Korean

A Sunday morning in the Kims' kitchen: Mrs. Park asks if Eli is here till spring, school is till February, from tomorrow Min-jun's room is Eli's, Monday to Friday school, Sunday the market, and from today Eli is a Mangwon man.

The bank by Mangwon market: Eli opens an account with Ji-yeong beside him, a residence card, a passport too, a phone number is needed too, no phone yet, then my number, please sign here, and here are the bankbook and the card.

A phone shop near Hongdae: welcome, what are you looking for, I want to buy a phone, this one is popular, I want a cheap one, a plan too, passport and bankbook please, I want to call right now, call me, what's your number.

Saturday in Eli's room and the new phone rings: it's me, Min-jun, my first call, what are you doing, I'm studying Korean, right now, it's Saturday, I'm eating fried chicken with a friend, I'm coming, and Ji-yeong says Min-jun is doing his homework.

The teachers' room at lunch: Ji-yeong asks at what time Eli gets up, six thirty, breakfast at seven with Mrs. Park, school at eight, class at nine, sleep at eleven, Korean from ten till eleven.

Monday morning in the teachers' room: Vice-principal Oh greets everyone formally, there is a festival this month, when is it, the last Friday, our class does an English song, Mr. Brooks, is that right, yes, do you sing too, yes, I sing too.

The music room after class: a student asks when they practise, on Monday and Wednesday, and on Friday, Friday doesn't work, then Thursday, Thursday is fine, the festival is on which day, the last Friday, three times a week.

The music room: can everyone do this song, it's too fast, we can't, then slowly, once more, can you play the guitar, yes, can you play slowly, of course, ready, can Ms. Kim dance, I can't dance, that's fine, once more.

The gym after the song: teacher, we did it, you sang really well, one boy forgot the words, I forgot too, but everyone laughed, Mr. Brooks, it was good, the students worked hard, did you practise a lot, three times a week, well done.

The dinner table on festival night: how was the festival, it was really fun, what was your class, an English song, were there many people, five hundred, were you nervous, yes, but it was fun, was there no video, there was, Ji-yeong filmed it.

Kimchi-making day at the Kims' flat, with Grandma up from Jeonju and forty heads of cabbage on the balcony: wash the cabbage, where, in the big tub, sprinkle the salt like this, how much, a lot, then wait, how long, till tonight, carry the tubs.

The kitchen on kimchi-making day, counting what there is: how many heads of cabbage, forty, how many of us, five people and eight heads each, how many heads of garlic, ten, Grandma, how many years have you made kimchi, seventy, me one day, come again next year, then two days.

The table after kimchi-making day, pork and fresh kimchi: taste it, Grandma you first, is it spicy, a little but delicious, eat a lot, are you tired, please rest, Grandma goes to bed early today, sleep well, eat more pork, yes thank you Father.

The door of the flat at seven on the first cold morning, Mr. Kim's taxi below: it's cold today, hat, is it very cold, winter has come, Minneapolis is minus thirty, then Seoul is warm, still cold, take a scarf, how's the weather tomorrow, cold again, get in, let's go together.

The clothes stall next to Mrs. Park's at Mangwon market: looking for a padded coat, yes a warm one, try this one on, it's warm, how much, eighty thousand won, do you have gloves, try these on, five thousand, put a hat on too, I don't wear hats, in winter everyone wears a hat.

The first snow, seen from the window at seven, then the yard with Min-jun and a neighbour with a shovel: wake up, snow, really, let's go out, it's seven o'clock, let's make a snowman, OK let's go, a lot of snow has come, really beautiful, let's clear it together, snowman after.

The kitchen, Ji-yeong with the weather on her phone: how many degrees today, minus seven, and yesterday, minus three, and tomorrow, minus twelve, Minneapolis now, minus twenty, then Seoul is fine.

Eli's room, Mrs. Park with a thermometer and Ji-yeong on the phone to the school: are you ill, my head hurts and my throat, do you have a fever, a little and I'm cold, thirty-eight point five, lie down, and school, I'll call the school, rest, thank you and sorry, drink this, ginger tea, hot.

The pharmacy on the corner, Eli on his own: where does it hurt, my throat and a cough, since when, since yesterday, a little fever, three times a day after meals, and for the throat, every four hours, how much altogether, nine thousand won, get well, thank you.

The living room on the first day Eli is up, Grandma and Mrs. Park on guard: don't go out today, I'm fine, don't lie, your voice, don't drink cold water, warm water is fine, Min-jun don't make noise, he isn't sleeping he's watching TV, don't tell, don't watch TV, sleep, yes Grandma.

The teachers' room on the last day of term, then Min-jun on the phone: the holidays start tomorrow, what will you do, I'll study Korean and travel, to Jeonju for New Year's, I'll sleep, tonight we'll watch a Korean film with subtitles.

The ticket office at Yongsan station, where Eli and Min-jun buy the family's tickets to Jeonju: five tickets please, from Seoul to Jeonju, the day before New Year's, the nine o'clock fast train, an hour and forty minutes, by train, by car, by card.

Grandma's old house in Jeonju as the family arrives: come in, was it cold, have you been to Jeonju before, it's my first time, have you tried the rice bowl, not yet, have you slept on a heated floor, never, tonight then, shoes off.

Grandma's kitchen on New Year's Eve, the soup for tomorrow: slice the rice cake and put it in the bowl, like this, thinner, and then, boil the broth and add the rice cake, who makes the broth, how many bowls, twelve, I'll slice and wash up.

The main room of Grandma's house on New Year's Day, the bows and the envelopes: happy New Year, you too, bow like this, knees then hands, perfect, stay healthy, New Year's money, I'm twenty-eight, at Grandma's everyone is a child, now the soup.

The New Year's table at Grandma's, the soup and the question of age: eat the soup, a bowl is a year, then today I'm twenty-nine, in Korea yes, Grandma how old are you, eighty-five, give me two bowls, Min-jun is twenty-four, Ji-yeong is thirty-two, don't say it, one more bowl please.

Jeonju's old-houses quarter, where Min-jun and Eli rent the traditional dress for photos: let's rent it, I can't wear that, everyone can, what size, large please, try it on, I can't tie the ribbon, I'll tie it, all done, let's take a photo, I can't smile, too cold.

A Sunday back in Seoul, the Han river with Ji-yeong and Min-jun: shall we go to the river, in this cold, shall we take the bus, let's walk, shall we eat instant noodles by the river, shall I buy coffee too, hot please, shall we sit here, the river is frozen, beautiful.

Vice-principal Oh's office on the first day back, a paper on the desk: please sit, the year ends in February, next year too the school needs you, the same pay, one more year, I will think about it, tell me by Friday, I will call my parents and answer.

The kitchen table with the whole family, and Eli's answer: and your parents, they're fine with it, and you, I'm staying one more year, the best, but I want to live in my own place, why, our house is fine too, I'm twenty-nine now, there are flats by the river, I know an agent, for one year Mangwon, then we'll see.