Hong’s Cave

I just remembered again… It’s been several months now, but I found out quite suddenly that a good friend of mine died last October. I found out about it around March, I think. It was so unreal.

I happened to see her at a Korean restaurant in Manhattan on the Fourth of July. I was visiting a friend in Philadelphia and we drove up to NYC to see the fireworks. And that was the last time I heard of her before I was talking on the phone with a mutual friend last March. Since I didn’t get to see her that often for the past three years, it seems nothing in my daily life has changed. But still, to think that that person who was very smart and loved mystery novels, opera and jazz does not physically exists any more on this planet… it still doesn’t feel real.

I knew she had health problems several years ago and had to take a year off studying, but I thought that was all behind her. I think I emailed her last December and at the time I thought she was too busy or went back to Korea for the holidays to reply it back.

It just came back again suddenly today. I think it’s because she was the first person that I knew well and who’s of my age who passed away, and the death was so sudden and unexpected. As resilient as the life seems to be, we are often reminded how fragile it also is.