The underground passageway at Gangnam Station during morning rush hour is packed with people. Actually, it’s really packed. Some are holding coffee or stopping by stores to grab kimbap for lunch, but most folks are just focused on walking. Naturally, I’m hustling too. When you think about it, there isn’t really much else to do in the passage but walk.
As I walked, a girl in a white padded jacket and frilled skirt with long hair bouncing passed me on the right. Her walk was, literally, incredibly lighthearted. I’ve heard the term ‘lighthearted’ countless times before, but seeing its true meaning in action was a first. It was beyond lighthearted. I glanced around at the other walkers, but no one else shared her energy. In fact, most seemed to walk with a heaviness, like souls of murderers entering hell’s gates, or marionettes pulled by a puppeteer. Each step seemed to carry the weight of life, sinking deeper with every stride. Watching it made my shoulders droop. Though I couldn’t see myself, I was probably walking in the same gloomy manner. Yet, she was different. I began observing her, curious about the source of her liveliness. 🌟
First, her gaze. It was anything but fixed. She lightly glanced around, never lingering or investing her heart anywhere. Her glance was as light as a feather brushing past. Next, her hands. Unlike others, she didn’t seem unsure of where to place them. She wasn’t clutching her hot pack tightly like a frozen mackerel; instead, she toyed with it gently, making it sway as if it were a feather. 🪶 The secret to her light movements lay in her wrist’s snap, powered not by force, but by rhythm. An unpredictable rhythm. Thanks to this, her hot pack danced in creative patterns, mesmerizing enough to watch for hours without getting bored.
Lastly, her steps. The main hero of her lightheartedness was undoubtedly her leg movement. Unless she’s walking on her hands, a lively walk is all about the legs. Before I could pinpoint what made her walk different, it was already delightfully light. Searching for the reason behind her lively walk felt as sacrilegious as dissecting the beauty of the Mona Lisa. It seemed wiser to accept it as it was and savor the feeling. Opening Pandora’s box only unleashes hatred, jealousy, cruelty, anger, hunger, poverty, pain, and disease. 🎨
However, driven by the belief that no shallow phenomenon remains unexplained through logic, I watched her closely and finally spotted the difference. As she stepped forward, she gently flicked her toe into the air before setting it down. Yet I’m certain: No one can mimic her lively steps through mere physical imitation.
But at some point, I could no longer observe the secret of her unique liveliness. She walked up the escalator, and since I’ve vowed not to walk on escalators post-army, I could only watch her lively steps ascend. I bid farewell to her dynamic energy, hoping that everyone in the world might someday walk with such lightheartedness. (Though, of course, that’s a long shot…)
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