TO: go.dahee
SUBJECT: i hope

dahee,

do you remember the moment when we first met? i know its something i'll never forget. how could i when you were wearing those faded blue jeans that stuck to your body like a second skin and an oversized black sweater that seemed to hide all your insecurities?

that unruly black hair of yours had been raked into one of the messiest buns i'd ever seen, but you still looked so cute with your round nose stuck in a book as you sat down on a bench, somehow still keeping an eye on the three children you were babysitting.

but you never were that good at multitasking, because you hadn't noticed me heading in their direction. thinking about it now, i realize how creepy that might have looked, me kneeling down in the dirt beside them. i didn't mean to scare you but someone had to show them that they were digging into the ground wrong as they created their own makeshift farm for their toys to play in.

it was when they giggled at me that your eyes had diverted from your book to the children, widening a fraction as you saw a strange man playing with them.

i had never been hit so hard by a woman until that day. if i think about it long enough, i can faintly feel the bruises that you had left on my torso even though they're long gone now.

i guess i'm only thinking of it now because this new year i know i'll never be a part of your life like how i once was before, and even though you're half way around the world, i hope this year marks many great things for you.

just please don't forget about me as you continue on your journey in america. please don't forget that seoul is a part of who you are, and although i know i ruined this place for you, i hope you'll never forget the things you've learned here and the people who have shaped your life.

but most of all, i hope that you're happy.

happy new year, dahee.

tae

sent
january 1
00:06