Living in South Korea During the Pandemic: A Very Jennie Day!
On my way home from a wonderfully inspiring coffee meeting with a new contact, I run into Jennie near the station. How is it that I know about ten people in this city, yet can’t make an outing without running into at least one? Certainly not complaining, though. She announced that the woman next to her was her mother. I don’t know about any cultural expectations in such a situation, so I opt for bubbly politeness and a dash of foreigner privilege to see me through.
That night was my first time hanging out with Jennie alone, but we stayed up until 2 am or so chatting away. Comparing cultures and school experiences, experiences in different countries, dreams, worries, etc. Her boyfriend, her family, how and where she would want to raise her child. How I was able to try many hobbies and instruments whilst growing up. How she enjoyed piano and played for one year but was told to stop as she is going to the academy to study and not to play. It made me want to get her a piano, but I’ll focus on just paying rent, for now, I suppose…
She gave me her business card, lamenting that she has 100s that will soon all be invalid. I saw previously that her Instagram profile picture was of Pengsoo, and noted from the business card that she works for EBS (Educational Broadcasting System, who run Giant Peng TV). I recount my first time visiting Seoul. I didn’t know I’d be going until just before and didn’t know a lick of Korean. So, when faced with a gigantic anthropomorphized penguin with soul-piercing eyes and abrasive tone that everyone delighted in, I felt beautifully bewildered. She says that even though she works for EBS she has never gotten to see Pengsoo, and I feel the same guilt/call to impractical action that I did after the piano story. If this keeps up, Jennie’s next birthday is going to be wild. Here’s a quote I enjoy from a Time article explaining Pengsoo, for those who don’t already know.
“The 7-foot mascot was originally created by South Korea’s Education Broadcasting System (or EBS) as a children’s character, but found a large and enthusiastic fanbase among millennials, who appeared to strongly identify with Pengsoo’s seemingly apathetic approach to life and blunt-to-the-point-of-being-rude responses.”
// She just handed me a tangerine as I write this before she heads off to try and sign a contract for a new apartment. I did that thing kids do even when they have nothing to hide where you panic-open a Google tab, as though you just sit and stare at it… Sadly, she leaves our little Hapjeong Haven within a month to get her own place, but she will stay in the area. We have begun making plans together outside of here, mostly to visit different markets and such, so I can feel purely happy for her instead of feeling loss! //
Towards the end of the night, she gets a book from her room. It’s a copy of Gossip Girl, and she tells me she bought it 12 years ago and has never read it. She starts to read it out loud, and I explain some of the words, phrases, and references as she does so. She says that she feels that, with my help, she can finally read this book. She tells me that she could read it out loud faster but that she wouldn’t actually understand what’s happening if she did. I laugh and tell her that it’s the same for me. It’s going swimmingly until she asks me what ‘museum mile’ is.
“Oh, okay, so in New York City, there’s… a mile…”
I end my sentence laughing behind my hands, realising what I’ve just done but committing anyway, “…of museums.”
Whilst I’m laughing, she performs a little skit by herself to mock me. “Oh, okay. Hey, Jennie!” she says as she grabs a packet of chocolate churro flavoured snacks on the table. “What is 꼬북칩? Oh, well it’s 꼬북…칩! Oh, okay!”
Eventually, we conclude it would be best to call it a night. After cleaning up after ourselves (and cleaning ourselves), we pause outside of our respective bedroom doors. “Night-good”, she sings to me with a wave. I shoot a puzzled look.
“I say ‘night-good’ because I think it is boring to say ‘goodnight’ every single day.”
“Hmm, but I just say other things, too!”
“Like what?”
“Sleep well!”
“Boring.”
“…see you tomorrow!”
“Boring.”
“…Well, won’t night-good get boring, too?”
“Hmm…”
“굿밤!” I say (굿 = good from English and 밤 = bam meaning night).
“Well-sleep!”
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