The Hitchhikers' Guide Summer 2021-22 Cover art by ashley suh luna lee synclair sanders
Harvest Synclair Sanders
Nicole Hur
April Revolution Kyra Jun Imagine an election is coming up, and you are forced to attend school every weekend, whenever a specific candidate or political party makes a demonstration. Imagine the government’s excuse for this voter suppression is ‘rabbit hunting’ or ‘watching movies’. Imagine, the government then stuffs ballot boxes in advance and steals some from neighborhoods known to be opposition strongholds. What would you do in this situation? Today, freedom of speech and choice are things citizens regard as common rights. Sometimes, we may forget the blood, sweat, and tears of thousands of Koreans who fought for their freedom several decades ago. Most of these Koreans were mere students. When Korea’s democratic rights were violated by the Rhee administration, they took to the streets of Masan to protest. This protest preceded the April 19th revolution, and was one of the key factors to sparking it. Police officers arrived at the scene, firing on children. Distraught mothers cried over the bodies of their sons and daughters who dared to speak out, and who put everything on the line for their country. But there was one student, Kim Juyul, who didn’t return from the huge march at Masan. He had disappeared. His mother dashed around the neighborhood, asking everyone if they had seen him. Nobody had. Afterwards, she began to dream about him. She said he would cry out in her dreams, saying that he couldn’t open his eyes, and that his eyes hurt. Then on April 11, the bloated body of Kim Juyul was discovered. A tear gas canister had hit his eye and gone through his head.
Instead of rushing him to the hospital, police officers sought to hide his body. The student had been tied to a boulder, and thrown into the sea. This caused unimaginable pain for his family, and they vowed not to let his death go to waste. There were many other students who had fought and died for their country just like Kim Juyul. The following is a letter from a middle school girl to her mother, “I will fight against this unfair election until the end. Right now all my friends and the students of Korea are bleeding for the sake of Korea’s democracy. I am still young. But, I know which path we must take for our country and people. All of my classmates are prepared for death. Even if I die during the demonstration, I will not regret it. Mother, I know you will grieve for me with a loving heart, but please rejoice for the future liberation of our nation. (Last letter from Youngsook Jin)” This girl was shot in the head when she leaned out of a bus to protest. She never reunited with her mother. Both of these stories, and many more, had a couple of things in common. One, the passion and courage of children, when adults couldn’t step up. Two, the coldheartedness that can result from power. And lastly, how each dead child led to the April 19th revolution. To begin with, all these children who participated in the protests were so passionate about justice being done. They believed that they could make a change, and were propelled to do so by their progressive mindsets. Today, I believe that more people need these types of mindsets so that they will speak out about injustice, and strive to positively impact society. But the biggest question posed when I read about these protests was where these students’ courage came from. It wasn’t
that they didn’t fear death, simply that their patriotism was stronger. Their conviction to impact Korea overpowered their fear. And this is what was so admirable to me. I also realized that the citizens with nothing to lose were the largest in number at protests. Street vendors, beggars, and members of the mid-class decided to give up all their worldly possessions for their country. In contrast, not as many members of the high class were at protests. Perhaps the loss of power or wealth may have seemed too daunting, or maybe they had no problem with Rhee’s illegitimate election. This leads to how power or even the promise of power can result in corruption. Rhee Syngman’s experience with the presidency may have sparked a desire for continuous power. As a Korean student had declared: “The evil influence of political power had swallowed up Korean citizens’ right to fair elections.” This thirst for power is what eventually led Rhee to rig elections, and tell police officers to shut down peaceful protests violently. These actions and students’ passionate protests eventually led to the April 19th revolution, an event that would change Korean democracy forever. The April 19th Revolution was more than just the banishing of an illegitimate administration, it was the first time Korea pushed for its democratic rights and succeeded. Today, many of us may forget that Korea’s democratic rights were fought for by others, many of whom were young students, brave enough to speak out against injustice. I believe that we should emulate their courageous and patriotic behavior to better ourselves and come together as a society. Student activism paved the path for Korea’s democracy, and it is now our duty to recognize those students and walk that path.
