O N E

Her name is Gong Yoo, at least, that’s what her new employer called her. Her real name is Lee Byul – a feminine name one would say – but rocking an androgynous hair style paired with jeans and sneakers, enough to confuse an old lady with different trend back in the 80s. Earlier before, she was flipping through leaflets of job advertisements, scanning through hundreds of descriptions and requirements. None of the jobs advertised matched her current situation. Frustrated, she closed her eyes and let out a sigh. She lied down on her back, resting her tired eyes – that had done nothing but scan all sorts of information – and brain – that processed the information. Lack of visual perception heightened her sense of smell. The familiar scent danced around her, enveloping her with a sense of comfort. Something she so grievingly needed from her grandmother. Nanna. She pressed her palms on her eyes, forbidding any tears from rolling down her face. You need to be okay, Byul. You’re better than this. Nanna would be so heartbroken if she sees you like this. The tears stopped but sad thoughts kept on whispering inside her head. Is she alone now? Will she ever be able to move on from her grandmother’s death? Will she still be able to remember her grandmother’s warm smile or her little chuckle every time Byul did something foolish? Can she still feel alive when her only source of happiness died?

            Suddenly, there was a voice outside the gate. She smacked the sad thoughts away and gather herself before entertaining whoever was in front of the gate. The gate squeaked open and a fragile old lady appeared in her frame of sight. The lady looked oddly familiar to Byul. She swore she met her before but where she met her was something she couldn’t think of. Stashing the feelings aside, – a thing she always do – she greeted the old lady and invited her in for some tea. Out of all the things her grandmother taught her, the advice she would always tell Byul is to respect her senior. Be it 50 years or even a year older.

            She served black tea and a plate of biscuits – a manner her grandmother taught as well – to the mysterious guest. The guest’s eyes wander around the room as if reminiscing an old, fond memory of hers. Her eyes set on Byul and a beautiful smile bloomed on her face. “You look just like your grandmother when she was young.” Now she knew where she met this elderly lady. Her grandmother’s funeral. That day had been a blurred mess in her memory. All she could remember was the colour of her shoes and how muddy it was due to the rain.

            “You’re Nanna’s friend, right? Mrs Kim.”, she quickly stood up and bowed her head down in gratitude. “Thank you for attending her funeral the other day. I’m sorry for any shortcomings or inconveniences – ” A laughter escaped from the elderly’s lips – an amused laughter.

            “Please. Granny Young Ok will do. Your grandmother taught you well, didn’t she? When she was your age, the amount of adventures she had… One would say she had a free spirit.” Had.

            “Yes, she did. Even to her last breath.” Speaking about her grandmother in past tense was very uncomfortable and saddening. Sensing a hint of sorrow in Byul’s voice, Young Ok continued, “One thing I can say about Ye Jin is she attracts everyone around her. Trust me, I am one of ‘everyone’.” She chuckled. “I love your grandmother.” Love. “Do you have anyone you love, Byul?”

            “I love Nanna...” And I loved that person too.

            “Of course, Darling.” Young Ok stood up as well. Byul lifted her face up and a pair of calm eyes stared back at her. Those eyes were so full of love – maternal love – she immediately choked back her tears. Young Ok’s frail fingers brushed against Byul’s cheek, tucking in strands of hair behind Byul’s ear. Her hand cupped Byul’s cheek, radiating warmth that Byul so hopelessly craved. If it wasn’t for Young Ok wiping her streams of tears away, she wouldn’t notice she was indeed crying. After all those efforts to hold it in too.

            “Can you accompany this senile woman on a walk?” The beautiful smile never left her lips.

            “Please don’t say that.” Byul replied, clinging to Young Ok’s hand. “And yes, I’d love to accompany a lovely lady out on a walk.” The walls she put up melted, letting Young Ok’s ray of sunshine to paint her dull face.

            How long has it been since she felt the warmth of the sun on her skin? The pleasant feeling of breeze caressing her face as it brought along a whiff of nostalgia. She remembered when she was a kid, her parents would always take her out on a picnic – enjoying what nature has to offer. Memories of bad dad jokes and a series of nags she wouldn’t even care flooded her mind. The laughter they shared seemed so surreal to her now after what had happened to them. The only family she had left was her grandmother. The sad thoughts came back and forth, killing small pieces of her inside. Each time it did, she let them go, never to be dwelled again. She embraced her grieve and sorrow to a point where she felt nothing but solace.

