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Suchin Pak
Wait.
Soojin Pak
Welcome to another episode of Add to cart, the podcast about what we buy and what we buy into and what that says about who we are. Of course, I. I am your auntie Kuap Vilay Sak.
Suchin Pak
And I'm your other auntie, Soojin Pak, coming to you live. As we just enter the last vestiges while we record this of Mercury. And that's important.
Soojin Pak
Mercury in retrograde now suchin there's a tail. So you kinda. It's really one more week after. Sorry.
Suchin Pak
Oh, the tail.
Soojin Pak
It's not. There's just gonna be. It's gonna.
Suchin Pak
The tail like a serpent.
Soojin Pak
Yes. There's gotta be a bit of a death rattle, if you will, to continue the analogy.
Suchin Pak
Oh, death being the key word there. I have had.
Soojin Pak
Oh, boy.
Suchin Pak
We have had.
Soojin Pak
Yeah.
Suchin Pak
Collectively. Collectively, her and I, we've been texting each other through this and whether or not you believe in Mercury in retrograde or not, let me just. I'm gonna run through some of my highlights and please chime in.
Soojin Pak
I have a feeling these are gonna be lowlights, but go ahead.
Suchin Pak
Cause I was thinking about this and I was like, I have to stop talking about it. But I realized that we're sitting down one last time and this is. This is my exorcism. And this is it from here on out, tail or no tail, I shall not breathe a word of this woe that has befallen this family. And in the grand scheme of tragedies, none of these are tragedies, I am well aware.
Soojin Pak
But these are wild times. And so we're just. We're just trying to get by.
Suchin Pak
We're just.
Soojin Pak
I'm squeezing my eyes, guys.
Suchin Pak
I'm bear.
Soojin Pak
I can barely look forward. Okay, I'm just hanging.
Suchin Pak
I'm just trying to figure out which bathroom at this point is off limits because of issues sicknesses we've had floods we're now going into any day now our third remediation in the month.
Soojin Pak
Oh, God. Oh, no.
Suchin Pak
And for those that understand remediation, really, really. That should stop you in your tracks. Whatever you're doing, that last nibble of cheese you're about to take, the top coat you're about to put on, that stopped you in your tracks. And so it's everything from the house. My son dislocated his knee. My daughter. Both our daughters now are home from school with raging fevers.
Soojin Pak
Yeah. But don't worry. Top of the day, she's sick. She doesn't want us go to school. I turn around, top of her lungs. K pop, Semen.
Suchin Pak
House, karaoke.
Soojin Pak
Karaoke on her trampoline, which is both exercise and stage. This sickness is better than the last sickness you created.
Suchin Pak
This stage.
Soojin Pak
It is. But I gotta say, genetics are wild.
Suchin Pak
And when I went to the urgent care, you said, well, I'm on my way to urgent care. I mean, this has been. This has been the last few weeks. The story I'm about to unleash upon the Carter is. And cool up, boy. It took me a lot of self. What is the word? When you. You know. Discipline.
Soojin Pak
Yeah.
Suchin Pak
To not live. Text you. As things were happening, I was curious.
Soojin Pak
You're like, I have to do it on mic. I'm like, okay, yeah, we have to
Suchin Pak
do this on mic. And so I bring this to you in the larger context of what a shit month I've been having. But, boy, nobody saw this coming. I invite all the Carters to gather around.
Soojin Pak
Gather on the fire. Do you hear it?
Suchin Pak
Yeah. If you're eating something, you may want to pause on it and just push it away. If you're on the toilet, you may want to wipe.
Soojin Pak
Okay. Or stay on it.
Suchin Pak
You can stay on it, but, you know, I'm looking out for your butt health. We don't want to have you sitting on there too long. And I certainly don't want to scare you on there. Some. Scare it back up, you know, we got to get it out.
Soojin Pak
Got it. Got it.
Suchin Pak
So shall I get into it? Shall we get into our. Our carts? Our scary, spooky carts?
Soojin Pak
Let's take a quick break already. Let's take a quick break. Give the listener time to do the things that you asked them to put down their sandwich to get off the toilet. Those were your two requests.
Suchin Pak
Cheese bite.
Soojin Pak
Put down your sticky cheese.
Suchin Pak
Cheese bite. Before I came on here.
Soojin Pak
Yeah. Okay, so let's take a break, and then we'll be right back for Su Chin's spooky tail.
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Suchin Pak
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Soojin Pak
We are back on add to cart Soochen. What do you love?
Suchin Pak
Well, I just. I love the.
Soojin Pak
The.
Suchin Pak
Just the lightness in your voice now because as I sit here, you will live in this world that we are in together. Yeah.
Soojin Pak
Like right now, I'm so innocent and I'm about to be dragged into hell.
Suchin Pak
It sounds like I'm a strong flavor.
Soojin Pak
Some might say a little funky.
Suchin Pak
I'm a funky, funky. Lao. Put it in the garage, keep it there and scoop it from the bin in the garage. Don't bring the bin inside. Flavor.
Soojin Pak
Breathe out your mouth.
Suchin Pak
A lot of people don't like this flavor.
Soojin Pak
I love it, though.
Suchin Pak
I love it and I understand because you're loud. Slop it up. You say fish sauce.
Soojin Pak
Yeah.
Suchin Pak
What is that?
Soojin Pak
Ketchup? Yeah. Yeah.
Suchin Pak
Let's rot that in the garage for another year and then I'll eat it. That's the culture I learned that you came from.
Soojin Pak
That's right.
Suchin Pak
Now I am transported to another side. And you guys have been. Some of you have been here from the beginning and you're like, oh, here she goes cutting her sparkled water. You know, eight hour bath routines. What else? You know Diapers. There's a lot of stuff that we've laid down for you. And some of you are still here. And others of you have left it so far behind. I read the reviews.
Soojin Pak
Is that true?
Suchin Pak
So we.
Soojin Pak
Time out. Wait.
Suchin Pak
Oh, no, I. I read the reviews and they. So many of you have left.
