One hour before the last train
My Alarm Woke an Entire Jjimjilbang Sleeping Room
I planned to sleep for an hour on the warm floor, but my phone alarm rang through the entire dark sleeping room.
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An evening plan ended early and I had more than two hours before the last train. Rain had started and nearby cafés were closing, so I entered a jjimjilbang near the station to warm up and wait.
After showering, the tension left my shoulders. I spent a little time in a heated room, then entered the sleeping area where thin mats were arranged in rows and several people were already under blankets.
Missing the final train would mean an expensive taxi ride. I set an alarm for forty minutes before departure and confirmed that the battery was well charged.
A sign by the entrance asked people to avoid calls and alarm sounds. I lowered the phone to its quietest level after reading it. Surely the lowest setting would reach only me.
I put the phone on the small shelf beside my head. Inside my bag it might have been too hard to feel, and I did not want to fall asleep holding it. My earphones remained in the locker.
The heated floor pulled me into sleep quickly. The sound of blankets moving and the ventilation fan faded until even the thought of taking only a short rest disappeared.
When the melody began, I did not recognize it as mine for the first few seconds. Bodies shifted around the dark room, and the person closest to me sighed and rolled over.
Even the lowest volume became the loudest sound
in a room where everyone was asleep.
A few seconds in the dark
How to wake among people who came there to rest
I reached toward the shelf but could not find the phone immediately. When I lit the screen, the brightness spread across the room as well. Only after silencing it and dimming the display did the room return to darkness.
I sat up at once and folded the blanket. I whispered an apology when I met someone’s eyes, but even my whisper felt too loud. I could barely look up until I had left the sleeping area.
There was still plenty of time for the train. I had achieved the practical goal, yet I kept thinking about the people whose rest I had interrupted in seconds. Choosing a low volume had not been enough.
The next time, I brought my earphones from the locker. In the brighter lounge, I tested the connection and actual alert route, then used one earbud so I could still hear announcements around me.
I kept the phone within reach, chose a comfortable low level, and checked what would happen if the connection failed. If anything felt unreliable, I was ready to rest outside the sleeping room instead.
On a later visit, the small sound woke me and I stopped it immediately. Nobody around me moved. I folded the blanket and left the same silence behind that had been there when I entered.
A jjimjilbang may charge each person separately, but the sleeping environment is shared. Respecting my departure time and everyone else’s rest began with deciding exactly where my alarm sound would go.
This story is a reconstruction based on an everyday situation that could realistically happen.
Nenne
Rest in the warmth.
Wake without filling the room.
Test the headphone connection and volume outside before using an alarm in a shared sleeping space.
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