At 4am, darkness lingers.       It is the time when it is difficult to differentiate between morning and night.  It is when darkness is present, yet light is lurking behind the horizon, all at the same time.       By this time, more than half of the country’s peoples are sound asleep, resting.  However, to Lee Jieun, this time of the day is something special, something of great importance.  Specifically, it is the time when meaning is given to her life.      She is usually seated on the small table by the window in her home, sipping at a cup of black coffee.  Once in a while, when she looks down, she spots the numerous scratches and stains that decorate the table.  She thinks to herself that getting new furniture would be nice, and that she should do so sometime soon.  However, she knows that she won’t, for the worn out table is stained with something irreplaceable by new, sparkling things.      As she enjoys her beverage, she likes to look out the window and beyond it.  The sky is dark and monotonous as it always is in the city, but if she’s lucky, she can find the light of a star to muse at.  And that’s when she thinks.  She thinks of her past, her present, and sometimes even her future.  She wonders which of the three are the most important; she thinks of this same thing every day, but always ends up arriving at the same answer.      The past shapes whom one is in the present, and is ultimately the greatest factor in shaping the future a