Letting Go

Young K

Your broken English was the first that I fell in love with.

“Excuse me! You know… the tour guide… who?” you approached me nervously, your big doe eyes swimming in the sea of curiosity.

I vividly remember what you wore that day; a pair of black ballerinas, a peachy-coloured pencil skirt, an elegant white blouse and a heart-shaped necklace. Your almost golden-like curls were up in a high ponytail, contributing to the effortlessly stylish yet natural look. You were indeed a French lady; one who had her own style and didn’t compare herself to anyone. You definitely stood out from the other tourists, blooming like a lotus in the middle of the lake.

“Good morning!” I greeted you with a cheeky smile, already inwardly chuckling at how you managed to ask this question from the one whom you were looking for. “Actually, I’m the tour guide. My name is Kang Younghyun. Nice to meet you,” I reached my hand out to you but instead of shaking it, you respectfully started bowing. You seemed to adjust to the Korean culture quickly and it made me delighted yet undeniably curious.

“Good-mor-ning! I’m-Fleur-Du-pont!” you emphasised every single syllable and with every single one of them my smile got wider and wider. You were lucky because I was from Canada and I knew quite a bit of French, so I quickly changed the language and helped you out of that horrible English hole. You were prominently thankful, the sigh that you let out was one of the most relieved ones that I’ve ever heard in my life.

Yet, I didn’t hesitate to broach up our awkward first encounter when we got closer and when it didn’t fluster you anymore. Come to think of it… it always flustered you but you just didn’t seem care about the embarrassment that came with the lovely memory.

Your smile was the second that I fell in love with.

I’ve seen lots of different smiles from you during that two-week period while we were travelling around Korea, visiting one city after another.

I’ve seen the nervous one when you got up on the tour bus that transported us from place to place, just to realise that the only remaining seat was next to mine. There was also a German old man who was sleeping while taking up two seats, but you didn’t have the heart to wake him up, so you opted for the one beside me. You fidgeted like a little girl until I told you that you didn’t have to be embarrassed, I wouldn’t bite you. You let out yet another relieved sigh, accompanied by a smile that could bring light to the utter darkness.

I’ve seen the genuine one when we arrived in Jinhae for the annual spring cherry blossom festival and no one could wipe that smile off your face. Your heated cheeks fitted the pink cherry blossoms prominently well and you were just as unique and breath-taking as that mile-long stretch of trees. The sight got me thinking and I had to realise that your name fits you exceptionally well. Fleur - it was the French word for flower and you were literally one of them. Not just their light colour suited you but your bubble and tender personality also reminded me of the cherry blossoms as they were falling from the trees. There was something so reassuring about the sight; as you were twirling around in the rain of flowers, it was a cure for my latest heartbreak.

I’ve seen the childish one when we visited Everland which was the largest amusement park in Korea with not only a theme park but also a zoo area and a waterpark. The group headed out to different directions at first since everyone wanted to visit different attractions. We agreed on meeting at the entrance at 8 PM since it was our only destination for the day because we wanted to give the foreigners the chance to explore the amusement park to its fullest. You started the theme park fun on your own but when I found you pouting at the giant map of Everland and you admitted that you didn’t know where to start, I decided to accompany you. You were literally a scaredy cat but you wouldn’t admit it for the world, so after a thrilling ride on the rolling X-train an