Two: March 1, 1993

“They said that distance makes the heart grow fonder, but I beg to differ. I have never felt freer and happier in my life.

I moved in just a few hours ago. Taeyeon, my new landlord, was kind enough to give me a full tour of the place. Turns out, she only accommodates female tenants which makes it clear that I don’t have any male neighbors. That makes me feel safer, to be honest. My unit’s not so big, it’s not so small either but it’s enough. I had a quick nap after unpacking for a bit and immediately thought of exploring the place which now reminds me, the Pony’s quite low on gas and I still have plenty of boxes to unpack, I’ll just have these sorted out tomorrow. I had supper at a nearby restaurant afterwards. Their jokbal was amazing, they even gave me free dessert because I was a new customer, but they didn’t have my after-supper fix: coffee. Gladly, one of the waiters recommended a café that was also nearby when I asked. However, when I got there, I found something sweeter and more heartwarming than my regular cup of joe.”

She left on a Sunday and arrived on a Monday.

The moving trip from the city to the province took Seulgi an unhealthy 10 hours of driving with gas station stops in between. She left at 11 pm the day before and arrived at the province at 9 am the next day. Needless to say, Seulgi was spent, completely tired, and drained by the time she arrived at her new place. Still, the remaining ounce of energy she had left helped her move in and meet Taeyeon Kim, her new landlord.

Taeyeon’s a benevolent and humorous woman who’s nearing her 40s, this Seulgi had observed and knew when they had a little chitchat when Taeyeon toured her around the apartment building. There were only six units; three on the ground floor and three more on the second. Luckily, Seulgi’s unit was on the corner of the second floor, granting her an abundance of sunlight because she had more windows than the other units. She began liking the place even more because of this.

At the backyard, there was a small koi pond and two picnic tables underneath a tree where tenants can lounge and bond with their pets. Taeyeon had informed Seulgi that pets were allowed in the place and the latter immediately regretted her decision of not bringing Lulu, her cat, along with her. She left the little ball of fur at her brother’s aid before she left the city. The front was just a parking space which was only being occupied by Seulgi’s 13-year-old hand me down Hyundai gen 1 Pony along with a few bicycles. It was easy for Seulgi to breathe nice and steady at her new place because of the peaceful silence and tranquil atmosphere that enveloped it.

“Got any more boxes in your car?” Taeyeon had asked as she helped Seulgi carry one of her boxes into her new unit.

“I have none left, thank you very much.” Seulgi replied while dusting off her hands.

“Alright then,” Taeyeon nodded once with a smile and obtained a pair of keys from the pocket of her cardigan, “Here are your keys. You can always ask me for a duplicate in case you lose ‘em. Don’t hesitate to knock on my door if there’s any concern or help that you need me for. I do go out every Sunday though so I may not be available when you need me at that time. Rent’s due every 15th of the month, that already includes your water and electricity.”

Seulgi kept in mind every reminder and detail, “Got it.”

“Have you got any concerns or questions so far?”

Seulgi shook her head with a pursed smile, “I’m good for now, Miss Kim. Thank you.”

“Just call me Taeyeon. Miss Kim makes me seem old, especially with this type of business.” The two shared a laugh, “Well then, just knock on my door if you need anything. Enjoy the new place, Seulgi.”

“Thank you, Taeyeon.” Seulgi thanked her for the third time with a 90-degree bow. She only entered her unit when Taeyeon has vanished from her sight.

Seulgi’s shoulders slumped at the sight of the humongous boxes stacked on top of each other when she closed the door behind her. A deep sigh of exhaustion was heaved from her lungs as she imagined the amount of work that was going to be done to unpack all of them. In the meantime, Seulgi only unpacked the essentials: toiletries, a few clothes, her beloved coffee maker, her boombox and a set of cassette tapes, sheets, and pillows that she immediately used by taking a power nap on the mattress. She’ll just deal with the other boxes after she awakens and eats supper.

The clock was ticking a quarter to 8 when Seulgi woke up. The bedroom was not completely devoid of brightness as the moonlight peered into the sliding window with undrawn blinds. She quickly made her way to the bathroom for a shower then dressed casually to have dinner outside. The entire place was still unfamiliar to Seulgi so it was just right for her to do a little exploring along the way just to kill two birds with one stone.

After a 15-minute drive, Seulgi stumbled upon a restaurant across a mini-mart. It was fantastic, she thought. Apart from dinner, she can also have breakfast here tomorrow and do a grocery run to fill her fridge. Everything was within her reach, it made her feel convenient and at ease.

For a tiny restaurant, it sure had a lively atmosphere. The music was loud and there was a distinct diversity of activities among the customers. Some were families that were simply eating dinner, some were a group of friends that were drinking to their hearts’ content, and some were elders who were playing mahjong with a nice, warm pot of house tea.

Seulgi occupied a table for one near the families and ordered jokbal with a bowl of rice.

“Are you new here?” The waiter suddenly asked as he jotted down Seulgi’s order.

Seulgi was subtly taken aback by the unexpected inquiry, “I’m sorry?”

This time, the waiter looked at her, but he wasn’t in any way intimidating. His voice remained gentle even with the increase in volume. “Are you new here?” He repeated himself.

“Yes.” Seulgi answered quickly with a nod, feeling a bit awkward for she had no idea why the waiter had to ask.

She noticed how he continued to write on his notepad, puzzling her even more. “I’ll be with you in a moment.” The waiter only said with a polite smile once he was done.

Shortly after, Seulgi received her plate of jokbal, a bowl of rice, and a full of bag of bunggeopang which she did not order.

“I’m sorry but I didn’t order this.” Seulgi was quick to raise her concern.

“It’s on the house. This is a small town and we don’t get a lot of new customers here every day, just our locals.” The waiter proudly said, his lips forming an accommodating smile. “So, welcome. We hope you can visit us frequently.”

Lively and welcoming cheers along with rhythmic clatter of metal spatulas against pots and pans came from the kitchen, causing some of the customers to clap. At first glance, Seulgi was quick to notice that the kitchen staff had smiles on their faces as well. Their beams were contagious that it caused her to smile just as brightly.

“Thank you.” Seulgi thanked the waiter with a bow after the scene. The act made her feel so welcome and convinced that perhaps, she was in the right place to be.

“You’re welcome. Please enjoy your meal.”

The same waiter attended to Seulgi when she asked for the bill after she has finished her meal. She was full, but something was still lacking.

“Do you guys have coffee that I can order for take away?” Seulgi asked after receiving her change and receipt.

“Oh, no. I’m sorry. We only serve tea and beer here. But there is a nearby coffee shop just around the corner. It will take you about 10 minutes to go there. The place’s name is A White Night, the locals love that place.”

“Which direction should I be heading to?”

The waiter stretched out his hand and gestured to the left, “Just take a left from here then go straight ahead. The café should be easy to spot, it has this huge sign on the front.”

“I see.” Seulgi nodded and stood up with a full and satisfied stomach, “Thank you very much for the meal. It was very good.” She bowed once more with a beam on her face. The waiter returned her act of kindness before saying his goodbye and reminding Seulgi that she