            The walk must have been a long one as reality started to sink in and around her was an unfamiliar neighbourhood. Her eyes went wild searching for Young Ok, feeling slightly uncomfortable being alone in a foreign environment. She’s not here. Where is she? Panic started to rise, distressed whether Young Ok was real, or she had just imagined her. The last time this happened, she almost went mad trying to distinguish reality and imaginary. She took several deep breaths in effort to calm herself down. Mouthing a few ‘I’m okay’ mantras to trick her brain, thinking she was okay. Her face showed no emotions, but no one could guess the raging storm brewing inside her head. Her stress level spiked up even more but then she felt a gentle pat on her shoulder.

            “Excuse me, granny invited you to come inside.” An unusually high-pitched voice greeted her from behind. She could only catch a glimpse of the younger guy’s face before he turned around to usher her the way in. Judging from his height and how his voice hadn’t crack yet, meant he hadn’t reached puberty yet. She guessed he was a high school freshman. She heaved a sigh of relief, I’m not going crazy just yet, and quickly followed the young man.

            Along the way, the young man wouldn’t stop talking. Spewing praises saying how good looking Byul was and how good her fashion sense was. Comparing her with a friend of his whom he said, “he’s just so obnoxious.” but Byul knew better if someone were talking with so much fondness in their voice for the other person, the obnoxious part was spoken with zero ill intention. Their short but packed with plenty of information ended as they reached the threshold of the living room.

            “I never introduced myself. Hello, my name is Haechan.” He bowed his head slightly, “We’ll be seeing each other more often after this so we can save your introduction for later. Granny is waiting.” He slid open the door, revealing a much spacious room behind it. “Bye hyung!” He beamed before running off. Hyung? She shrugged his mistake off, I can correct him later, and went inside. The living room was so big it looked like it can fit more than 20 people at a time. Her eyes wander around before it met with another gleaming eyes.

            “Oh my, Mrs Kim. He looks very handsome just my type! I mean, just the type to help me manage the dorms.” A woman who looked like she was in her 40s beamed. She pulled Byul closer, hands still connected with hers, “Of course I’d be willing to hire him here.”

            Wait, hire? Byul moved her eyes towards Young Ok who was nodding, approving what the woman stated. “I’m sorry to interrupt. My name is Lee Byul.” She bowed slightly, “What is this about hiring? May I ask you to explain it further?”

            “Oh my oh my, handsome and with manners.” She turned to face Young Ok, “Where did you find him, Mrs Kim?” She pulled Byul down to sit beside her, cupping both Byul’s hands in hers. “Mrs Kim told me you were searching for a job, so she asked me to hire you as a dorm manager for one of the dormitories nearby.” The older woman looked so proud of herself, as if she’s saint who had done the most charitable deed in the century. “I heard you’re attending the university nearby the dormitories.”

            What? “I thought the position was filled months ago.”

            “It did but then the former dorm manager quit like every other former dorm managers.”

            “Why?”

            “Oh, you’ll see” A mischievous smile spread across the woman’s face, Byul’s instinct alerting her that it may be bad. She appreciated the sentiments Young Ok had but she was still uncomfortable to accept anything from the kind elderly. They only had been introduced today and she was still wary of strangers. Just as she was about to decline the offer, someone knocked on the sliding door. Giddy, the older woman yelled for them to come in.

            Two fantasy-like guys came inside, their overwhelming presence filled the entire room. One looked like he jumped straight out of a romance comic book – the ones with overly perfect males as the main characters – while the other looked like he’d passed to be a model with his immense aura of grace surrounded him.

            “Hello, my name is Taeyong.”

            “And I’m Young Heum but call me Ten.”

            Each of them offered their hands to Byul. She accepted their handshake and was about to introduce herself.

            “Boys, this is Gong Yoo. He’ll be working with both of you from now on.” The older woman beamed excitedly.

            What?! Gong Yoo?