Soojin Pak
They say they, they make a point to leave a review to say that they've left.
Suchin Pak
Oh, man, they don't even need to say they've left. I think it's implied in the sheer from light irritation, like Dear John letters to disgust.
Soojin Pak
Okay.
Suchin Pak
And we still March 4th.
Soojin Pak
What else can we do?
Suchin Pak
And yet all those places I've been, all those versions of myself, I leave all of those behind, starting today to emerge anew, okay?
Soojin Pak
Like a Fenus.
Suchin Pak
Because now I live on another planet, okay? I mean, some would say rise. I don't. I just say that I have moved into a different plane of existence. That's where I'm taking.
Soojin Pak
A higher existence.
Suchin Pak
Nirvana, just an alternate universe.
Soojin Pak
So more. And I look back, like not okay.
Suchin Pak
And I look to the side, to the east, to the, to the west, and I see my friends and I think, ha ha. Remember one.
Soojin Pak
Wow. Okay,
Suchin Pak
so let me spin this tail as you've been so patient. Yes. Well, we just wanted to make sure you had time to finish all the things you needed to do. Take the babe off your tit.
Soojin Pak
Okay. Okay. Be careful. Be careful for the children. Think of the children.
Suchin Pak
Because we don't want you to drop the baby as you hear my story.
Soojin Pak
Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Suchin Pak
I'm gonna keep that milk fresh. So I, for many reasons, Mike and I decided to go on a bit of a staycation with the kids. They had a random three day weekend and we said, let's. Let's get out of town.
Soojin Pak
Let's get in the Sprinter van.
Suchin Pak
Let's get in the Sprinter van. Not too far. And you found this deal at this hotel slash resort, slash retirement community.
Soojin Pak
Oh, boy.
Suchin Pak
And we take the kids there, why?
Soojin Pak
No, keep telling the story. I'm sorry. Go. Keep going.
Suchin Pak
Well, yeah, I mean, you can imagine that it was virtually free. Okay, so except for just a quick 90 minute, which turned into a 180 minute sales pitch, but we had to attend that. But for our attendance, we were given the opportunity to stay in this resort retirement community.
Soojin Pak
Leisure world.
Suchin Pak
So we said, sign us up. Okay. You think we're dummies? I shall not say the name here, because I don't. It's not their fault.
Soojin Pak
This is their Business.
Suchin Pak
This is their business. It's not their powers.
Soojin Pak
You two are trying to game the system. Let's be clear.
Suchin Pak
Dummies. Two dummies too. You know, like, he's terrible at it. I'm terrible at it. And the both of us.
Soojin Pak
And you just have your children bring
Suchin Pak
out the worst in each other who are. That's our marriage. Yeah. Tweens. And they're like, we're going where? To do what? Okay, we have. But we have a pool at home. No, it's getting out. Getting into that fresh Orange county air. Just breathe it in.
Soojin Pak
This is leisure world.
Suchin Pak
So we go to this place, and I am swimming in the pool with my kids. Giant pool. And I'm swimming in the pool. And when I say swimming, what do I mean? I'm not putting my head underwater. I'm not performing.
Soojin Pak
You're not exerting. I'm not doing.
Suchin Pak
Yes, I'm doing my frog swim. I got my hat on my head. Got my SPF on. Got my sunnies.
Soojin Pak
Got your SPF shirt on.
Suchin Pak
Got my SPF shirt on. Got my SPF shorts from REI on. And I'm swimming, swimming. My head's out. Kids are having a blast.
Soojin Pak
You guys are at Belmont Shores.
Suchin Pak
I love your role in this story. Time is going to be just throwing out properties, hoping to land. We might be at already the cap. You will.
Soojin Pak
Spoiler alert.
Suchin Pak
So everything is fine. And suddenly, out of nowhere, as perhaps some of you who are more outdoorsy than I, and there are a few of you out there, when you're out in the wilderness like that, in one of the six pools, frog swimming with your head out, I encounter nature of some sort. Just a. What are you. In my ear?
Soojin Pak
What are you talking about?
Suchin Pak
Just like a. Like a. Like a thud in my ear. And I'm like, dang it, I got some water in my ear.
Soojin Pak
Okay.
Suchin Pak
Something splashed in my ear. I don't know, maybe. Maybe there was a drip of water. Maybe a child kicked it. I'm like, gosh darn it. And I know what water in the ear feels like. And this is what. What it felt like was I go. And I was like, get. Get it. And I thought, ugh, gotta get it out. Tugging on my ear, you know, doing this like. Like, you know, kind of like tapping on the other temple, you know, hopping on the foot that the water is in, trying to get the water out of my ear.
Soojin Pak
I'm panicking right now. I'm panicking.
Suchin Pak
It won't get out of my ear.
Soojin Pak
You're fucking with Your crystals right now. You know, where I'm coming from, what trauma I have, what's happening.
Suchin Pak
So I'm trying to get the water out of my ear. I'm like, dang, it's in there. Like, it won't come out. But whatever. I'm swimming. I'm just like, kind of keep tugging at it, doing all the things. And we end our swimming session. I get out, I'm hopping on one foot, doing all the things, and. And, you know, my kids are laughing because I got water in my ear. But how did I get. How to. Of course. How did mom get water in her ear? And her hair is dry? How does that happen? That's my mom.
Soojin Pak
Yeah.
Suchin Pak
So again, my kids know. I mean, they were born of the strong flavor. They are not themselves strong in flavor and may never be. May never be. I don't know.
Soojin Pak
But it's, you know, from whence they came.
Suchin Pak
It's from whence they came. So they recognized.
Soojin Pak
They've come through it.
Suchin Pak
They've come through it, held their breath, hopefully didn't get any in their orifices, and they came out, and here they are laughing at me, trying to get this water out of my ear. They think it's so funny that of course, she's not even swimming underwater, and she gets water in there in her ear, and they're fine. So I'm jumping around laughing, and we go back to our room, we have some lunch, and this water is. It just won't come out. And at this point, the water is now making a lot of noise.
Soojin Pak
Oh, fucking Christ, Suji.
