Clear and Present Danger

Stillness

The crisp, afternoon sunlight gave us a warm welcome as we headed to one of the hanok houses we are going to stay for the night. We climbed up the many, many steps going up with our bellboy, as he calls himself, Choi. Well, he really was Choi Woo Shik the actor, and Youn Stay is their hostel where they will be running the place for a month. Along with him are four more actors, somehow big names in the entertainment industry likewise. We met them earlier, and we will be meeting them again later.

'So this is the open area, and that is the outdoor lounge,' Choi began to entertain us as we passed by a vast field with somehow golden grass, illuminated by the sun. Although it was hot, the area was cold, since Gurye is situated in the mountainous hills of Jeollanam-do. If I were to pick a place to retire, I would definitely buy a place here, since it is peaceful and the air is fresh. Perfect contrast to my somehow cluttered life back in Seoul, that I am trying to straighten up.

'After you settle down, you can actually walk around here and take pictures or just talk,' he said. 'You're a couple?' he asked.

'Oh no, we're just friends,' Yeon Hong replied. I bowed and smiled reluctantly. Because yes, we technically are.

'Oh I see,' he replied. 'This place is really, really peaceful and we hope you enjoy your stay here. If you notice the air is somehow cold, it's perfect to just relax. You are both from Seoul?' he asked.

'Yes, I'm from Songpa,' I replied. 'And she is from Samseong-dong.'

'What made you decide to come to Youn Stay?' he asked. Choi is really a warm person.

'We both wanted to get out of the city for just a bit and relax. I heard Jeonallam-do has a lot of these to offer,' she replied.

'Yes, that's true. How about you, Mr. Seo Jin?'

'Well, it's just as she said,' I replied.

'I might get confused with Seo Jin sunbae who is downstairs, so if it's okay, can I just call you SJ? But there's another SJ, and he is the assistant chef Park Seo Joon,' he said.

'You can call me SJ,' I replied, smiling at him.

'Ok, that's good. So here we are. This is Jin, and Yeon will be staying in Jin 1, and you SJ, will be in Jin 2,' he said. 'Rubber sandals are here so you can wear this while you are walking around,' he continued.

We went in with him to my room as he introduced everything that we will be needing from soap bars to toothbrushes.

'It's going to be very cold outside at night, but there's an ondol, so it gets very hot too while you are inside. Here's a futon for you to sleep on,' he said. He really was a hospitable host.

'You guys will be good here?' he asked. Yeon Hong and I both nodded as she prepared to go to her room. Choi then left us and reminded us that dinner will be served at 7:30pm.

'I like him,' Yeon Hong said while Choi went down.

'Me too,' I said.

'I mean, he's young, good-looking, and he's an actor,' she replied. I fell silent and started to pout. Yeon Hong looked at me and laughed at my reaction.

'Yah, Gu Seo Jin. What's wrong with you?' she asked.

'Hmmm? Nothing,' I said.

'But why is that so long?' she motioned with her lips pouted. I realized what she did so I laughed hard. 'There, you look better that way.'

I looked at her and smiled. She then went to her room and as I went inside mine, I began to wonder what we would be doing for the next couple of hours. I washed up and good thing the water was hot. It relaxed my tired muscles after that long, four hour ride from Seoul. I feel refreshed, and when I was done changing, I knocked on her door.