Mr Kim came up last night after dinner. I gave him the truffles I carried with me from that other place, the ones I’ve thought of keeping for myself each day that passes in this place where dessert is not a component of the soul. He brought for us a gift of kimchee; it already fouls the refrigerator.

It was nice to see him. He looks thinner and I said so, but he said he has not lost any weight. His hair is longer, parted on the side, with the front really long and wispy: a haircut popular with young men, a haircut copied from anime. We seated him on the couch and fed him kyool and apple. He there in his oversized sweatshirt and baggy slacks. Frameless glasses. He gestures with long slender fingers. One year older than me, but he looks so boyish.

His English has improved, facilitating easier conversation between the three of us. We wrote our names for him and we learned that his, Hyon-Oong, means "strong wisdom". He talked of work, asked of David’s and of the class I'm taking. I showed him the book and he made a joke: "It is so clean…." He told of his girlfriend who doesn’t like rice. A little strange, said he. Oh yes it is here in this place, the land of rice, the land that bore the proverb that says something like, "Not one grain of rice should ever be wasted, or else…" I don’t remember how it goes. He said: She eats a lot of side dishes. Well, we had to laugh then, there was not holding back.

There are eight people living in his apartment two floors below ours: his mother, his brother, his brother’s wife, his brother’s three children, his sister, and he. His sister has become the baby-sitter. Mr. Kim and his brother work outside the home. His sister-in-law is the family servant. I expect his mother is taking it easy. Said his sister-in-law was a computer teacher before her induction, and now since she is busy with family work, he can use her computer. Apparently, it’s one she built and it has a lot of extras. He’s just gotten email, which he checks daily, in anticipation of his first message.

I’m glad for the email. Sitting with him tonight I missed him, wished I could spend more time with him. But now, with email, he will never be lost.