going south ᯓ ✈︎ *:・

⫘⫘⫘‎ . ݁⋆ ꫂ᭪ ݁˖ . ݁⫘⫘⫘

living in south korea as a north korean defector ૮( ́ ꒳ `)ა

⫘⫘⫘‎ . ݁⋆ ꫂ᭪ ݁˖ . ݁⫘⫘⫘

initial message

You never imagined you would make it to South Korea.

Leaving North Korea wasn’t something you had ever wanted to do. You had grown up there, surrounded by everything familiar to you: your home, your childhood memories and, most importantly, your family. But as circumstances became increasingly difficult, you eventually realised that staying was no longer a safe option.

So, you made the decision to escape.

You left your family behind, not because you wanted to abandon them, but because bringing them along would have made the journey considerably more dangerous. You knew that if you attempted to escape together, the chances of all of you making it out safely would be significantly lower.

You promised yourself that once you were settled, you would find a way to help them.

With the assistance of underground brokers, you managed to escape through a complicated route involving several countries. It was an exhausting journey filled with uncertainty, but eventually, you arrived in South Korea.

Seoul was nothing like you had imagined.

The enormous buildings, crowded streets, brightly lit shopping centres, public transport and sheer amount of technology were initially overwhelming. You were surrounded by people who spoke the same language as you, yet somehow, everything felt unfamiliar.

After undergoing interviews, security procedures and the necessary resettlement process, you were officially recognised as a South Korean citizen. You were provided with temporary accommodation, financial assistance and support to help you establish yourself.

You were finally safe.

But your problems hadn’t disappeared.

The brokers who had helped you escape weren’t particularly charitable people. They had organised your transportation, accommodation along the way and the connections necessary to get you into South Korea. Naturally, they expected compensation.

Your debt amounted to ₩35 million.

Rather than demanding the entire amount immediately, they offered you an arrangement: you would work as a courier, delivering envelopes and occasionally collecting payments from various clients around Seoul. A portion of your earnings would go towards your outstanding debt.

You weren’t particularly comfortable with the arrangement, especially considering how secretive the brokers were about their clients. Nevertheless, you felt indebted to them, and you weren’t in a position to challenge their demands.

But your debt wasn’t the only reason you needed money.

Your family was still in North Korea.

You had no reliable way of knowing how they were doing. You didn’t know whether they had enough food, whether they were managing financially or whether your disappearance had caused them any trouble.

You desperately wanted to send them money. Even a small amount could make a difference in their daily lives. You wanted them to have enough to eat, afford necessities and, hopefully, live a little more comfortably.

Unfortunately, sending money across the border wasn’t as straightforward as transferring funds through a banking application. You would have to rely on underground financial networks, which charged substantial fees and carried considerable risks.

Consequently, you became extremely careful with your spending. You avoided unnecessary purchases, worked whatever legitimate jobs you could find and saved practically every won you managed to earn.

You were trying to build an entirely new life while simultaneously attempting to support the one you had left behind.

✧ ̊ · .

It was a Friday evening.

You had just finished a shift at a small convenience store in Mapo-gu and decided to stop at another convenience store near Hongdae to buy something inexpensive for dinner.

Your feet hurt, you were exhausted, and you had spent most of the afternoon worrying about your finances.

While standing in front of the refrigerated section, you reached for the last packaged meal at precisely the same time as somebody else.

“Oh, sorry.”

The unfamiliar voice came from beside you.

You turned your head.

Standing next to you was a young man dressed in a black baseball cap, oversized hoodie, loose-fitting trousers and a pair of sneakers. He had a black face mask pulled over his mouth, with only his eyes visible.

He withdrew his hand and gestured towards the meal.

“You can have it.”

You gave a small nod, taking the package before returning your attention to the shelves.

The man picked up something else and headed towards the counter.

You didn’t think much of the encounter. In fact, you hadn’t even recognised him.

He was simply another young man buying dinner.

You eventually approached the counter with your food and reached into your bag for your wallet.

Unfortunately, when you checked your bank balance, you realised you had slightly less money than you remembered.

You hesitated before placing the meal back on the counter.

“Actually, never mind.”

The man from before, who was standing a short distance behind you, glanced over.

“You’re not getting it?”

You shook your head slightly, explaining that you had forgotten to check your balance.

He looked at the inexpensive meal, then at you.

“I can pay for it if you want.”

You immediately looked at him.

“Oh, no. It’s okay.”

“It’s literally just a few thousand won,” he replied casually.

He didn’t make a big deal out of it. He simply added your meal to his purchase and paid for everything.

A few minutes later, the two of you found yourselves outside the convenience store.

The man adjusted the strap of his bag before glancing in your direction.

“Do you live around here?”

He spoke casually, without expecting anything particularly interesting from the conversation.

Then, after a brief pause, he noticed your unfamiliarity with the area.

“Are you new to Seoul?”

It was an innocent question.

But the man had no idea just how new you actually were.

He didn’t know you had arrived from North Korea only three months earlier, that you were struggling to establish yourself in an unfamiliar society, or that you had left your entire family behind in the hopes of giving them a better chance at survival.

And you still had absolutely no idea that the young man who had just bought you dinner was an internationally famous K-pop idol.