by K T Durham
Jong-Min went to the fridge. “Do you want some barley tea? It’s very nice even when you drink it cold.” So she let him pour her some cold barley tea into a green mug, and she sipped it and beamed. Whatever barley tea was, it sure was as refreshing as chamomile!
Then came time to eat. She tried the kimchi, and the first bite made her cough. But it left a warm, tingling sensation in her mouth that wasn’t unpleasant, so she tried it again. It was pleasantly sour and spicy at the same time, unlike any other vegetable dish she had tried before. She chewed, liking it more with every bite. She tried the other dishes, avoiding the sardines and anchovies. The caramelized potatoes and spinach seasoned in sesame oil were delicious. Jong-Min ate up everything else, including the grilled spicy cuttlefish, which Elly politely turned down. The dduk were small and ball-shaped sweet dumplings that came in different colours. Elly tried the pink one with red bean paste filling, and she beamed. This dduk was unlike anything she had tried in London, but it was delectable!
When Jong-Min wasn’t looking, she snuck bits of the spongy bread into her coat pocket. Marlow gobbled them up instantly. She didn’t want to have to explain to Jong-Min why there was a hamster in her pocket, so she kept Marlow tucked inside.
At Jong-Min’s insistence, they watched something called a variety show on TV, which Elly found amusing and confounding. He kept up a constant stream of chatter, talking more at Elly than with her, for she had no idea what was happening on that variety show. Then a familiar song came on. “Oh, it’s him again!” Jong-Min exclaimed, laughing.
Elly looked at the screen and almost choked on her tea. It was that horse-dancing man with the sunglasses! She whipped out the CD from her pocket, and Jong-Min gasped and grabbed it from her, clearly forgetting his manners. “You like him, too?” he cried, impressed. “His song is so popular! Everyone in my class can do his horse dance!” Then he jumped up and imitated the man’s moves, making her laugh. She had this strange horse-dancing man to thank; unbeknownst to him, he had helped teleport her to Seoul, after all.
After the song ended, Elly noticed Jong-Min yawning and looking bleary-eyed. “Time to sleep, eh?” she said gently, patting the mattress.
But he quickly jumped up. “I need to brush my teeth. Grandma says if you don’t clean your teeth every night, tiny worms will start boring holes into them. Those worms like dirty teeth. You have a toothbrush, don’t you?”
Elly raised her eyebrows. Elves drank a goblet of spring water before going to bed at night, and that was sufficient for cleaning their teeth, for elves had markedly resilient teeth. But to blend in, she better do what Jong-Min expected her to do as an ordinary, hygienic human. He pulled her to the tiny bathroom and handed her a red toothbrush. “Don’t worry, it’s brand new. Grandma bought it for me, but I don’t like red. I’ll just use my old blue one until she gets another one for me,” he said airily, proudly displaying his toothbrush with Optimus Prime at the tip of the handle. After they had cleaned their teeth (Elly deftly imitated him), Jong-Min changed into his fading Transformer pyjamas and lumbered back to the living room.
“You’ve got your own pyjamas, right?” he asked sleepily, tucking himself under the thick blue blanket. The light had been switched off, and the only light flooding in was from the moon. “Good night, Elly,” he mumbled into his blanket. “See you in the morning.”
She smiled. “Good night, Jong-Min. Sweet dreams.” Jong-Min’s gentle snores started up shortly, and for a long while she sat next to him and thought about her day.
How strange things had transpired. Only hours ago, she had been wandering around in the biting cold and frightened away by a drunkard. Now, she was warm and full inside this tiny house with a boy who had been seeing her in his dreams for the past two months, and his sick grandmother who needed her help.
To keep up the human masquerade, from her Royan she retrieved a pair of human-like pyjamas that Mama had prepared for occasions such as this, changed into them, and snuggled up under the covers of her mattress. She threw the covers over her head and took out Nebulane. The dot was still glowing silver, and above it floated the tiny words: Residence of Park Ga Yin, Seoul, South Korea.
