오후5시에 / At 5pm
(No, this is not going to be written in Korean... I wish I could!)Sometimes things happen because we plan for them. Some other times, things happen even though we don't plan for them. Planned or not, expected or not, predicted or not, things always happen for a reason.
어느 날 오후5시에 (one day, at 5pm), an unplanned event occurred, very simple and futile, yet it generated a series of events that changed lived. "Two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl" decided to jump out of it, into the bigger ocean, come what may. Side to side they swam down a stream and reached that destination they had in mind from the start. A harbor for relaxation, a place for seclusion, a spot so close yet so far from what they escaped from. And so they rested.
It's been a while since they last met in such circumstances and they had some catching up to do.
The old mixed with the new, the good displayed after the bad, a little bit of this, a little bit of that... all constantly spiced up with a handful of humor and sarcasm. Yes, you got it... It was the typical magical recipe for temporary happiness, and that was good enough.
오후5시 (5 pm) turned tables. Liquids kept flowing one sip after the other and solids kept filling one space at a time. And the talks! Punctuated by a nod, interrupted by a drink, accentuated by a laugh, the conversation followed the rhythm of the clock, and they lost track of time.
오후5시 happened for a reason, and the reason were feelings. As the days went by, the two lost souls adventured deeper and deeper in the ocean, going down a new path each time. It was exciting, it was different and it was fun, until all the ways converged to one particular place: obscurity. And for a second, the tables turned again, back to initial position.
No, don't feel sad! All the ways might have led them to darkness, the two lost souls were full of light, deep inside. They just forgot about it and they needed to be reminded of it. Plus, nothing can be bright forever! Just like the cycle of sun, everything needs to be dark before shining bright again. In a joint effort of the mind, they focused and little by little brought back light into dusk.
The 오후5시 experience didn't last long but it was heavy in emotions. No matter what happens next, a small lesson was learnt and eyes were opened... To an uglier present maybe, but that was the only way towards a brighter future, and they both knew it.
My 오후5시 experience tied my heart to another and taught me that no matter how dark it gets, there will always be light. The memory is happy, and I was asked to share it.
From now on, no matter where you are, no matter who you are, no matter what you are doing, always remember that it would always be 5 pm somewhere. In honor of that, raise a glass... wait, don't... never mind!
In honor of that, even for a very short moment, stop what you are doing, think about something happy and smile to yourself, turn tables. You might worry you would look like an idiot. Well maybe, but only to those who don't understand, and who cares what they think anyways.
Make that brief moment of swift happiness the reason for 5 pm to happen.
매일 오후 5시에 좋은 일만 생긴다.
