JOOHYUN

Joohyun looked up at Suwonsung Church.  Clutching the paper in her hand, she wondered if she should have asked for directions from the ahjussi she saw walking by instead of being too shy.

Her Korean was a bit rusty. Having grown up in New York, Joohyun only went to Korea every summer.  Her parents had met, fallen in love and practiced law in New York until she was 14. When they decided to leave New York to set up an international law practice in Korea, Joohyun had opted to stay to finish high school. Her parents didn’t have any qualms of leaving her alone in New York because as her mother often said to her – Joohyun was born old.  Being an only child – she was quiet, studious, serious and very much into playing the piano.  Her parents had wanted her to pursue her music but she didn’t want to study in an arts high school – she wanted a normal high school – if you called studying in a private school normal.

Standing in the street corner in front of Suwongsung Church, Joohyun sighed and looked at the paper again.  It contained directions on how to get to her best friend Yoona’s apartment. 

Every summer since she was 6, she and Yoona would see each other.  Yoona’s house was next to her maternal grandparents’ house in Seoul. Yoona would declare that Joohyun not speak English for the entire summer vacation.  Her grandparents were also mindful of this and would always send her books on poetry, novels and stories in Korean – but her grandparents were both gone now and it’s been 2 summers since the two friends last saw each other.

When Joohyun landed in Korea 1 month ago, Yoona was the first person she called. They chatted and giggled much to her father’s amusement.  They promised to see each soon.  Joohyun was happy to be living with her parents again. She had been admitted to Sungkyunkwan University’s School of Art starting September 2001.  Even if she was just barely 19, Joohyun was accepted because her academic records were excellent and of course her father’s connections. Yoona was also studying at Sungkyunkwan University but she was in the Suwon campus while Joohyun was in the Seoul campus.

Yoona invited Joohyun to visit her in SKKU Suwon that September weekend. Joohyun was thrilled to take public transportation by herself. It wasn’t so far, she thought, when she arrived at SKKU’s Suwon campus in just over an hour.  It reminded her of the college towns in the USA. She was able to follow directions until she got to Suwonsong Church but she was a bit confused with the rows of apartments that lined the street.

Joohyun’s mobile started to ring. It was Yoona.

“Yah, Hyunnie where are you? Did you get lost?”

“Unnie! I’m in front of the church but I don’t know which way to turn” Joohyun said.

“Ah! Okay – I’m in my boyfriend’s house right now because I had to get something. His house is nearer to where you are right now. Follow my directions…” Yoona instructed.

Joohyun followed Yoona’s instructions and found herself in front of a house. She rang the doorbell and stepped back.  She was smiling and excited.

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