Suchin Pak
Almost like.
Soojin Pak
Fuck.
Suchin Pak
Almost like the water is kind of sloshing around.
Soojin Pak
Oh, my God.
Suchin Pak
But the sloshing is not a liquid. It's more of, like, a fluttering, and it kind of sounds like this. So, like, water. E. Right. Like, could that be water? Like, just kind of. Somehow I'm thinking it hit an air pocket, and it's like, in my. It's like hitting my eardrums, like, maybe pounding on it because there's, like a vac. You know what I mean? I'm going to med school.
Soojin Pak
Yeah. Yeah.
Suchin Pak
I mean, who knows what the ear canal can hold?
Soojin Pak
The body is deep and vast, mysterious.
Suchin Pak
And I keep tilting my head back and forth, and it's like. I'm like, gosh. So I get in the shower, you know, I look up all the different ways that you could get water out. I'm putting a hot, Like, a towel on it. I'm creating vacuum suction with my hand, trying to, you know, trying to get the water from whence it's lodged.
Soojin Pak
Yeah.
Suchin Pak
And then a different noise enters the room.
Soojin Pak
God, I hope it's a tiny English voice.
Suchin Pak
Excuse me. Hello?
Soojin Pak
Hello.
Suchin Pak
Is there a peach? I'm supposed to be inside of a peach. I'm kind of like, I'm not stressed, but it's annoying. I'm trying to deal with the kids. We're at this place that I'm not too thrilled about trying. Somewhere in Seoul beach, probably trying to think about our life choices. Both Mike and I are looking at each other and it's still early enough. Where neither one of us wants to, like, break the delicate seal.
Soojin Pak
Yeah.
Suchin Pak
Of our delusions.
Soojin Pak
Thin ice here.
Suchin Pak
Thin ice. And we're like, neither one of us wants to say we fucked up. And neither one of us wants to say we've been had and bamboozled scammer. Because now, mind you, we still have to have the 180 minute sales meeting.
Soojin Pak
Oh, wow.
Suchin Pak
To justify basically getting a free weekend at this resort.
Soojin Pak
You idiots. You idiots. No, please continue.
Suchin Pak
This is fucking before.
Soojin Pak
I cannot believe. Okay, so you're stuck. Like, whatever's in your ear, you're stuck. Please continue. That's true. Continue.
Suchin Pak
I see the grand allegory. Yeah. I mean, a lot of things I've learned. I mean, I'm a poet on the other side of it. To taste the sweet juice of joy, you must have the bitter taste of darkness. You know, I've now tasted the darkness, and I see you guys in your light and in your joy. And I rejoice for you, but I cannot participate.
Soojin Pak
You're past that.
Suchin Pak
I'm like, you know, I mean, let me just take a quick little nap. Close my eyes. I do the thing. I, you know, I put my, you know, headphones in. I put on my meditation app and I close my eyes and then I hear this.
Soojin Pak
Fuck you, Suchin.
Suchin Pak
And I'm laying perfectly still because before this, I'm jumping around. You know what I mean? I am doing everything I can to just like, get the water out. But now I've laid coffins still.
Soojin Pak
Yeah.
Suchin Pak
And I'm like, the fuck is that? Because I'm not moving. So, like, in my delusion that I've set up the story of a deep ear canal and maybe there's like massive amounts of wax that somehow the water got behind. And, you know, when wax moves in your ear, it's so loud. I mean, anything is loud in your ear. But I am so far in my delusion, I'm like, maybe it's not as Dry as I thought.
Soojin Pak
Right? Well, enter the water.
Suchin Pak
You know, maybe over time. Maybe over time, menopause made it wet.
Soojin Pak
Look, the. The Grand Canyon was eroded by the river.
Suchin Pak
And then. And I sort of, like, kind of stop, and I'm like, the fuck? And again. And I, like, jump out of bed, and I go to Mike, and the kids are, you know, having fun, and they're playing games, and I'm like, I don't know. Like, Mike, the sound in my ear is really weird. And again, I'm dancing. Because to look the beast in the face is to acknowledge you have let the beast in. And we're both trying to pretend you're
Soojin Pak
twisting in the wind of the unknown. Once you name it, then it's real.
Suchin Pak
And up until this point, I'm like, yeah, I got water in my ear. I have a deep ear canal. Maybe my wax is moist.
Soojin Pak
And is that something that, you know that of yourself, is that Suchinpak is a deep ear canal? Has that been told to you? Is that from experience?
Suchin Pak
Let me tell you, I have such a petite ear canal. And I don't mean to brag, okay. That, like, I can't even find. Like, I can't even find a earplug that'll stay in my ear for more
Soojin Pak
than turn into a brag. I'm not sure how we landed here.
Suchin Pak
Tiniest, tiniest, most ladylike, demure ear canal and the driest wax. Yeah.
Soojin Pak
Okay.
Suchin Pak
I mean, I've been told some. Some of the driest.
Soojin Pak
Okay.
Suchin Pak
And yet to look the beast in the eye is what I'm not willing to do in the light of day.
Soojin Pak
The light of day in Newport Beach.
Suchin Pak
She's getting there, folks. She just landed the plane. Let's see if she's at the right gate. I love how we have two mysteries going on at the same time. And for anyone that says, we are not storytellers. Oh, yourself.
Soojin Pak
Is that in the reviews, too?
Suchin Pak
Okay. No, I haven't read it. Honey. I read a review, like, a year ago, and I haven't gone back. I'm just. Because you were afraid of.
Soojin Pak
Okay, I'm never going. Go ahead, too.
Suchin Pak
Yeah, don't go. It's unnecessary because the Carter is that we don't need those. Those weren't Carters to begin with. They were looking for another podcast about shopping. Obviously, this has nothing to do with shopping. Okay? So I. In the light of day, I say to him, not exactly what I'm hearing, but I do go as far as to say, it's a fluttering in my ear. Now, I think this is the point, I tell you, so that you understand and you don't dismiss Mike as an abusive husband. Because any normal, I think, partner, when their partner says, I hear a fluttering in my ear, immediately would look in the ear, maybe would. Would suggest, why don't we go have it checked out? You know? But I have had, and I think this is a very common fear since as early as I can remember, the deep fear, and Mike has known this about me of something burrowing in my ear, laying eggs, and that I am a host.