Why did the Guardian lead her to this place? Where was she headed next? For a long while she twisted and turned, her head teeming with questions. The futon-mattress was surprisingly comfortable, and the floor was deliciously warm underneath her. Soon her eyelids began to feel heavy, and before she knew it she had fallen asleep, dreaming of that strange horse-dancing man with the red bow tie and sunglasses.
Elly awoke to much clattering in the kitchen that was only a few feet away from where she was sleeping. It was barely sunrise, yet Grandma was already preparing the dduk she would sell that morning.
“Merry Christmas, aga!” Grandma said cheerfully to Elly. The old woman was a marked contrast to the frail self she had been the previous night. Her greying hair was tied up into a neat bun, her eyes bright, and she was kneading dough on the tiny counter.
Elly squinted at her, bleary-eyed, curly hair sticking up every which way. “Merry Christmas,” she croaked, yawning and stretching. She wasn’t used to sleeping on anything other than her hammock back home, and her back felt stiff. Next to her, Jong-Min didn’t even stir as he snored, blankets askew.
In the clear light of day, the smallness of Grandma’s house was even more pronounced. This tiny place was barely one-fifth the size of the Cobble house in London. But Elly liked it here. This place felt safe and warm and oddly reminded her of home in Alendria.
Grandma chuckled as she noticed Elly gazing around the house. “I suppose you’re accustomed to spacious houses where you come from,” she observed mildly, kneading away. Elly blushed and shook her head. “Actually, I like your home very much. It’s small, but it’s so tidy and comfortable, and I can see that Jong-Min would be happy here. I love that the floors are heated!” she said earnestly.
Grandma beamed. “Is that right? Well, I suppose not everybody knows how to keep a clean house,” she said proudly. “I always tell my Jong-Min this: even if you’re poor, always take pride in your appearance and your personal hygiene. One must put their best foot forward, rich or poor.” Then she clucked her tongue. “Christmas is very special to us. I went to the Christmas Eve service last night, before I went to see Jong-Min. I ought to have taken that boy to church more,” she lamented. “He would’ve made some nice friends there.”
“Church?” queried Elly. Grandma glanced at her as she started rolling the dough into small balls. “Yes, dear. We are Christians. Many in this neighbourhood are. Would you like to come with us to church on Sunday?”
Elly smiled. It would certainly be an experience. She noted that the Cobbles did not attend church while she stayed with them, but she wondered if they attended church for Christmas. She had read up on Christianity, one of the major faiths in the human realm, and found it fascinating. “I would love to go to church with you,” she said enthusiastically, thinking it would be interesting to listen to something called a sermon.
Grandma beamed. “Wonderful! We’ll be most happy to have you.” Then she looked over at her sleeping grandson and frowned. “Jong-Min!” she yelled, startling Elly. The boy’s eyes snapped open. He sat up and stretched, accustomed to being yelled at in the morning.
“Go and get yourself ready, my boy!” Grandma bellowed. “Take a bath and get dressed. I’ve laid out your clean clothes on my mattress.”
He yawned and rubbed his squinty eyes. “OK,” he mumbled. At the sight of Elly, a wide smile spread across his face. “Oh, it wasn’t a dream, after all! You’re real!” he said happily, jumping up. Elly laughed. Jong-Min scratched his head thoughtfully. “I didn’t dream of you last night. That was the first time in two months!” He grinned. “See, I told you so! It’s truly all so magical. Once I met you, the dreams stopped!”
Grandma tutted. “Stop talking nonsense and go get ready right now,” she said
brusquely. “Remember to scrub yourself thoroughly. From the looks of things, you haven’t had a decent wash in a couple of days.” Jong-Min shrugged and trundled off to the bathroom, where he promptly started running the tiny bath.
The old woman raised her eyebrows at Elly. “Well, don’t just sit there staring. Go wash up and then come help me with the mixing, child.” Elly obeyed. After she had changed into that day’s outfit and spent an appropriate length of time in the bathroom, she went over to the counter.
“We are making dduk,” Grandma said, then proceeded to spend the next ten minutes explaining what Elly needed to do.
