"Just... be careful, okay? Dating him"
"I'll keep that in mind. Plus, I'm only fake dating him so..."
"That's not what the world will think"
"It's just for the show."
Summer 2023: 75 years have passed since the Korea War came to an end on 27th July...
On today's episode on a beautiful July summer day, our one-month-old group made their way to discover more about the history of a city that played a vital role in the war: Chuncheon.
An hour train rides away from Seoul, everyone found themselves something to work on during the train ride, such as catching up on sleep for Mina, busily studying whenever finding time to do so for law student Taehyun, drowned in her current book for Ayla or writing inside his infamous notebook for Jonghyun. Who's sporting a new look with his glasses and today's presenter.
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"Chuncheon, which translates to spring river, is the capital of the Gangwon Province. The battle of Chuncheon began on June 25th, 1950, and marked the beginning of the Korean War, which left the city majorly destroyed.
The battle in Chuncheon holds an essential spot in the history of the Korea war as it managed to delay the planned, systematic attacks and invasion of the II Army, buying time for Pusan to reinforce and the UN reinforcements to arrive for additional help.
The previous plan of the attackers was to secure Chuncheon and then invade Seoul from the south, which did not work out due to the defense they had faced in Chuncheon by the 6th Infantry Division.
Lieutenant Shim, known as Major Shim ll, was known for his human bullet actions in which he and a small group of volunteers climbed up vehicles to destroy them with grenades. Major Shim ll is one of the most well-known war heroes of the Kore War. We learned about him back even back in elementary school."
Jonghyun explained the area around them of the train station, which over 70 years ago, was part of the battlefield.
After the introduction to the city's important role in our country's history, our group made their way to the retirement home of Chuncheon. Some habitats were children during the war and can still recall the events, deeply engraved in their memory despite witnessing it so many years ago.
Each duo spends the day with one of the older people living in the retirement home, listening attentively to their story.
"I remember how my father told us to hide and not wait for him to return. That was the last time I saw my father. He was murdered outside our house."
"We were playing outside with the children in the neighborhood before we felt the ground shaking. It was mistakable as an earthquake."
"We never found the body of my uncle. Just what was left of him. A boot that was part of his uniform."
"My family suddenly only existed of women and kids; men were all part of the lost casualties."
The duo, Ayla and Jonghyun, took a walk with Ms. Oh, having their arms linked with her for extra support as they walked through the beautiful gardens of the retirement home.
"One of the most important things to never forget is that no matter what happens today, the world will continue. Your world and your life will continue. But it will hurt, and it may not make sense. It may never will. But you can't question everything that happens in your life. Learning to accept fate is one of the most important life skills", the elderly woman explained to both of them, Jonghyun translating the words to his girlfriend, who nodded in agreement. "맞아요!" (You're right).
"She has good manners and a beautiful face. Kindness is written over it. And she's learning our culture and language. What do younger people say these days? Ah. She's a real keeper. Turkish people are one of us; they are brothers and sisters. Don't break her heart, understood?"; Ms. Oh warned the younger visitor, Jonghyun, in Korean, her accent making it harder for Ayla to pick it up.
"I will keep her with me. For as long as she lets me, I intend to make it forever. I wouldn't dare to break her heart as my heart would break apart in the process", the younger guy replied.
After a long and heartfelt lunch in which the group exchanged more stories with today's visitors, stories everyone will carry with them in their hearts for a long time, they took pictures to solidify the memories in visuals as well. Agreeing to be pen pal friends from today on and to stay in touch with each other, our group had an emotional farewell with their new friends before returning to Seoul.
Jjonghyun story update:
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