Soojin Pak
Oh, God. The context. Okay, so he's used to, like, dampening your anxiety, assuaging your fears on the
Suchin Pak
good end, and on the other end is rolling his eyes because you have this fear.
Soojin Pak
Maybe I've cried wolf in the past.
Suchin Pak
Yes. So many times. And I've voiced this fear. I've gone to other urgent cares and doctors and voiced this fear at different times because I thought that this was happening. And so I say that to him, and he's like, first of all, something went in your ear. Doesn't want to be in your ear. It would have flown out hours ago. I mean, you've been out of the pool for two, three hours now, but
Soojin Pak
you have, you know, tiny crevices through the water and lubrication. It was sucked in, but that doesn't mean it can back out. There's a labyrinth in there. A labyrinth.
Suchin Pak
And this scratching noise, to fuck with me, it will. It's only like twice an hour, so like, 20 minutes will go by, and it'll be nothing. And then Suddenly for like, 30 seconds, and I'm like, it's the sound. So I live with this mostly quietly because I don't want to freak my kids out. I don't want to freak my husband out, but I really don't want to freak myself out because it's your nightmare. And so I.
Soojin Pak
You are in a waking nightmare.
Suchin Pak
We. We go through the motions of a happy, normal family on vacation. The walks, the root beer float time, build a buddy, all of that. Wow, arcade.
Soojin Pak
These are ours.
Suchin Pak
And we decide to go for a sunset beach walk.
Soojin Pak
Okay, what could go wrong?
Suchin Pak
And I'm on the walk, and the scratching in my ear is now coming every, like, 10 minutes. Stop. Stop.
Soojin Pak
Because it can smell. It can smell the ocean, and it wants out. The negative ions are energizing whatever. Whatever is in there.
Suchin Pak
And let me tell you how many Q tips I've gone through.
Soojin Pak
For real. So you're like, trying to. You're just. Oh, boy. So you're Just trying to.
Suchin Pak
Of course.
Soojin Pak
And in your mind, you're trying to kill.
Suchin Pak
Kill what? Water in my ear.
Soojin Pak
So this. You are still believing that it's water
Suchin Pak
at this point, What I'd like to say is the conscious self is believing it's water.
Soojin Pak
Okay. Okay.
Suchin Pak
And so, as the sun is setting naturally, my anxiety is now on high alert.
Soojin Pak
Yeah.
Suchin Pak
And my deep sense, you guys know that person, that inner knowing that lives in your amygdala that is not concerned with your degrees, your bank account, your gender or your hair length. It is that deep animal psychic, all knowing that lives in all of us that we chain to a basement when the sun is out and there's root beer floats on the table. As the sun sets, the beast true
Soojin Pak
form, the original face.
Suchin Pak
The original face unchains her talons.
Soojin Pak
And by the way, she voluntarily chains herself. That's what's so scary, is that at any moment she could break those bonds.
Suchin Pak
She's both the jailer and the jailed. And so we get back to the van, and by we, I mean Kai, because my. My daughter and my husband are out off frolicking, looking at tide pools, and I say to Kai, I need for you to look up in my ear and we need to go back to the van. And he says, okay.
Soojin Pak
Kai, who you'll remember is the one who empties out the van toilet. Kai, who gets the front hugs, of course, will help his mother now.
Suchin Pak
Kai, my first Kai, firstborn blood of my blood. Kai, my dragon egg.
Soojin Pak
Suchin, Khaleesi. Khaleesi, Suchin.
Suchin Pak
There can be only one.
Soojin Pak
Much like the Highlander, there can only
Suchin Pak
be one Kai who has my moon face. I gave one person on this planet my moonface. The original moon faced Kai in the
Soojin Pak
original
Suchin Pak
Also Kai surfer, Also Kai, teenage boy, also Kai of one word, also Kai of grunts and I don't know.
Soojin Pak
Yes, that is his full name, by the way. This is just like Game of Thrones. All of that was his full name.
Suchin Pak
So we get to the van and I'm sort of contemplating, I'm fussing, you know, I'm getting in the van, knocking the sand off. What I'm doing is just kind of trying to keep the panic from rising. But the original face has now emerged and she says, sit down, you got something in your ear and let's have this child look at it. So I. Original face doesn't care about age. She doesn't care about innocence. Nobody's innocent to her. Everybody's a victim and perpetrator.
Soojin Pak
Wow. So Kai, does he have any instruments, any lighting?
Suchin Pak
What. What have you given yourself? I give him my phone. I give him my phone with the flashlight. And by this time, my husband and my daughter come into the van. He's looking in my ear, and he's quiet. And I'm like, do you see anything? And he's like kind of pulling. He's like, hold on, let me look. Because it's dark now. Now, fully said, it's nighttime. And he's looking, and he's looking. And my husband is at the driver's seat, and he's like, kai, do you see anything? And he says, yeah, I see a leg. Title of Up.
Soojin Pak
I see a leg. I see dead people. I see a leg. Yeah, okay.
Suchin Pak
And Mike goes, are you sure it's not a hair?
Soojin Pak
Fair. Fair question. Who is it? It's fair.
Suchin Pak
You're shoving so much stuff in there.
Soojin Pak
Who knows what you're compacting in with your Q tips.
Suchin Pak
I have hair in my ear.
Soojin Pak
It was on the Q. Then he shoved it in.
Suchin Pak
No, I don't. That's not how Asian women age.
Soojin Pak
No, I'm saying there was a loose hair on your Q tip that then when you shoved it in there, you were shoving. Or it was on your head and you were plunging with your Q tip backwards. Broke off the hair.
Suchin Pak
You're right. You're right. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I forget that I'm talking to someone on the other side. You have to bring me back because I don't remember that time.
Soojin Pak
Okay? So Mike said that.