Breath of Thunder Jeannette Kim
Coffee Pumpkin Luna Lee
Spencer Park
The harsh glare of the sun beats down on the man’s face as he makes his way across the field, wiping his brow with the sleeve of his worn-down outfit. This is the life of the farmer. In the cycle of life, harvest is the moment when you quite literally, reap what you sow. The farmer plants his seeds and nurtures them. Throughout the year, he waters them thoroughly, ensures proper sunlight, and neutralizes any dangerous factors such as weeds or insects. When the harvest season arrives, the culmination of all the dedication and effort he has contributed to raising the crop results in the plentiful bounty of nature. The same can be said for musicians – whose work can be seen as almost the same. The musician goes through each step when either learning an instrument or a specific song. The instrument is his seed, which he cultivates, carefully, just like a farmer growing plants. The harvest is when he, of course, perfects his craft. However, we, living in a world emphasizing results and merit, never get to fully enjoy the results of our work. We work, harvest, and move on. We never fully appreciate the harvest. But we should also try to stop, and think – or rather feel – for a moment about ourselves. Relating back to the musician, music isn’t about the most complex melodies or grandest sounds, but about how it sounds to the ear. Even the most basic sounds can be much more beautiful. Jazz can transform a single note into a catchy tune,
while basic classical music can sound grand. It is about the feeling. Sometimes we lose ourselves in this world full of rigid structure and precision that we forget to come back to the original essence of emotion. But music can be anything you want. While music reflects culture, beauty, and intricacy, it is also your own form of communication where you can express what you feel. In a world that is oversaturated with mindless media and flashing images, music becomes something that goes deeper and beyond the superficial content that we like to consume today. While what this may seem vague and cliché, I think it is still important to remind ourselves that in such a meritocratic world, it is important to enjoy the harvest of our work –instead of always focusing on “what’s next?” – and just kick back and enjoy the music.
Instant Harvest Helen Park
A Renewed Spirit Yerim Cho
A new day, a new me Is what I’ll say, what I’ll be Though the grass is on fire And all the people are tired I’ll stand here forever
The Ironic Life of Kim Jae San, The Pig Ryan SW Kwon “It’s true! He dreamt of a pig, and a few days later, he found a ton of gold while digging the ground to make a well!” Kim Jae-San* couldn’t stop thinking about the conversation he overheard earlier that day and began to reminisce about his impoverished past. When he first arrived in Busan after fleeing from North Korea, he was separated from his family and had no money. A rich, old pig farmer named Lee Sun-Han* took in the desolate boy after finding him out on the streets on a cold, rainy day. From then on, Sun-Han treated Jae-San as his own kin and always provided him with everything he needed. Yet, Jae-San was never satisfied and always wanted more. So, dreaming of pigs brings wealth, huh? How can I make them appear in my dreams? Jae-San thought to himself. Then it occurred to him that maybe he could kill a pig to make its spirit appear in his dreams: he decided to sacrifice Bok*, his favorite pig. Jae-San took care of Bok ever since she was born and had formed a special bond with her. Bok always followed Jae-San wherever he went, and Jae-San felt that no one knew him better than Bok. She seemed to understand Jae-San and always cheered him up when he was feeling down, so Jae-San was sure that Bok would understand his decision and bring him wealth because she knew it would make him happy. *Jae-San means wealth in Korean. *Sun-Han means kind-hearted in Korean. *Bok means good fortune in Korean.
Eager at the thought of becoming wealthy, Jae-San quickly ran back home to write Bok’s name in red ink (it was believed that writing someone’s name in red ink would cause that person to die). He was unsure if the superstition applied to pigs, but he decided to give it a try anyway. Later that evening, Jae-San went to feed the pigs, but he realized that Bok was not there. He found Bok lying against the fence, dead. Jae-San was shocked and immediately filled with regret, but those emotions were transitory. Soon, he was filled with ecstasy, at the thought of all the fortune he would acquire. “I’m sorry, Bok,” he said, although his smile seemed to say otherwise. “But please come see me in my dreams tonight. I want to be rich! I’m sure you understand how I feel. You always did.” When Jae-San went back home after burying Bok, he felt especially somnolent, and he fell asleep even before he could wash up. Then, he woke up to an oinking sound. It was Bok. Jae-San, happy to see Bok, ran towards her, and he realized that she was also running towards him as well. Eventually, he bumped into what was actually his own reflection, a pig, in the mirror. Startled, Jae-San woke up, and instead of finding a pot of gold, he found Sun-Han—looking pale as ever—fainted on the wooden floor of the living room. Jae-San quickly took Sun-Han, who seemed to have a fever, to his bed and wet a cloth with cold water to place it on Sun-Han’s forehead. “Jae-San, I do not think I can make it past tonight.” Sun-Han held onto Jae-San’s hands. “I’m going to leave everything with you. Take good care of them, especially the farm.”
