sweetness

by Evelyn Pak

i. strawberries

We sit at the table, fan whirring softly in the background as I reach over to grab a strawberry from the bowl.

As I take a bite, you wait and pick one too. I watch you finish yours with a slightly sour expression.

“These can’t even compare with the ones in Korea.”

I try to recall how many times I’ve heard that.

You sigh, and I can already imagine you as a young child laughing while eating those sweet strawberries outside on the deck of your house.

ii. dalgona 

You laugh as my sister and I complain about the sugar candy stuck in our teeth. The slightly bitter aftertaste fills my mouth.

While the two of us stuff our cheeks full of the hard syrupy candy, you have already started to clean the mess we’ve made.

“You know, when I was your age, they would sell these candies outside of my school gates.” You gently grab a small needle and sit down next to us.

“I used to be so good at carving the star,” I can see your smile as you gaze at the uneven pieces of dalgona scattered by our clumsy hands.

When I come back from brushing my teeth, a perfectly cut star sits on a small plate with the sounds of you washing the dishes filling the room.

iii. dabang coffee

I steal glances at your hot Americano as my pencil scribbles across the packet in front of me. I try to hide my drowsiness, but as always, it’s no use in front of you. 

Though you offer me a sip, you already know my answer judging by the smirk you make. 

“A real adult should know to take their coffee black,” just imagining the burning bitterness almost makes me suppress the yawn creeping up my throat. 

I watch you in the kitchen, cutting open two packets of instant coffee decorated with that Korean actor that recently starred in the drama you watch. 

Like you’ve done this a million times before, you pour some creamer and gently mix the drink before placing it in front of me. 

As I take a cautious sip, you chuckle when my eyes widen at the unexpected deliciousness of it. It tastes oddly familiar, like the sugary flavors hiding an inexplicable nostalgic undertone. 

I wonder when you outgrew this childish taste. 

Evelyn Pak is a third year at UVA majoring in Media Studies and minoring in East Asian Studies. She loves to eat and has recently been trying to get back into reading.