Suchin Pak
He said that. And I said, now the original face is driving the car. And she says, mike, get me to an emergency room right now.
Soojin Pak
This is your fear, of course.
Suchin Pak
And his original face comes out and does not utter a word and goes to the first emergency room slash urgent care that is in the area that is open. And we are rushing there. And during that time, sprinter van had to sprint. Silence.
Soojin Pak
What could anyone say?
Suchin Pak
No one.
Soojin Pak
There's no small talk that's going to happen saying anything.
Suchin Pak
The kids are back there. I don't know if they're looking at each other, like elbowing each other, like, oh, my God. You know, I'm face forward, feet flat on the ground, original face on, strapped in. He takes me to an urgent care. I go into the urgent care, and he's in the van with the kids. And I check in and she's like, what's your problem? I was like. I tell her the story and I say, I don't know. There could be something in my ear, okay? No problem. A nurse sees me right away, sweet, sweet young thing. And I tell her my story. And I say, I did that swimming pool could be water. Which is strange because I never got. I never put my head underwater. And she's kind of like, huh, huh. You know, like I've seen this a million times. This is a hospital by the ocean. And I say to her, in all fairness, it's a fluttering in my ear. Now, we don't tell her about the scratching. And I don't tell her that my 13 year old son said he saw a leg. Because I don't want this woman to think I'm crazy.
Soojin Pak
That's so weird. I would have been so upfront about it. Okay, look, here's the deal. I think I have something. I think I have a bug in my ear. My son's head has, you know, like that's. I start there at the end. It doesn't even matter about the first part. Why is it such a lazy river? Let's go. What happened 30 minutes ago? All right, go ahead, Sujin.
Suchin Pak
Oh, ha ha. Ye, who have not looked in the face of death. Oh, ye. You're going to run into the burning fire, the inevitable flames. Inevitable flames that are licking at your feet. Oh, sure. When I faced the firing squad, I did a little shimmy. I maybe said, hey guys, hey guys. Hey guys. Hey guys, wait up, wait up. Hold on before you pull the trigger. Yes, I'm guilty of the crime, but aren't we all but sinners in the eyes of God? I am killing time.
Soojin Pak
You don't want this to be true.
Suchin Pak
I'm killing time to save my life.
Soojin Pak
Whereas I would want it out. Why are we extending?
Suchin Pak
It's come. I'm there, I'm there.
Soojin Pak
Sorry. Continue with the story.
Suchin Pak
So she's like, like barely lets me finish the last thing. She puts the earscope in my ear. Oh my God. And she goes like this.
Soojin Pak
Oh, you. Oh no. She.
Suchin Pak
She jumps back.
Soojin Pak
She up and back, back. She went vertical, up and back, hits
Suchin Pak
the wall, hits the wall. And she goes. And she goes, oh my God.
Soojin Pak
I'll be right back. No, Kasujan.
Suchin Pak
I am sitting in the chair without even moving my lower half, my string bean arms, which are four times the length of human arms. I grab her by her moist young wrist, I yank her back and I say, is there something in my ear?
Soojin Pak
Let's take a quick break. And after the break, we'll come back. We're leaving with a cliffhanger. We'll be right back. And we're back on add to cart, just for those keeping score. Suchin has manhandled the nurse and is asking her a very direct question. Go ahead, Sue.
Suchin Pak
The question I asked this woman, is there something in my ear? All the color has left her body. Her eyes round as marbles. And she's like, yes.
Soojin Pak
Oh, boy.
Suchin Pak
And then I ask the only possible question you can ask. I say, is it worm like? Because my greatest fear, as you remember, is larvae, host eggs, maggots, worms, squiggly things. And she says, no. And then I say, can you get this out right now? And she's like, yes, yes. That's where I'm going. I'm going to go get a doctor. And I say, you need to bring the doctor in here immediately. Do not make me wait one minute. You will bring the doctor here? Is there a doctor outside? She's like, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. I promise. I promise I'll bring him right in. So she leaves. I start to hysterically sob.
Soojin Pak
Sue, I'm sorry.
Suchin Pak
No tears. Just hyperventilating, sobbing. Like I couldn't even muster the tears. I had gone beyond the tears into the river of dry tears. And I'm like. And doctor comes in. The nurse is still pale. He's got a syringe. And I say, has she told you what's in my ear? And he's like, yes. And I was like, can you get it out right now? And he's like, yes. And I was like, okay, how are we gonna do this? He says, I have a syringe of lidocaine, and what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna put the lidocaine in your ear so you do not move or have any discomfort as I remove it from your ear. And I was like, okay. So I'm. Now I'm like, not upset. Like, I'm just, like, in survival quiet mode. I just, like, let this happen as quickly and painlessly as possible. I lay on my side the whole time. May I remind the audience that it's just scratching inside my ear. And he takes the syringe and he starts to shoot the lidocaine in my ear. And then he screams and jumps back.
Soojin Pak
Knows. Who knows? No, no, that's what you're describing. This is a man who is in an emergency urgent care. So picture Dr. Rabinovich, played by Noah Wy, in the pit for. They've seen everything. They've seen everything. This guy went vertical and flung back as well.
Suchin Pak
He jumps and he goes. Jumps out of his chair. The nurse is now behind him, like she has left her body. Oh, she's left her body. She's just a human carcass.
Soojin Pak
She's astral projecting on top.
Suchin Pak
She is astral projecting in the Bahamas. She's not here. She cannot believe what is happening. And he jumps back. And so I jump naturally. And he grabs me and he says, no, don't move, don't move. Please don't move. Stop, stop. And I'm screaming, what is it? What is it? Where is it? What's happening? What's happening? He's like, stop, stop, stop, please, please, please don't move, don't move, don't move. I'm gonna get it. And I'm like, oh, my God. Oh, my God. And I'm kind, you know, you know, half frozen, but half, like, trying to run out of the room. And he has a tight grip on my arm and he takes his tissue or some sort of paper, and he kind of grabs at my other side.
Soojin Pak
Okay.
