Seon Ho Song
A Korean War Veteran’s First Love
Background: This story is about a Korean War veteran who I met when I ran a store about 10 years ago. A long time has passed but his ardent story still remains so I am sending this draft to you.
Story: One late evening, an old Caucasian man came into the store, and the first word he spoke was ‘An nyong!’
He asked for the cheapest cigarettes and it was his first time at my store. After recommending the cheapest cigarettes, I asked him where he learned ‘An nyong’ from.
He simply smiled and said that he would be back, and then left the store. It got me curious. The first impression he left was not bad and he remained in the back of my mind.
A few days later, he came back to the store, once again for cigarettes. As he said ‘An nyong’ again, I asked him where he learned that from, and he told me he is a Korean War veteran. I offered him a cup of coffee that we sell at our store out of pleasant gratefulness. He said he would visit more often, and then left the store.
Before we knew it, six months had passed and we became very close. On a quiet afternoon, he came to the store to buy his cigarettes and he asked if I could do him a favour. It was the first time he had ever asked anything of me, and, as he is a Korean War veteran, I promised that I would do my best to do his favour.
He wanted me to find “Soonyi”, a woman who he admired during the Korean War. He shared his story with me. He was stationed near Pyeongtaek where he met Soonyi, who was 19 years old at the time, short in height and had a cute round face. She was his first love.
He had no photograph of her but he said he would recognize her once he saw her. If she was 19 in 1952, she would have been born in 1933 and would now be over 70 years old.
I asked why he hadn’t tried to find her before and just started then. He said he never got married and he had planned to bring Soonyi to Canada once he had enough money. However, he didn’t make much money and years just went by. But when he met me, he was reminded of Soonyi and wanted to reconnect with her and spend the rest of his life with her.
I told him that I would try my best, but I knew it would be difficult to find her. Luckily, I completed my military service in Pyeontaek so I reached out to someone who currently lives there. I explained what had happened and asked if he would be able to find an old lady named “Soonyi”. However, he was skeptical that he would be able to find her without her photograph as some 50 years had passed already and Pyeogtaek has changed significantly. He asked me to break the news without breaking the veteran’s heart.
I spent days trying to find a way to let him know that I was unsuccessful in finding Soonyi without disappointing him. A few days later, he came to the store.
I told him that I found Soonyi, and that she is happily married and that she asked me to tell him that she wishes him the best.
After hearing what I said, he said that he was relieved that Soonyi is happily married, but walked out of the store with his shoulders slumped. He looked ever gaunter, perhaps because he thought he wouldn’t be able to see Soonyi who he longed for since the Korean War.
After a few days, he visited the store wearing his veteran’s uniform saying that he had a Memorial Day event to go to. He also told me that he would be moving soon. I sincerely requested that he visit the store before he moved. I wanted to give him a little token so I wrapped a Korean doll and kept it for him.
Around two to three days later, he came back and said he would be leaving the next day. I wished him the best as I gave him the doll that was well-wrapped and then gave him a big hug. His eyes teared up as he walked out the store.
I could see in his teary eyes that would never forget Soonyi Halmoni.