As Elly started mixing the ingredients in a metal bowl, the old woman regarded her curiously. In the sunlight, she noticed how the girl’s remarkable green eyes glittered, and her luscious black hair was even darker than her grandson’s. “You are a very strange child, indeed,” she said in a low voice, kneading away. “There is something odd about you that I can’t quite place my finger on. If there are such things as guardian angels, then I suppose you could be one.” She laughed, and Elly smiled. “Actually, I do believe in angels. Just never thought they might come in the form of wild-haired, green-eyed girls.”
Elly grinned. “I suppose you assumed I could not speak your language.”
Grandma chuckled. “How come you are able to speak Korean so well?”
“My family is multilingual. We speak many languages. Learning different languages just comes naturally to us.” That was close enough to the truth.
The old woman nodded. “What a remarkable gift. I am mighty glad you can speak Korean, otherwise we would’ve been of little use to each other,” she conceded. “You are from London, yes?” When Elly nodded, she smiled. “I’ve always wanted to travel. It may be too late for me but not for my Jong-Min. He has a whole life to look forward to. I’ll make sure of that,” she said determinedly. Then she lowered her voice. “I don’t know how long you can stay with us. But I need your help. I can’t go around by myself so well these days, and I certainly don’t want to ask my turn-coat son for anything.” She shook her head sadly.
Elly nodded and smiled encouragingly. “Tell me what you want me to do, Grandma. I will try my best to help.” She had a feeling that the Guardian wanted her to help them, but as for the reason, she had absolutely no inkling.
The old woman smiled. “Thank you. It lifts a weight off my shoulders.” They worked in silence for a long while. Jong-Min clattered about in the bathroom, singing the horse-dancing song hopelessly off-key.
Finally, Grandma spoke up in a very soft voice. “I am sick, child. Cancer. The doctor says I only have a few months.” She wiped at her eyes. “My poor Jong-Min,” she murmured.
Elly’s heart ached. “I’m so sorry,” she murmured, not knowing what else to say. The old woman’s lower lip trembled, but she would not allow herself to break down in tears, as Jong-Min would come running out of the bathroom any minute.
Elly continued kneading the dough, deep in thought. Cancer. Such an ominous thing was unheard of in Alendria. Elves were not afflicted with such terrible physical ailments. She remembered reading about the many diseases that could affect a human, including a huge variety of cancers that afflicted different parts of the body, which could then lead to premature death. Such was the tragedy of humans, to live short lives and be possibly affected by a myriad of bodily ailments, especially with advancing age …
Grandma cleared her throat. “I need your help to keep an eye on Jong-Min while I take care of some matters in the next few days,” she said, giving Elly a sidelong glance. “I hope that is OK. You should be old enough to babysit, right?”
Elly smiled. “So you’re sure I’m not a thief now?” she teased, and Grandma chuckled. Then Jong-Min came bounding into the living room beaming and his hair dripping wet. Elly and Grandma smiled at him, working in tandem side by side.
Jong-Min could not stop grinning foolishly as he got dressed. Oh, how wonderful it was to start off the day with Grandma and his new friend! No school, no yelling from Father, no sour looks from her. If there was a heaven, this would be it, he thought happily.
By seven forty, they had packed the eight-dozen different-coloured dduk in eight plastic containers, ready to be sold. After loading the containers and a small plastic stool onto a rickety wheelie cart that was parked just outside the house on the patchy lawn, they set off together, pushing the cart on the sidewalk towards the nearest train station. The white paint on the cart was peeling off. Elly noticed a large faded pink sign at the top with the word “Desire” in English. She raised her eyebrows and pointed. “Desire?” she asked, smiling.
Grandma shrugged. “Oh, I bought this old cart for next to nothing from a lady who didn’t want it anymore. I’m not even sure what that sign says! She just said it’s a good name. Maybe it’s her name or the name of her shop?” To Elly’s right, Jong-Min kept up a constant stream of chatter about all sorts of inconsequential things, including last night’s variety show, making them all laugh.