Suchin Pak
And he gets it. And he's like, I've got it because
Soojin Pak
it had already jumped out of your ear.
Suchin Pak
It jumped out of my ear towards him as soon as the lidocaine hit it. Like, it must have freaked out. And I said, what is it? And he said, it's a spider.
Soojin Pak
Okay, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry. I'm back, I'm back. Oh, God, it's worse than I thought. Okay, go ahead.
Suchin Pak
And I was like, are you sure you have it? He opens his hand, he looks at it, and he goes, yes. And he's like, do you want to see it? And I said, no, no, I don't. I don't want to see it. So he throws it away. And then we all sit there for like a good two minutes, like, in silence, like, speechless. And I'm like, what? What happened?
Soojin Pak
But I don't understand. You were in a pool. Why? This is a water spider. I don't understand. Like, he.
Suchin Pak
He asked me all the questions. He's like, you were in a pool. I was wearing a hat. So he's like, could it have have somehow fallen on your head at some point? Okay, and the pool. And then was it jumped in your.
Soojin Pak
Because you were scared of the water or something?
Suchin Pak
He's like, it's. I've never, you know, I haven't encountered this before. I was like, listen, my greatest fear is that this thing has laid eggs.
Soojin Pak
Yes.
Suchin Pak
My greatest fear is that there's another spider. My greatest fear is that it's bit me and I have all of these thoughts swirling in my head. And so he was like, okay. I mean, he's not a. An arachnopologist. That's not the word, but you know what I mean? What the fuck does this guy know? He got the shit end of the graveyard shift at the local urgent care. I'm kind of looking at him like, this has got to be some kind of clown show that I've walked into. Both medical professionals are gonna scream, you know, and jump back while a woman is wrestling with a spider in her ear. And we're talking through this, and she said, you know, she's like, I'm so sorry. I've been doing this for, you know, 10 years, and this is the second time I've almost fainted. She's like, I have a deathly fear of spiders. And when I looked in your ear, I wasn't expecting something to look back.
Soojin Pak
Oh, my God.
Suchin Pak
And I certainly wasn't expecting it to be a spider. And then I wasn't expecting the spider to jump out when the doctor started to put the lidocaine in your ear. Now I. We're going through all this, and we're kind of like. We've been through war. Like, somehow we're bonded through this experience, and we start to kind of, like, workshop. How do I feel better about what has happened? She's, you know, looking in my ear, making sure. She's like, it doesn't look like there's anything in there. I can see pretty far in there. And he offers, why don't I put another syringe of lidocaine in your ear and you sit with it for five minutes. It's a neurotoxin, and it'll kill just about anything living in your ear.
Soojin Pak
Yes, yes, yes.
Suchin Pak
And so I. Short of any other medical answers, I say yes. So I sit there with that, and he puts a lidocaine in and blah, blah, blah. And then, you know, takes it out. She checks. I have her check my ear again. I sit there for a little while because I just want to make sure there's no noises, no scratching. There isn't, I don't know, some fucking Siamese twin second spider in there that has been quiet.
Soojin Pak
Oh, gosh.
Suchin Pak
Because sister spiders louder and, you know, whatnot. And. And then I get out and Mike says, the worst thing that can ever happen to you has happened. I think the only thing we can do is celebrate. And I'm.
Soojin Pak
Celebrate on the coast. Let's get back to our room at Vivante on the coast. Or was it clear water? Newport Beach. Let's go back to where the spider's nest was. A Clearwater, Newport Beach. No.
Suchin Pak
And so we promptly go to a Houston where only the finest meal can be served to those who have survived.
Soojin Pak
Oh, my God.
Suchin Pak
It's a survivor's dinner. And I have a fantastic pork chop. And then I begin the recovery process. And so here is. Here is my add to cart. You all know what my remove from cart is.
Soojin Pak
A spider in your ear. Correct.
Suchin Pak
My add to cart is the next day you make an appointment with the psychic. What.
Soojin Pak
Time? God damn it. No.
Suchin Pak
Oh, sorry. You're on that side.
Soojin Pak
Yeah, I know, I know. I'm sorry. Okay. Yeah, I just.
Suchin Pak
And you know. You know why I call the psychic.
Soojin Pak
Can you see into the future if there are babies in my head?
Suchin Pak
Listen, all psychics, you know, they're clairvoyant in different ways. This is Mike's lady, who he has been working with years, for years, and adores her, trusts her with some of the most important decisions of his life. He suggested I speak with her. I have my first reading with her where I explain this to her, and she gives me whatever clairvoyance she has around this happening.
Soojin Pak
Okay, and what does she say?
Suchin Pak
Well, I'm bummed that you're asking, because you, who are so experienced in the world of dark magic, dark life, just please don't.
Soojin Pak
Don't. You know it's all magic. You know, like, it's not just dark.
Suchin Pak
Please.
Soojin Pak
Yes.
Suchin Pak
Yes.
Soojin Pak
Have I been cultivating a relationship with a pair of ravens since the summer and. Yes. Are they here every day? Yes. But that doesn't mean it's dark magic. If anything, I believe that I. They're the guardians. They're the guardians of my space. Okay.
Suchin Pak
Ye, who is of the wolf pack. Ye, who is of the crystal light. Yeah.
Soojin Pak
The dream.
Suchin Pak
By the way, when I tell you what she said, you're gonna be like, duh. Of course. And she said to me that the spider was a messenger, and what was the message? And that I needed to listen to the universe's message, which had been sending me signals, this signal and this message, maybe my whole life, for many, many lifetimes, over. And I wasn't getting it, so she had to get a little closer.
Soojin Pak
God, I feel like that's bullshit. And that's stuff that I. I mean. And I'm still gonna ask for her number. Fuck. I'm just. There's a war inside of me right now.
Suchin Pak
And she said. And I said, okay, what's the message? And the message from the universe was, relax.
Soojin Pak
Oh, boy.
Suchin Pak
Oh, boy.
