I don’t know, everything just tastes so much better when it’s homemade and fresh out of the oven. I usually like making cookies, brownies, chocolate cakes, and any other chocolatey things because I am obsessed. I usually eat everything that I make in a day. I don’t understand people who make a batch of cookies, eat two, and ration the rest for the week. I have to eat everything that I bake on the same day, or I cannot function.

Do you live or work in Koreatown?

Both, actually. I live in Koreatown and work at a place called Sul & Beans. You should come — we have takeout orders! We were closed because of the pandemic, but we recently reopened. We serve desserts like shaved ice, drinks, and toasts. Some people might think that serving all that sweet food would make me sick of it, but I don’t know — I had toast today. My parents think it’s so weird that I enjoy buying food from where I work. To be honest, working for so long hasn’t really ruined anything for me. I still enjoy eating the Earl Grey bingsoo and the yogurt berry bingsoo. Sometimes I’ll even make my own food and customize it.

I went to CMCS in Bel Air for elementary school, but I’ve been going to LACES in Mid-City since the sixth grade. I think it’s pretty fun. My school’s not really big; we only have about 2,000 kids. It’s a middle and high school, so you’ve been with these people since the sixth grade, and you’ve spent eight years with them once you graduate. It feels very homey. We don’t have a football field or anything, so that’s kind of disappointing, but I still like it. Also, this is kind of embarrassing, but I played golf and was on the cheerleading team when I first started high school, but I quit later. I always wanted to be a sports person, but that didn’t work out. My school doesn’t really support our sports teams. We’re much more focused on academics and taking all AP classes and stuff.

Have there been any crazy things you’ve seen when you’re out and when you’re working?

I have two super memorable moments. I had an opening shift two weeks ago, and I was setting up the shop when this homeless man tried to come into the store. The thing is, we’re not allowed to have people in our store, and I wasn’t really looking at the front, so he just popped out of nowhere. I ran to the front, and I was like, “Excuse me, sir,  you can’t come in.” He looked all disappointed, but thankfully, he didn’t try to force himself in. His hands were really dirty, and he was looking for a restroom, so I offered him some hand sanitizer and some napkins. He left, but 30 minutes later, I heard a bunch of yelling in the mall. I think the security guard tased the homeless guy.

In the second instance, I was in the kitchen while my other coworker was at the cash register. It was taking her a long time to get the order, so she called me up to the front. The man was apparently deaf and could only sign, but it took us a while to figure that out because he was wearing a mask, and so were we. He kept pointing, and we were so confused until I realized that he couldn’t hear us. So I kind of started signing with him. I only know the basics, though, because I self-taught a bit and was a part of a school club. Anyway, we got him his order, and I signed with him until it was ready. It was interesting to see how Koreatown is such a complex community, full of groups that you’re never really aware of. I never would have expected a deaf man to come into our store, but he was there, and we were “talking.” He is very much a part of the community, just as I am, and it was a very heartfelt epiphany.

What has given you hope and comfort during this time?

Something that has given me hope and comfort is the walks I go on. Sometimes I go for walks with a friend, but most of the time I go alone. I stay six feet apart from people; we all keep our distance. It reminds me that we’re all going through the same thing. We’re not the only ones suffering. Through this, everyone’s life has changed dramatically, and the unspoken kinship I feel on these walks has really helped me.

This experience has definitely helped me to recognize the smaller things in life. Before COVID-19, I was so caught up with school, extracurriculars, and such that I didn’t really have time to focus on the small things in life that truly matter. Because of quarantine, I find myself having more time with family, and I cherish those moments.

I notice things that I wouldn’t normally notice. For example, I never knew the color of my mom’s kitchen apron, which is blue with flowers, and I never noticed that my dad would always go on his phone after work. I feel like this whole experience has helped me in that sense. I didn’t usually talk to my family during school, and when everything was normal, I didn’t have much time. We didn’t even eat dinner together. But now we always eat dinner together, and sometimes lunch, depending on the time and situation.

Are you afraid? What frightens you?

What frightens me is the uncertainty of this whole situation. You don’t know when you’re going to go back to school or when everything is going to return to “normal”. There’s no real stability yet because of the obscurity behind COVID-19 and the current situation. We have no idea what’s going to happen or what we’re going to get hit with the next day. Plus, I’m not sure if a vaccine will even solve the entire problem of COVID-19. It will definitely be beneficial, but I doubt that quarantine will be over. There have been people who contracted the virus and got better. Not everyone dies from COVID-19, so even if we had a vaccine, anyone would be able to catch it again.