Chapter Text
I moved into the cottage on a warm summer evening. The landlord had given me the keys when I stopped by his office, smiling as he dropped them in my hand. I made my way to my new home slowly, taking in the beautiful views between the town and the forest where I had decided to live the remainder of my days.
After my husband died, I decided to take my life into my own hands. I had learned to sculpt at 62 and was trying (and failing) to learn Italian under the guise of some future trip that, I knew, was unlikely to ever happen. But as my years went on, I realized that my life could never again be fulfilling in the house where I had primarily been a wife and mother for so many years. So I decided to move.
The kids, they didn’t care. My oldest moved away as soon as she could – university in Seoul followed by stays in various foreign countries for work. The younger, a rascal, had eventually found a place for himself as a driving instructor. Both were happy in their lives and, frankly, relieved to stop making trips back to their childhood village.
So now it’s me and this cottage. I was told that it once belonged to a fancy estate to which the castle down the road still belonged, but the place was sold off several years ago. The realtor implied that the estate’s split was controversial and a local legend, but I wasn’t very interested. In the end, the house was small and clean, perfect for my purposes.
I’ve decided to write my memoirs here. The forest seems calm, and the realtor told me that the eccentric owner of the castle, although currently in residence, is seldom at home.
But then, two days after I moved in, there was a knock on my door. I opened it with equal parts wariness and excitement – I had chosen the cottage, after all, for its secluded location. Who could possibly be visiting me? Perhaps someone with car problems or a lost tourist.
I was surprised, then, to open the door to two young men. One was smiling and holding a cake, the other was smiling and looking at the ground.
“Hello! You’re our new neighbor,” announced the man who was looking down.
“Hello,” I replied.
“Moon Young thinks you’re here illegally. Illegally. She said she would never visit you and that you’re intruding -”
“Sang Tae!” broke in the second man. “I’m sorry, my brother is a little too truthful at times.”
I nodded in confusion. Were these people here to insult me?
“I’m Moon Gang Tae and this is my brother, Sang Tae. We live in the house down the street.”
“A castle. You should say we live in a castle, Gang Tae. She’ll never know what you’re talking about if you don’t tell the truth.”
“Yes, as I was saying, we live in the castle. My wife -”
“Moon Young, you should use her name.”
“Yes, my wife, Moon Young, knows that you’re living here perfectly legally and is just a bit stubborn at times.”
“Always. She’s a real fighter too!” added Sang Tae.
By this point, I was quite confused.
“And why are you here?” I said, hoping to bring the conversation back to some sort of sense.
“To welcome you!” said Sang Tae. “We bought you a cake!”
“Yes, we wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood. It’s not really a neighborhood, is it?” said Gang Tae.
I shook my head.
“But neighbors have to look out for each other. You have to be a good neighbor,” said Sang Tae.
“You’re right,” I responded. “I’ll do my best, although I’m not sure how much looking out I can do.”
“Of course,” responded Gang Tae. “We really just wanted to introduce ourselves and say we’re not far away if you ever need anything.”
I finally smiled. “Thank you.”
“And please, take this cake.”
I accepted the cake and thanked the men again before they said their good-byes and walked away. I could hear them bickering as they left.
“Gang Tae, why couldn’t I tell her that Moon Young thinks she’s destroying the mystique of the neighborhood with her proletarian lifestyle?”
“Sang Tae, where did you even hear that? Don’t let Moon Young teach you new words, sometimes she tells you things that no one really says.”
“She says my vocabulary has improved tremendously over the past three years. Tremendously!”
I snickered as I closed the door, thinking I hadn’t seen the last of them.