Soojin Pak
I just don't think you're gonna Relax. After having a spider in your ear, I would beg the universe to find another way. And that's okay, you know, much like us, like you, try one way, it doesn't work. You know, And I'm gonna tell you, universe, I don't think this landed. So I would beg of the universe, the infinite spirit, to just clear a path for another way for suchin to understand that lesson.
Suchin Pak
So when we're done here, you go to your little witch altar, as I'm looking at it right now, and you light. Light whatever sticks you've got.
Soojin Pak
Oh, this is. This is crazy.
Suchin Pak
For yourself, for your child, your dragon egg. That this shall never. That. That you will not walk through life so deaf. And I use that in its fullest sense to the universe's message to you. I don't know what that message is to you, but my universe, my message to me is relax. Okay? So that is what I'm working on and what I'm adding to cart. And I leave you with this, because, after all, this is a shopping podcast.
Soojin Pak
I don't think it is anymore. I don't think it is.
Suchin Pak
Contrary to Mark 0808, he had a lot to say about how this was not a shopping podcast. I want you to click the one thing in my cart.
Soojin Pak
These are the. From the brand Sat Noir. It's two pairs. They're ear covers. These are bandless ear muffs. They're. I've never seen anything like them in my life. But sue. Oh, my gosh, she's showing them to me jauntily. I guess it's as if they're doing choreography for putting on the Ritz.
Suchin Pak
Yes, Nash, Shall I put them on for you?
Soojin Pak
Yeah. I want to see. I want to see. Let's give us. Yeah, let's get a test drive. She's putting it on one ear. She took off her headphones to do this.
Suchin Pak
Oh, I can hear you. Do you see how genius these are? Look, I can sleep on it.
Soojin Pak
Yeah.
Suchin Pak
Which I have because it's covered in the softest fleece. It's very flat. It goes right over your ear. It doesn't move. It's got a mechanism. Very simple. You know, like a little. Like a little child's barrette that. Like, clips.
Soojin Pak
Okay.
Suchin Pak
In your ear, in your hair. Well, this clips right over your ears.
Soojin Pak
Okay. Yeah. I mean, that looks cozy, I guess. But just based on your experience, can't imagine you're wearing this in the pool.
Suchin Pak
You can't.
Soojin Pak
He will be. Is that the plan?
Suchin Pak
An hour later? You can't. You can't imagine me walking my dog with these because where are there. There's trees everywhere.
Soojin Pak
Oh God. This.
Suchin Pak
There's trees everywhere. And then a spider will come down and it'll swing. You all saw Charlotte's web.
Soojin Pak
Wait.
Suchin Pak
It'll swing and it'll say scum filioceous. What did they say there? Feliciatus tatus. And it'll swing right into your ear.
Soojin Pak
Okay, but can you hear things?
Suchin Pak
Not me.
Soojin Pak
Are you able to hear things while you're walking the dog? A car screeching behind you. Can you hear things?
Suchin Pak
Such in unnecessary.
Soojin Pak
Oh my God. Wait, are you wearing them in the pool? Was that your plan?
Suchin Pak
I mean, I, I, I, I fear that you have not heard my story when you ask such a simple question.
Soojin Pak
Infinite spirit universe.
Suchin Pak
And I will be sharing. Yes, I will be sharing this link because there is. There are a few people listening. It's maybe it's the right time of night with your original face on. You want to click and I'm gonna make that real easy for you.
Soojin Pak
Like I.
Suchin Pak
It's going to be right in our show notes.
Soojin Pak
Totally understand why we land. Click it.
Suchin Pak
I'll get a few pennies. It's a full circle original face moment.
Soojin Pak
Sujan, I'm so sorry.
Suchin Pak
It'll be right in my Amazon storefront. From this day forward, nothing in my cart will ever surpass these ear covers. Now have I thought about and pitched to Annie, my dear friend, costume designer, stylist, she sews. I said think about if I were to give you the commission of making me different types of ear covers.
Soojin Pak
Oh sure.
Suchin Pak
Maybe some are made out of linen, some are dressy cotton seersucker for the summer.
Soojin Pak
Yes, it may be coquettish.
Suchin Pak
Yes, it may have a pearl dangling from it.
Soojin Pak
Oh wow, how fancy. Bedazzle the shit out of them.
Suchin Pak
Let's. Let's Simone Rocha it put some ruching on it go wild. And have I thought about opening an Etsy store?
Soojin Pak
Yeah, like crap. Create like jibbitz for this.
Suchin Pak
Because this is all that's out. There are these two fleece. It's fine.
Soojin Pak
Wow.
Suchin Pak
But these are utilitarians.
Soojin Pak
Look at this. A new business. From the ashes of that spider's death comes something new.
Suchin Pak
I am nothing but an entrepreneur, you know that. Two Auntie Preneurs all the time just launching businesses and LLCs. Right and left. Coolop. Let me know if you want first money in. I know you're a smart business lady and you see the market and you also you are a philanthropist and you want to Keep people from suffering. I do.
Soojin Pak
That is a concern of mine.
Suchin Pak
I offer you the first shares.
Soojin Pak
It's so hard to dissuade you because, you know, in the part of, you know what can you say no?
Suchin Pak
What are you.
Soojin Pak
This happened. You know, this happened. This happened. And this is the story you're gonna tell the sharks when you're on the TV show.
Suchin Pak
Oh, my God. This is exactly what Mike said.
Soojin Pak
Mike.
Suchin Pak
Then from that moment on, the kids have a fantastic Shark Tank routine. You know that first line? Hey, listen up, Sharks.
Soojin Pak
Wow.
Suchin Pak
Lend me your ears, Sharks.
Soojin Pak
Listen, if you're like me and you go to Newport beach to try to get everybody every. Your name is. Everybody knows this.
Suchin Pak
I've got one with dollar signs on it for you, Barbara. I've got one that has a soft cotton layer.
Soojin Pak
Damon, I made this FUBU for you. Oh. Such and pop.
Suchin Pak
And so the story time ends here, as does my old self. Because this is a lesson I've learned. And I'm going to add another thing to Cart because again, this is about shopping.
Soojin Pak
It's about shopping.
