Chapter 5
Of The Arts and Education (HIATUS) This past week went by so quickly. I guess getting acquainted with my new home, teaching, and waiting for a phone call from Chandler was enough to really make time fly. Now it’s Sunday and I have all day to dedicatedly wait around for a phone call that probably will not come.
I roll on to my back on my bed and shake my legs out a bit heaving a big sigh. I check my phone to see that it’s eleven in the morning. Okay! Time to get out of bed!
I take a shower and decide to relax into the morning with a face mask. I feel refreshed although my thoughts immediately turn to Chandler. Having nothing to busy my mind with is excruciating. Are we really over? After everything we have been through, he is willing to let me go so easily.
After twenty minutes I remove the mask and get dressed. I suppose I can go to Hongdae and window shop to let go of the stresses of the week.
When I open my door, Seunghyun is frozen with his fist ready to knock on the door. “Seunghyun?”
He drops his hand and looks both ways, blowing out his cheeks with air.
“Why the face? You were going to knock anyway,” I laugh. “Whats up?”
“I was wondering what you are doing today. I have nothing on my schedule and I thought maybe we could get to know each other…you know, because we’re neighbors and everything. Want to…I don’t know…maybe go to a cafe or something?”
“That sounds like a great idea actually. I have nothing to do anyway. I was just going to take a trip to Hongdae and waste my day off doing nothing anyway,” I say with a smile.
“Cool! So…are you ready now or do you need some more time?”
“Let’s go. I could really use coffee,” I say with a bright smile.
. . .
We decide on a nice small coffee shop. It’s not a chain like Cafe Bene but a smaller shop that is very personal and inspiring creatively. “I go here all the time when I need to escape a bit,” he says to me while we look up at the big menu board on the wall above the espresso machines. “It has a little something for everyone. My favorite are the blankets in the holder over there,” he points behind him without even looking, he’s obviously memorized the place. “I love sitting down in the corner with all those pillows, a blanket on my lap and a coffee in my hand. It really gets me where I need to be. I guess it’s a comfort thing,” he says. “So…any idea what you want?”
“I’m thinking maybe a Vanilla latte?”
“They make them very well here. Good choice,”
“And you?”
“Americano”. He turns to the barista and orders our drinks. He gives the woman his card as I am reaching for money in my wallet.
“Here you go,” I offer him the money for my drink but instead of taking it, he presses my hand with the money back down to my wallet. “But-“
“No. Korean culture. I am older than you,” he says. “You can get it next time” he concludes and he hovers his hand behind me and holds his other hand out in the direction of the open cafe. “Where do you want to sit?” he asks. Next time… I can’t help but smile at the thought. Seunghyun is starting to be my first real guy friend I have made in the entire two years that I have been here. Chandler didn’t like my associating with other men so eventually I just stopped all together. I wanted to make him happy. I still kind of do, but he won’t let me do it the way I want too. I love him. He just makes it really hard to do so sometimes.
And right now, I won’t let him tell me what to do.
“Want to go over to that spot you like so much? Show me the best place. You’re the expert,” I say with a smile.
So he does. He snatches two small blankets from the bin against the wall and walks us to the corner of the room where the floor is raised. He takes his shoes off and so do I before we step up on the platform and we make ourselves home amongst the tens of pillows scattered on the ground surrounding the low rise table. He hands me a blanket and observes as I mimic him as if covering myself with a blanket is some sort of new thing I have never tried before. I guess it is though. “I’ve never been to a cafe that gave you blankets and let you sit on the floor,” I say.
“There’s always time for firsts,” he smiles gently. “So, neighbor,” he addresses me formally. “What made you come to Korea?”
“Well, I’ve always wanted to go abroad and when I heard that I could make money while doing so I said ‘Why not?’. I know, it’s not a very interesting back story,” I say, looking down at my hands.
“No. Westerners don’t seem very interested in Asia. So that alone is enough for me. Thank you,” he says.
“Thank you?”
“For wanting to come to my country. Welcome to Korea!” he says, opening his arms wide.
“It really means that much to you?”
“Like I said-Westeners don’t come here that often,”
“Well it feels weird to say you’re welcome so instead I will say thank you for having such a great country for me to come to. I don’t think I'll ever want to leave,”
“Then don’t,” he says simply.
“Okay if you say so,” and we both share a small smile.
The buzzer goes off and Seunghyun excuses himself to go pick up our drinks. I play with my fingers to keep myself busy while waiting for him to return. After a moment, he is back and kicking his shoes off once again before he steps back into our land of pillows and blankets.
Setting the tray onto the table, he takes my latte and hands it to me then sits back down. He picks up his Americ
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