a two-year contract, this plan offers 5G at 12 gigabytes, and once you’re done using it, you can go unlimited with 4G! It’s only been out for six months. Do you have any thoughts on returning your previous phone?”
The discussion about the phone and insurance was similar.
If a clueless customer with an empty brain went “yes, yes” while listening, it was a scheme to mug you while you were awake.
Their sly method of slipping in “unlimited” to recommend the most expensive plan and then asking if you were returning your old phone was clear as day.
I hadn’t even extracted any data yet, and I wasn’t about to hand over my memories to a service center that would sell it off after fixing it to make a profit.
“No.”
“If you return it, the value will be deducted from your two-year contract!”
As I answered no, the employee finally started explaining the benefits of a return.
Just remember: the person across from you is merely a salesperson trying to squeeze out every last cent.
I’ve heard horror stories of broken phones being fixed and then sold as if they were perfectly fine.
“No, I’m fine. Just change the plan to B for a two-year contract.”
I meticulously checked any forms or contracts needing my signature.
Dropping an outrageous plan that would have taken 110,000 won a month down to 50,000 won, and catching the part where it showed 36 months for the installment instead of the normal 24.
In the end, I successfully reduced the total cost, which included plans and device fees from 180,000 won a month down to 120,000 won.
Why should the customer even have to know and catch these things?
“Yes, so if you activate it, you’ll need to use the add-on service for three months, and with the discount, the total price comes to this much, and you can terminate it anytime after that-”
“Wait a minute, do I have to cancel that add-on service myself?”
The add-on service that gives out copious amounts of useless store coupons every month.
While I could accept that this was part of the initial contract, what was crucial was whether it would automatically cancel before getting lost in the memory.
“After three months, you can cancel anytime-”
“So, does it get canceled automatically after three months?”
The employee confidently answered with something other than the question, as if nothing was wrong with their response.
It felt like they didn’t understand Korean, so I pointed out the important part again.
Even though we were both using Korean, this bizarre lack of communication was just odd.
This method is transparent.
They trap customers in strange add-on services, waiting until the customers ‘automatically’ cancel it to keep sucking their blood like leeches until they realize something is off.
“Well… I will make sure it gets canceled automatically after three months.”
Perhaps it was unexpected for a first-year middle school student to expose such a flaw, as the employee hesitated and finally offered the desired response.
Yeah, that’s how it should be.
The phone exchange went smoothly until we were just about to finish the contract.
“Is Mari not changing her phone?”
“Hmm?”
In that moment, with just a few short words from Siyeon, my gaze shifted back to my phone that I hadn’t paid any attention to.
Come to think of it, my phone was older than Siyeon’s, wasn’t it?
Still, just like Siyeon said, I do like the familiar one, and I didn’t really feel a need to change it.
Sometimes I get turned away for using a model that doesn’t support the latest game apps, though.
“I’m fine; it’s not broken or anything…”
“Nope, let’s change it! This time, I’ll take care of Mari’s phone!”
Although she was resistant about changing her own phone, for some reason, Siyeon was pushing aggressively for mine now.
“Eh…?”
“Your phone is older than mine.”
“True, but…”
Even though I showed signs of not wanting to part with my beloved phone, Siyeon was strangely eager to change mine.
I thought she might choose something new, but she ended up picking the exact same smartphone as hers.
I vaguely remember hearing that in families with twins, they only buy the same items to prevent any fighting… is this something like that?
With the same installment plan, the same model, and the same plan.
Watching as we also got various rubber cases and additional screens included as bonuses, I guess this is a profitable deal after all.
I’m not sure how it came to be that my phone was changed too, but as long as Siyeon looked satisfied, that was good enough.
After pressing the data transfer button and putting it in my pocket, my new smartphone started to warm up slowly.
On the way home from the store, Siyeon turned around to walk backward and asked me while facing me.
“What’s for dinner tonight?”
“Aunty Taehyun dropped off some duck stew; I just tried a bit earlier and it was delicious.”
“Oh! I love duck!”
“It’s a bit early, but should we eat right when we get home?”
“Yeah!”
Walking backward and turning around again, Siyeon seemed to be quite hungry from being at the academy, so she quickened her pace towards our apartment building.
Matching her short and quick steps, I started walking faster too.
Now that we changed phones, I imagined it would be a peaceful day filled with the aroma of duck stew wafting up from the kitchen.
…That’s what I thought.
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