Suchin Pak
What I'm going to add to Cart is that original face. That woman. And it's always a woman. I don't care how you identify. Right, left, top or bottom. Well, it's chained to the basement. Is your truest voice. Well, it's.
Soojin Pak
It's Kali.
Suchin Pak
It's the voice.
Soojin Pak
The goddess of destruction.
Suchin Pak
That's right. And Kali doesn't give a fuck about. About embarrassing herself about. Oh, it's so late and the kids are hungry. Maybe I just go to urgent care in the morning while they're sleeping so I don't disturb the schedule of the family. These are all thoughts that went into my head.
Soojin Pak
Oh, oh,
Suchin Pak
I don't want to make more of a fuss. That's not Kali. At every turn of the road, let not an arachnid nestle itself into the inner tube of your ear, scratching for seven hours. Don't let that happen to you. And just hear the message which is your original voice is the truest voice. Whenever you see her come out, listen, listen, listen. Burn it all down to just hear the word. Relax.
Soojin Pak
She is mother. She weaves the truth. Much like the spider that lost its life in that urgent care and sacrifice itself so suchin could receive a message. Yes, you.
Suchin Pak
And now. Now, now, now. In my. In my sort of nighttime terrors, which the psychic has been re. Had really helped. That's why I wanted to call her. Cause I was replaying very intrusive images in my mind.
Soojin Pak
Yeah, I Don't believe in her.
Suchin Pak
She really helped me kind of course lessen the, as she calls it, the color of that film. She drained the color of that film. And I thought, well, I didn't see the spider. Did he kill the spider?
Soojin Pak
Yeah, he killed the spider.
Suchin Pak
Is it somewhere deeper? You know, I mean, all of these things from their reaction. And so now where do I move forward?
Soojin Pak
How do we move forward?
Suchin Pak
And I have, and I have an idea and I pitched it to my dear friend Robert, also dear number one fan of the pod. And I said to him, I said, robert, how's about this idea? I need to go back to the urgent care. I looked at the common gestation period of spiders, 14 to 21 days in two weeks. And I have them look at my ear. And then I go to an ent and I do this every month for a year. And he said, not only is that a great idea, I think you should go to different urgent cares and different ents so that everyone in the tri state area can look and we can make sure you're getting 10th, 11th and opinions that we're not going to the same doctors and the same urgent cares. And I said, robert, this is why you're one of my dearest. What a great scientific solve.
Soojin Pak
And oddly enough, even though if you heard it on its face, you wouldn't believe that, but I think that is how you will be able to relate. Well, this was a very special add to cart. Who knew other than Suchin, what would be in store for us this hour? I guess everybody, be mindful of your ears. And I guess if there's fluttering or any sort of screechy, scritchy scratching or just like when you feel that there's here, that there's life outside of your, life inside of you, go to the doctor. Just as a rule. Go to the doctor.
Suchin Pak
I think that's a pretty good general rule. Or go to eight. You know, as I will be doing over the next eight months and, and, and thank you for listening. But also, again, it was a shopping podcast. I still, I still will, will go to my grave. That add to cart is ultimately about shopping. And I encourage you to check out the link look on our Instagram.
Soojin Pak
It seems like we don't, we don't want to end it, but it's like what do we say at the top of every show? It's a show about what we buy and what we buy into and what it says about who we are. You have bought into ear covers. And what it says about you is that a spider went into your ear. I mean, if we're not fulfilling the promise of this podcast there, if we can't grasp onto that, I don't know. I just don't know.
Suchin Pak
Bye Bye. At To Cart is an Auntie's Unlimited Production Executive. Producers are Culat Vilaisak and Sujin Pak. Tony Williams is our engineer. The music is by Wasabi and produced by LA Made it and oh so familiar with additional music by APM Music. Be sure to check out all the items mentioned today on our Instagram at attacartpod. Follow Add To Cart wherever you get your podcasts.
This episode centers around a harrowing and darkly comic personal experience from SuChin, recounted with the signature honesty and banter that defines Add to Cart. Against the backdrop of Mercury in retrograde and a series of personal household calamities, SuChin undergoes the absolute worst version of a common fear: discovering a spider in her ear during a family vacation. The story unfolds as an exploration of anxiety, resilience, and the search for meaning—even (or especially) when life delivers shocks that nobody could anticipate.
"In the grand scheme of tragedies, none of these are tragedies, I am well aware. But these are wild times. And so we're just...we're just trying to get by."
— SuChin Pak (02:34)
"You think we're dummies? ...It's not their fault. This is their business."
— SuChin Pak (11:46)
"To look the beast in the face is to acknowledge you have let the beast in. We're both trying to pretend..."
— SuChin Pak (21:45)
"Kai, do you see anything?... He says, 'Yeah. I see a leg.' Title of ep."
— SuChin Pak (32:16)
"He said, 'It's a spider.'"
— SuChin Pak (42:42)
"The worst thing that can ever happen to you has happened. I think the only thing we can do is celebrate."
— SuChin’s husband Mike (47:12)
"The spider was a messenger... The message from the universe was: relax."
— Psychic, paraphrased by SuChin (50:42)
"I would beg of the universe, the infinite spirit, to just clear a path for another way for Suchin to understand that lesson."
— Kulap (51:07)
"From the ashes of that spider's death comes something new."
— Kulap (56:58)
"Let not an arachnid nestle itself into the inner tube of your ear, scratching for seven hours. Don't let that happen to you. And just hear the message which is your original voice is the truest voice."
— SuChin Pak (59:41)
Hilariously morbid, self-deprecating, and honest—SuChin and Kulap’s interplay moves from comic relief to moments of genuine existential reflection, always remaining warm and relatable. The episode balances gross-out humor and anxiety with a sense of personal growth and community—classic Auntie Council wisdom.
Removed:
Added:
Add to Cart once again transcends its shopping-podcast premise, offering listeners a blend of horror, hilarity, and heartfelt advice about self-belief, learning to listen to the universe (even when it whispers through the tiniest legs), and finding entrepreneurial opportunity in the most unexpected challenges.