My first night in Korea. Auntie Ji An has gone to bed. I am now alone in my old room feeling a bit overwhelmed. This evening Auntie Ji An took me for a ride around town. This village, which used to be so familiar to me, isn’t anymore. Its been too long since I was last here. So many of the Grandma houses I visited as a child have different people in them, or they are empty. Many buildings are in decay or have been remodeled beyond recognition. This hurts my heart. Also this evening in the grocery store, I discovered I have developed a language barrier. Auntie Ji An assures me that I will remember more Korean as I hear more. I hope so.

I put on my pajamas and go to the bathroom to brush my teeth. At a distance Gong Yoo follows me. Back in the room, I take Emily’s card out of my purse and prop it on the dresser. The card reminds me that I have a life and a profession that fulfills me. Through the open window I see Neighbor Song’s lights are all out. I crawl into bed aware that tiny bulging eyes are watching me from the door way. I reach for my iPad and turn off my lamp. Before leaving home I downloaded The Life Works of A Korean Poet, Kim Myong-sun, The Flower Dream of a Woman Born Too Soon. It is a heart wrenching story. I come across two lines of a poem

If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

After the rain, the June wind wheedles the airy curtains*

The blue curtains flutter at the window. It is June, I am living these lines in this moment.

Next door I hear the sound of a sliding door open. For some reason I turn off my iPad. Steps cross Neighbor Song’s side yard. The sound is familiar. Gong Yoo’s ears perk up. I know where those steps are headed. I hear his shoes hit the paved road. I find myself going to the front room. Gong Yoo’s toe nails click behind me. I push the curtains back. I watch Hae-in as he jogs in and out of the circles of illumination created by the streetlights.His hair is loose and flying. He heads for the pier. Moonlight on the waves delineates his form. It is not the form of a boy that I see, but that of a man.The thirteen girl inside of me still lives and she wants to follow Hae-in into the night. That is what she always wanted to do on those long ago lonely nights, but she never did. I had thought then I wouldn’t go because I was a good girl. Truth was, I knew he didn’t feel the same way about me, that I felt about him. I didn’t go because if I did my dream bubble world with him would have shattered. I think I was wise girl.

*https://aaww.org/sweet-nothings-two-poems-by-kim-myong-sun-translated-by-eunice-lee/