Author’s POV:

 

 

What is imaginary friend?

 

Imaginary friends or also known as imaginary companions are psychological development in children, mostly at the age of 2 ½ to 3 where a friendship takes place in imagination rather than external physical reality. Usually, it happens to children who feels lonely or only having a few friends in their age till their mind create this imaginary friend like how they like to fill in the gap that other playmates don’t. Their imaginary friend can be in a form of alien, reptiles, real object as stuffed animals, and others. And most of their imaginary companion possessed a power. Some of them can fly, be invisible, live on the moon, breathe fire, and be magical.

 

How did Taeyeon has an imaginary friend?

 

When Taeyeon was three (1972), her parents had brought her over to move into a beautiful Hanok village in Jeonju. The place was mostly being occupied by a senior citizen. The house where they moved in and lived was no other than her grandma's house which is her father's mother. It was located near to the uphill forest. Not too far away from the main town. Her parents have to bring her back to stay with her halmoni in Jeonju because her mother has been transferred to work in one of the government hospitals right there. Her father is a handsome businessman. He owned a spectacle shop in Seoul. When her mother was transferred to Jeonju, her father has to move his business at that place by renting a shop.

 

Her parents were practically busy to find money so they can support their living and expenses. When they got home, they just basically had a dinner together with her and went directly to sleep after that. They said they needed to get enough rest, so they could work hard to make a better living for them. Essentially, she has no other friend around her age in that village. Her halmoni who looks after her when her parents went away to work was the only friend she got and knew. And her halmoni, she wasn't being able to entertain her request always. She wasn't that old for her age, but practically she has no interest playing with the young her which sadden her, sometimes. She only talks to her when it's time to eat, shower, and sleep. The rest of the time, she has to entertain herself alone, so she won't be nagging at her halmoni by kept on asking her when her parents will get home. Living as the only child slightly bored her. She has no friend to play and no friend to talk at her age that could keep her occupied.

 

Her parents always told her that she needs to learn to be creative so she could fill up her free time with something. They bought her every toy that she likes so she can play them at home. From small to big cars, superhero replica, Airfix kits, Lego, board games, and etc. They said 'try to be imaginative, Taengoo', she needs that for her brain development. Exercising her imagination is good for her emotional and mental health. From age 3 to 6, she took everything what her parents told her very seriously. She always fills up her time playing with her small and big toys. When she was bored playing with her toys, she will spend her time talking to herself in the mirror, or exploring the neighborhood with her imaginary friend when everyone else has fallen asleep.

 

Where and how did she meet her imaginary friend?

 

Living in a quiet neighborhood where is mostly being occupied by older residents wasn't so helpful for the young her. When she was five (1974), she had asked her parents quite a lot if they could bring her out to the nearest playground or a theme park like what she saw on the T.V and some of her friends in the town kindergarten always boast about. However, her request has fallen on deaf ears always. They said to her, the place where they reside has no playground nor nearer to any theme park for them to visit. She sulked big time, crying, and throwing a tantrum to their reply for days. Her parents and her halmoni just won't listen to her. One day afternoon, during late autumn, when her parents still not returned back from work, she decided to sneak out quietly from the Hanok house while her grandma was still busy in her afternoon nap.

 

She was six years old (1975) at that time, walking around the quiet and cold neighborhood for the very first time without any supervision by an adult. She felt so excited like she was on a quest of something. Happiness was clearly written all over her face when she can run all that she wants, when she can walk to wherever she wants, and when she can play with autumn leaf without getting scolded by anyone.

 

She enjoyed her freedom for the very first time by playing outside of the house alone till somewhere far at a place that she was not so familiar anymore. Unfortunately, she lost her way in the lowland dipterocarp forest, because she wasn't smart. She was still so young, naive, and reckless. She thought that she was big enough to explore the place alone, but clearly, she’s not.

 

She was scared. The last thing that she remembered was when she played with the autumn leaf in a stairway going up to the hill. She was jumping around and running around like the hyper her not long ago. She is always a hyperactive kid since she was four. However, she never got the chance to explore the neighborhood like she did it right now. This was her very first experience going out alone without an adult companion.

