Fallen

Fragments of Dawn

"I think you can drop me off here, Mr. Hong."

Nodding, the heavy-set chauffeur slowly pulled the car to a complete halt on the poorly-defined gravel streets.

"Are you sure about this, Miss Yoon? This place doesn't look too safe...should I accompany you?"

Scanning her surroundings, the governor's daughter shook her head. "I will be fine. Thank you for the offer, I'll see you here in two hours."

With that, Seri got out of the car, walking slowly towards the residential area where restoration work clearly had a long way to go.

It was a part of Seoul which she had hardly visited, even during the pre-war days. She felt out of place— it was as if she was in a foreign land, with everyone but her relating to a shared reality.

Dwelling in the gaps between cracked sidewalks, damaged buildings and random stacks of bricks and chopped wood, was widespread poverty, illnesses, petty theft, gang violence, and homelessness.

But in this state of despair, hope and resilience shone through.

There were folks peddling trinkets and daily necessities on rickshaws, children playing, laughing by the sidewalk as men, young and old alike, rebuilt makeshift houses with zinc roof sheets or mended holes in building walls. Roadside carts selling street food dotted the dusty streets, and barber and letter-writing services were tucked away in the alleys.

A single stalk of dandelion stood proudly in the gaps of the cracked sidewalk, eliciting a wistful smile from the governor's daughter.