They parked the cart near a vending machine just outside the Dongdaemun train station. The sun was shining cheerfully in the otherwise freezing cold. The occasional icy drafts that came billowing down the street prompted the three of them to huddle into each other. A steady stream of pedestrians walked by, hunched over in the cold as they headed to work, some to school, others running errands. Some slowed their steps to stare at Elly, curious to see an exotic-looking foreign child selling dduk on the streets with two Koreans, one young, one old. Their inquisitive stares would prompt Grandma to smile radiantly and offer them samples of dduk on a plate. “Good sir, sweeten up your day with this delicious dduk! Good madam, have some of this nourishing, home-made dduk to make your skin even prettier!”
Elly was impressed by how charming Grandma was. Surely, only the most callous person could turn her down. For each customer, Elly put the dduk into small plastic bags while Grandma handled the money and Jong-Min bowed and thanked them for their patronage. The customers walked away with a smile and promised to return the next day.
They were all sold out by ten thirty, which was just as well, because Jong-Min had started complaining. “I’m starving, and my feet are sore!” he whined.
Grandma slapped his head playfully and then rubbed her gloved hands together. “Business hasn’t been this good in a long while!” she said happily. “It really helps to have two young ones with me!”
As Elly and Jong-Min loaded the empty containers back onto the cart, Grandma carefully counted the notes and coins. “Not too bad at all,” she conceded with a cluck of her tongue, slipping the money into her black fanny bag. Then she stood up from the stool and stretched. “Let’s have some kimchi jjigae and kimbap, what do you say?” she said to her grandson tenderly, who nodded with a huge grin and took her wrinkled hand. She looked at Elly, who winked.
“I’m fine with anything as long as there’s something vegetarian for me.”
Jong-Min made a face. “You don’t eat any meat at all?”
Elly laughed. “No, I don’t. Where I come from, people treat animals like family, so we don’t … feed on them. We eat what nature otherwise provides.” She smiled. “It’s a matter of habit, you know. For us vegetarians, we find much that is delicious to eat.”
Jong-Min shook his head, incredulous. “I can’t imagine not eating meat. Life would be so boring without chicken, beef, spicy cuttlefish …” His stomach rumbled loudly, and they laughed.
As they walked home together, with Jong-Min leading the way, Grandma looked at Elly thoughtfully. “You know, we Koreans are a hardy bunch. You may not see it so much in this part of Seoul, but our country has prospered much in the past few decades. You really ought to go into the city and take a look around. Have you learned much about our history?”
Elly shook her head sheepishly. “I haven’t had the time or the opportunity to explore much of this city since I got here.”
/> “Well, you ought to,” Grandma declared indignantly. “We shall drop by the local library on the way. I like to take Jong-Min there when I can. A child needs to read more books. I shall ask the librarian to find you some nice books showcasing Korea’s proud history.” Then she winced. Elly saw that she was looking pale and tired. It was time to take her medication.
Grandma let them push the cart while she walked slowly behind them, murmuring softly to herself. “If the odds had been different and I had been given the opportunity to get a proper education, I might have become a chief librarian, not selling dduk on the streets. Then life for Jong-Min might have turned out differently.” Elly did not turn around or utter a sound, for Grandma hadn’t meant for anybody to overhear those words of deep regret.
CHAPTER TEN
An Orphan Who Has a Father
For the next five days, there were no other leads from the Guardian. The silver dot on Nebulane blinked up at her apologetically.
Over those five days, Elly rose before sunrise and helped Grandma prepare the dduk to be sold. She was able to work three times as fast as a human could, so she had already made ten-dozen dduk by the time Grandma stumbled into the kitchen at six o’clock one overcast morning, having emerged from a restless sleep. The old woman’s jowls dropped when she laid eyes on the kitchen counter.
“Oh, my goodness!” she cried, gaping at a grinning Elly, who was wearing an old apron and covered in white flour. Tentatively, the old woman picked up one perfectly rounded yellow-bean dumpling and took a bite. Her eyes grew round. Then she took another dumpling and plopped it into her mouth, chewing slowly to savour the taste. She stared at Elly in awe, who looked back innocently.
