Ting! Ting!

“Ajusshi Yoon!” I opened the vintage wooden door to this special little shop in the alleys of Seoul. I was exploring the streets of Seoul one day with my canon DSLR when I found this place. The owner of this shop, Mr Yoon, was an antique collector of cameras. He opened this shop to introduce people of old vintage cameras but valuable items. I was one of his regular customers.

“Oh, Lya,” The old man with white hair and a half moon spectacles greeted me with a smile. He was really used to my regular visiting and treated me like his granddaughter.

“For you,” I smiled, placing a cup of Starbucks on the glass counter. I sat on one of the chair that was place in front a row of glass cabinet, filled with all kinds of camera.

“Thank you, dear. Why are you here?” Ajusshi Yoon held up his cup as a gesture of thanking.

“My camera needs maintenance,” I pouted childishly at him.

“Give it to me then! I will make it shine and sparkle like it used to be,” He grinned at me. I pulled out my vintage camera from my bag, placing it carefully in his hands.

“You really do love your camera, don’t you? It’s so well taken care of.” Ajusshi Yoon examined the camera through his specs.

“Of course! You know this camera is special to me. No other camera can do this.” Yes, the one and only one. Unless you modify one yourself, you can’t find it anywhere else. This particular camera of mine had a DSLR body but fitted with vintage lens taken off from a vintage camera.

“Do you still remember when you first visit to my shop? You love this lens that was displayed on the shelf.” He pointed to the lens that fitted on my camera, while taking out his cleaning kit.

“I know right. I didn’t even know why I was so attracted to it in the first place. But, it did me god in the end.” I smiled at him, recalling back…

*Flash back*

Ting! Ting! The bell tinkled as I pushed opened the door gently.

“Annyeong hasehyo,” One old man greeted me kindly as he stood behind the counters. “Take a look around.”

“Annyeong hasehyo,” I greeted with a 90 degree bow. I walked around the small shop, checking out the lens and camera on display. They were so old and had a really vintage feel to them. I loved it but I simply adore one that stood out.

“Can I take a look at that lens?” I asked the old man, my eyes fixed on the lens.

“Sure,” The old man unlocked the cabinets, reviving the lens carefully. “This is a vintage lens dated back to 1940 and it is a beauty. But pity, the camera’s body is gone and it doesn’t fit any camera body.”

The old man passed over the lens to me. I held it in my hands, mesmerized with it. None like I ever seen. Never was I so in love with camera lens. Of course, my canon DSLR was pretty fanciful now. But, I knew this was different. I picked it up carefully, looking through the lens. Something miraculous happened.

Colours shot through the lens, colours that I never imagined to have seen in my entire life. I gapped, as I peek through the lens. But, what kind of colours are those? Other than black and white, I couldn’t recognize any colours at all! People do taught me when I was young, but who the hell can differentiate with my eyes. That’s it. I was so getting this lens.

“Ajusshi, how much is this lens?” I asked, determined to buy the lens at any price.

*end*

“Thanks to this baby, I can see colours.” I smiled at Ajusshi Yoon. He knew about my condition after I ran back to him few days after my purchase the lens and showed him I fitted it into my DSLR amazingly.

“You are really a genius,” Ajusshi Yoon nodded his heart in approval, now wiping every single angle of the camera.

“Of course!” I grinned, sipped a mouthful of coffee.

Ting! Ting!

We both turned at a new customer that visited the shop. Though it’s possible, it’s still rare for unfamiliar faces to appear in the shop, especially such a handsome guy. He was…

In colour; yes, colour, not black and white.