Stare

By SOOKKYUNG CHO

I noticed him, that's all. He was in front of a Korean restaurant when I passed by it, and he saw me. And that was it. I never knew there was a Korean restaurant in the area. I was alone, walking down the street, looking for somewhere to eat. I had to get back to the library soon and study, it was getting dark. I wanted a sandwich, something quick, but I don't see delis anymore. I should pay more attention, my mind was drifting. It's so different up here. It's so calm. Maybe I was shocked that the ceiling of the library was so high. The numberless books surrounding me might have made me dizzy. I realized that I had been walking for at least 15 minutes and it was already the third or fourth block that I was about to cross. I began to feel restless. I don't have much time. I should go back soon. Then, the image of the Korean restaurant that I just passed by recurred to me. And the man in the front. Now I thought about it, he looked at me as if he knew me. Is it merely that he recognized I was Korean? I turned around and walked back. The idea of eating alone in a Korean restaurant did not please me, but I knew my tongue had been craving for Korean food since I noticed that restaurant. Whatever. I'll just eat there. As I got nearer to the restaurant, I saw the same man in the same place with the same eyes. He stared at me, even from a distance, as if casting a spell. I made a left turn. He must have known that I was going to come back, for he smiled at me with his greeting eyes the split second before I made a turn. "Eo-see-o-se-yo" (Welcome), he opened the door for me, and I stepped in.

Sookkyung Cho is a third-year piano student.