Epilogue
QUARANTINEI feel very grateful for all your support and encouragement.
Every time when I got a notification of your comments or upvote, it felt like I was getting love letters and little gifts from you. I couldn't suppress my silly grin even when I was in a public area.
So, you deserve it. The best epilogue I can write.
Thank you.
After two weeks of stay-home quarantine, Korean-American photojournalist Kim Kura (aka. Miyawaki Sakura) leaves her Seoul apartment early in the morning on the 15th day. During her quarantine, she accidentally took a video of internet celebrity Lee Chaeyeon and posted it on social media captioned "the girl who dances on the rooftop". The clip goes viral. The women who live one street apart became quarantine companions with the help of Kurikindi, a high tech hummingbird – Kura's camera drone who went back and forth between the two apartments exchanging food and necessities.
"To be honest, I feel a bit disoriented walking in the streets again. And I feel so grateful to have met Chaeyeon-ssi during my quarantine. Together with Kurikindi, we fought the virus as well as loneliness." Kura says while holding Kurikindi in her hands in front of her apartment building. She is heading to the local coronavirus clinic for the final test, accompanied by Chaeyeon.
"It's good." Kwon Eunbi, Sakura's boss signals the camera operator to stop when Chaeyeon pours sanitizer onto Sakura's hands. "But Kkura-ya, you don't need to be so shy."
"Unnie, I really don't feel comfortable with the reversed role." Sakura protests.
"But you are doing well." Eunbi ignores her colleague's complaints and eye smiles at Chaeyeon instead.
Chaeyeon can only smile back in courtesy.
With the Chaeyeon-Sakura, or now nicknamed "Chaekura", stories going viral on the internet, media boss Kwon Eunbi decided to do a special feature. She has sent a crew to document the last two days of Sakura's quarantine and Chaekura's interactions with Kurikindi flying in-between (on Chaeyeon's roof), and she decided to personally participate in the shooting of Sakura's "release".
Kura walks delightfully out of the coronavirus clinic, holding a "V" sign with her hand and half runs to her best friend.
Chaeyeon looks even more excited, "Saku-chan, clear? Congratulations!"
Kura nods and takes out a bottle of disinfectant. Chaeyeon tacitly takes the bottle and sprays the mist carefully on Kura's hair and clothes. She then holds her friends' arm naturally and walks slowly away together.
"I have requested for an anti-bodies check, but they said I will need to wait for a few days for the result," Kura says casually.
"So what do you want to do now you are free?"
"Well..." the journalist thinks seriously, "I want to stroll down the streets freely on my feet to observe how ordinary people are living under the pandemic...and take some nice pictures of these cherry blossoms."
Chaeyeon looks up to the pink blossoms, "Like now?"
Sakura also looks up. "Like now."
"Great!" Eunbi who is back walking along with the crew calls kkeut (끝 finished) and everybody stops. Sakura heaves a big relief and Chaeyeon releases her arm to give Sakura some water.
"Chaeyeon-ssi you are really a natural host, you must help us more in the future. And Kkura you must get more on-camera too. Both of you are really good!" Eunbi exclaims. "Let's get Kkura's camera from my car and we will take a few shots on Kkura taking pictures in the streets. Then we can have an early lunch. We will have a few more shots after lunch of Chaekura interactions and our job is done."
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In order to maintain social distancing, the crew and the boss decided to take two tables. Eunbi, Sakura, and Chaeyeon sit together while the crew stays a bit far from them.
After ordering food, Eunbi asks Sakura, "I forgot to ask you last time – how is Auntie Kaeun?"
"She is fine." Sakura then explains to Chaeyeon, Auntie Kaeun is her mother. Eunbi used to be a tenant in her mom's house when she was studying at NYU, and she is her senior in Journalism. Kaeun mama likes Eunbi a lot for her optimism and generosity.
"She called me last night," Sakura continues, "she told me she has donated all the N95 masks I brought to New York fo
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