Yesterday, I made a bicycle delivery to Haebangchon in Yongsan. Haebangchon, the neighborhood next to the Yongsan US Army base, was quite inconvenient to drive through due to its steep hills and narrow alleys. It was my first time actually visiting a place I’d only heard about before. Seeing the utility poles lining the streets and cars precariously parked between the alleys really brought home the fact that this is one of the few old neighborhoods left in Seoul. On the other hand, thanks to Seoul’s residential regeneration project, it was being neatly organized. Seeing pretty cafes and workshops in every alley, it seemed like a place where artists gather.

​With the help of navigation, I found the hidden villa, completed the delivery, and was about to leave the neighborhood when I saw an elderly woman collecting scrap paper. I stopped the bike briefly and gathered some boxes from the cargo area of the delivery bike to give her. It was 6 a.m., so there weren’t many boxes on her handcart. Suddenly, I remembered the portable air conditioner in the cargo area. I thought she could sell it at a scrap dealer and at least cover her lunch. Though a bit heavy, I suggested she could load it onto her cart and offered it to her. She waved me off, saying, “They’d only give me 100 won for it,” and refused. Even when I insisted it was worth more, she wouldn’t believe me. She just kept waving her hands, saying, “Other people bring these things in cars,” so I couldn’t push it further.

​As I reluctantly prepared to leave, my heart kept tugging at me. I rummaged through my car and gave her a pair of gloves. Thankfully, she accepted those, and my heart felt a little lighter. While gentrification is changing the neighborhood, I realized what the grandmother truly needed was warm concern and God’s love.”