The heart is a loney hunter

 It's before four in the morning. I guess the kimbap I ate last night have an upset stomach. I'll go out for a walk to the park if it's bright, but it's dark. For me, walking is not only a panacea but also gives me joy and comfort in chaos. But what if I go to the park too early and meet the masked robber? 

 I stood by the window holding a cup of coffee. All six windows of an apartment building across the street are bright. The lights are always on even though there are no signs of human life day and night. Maybe the resident forgot and took refuge in a country house to avoid Covid19? Still, haven't come back this long! I am very curious. 

 Even on the same floor where I live, people who left in mid-March didn't return until September. However, the couple living in the unit on the right still has not returned. They may had come to take some thick clothes and she put a bag of apples that she picked from a field at the my door and said, “I will come again. 

"Take care of yourself." 

she left a note saying, and left again. 

 As soon as the day dawned, I hurried to the park. Commonly seen on the Namsan promenade in Seoul an Asian woman in her clothes walks in front of me. She was heavily armed with a mask, gloves and hat. She was walking diligently with a Korean woman's peculiar gait and she takes a closer look at the flowers blooming along the promenade. 

'Why is my sister over there?' 

I approached without knowing. At the sound of the approaching, she hurried to step away as if avoiding. Oh, no! 

 Forty years have passed since I left Korea, but sometimes I am mistaken for being in a landscape of Seoul. Suddenly, calm sadness came. I guess I saw phantom thing as I continued living in isolation as if I was trapped on a remote island without human contact due to the excuse of a coronavirus. Yellow leaves are falling down like they welcome me. I looked up at the thick forest. As if the lights are on, the park is bright. I pick up a leaf lying on the floor to put in a bookmark I borrowed from a friend. Trees, rivers, squirrels, and pigeons remain the same as they used to be. If nature is healthy, a good day will soon come. 

 Many people are going through a hard time this year. It may seem as if the world is at its end, but the world keeps spinning and good days come. If we persevere with hope, one day we will celebrate that the world is not over. I see the high ground over there. 

 Being alive is good luck and the ability to persevere is a gift.