The Changing Tune

Chapter 2

Living in Seoul was really convenient for many reasons. Everything moved in a fast pace here; people walking on the street, your internet connection, your online delivery, access to information, health service and basically anything. It was a city of dream for many people, broad and variety of opportunities and chances if you compared it to the countryside. Also, it was pretty safe. You don't have to worry about petty thief even if you wandered the street late at night.

However, living in Seoul also meant high living expense. It was hard to start your business and landed a good spot unless you have a load of money. With the amount of money you used to rent a small flat in Seoul, you could afford bigger and better apartment on the outskirt of the city. That was why Chaewon chose to live rather far and spent more time commuting to save on the living expense.

Her flower shop was located in Myeongdong, one of the busiest streets in Seoul with many businesses lining up. She was able to find a good flat with a low price in Hapjeong, but it took her about forty to fifty minutes by train or bus to go around everyday. It was tiring at first but she got used to it in no time.

"Actually, you don't have to do this. I'm being serious. Just drop me by the next bus stop or subway station," she told him. It would take him two hours to go back forth and it was getting late.

"It's okay, I love driving anyway, but it's hard to enjoy it with Seoul traffic in daytime. So I often drive around in the night."

She wanted to protest again but it didn't feel polite, so she swallowed it away.

"Why did you go to Busan?"

They hadn't been far and he seemed to be determined to talk through the ride. Strangely, it didn't make her uncomfortable at all.

"Visiting my parent," her answer came out softly.

"You're originally from Busan? Really?"

He was giving a shot to mimic the famous dialect, which was a fail in her ears. Still, she smiled benignly, though it was almost the hundredth times people did it to her.

"I don't understand why people do it all the time," she said, her eyes focusing on the street ahead of them, "when I tell them I'm from Busan, they always try to speak in dialect."

He chuckled.

"Maybe because it's fascinating, and people say it sounds cool if a guy use it."

"Yeah, maybe. Weird."

He turned to the right by the intersection and they were in Seosomun-dong, still a long way to go.

"Your Seoul dialect sounds flawless though, did you practice it?" he asked.

"No, I don't know, it just came out naturally. Maybe because I lived in Mapo for a long time when I was a kid, so my Busan dialect was never apparent in the first place."

"Your life experiences seem really diverse. Born in Mapo, moving to Busan and now living in Seoul. I've been living in Seoul for my entire life, born here, went to school here, working here."

"Should I be happy or should I be sorry for that?" she retorted jokingly.

He cracked laughing. She was funny in a strange and serious way, he thought.

The ride continued as they talked. It was weird how the questions they gave each other seemed endless when they didn't even really talk that morning. She found out he was in Busan for a business trip after giving him the question. He worked in an advertising business, he told her further away, and there was a filming on one of the beach.

She let him know it was her fourth years into the business but she had been in Seoul for almost eight years.

"I left home right after high school."