Where the River Bends

Eun-seo watched Min-jun work at the pottery wheel, fascinated by the way his fingers moved across the clay. There was a strange contradiction in his…

When Min-jun handed the teacup to Eun-seo, her fingers shrank back from its warmth as if in surrender. The cup wasn’t hot—it was gently warm, like…

The pottery studio was far quieter than Eun-seo had imagined. Or perhaps not quiet—the acoustics were strange. Outside sounds seemed completely sealed…

Eun-seo walked along the riverbank path, feeling the spring sun fill the afternoon sky. Seoul’s tension still clung to her somehow. The river wind was…

Eun-seo returned from the five-day market and had lunch with her grandmother. The smell of soybean paste stew, rolled egg, and seasoned vegetables filled…

Eun-seo headed to the five-day market with her grandmother. It was the day the market opened—a gathering that came around every five…

Eun-seo’s eyes were open in the darkness. She lay in bed, but her body trembled. Like a bird unable to adjust to a new time zone. It had been the same in…

Rice cooled in her mouth as Eunseo watched her grandmother’s hands. The fingers that lifted and set down the spoon were slightly bent, marked by…

The gate to Grandmother’s house was made of wood. Faded brown wood, its surface bearing the unmistakable marks of decades spent beneath the sun and…

The bus wound along the Seomjin River in lazy curves. Eun-seo watched the landscape slip past the window, feeling Seoul recede with each passing…