Memories of Wisteria Trail

Chapter 3

Point of View: Jinju

I'm back in South Korea after a year.

I was given an opportunity to come back to South Korea by my agency. After arriving at Incheon International Airport, I traveled to Gwangju on my own. Manager Song was shocked that I arrived five days earlier than he expected. I told him that I was going to visit Gwangju before going back to Seoul. He said a bunch of things before hanging up.

I'm on a bus traveling to Gwangju. A lot of things happened after a year. I was actively promoting in China, and now I'm in South Korea to start fresh. A year ago I was nobody; a year ago I was working behind the scenes on songs for different successful groups; a year ago I was in Gwangju saying goodbye to my normal and undisturbed life; and a year ago I met Kim Dal Hee, the man in Wisteria Trail.

A female student who was riding the same bus I was on approached me.

"Excuse me, are you Jinju? The Chinese singer of drama, my idol life?" The student asked.

"Yes." I smiled at her.

"Can I have an autograph and picture with you?"

"Sure, no problem." I signed and took a picture with her. After she left, I put on my mask, cap, and earphones, played Nabi Aeri songs in a shuffle, and then pretended to be sleeping.

This is what I signed up for a year ago. The piece of paper who took my privacy and freedom in an instant. The contract dictated what to do, where to go, who to be friends with, who to stay away from, how to act in front of the media and everyone, and kept me from any sort of relationship.

Do I regret it? Sometimes I regret it. Who would not want to walk normally in a street full of people without thinking of getting noticed and attracting attention? Who would not want to go out with their male friends without causing a scandal the next day?

Those are the things I have to give up for a piece of paper.

The paper that changed my life completely.

My friends asked me, Why did I sign up for it? Why live that life? Why would you give up your freedom? Do you want to become famous?

There were a lot of questions that even I could not answer, or because I wanted to prove that person wrong.

I arrived in Gwangju later that afternoon, checked into my hotel room, and then went straight to Wisteria Trail.

I was walking on the same trail a year ago, and a lot of changes were made to the trail. Before, there were a lot of vendors on one side; now you can only see them near the entrance of the trail, leaving the rest of the trail spacious.

But some things did not change. People who are dating are here to make a wish. A year ago, I made the same wish and hung it on the big tree. I want to know if it's still there. I walked towards the tree and saw loads and loads of wishes. Likewise, I chuckled. Never mind, I'll just leave it untouched.

I went to the booth to get the wishing kit set. As soon as I arrive at the booth, the old lady from a year ago is still the one giving out the kits.

"Hi, can I have one set of wishing kits?" The old lady looked at me.

"You came back." How the hell did she recognize me? "You were here last year at the same time with a man, and now you're alone?" She handed me the kit. "That man also came back a week ago. He actually wished again."

"He came back. Auntie, how come you recognized me with all this mask and cap on me?"

"Lady, only a few people who wished to return to this place returned, and how can I forget you after you cried a lot that day?" I was puzzled; a fraction of the moment when I came here was gone for a specific reason.