The 29th episode of KBS Joy Ask Us Anything Fortune Teller No. 335, aired on the 29th, featured a contributor who does special cleaning work and shared the hardships experienced while cleaning various incident and accident scenes such as solitary deaths.
The contributor originally did general cleaning work and began special cleaning after encountering articles related to solitary deaths on TV. The contributor said, "I thought the state provided postmortem care, but I learned that private companies are in charge. If someone has to do it, we thought we should do it," she said.
Special cleaning goes beyond simple cleaning; it involves organizing spaces where mental and hygienic hazards coexist, such as solitary death scenes, fire scenes and animal excrement contamination. The contributor said they receive 150 to 200 requests annually on average, explaining that 40% are young hoarder homes, 40% are solitary deaths and estate cleanup, and the remaining 20% are other cases.
He said he worked on a solitary death scene three days earlier and found a small dog that had guarded its owner at the home of a man in his early 40s who was discovered a week after his death. The contributor said he rescued the dog himself and took charge of its adoption, confessing, "Seeing that made me feel very bad." Hearing this, Seo Jang-hoon said, "So the dog went without food for a week?" expressing sorrow.
The contributor also said he could not forget the solitary death scene of a man in his early 20s. He said, "There was a note on the wall next to the bed in the semi-basement room that read, 'I want to live in a room with sunlight. I really wanted to live,'" and said everyone ran out of the scene in shock at the time.
Asked whether he sees corpses directly, the contributor said, "I don't see them directly, but in summer they decompose and you encounter remaining body parts. Sometimes we find scalp tissue, fingers, teeth and nails," vividly conveying the horror of the scene.
Lee Sugeun nodded and said, "It's not an easy job," and Seo Jang-hoon empathized, saying, "People in that age group don't often face death directly, so experiencing such scenes would inevitably be emotionally difficult." The contributor said many colleagues actually quit, and that some people come to learn the job but run away after seeing the horrific scenes.
Seo Jang-hoon advised, "No one wants their end to be left in a messy state. If you think you're tidying up for those people watching from above, it might bring some comfort," adding, "Whenever various emotions arise, thinking, 'I am doing work to help these people' may make it a little easier."
Lee Sugeun said, "Money isn't everything, but since this is paid work, you must have professional spirit," and gave practical advice: "As the representative, you need to develop strong mental fortitude to provide stability to colleagues rather than appearing shaken with your staff." The MCs warmly encouraged the contributor, saying, "This is a good and rewarding job. Those people will surely be grateful." [photo] Ask Us Anything Fortune Teller
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