TWO WORLDS || Hansol Vernon Chwe

One

       Does anyone remember the first day of elementary school? Walking in and not knowing anyone, shrieks coming from fellow classmates all around you, parents holding in sobs as they're watch their kids descend from their arms and into their seats. The part that I remembered the most was the fear. The pure ascending fear that something terrible was going to happen to me while my mom was away, while my savior was off at work nowhere near enough to be able to protect me from the harms of the world. That's how I felt the day I stepped foot on the Seoul ground after the dreadful 18 hour flight and excruciating 3 hour drive to my apartment. I didn't mind flying, I wasn't afraid of heights, but being stuck with screaming babies and smelly elderly couples for almost a whole day wasn't exactly on my bucket list. Plus my driver spoke absolutely no English and my Korean was as good as a baby's ability to speak.

      I was immediately struck with the smell of gasoline and fried food. I was in a commercial area and my apartment building was one of the best looking ones around, one of the perks of having rich god parents. I liked the city and even though in not the most social person in the world, I dreaded having to go to a suburban neighborhood where I knew for sure I would not interact with my neighbors and I would surely die alone.

I liked the cozy feeling I got when I walked into my new home. The penthouse was the last floor but the building wasn't exactly tall so it made me feel more grounded and connected to the people, which was something I had to do if I wanted to excel at my job. Thanks to great recommendations I got an internship at an art school where I wouldn't exactly be drawing but more publishing. I also received full access to my own dance studio. A well known location for popular hip hop dancers, the opposite of the genre I practiced.

I was a ballerina. It fit more with my body structure and it was something I always excelled at. Of course I did contemporary and a fair share of hip hop but not enough of it to be judged on. I only did hip hop on the down low and ballet was something I was told by many I was great at. I didn't do competition or even shows, I mostly taught it and did recreationally.

The woman working at the front desk was to my surprise Native American. She happily offered to help me get accustomed to the South Korean life style and even suggested us hanging out. I greedily accepted, my heart warming with the thought of not being completely alone in a foreign country. I told her what floor I was on and she told me she'd stop by whenever she was free.

The pent house was fully furnished perfectly accorded to my style thanks to my god parents. They bought me everything I needed, and more, had it shipped, built and set in their appropriate locations. I worried they would set everything in weird places but surprisingly everything was set perfectly and easily accessible. All of the furniture was full mahogany and the kitchen had dark marble counters. The space was large for me but with four more people would most likely be a little crowded. There was two extra bedrooms, three full bathrooms, a large open kitchen with accessible view into the living room that overlooked the city. My bedroom had a large window that I almost threw myself through when I first spotted it. The only difference between my room and the others was the lack of furniture. I only had a queen bed with no support just resting on the ground and a beautiful black velvet love seat. The closet was large and perfect for all my belongings leaving my room empty of any excess items.

All of my personal decorations that I had shipped were nearly placed in boxes and I immediately proceeded to place everything in the correct place. It was mostly old vases, a few works of art I bought and was gifted, my special pillows and sheets, and my dance and art supplies. Everything was set and I felt at home away from home. Even though I had some of my old things decorating the space I still felt like a little kid in Narnia. Everything felt new and I found myself staring at paintings I'd examined hundreds of times before.