 

Back when she was four (1973), she remembered she used to consume a lot of sweets, cakes, and chocolates. But these days, her parents always been strict with her. They said sweet things aren't good for her health. She needs to take a good care of her tooth right now. Eating sweets can cause tooth decay, says her mother. Since her mother is a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) and Doctor of Dental Medicine (DDM), she has no option than to obey her. She personally loves her mother's one-thousand-watt smile and shinning teeth. She listened to them because she wants to have her mother's beautiful smile and teeth. Although, she didn't consume sweets anymore, but she was still as hyper as before.

 

Her body began to process cold perspiration. It’s mixed with her sweat from the earlier thrilled that she went through. However, right now, it wasn't a good sweat that her body produced. She knew that. Because the next thing that she did is when she pouted and sulked really bad while wandering more in the lowland dipterocarp forest in her attempt to find a way out back to her grandma’s house.

 

It's starting to get dark. The angel Oak trees that mostly covered the area were really making her feeling scared. She felt a little too small standing against them. Her mind was picturizing so many things. One of them was, she’s afraid if the tree has a soul. The long roots really frightened her the most, she thought. She strangely imagined it as the tree's hands. She prayed silently, hoping the trees will not take or eat her. She still wants to see her parents and halmoni, even if they never truly try to be her friend.

 

She almost tumbled down a few times when she ran too fast for being too scared. She felt her knees were in pain when it bleeds this time after she fell down on the ground for real. She got up in her clumsiness, running again and again as she felt terrified to be there on her own. Her attire is really not helping much. She only had plain sweatshirt, long pants, and school shoes on her body. It’s not enough to give her enough warmness anymore. And she felt exhausted from all the run.

 

Her cries that continued for more than ten minutes finally being rewarded when she found an old playground in the forest. was agape, hot tears came to a stop with eyes slightly blinking and sparkling with excitement. She got so much in joy, finding the thing that interest her. So, she ran eagerly to check the things that she likes at that place.

 

There are a set of swing, merry-go-round, elephant and ladybee springer, seesaw, and spiral slides just enough to awe the young her. To her disappointment, the playground facilities are all rusty with thick autumn leaves covering the entire place. The place was clearly abandoned. She found no kids around, and the place was too eerie when it encircled by Banyan trees together with aerial prop roots.

 

Somehow, she buried deep all her needless worry at that time as she wanted to play the swing and merry-go-round so badly. She walked closer, choosing the swing among the plays, swinging her body freely while ignoring her knee injury that give her a little sting every now and then. Her mind has been clouded back with just pure happiness. She was so young to understand a place like this should not be visited by her alone without any supervision from someone older. She was so naive to think that no one will bring a harm to herself if she was alone like that. And she was so reckless to disregard her parents order when she supposed to just stay home with her halmoni.

 

She didn't know there was another soul who was watching her from somewhere close with so much patience and interest. She was too distracted with the swing till she is not even aware of anyone's presence at the same place. All that she knows, it felt wonderful when the swing goes higher and higher. It makes her feel like she was about to fly like a bird. Freedom. She innocently thought a lot about that word in her head. Right now, the feeling of scared has completely gone. She straightened her arms to her side, closing her eyes tightly and just let the chill breeze hit her face to dry her wet face from the earlier cry. It felt so weird when she suddenly felt so nice to breathe fresh and cool air from the place. It didn’t suffocate her anymore like the time when she ran to find a way out from the place.

 

The good feeling overflowed her, like this is the best thing that ever happened so far in her age. After a while, she came to a stop. She ran to the merry-go-round that has been covered by autumn leaves, but she didn't play like what she wants when she saw a violin and a bow have been left there. She looked around, wondering if there is anyone else beside her at that place. She knew the things must have an owner. It can’t appear in the place just like that.

 

At that time, she was kind of sceptical. Because she never sees the wooden string instrument in real life other than in English alphabet flash cards that her parents bought for her education purpose. She simply could know what it was because her mother always plays English alphabet flash cards with her. She still remembers, her mother had taught her to learn A-B-C since she was two (1971). Her mother always asked and