*In Korea, there’s a ghost story that says if a ghost asks you three questions and you answer all three, they take you to the afterlife.
*‘Jeomsun’ comes from the name of a girl in Kim Yu-jeong’s 1936 novel “The Camellias”.
*In Korea, there is a famous saying about camellias: “Camellias bloom three times: on the tree, on the ground, and in the heart.”
[Where are you?]
That was the first message from Jeomsun. I thought she’d know already, but I counted once and answered her question.
[Where you are.]
[What are you doing there?]
The second time. It was windy and cold. I remembered I’d left my school coat in the classroom. I didn’t think I’d need it anymore. But still, I thought, it’s cold.
[I’m here to meet you. ]
Technically, it was just a message, so I wasn’t really meeting her.
The third message was the last one. I’d heard that Jeomsuns always ask three questions. The third message came quite late. Is that how it was for everyone? I don’t know. There wasn’t any mention of a third message in the rumors about Jeomsun. It’s cold.
[Don’t reply anymore.]
When the final message arrived, I was thinking I should go get my coat. They say Jeomsuns ask three questions, and if you answer all three, they take you to wherever they are. But the third message wasn’t a question, so I couldn’t answer it.
Where is Jeomsun, and what is she doing there? Why didn’t I get a third question? Jeomsun, what’s your real name? But I couldn’t ask anymore, as Jeomsun’s messages had disappeared. I turned off my phone and quietly stepped down from the railing.