“No!” Jae-San pleaded. “Please hang in there. Please!” Though Jae-San stayed by the old man’s side all night long, doing everything he could to prevent the old man from dying, Sun-Han passed away the following morning, and Jae-San was left with all of Sun-Han’s wealth. Jae-San was sad that Sun-Han passed away, but at the same time, he was happy that he was able to inherit such a huge fortune. After Sun-Han’s funeral, Jae-San kept his promise and took good care of the pigs. Jae-San would always make sure the pigs were well fed, bathed, and healthy. Slowly but surely, they were ready to be sold; his first customer was Mr. Park, a local butcher. “Jae-San, your pigs seem very healthy!” Mr. Park exclaimed. “I’d like to take three of them today.” “They surely are! I will make sure to take good care of them.” JaeSan scanned the field. He picked out three of the best pigs and loaded them onto Mr. Park’s wagon. “Please, always come by for more—and put in a good word about me to everyone else too!” Jae-San bowed as Mr. Park left. Soon enough, Jae-San’s pigs were in high demand, and he began to make a lot of money. However, he soon realized that he was running out of pigs and grew livid at the thought of not having any more to sell even though he was already wealthy enough from the inheritance Sun-Han left him, as well as his profits from the farm. Instead of waiting for the pigs to breed and grow freely in the field, Jae-San decided that he would force them to breed them in a den. As time passed by, Jae-San was able to quickly breed more. He was happy, but it was apparent that the pigs were disconcerted.
Living in crowded spaces and not being able to roam around freely, the pigs had barely seen the sun or breathed fresh air, while Jae-San had spent his wealth to buy the following: a bigger house, tons of rice*, and nice, tailored suits*. He didn’t care for the pigs’ well-being anymore, and their growing discomfort brought Jae-San a general sense of malaise. Mr. Park visited once again to buy ten pigs from Jae-San. That night, all ten of them appeared in Jae-San’s dreams after being slaughtered at Mr. Park’s butcher shop. They were squealing all throughout the dream, and although Jae-San wasn’t able to sleep well because of the commotion, he was very happy when he woke up the next morning. Ten pigs! he exclaimed in his mind. Last time I dreamt of Bok, she brought me all this fortune. How much richer are all these pigs going to make me this time? It was true that Jae-San would become richer, but instead of disappearing like last time, the pigs remained in his dreams. Every time he sold more, more would appear in his dreams. The dreams kept bringing him more new customers, which made him even wealthier. But soon, ninety-nine pigs had accumulated in his dreams, and their clamor started to drive him crazy every night. It didn’t help that he had to hear the same noises that haunted his dreams even during the day. The sounds kept him up night and day, and he couldn’t focus due to his languor and became very
*Back in the old days in Korea, one’s wealth used to be determined by how much rice was stored in the house. *Tailored suits also represented one’s success, as poor people were not able to afford them.
vigilant because of his sensitivity to sounds. He was losing control of himself and the business. One night, Jae-San finally reached his limit and wanted it all to stop. He grabbed a knife and went outside to stab all the pigs in the farm until none were alive. It was a horrific and gory sight to see, and Jae-San was terrified of his actions. He was standing there, paralyzed, when he saw Bok charging towards him. Her jaws were wide open, and her teeth were sharp like a shark’s. JaeSan tried to run, but he couldn’t move at all. As Bok leaped to attack him, he woke up panting, heart beating fast. It was all but a dream. He cried and cried, horrified at the greedy pig he had become. He reflected on how selfish he had become after he sacrificed Bok in pursuit of personal wealth and how miserable the pigs must have been. Jae-San decided it wasn’t too late to get his actions right and headed to the dens and unlocked all the doors, freeing the pigs back into the fields. They cautiously came out one by one, and only after seeing them all safely outside, Jae-San headed back to his room. For the first time in months, Jae-San was able to fall asleep peacefully that night. He wasn’t disturbed by any sounds or any horrid thoughts, and he slept like a log until sunrise. From that day forward, Jae-San was free from his greed and learned to be grateful for and see the beauty in the little things in life. He made sure to take good care of the farm and the pigs, as Sun-Han had asked, and also gave back to the community by helping those in need, just as Sun-Han had helped him in the past. Jae-San’s good deeds seemed to propitiate Bok’s spirits, and he became a rich man with a rich heart, who lived happily with his pigs.
Harvesting the Soul Marissa Myong
Each Moment Isabella Shin Each step Is a step toward time Toward the years to come The river flows Incessant Capture the idyllic times Memories of joy Moments of pure bliss Of intimates and family Of the graceful birds Of the weeping willows Yet the trees will weep no more As it bathes in the glorious rays of the sun As its branches and leaves arch towards the ground Shielding you, protecting you As you shield and protect loved ones So as you take a step toward time Each moment Cherish each moment
Ashley Suh
Editorial Officers Nicole Hur Helen Park
Artists & Writers Ashley suh
Marissa Myong
Helen Park
Nicole Hur
Isabella Shin
Ryan Sw Kwon
Jeannette Kim
Spencer Park
Kyra jun
Synclair sanders
Luna Lee
Yerim Cho
special thanks to Ms. kennedy