Can you start with your name and age?
My name is Sieun, and I’m 18. 

Where’s your hometown?
Technically, I was born and raised — maybe not raised — in Seoul, Korea. I lived there for seven years. I came here [to Los Angeles] when I was in second grade, and I’ve been here since. 

Is there a difference between here and Korea? 
To be honest, I liked Korea better. But I’m used to living in Los Angeles because I have lived here longer than in Korea. I’ve been to Korea twice. I went five years ago and then again two years ago to visit my family. Sometimes, I wish I could live in another place besides Los Angeles.

Do you work or live in Koreatown?
I work at my parents’ place. I help them out with their business. It’s a food store inside a market. We own two, but they’re next to each other, so it’s convenient. Everything is in Los Angeles. We can’t go out of Los Angeles; anything else is just too far. 

My job is to be the cashier since my parents can’t speak English well. My dad can, but there are still [times when it’s easier for me to handle transactions]. They mostly work behind [in the kitchen] to prepare the ingredients. I have to take care of the front — be the cashier. I also help them out in the back when there are no customers. It makes me feel good to help. 

It gets draining sometimes because I also have to balance work and school. There will be times when I can’t go, and I’ll feel bad. Or there will be times when I could go, but I’m just too lazy or tired, but I still have to go. And yes, I do live in Koreatown. I live in the center of it.

What are your thoughts on Koreatown?

My memories of Koreatown are that it’s either quiet or really loud, if you know what I mean. Sometimes it can be pretty peaceful, especially in my neighborhood, but sometimes it’s noisy, with the neighbors and everything.

Overall, it’s pretty good. It can get boring here sometimes. People say there’s a lot to do, but you have to travel at least an hour away to go somewhere, so I think that’s pretty inconvenient. I go and hang out with my friends, and I have taken the bus an hour away a couple of times. It’s not that bad, but it’s still inconvenient.

What is a significant memory you have of Koreatown?

My significant memory would be going out with friends. If I have free time or if I’m bored and want to go out, I hang out with my friends. We went to the beach two weeks ago for my birthday. That was a lot of fun, but I do not want to go to the beach ever again, or at least for a long time. I got a bad sunburn; it stung a lot for a whole week. But I’m better now; it’s almost fading away. That’s my recent memory. 

Where is your favorite place in Koreatown?

My favorite place is any food place. So if it’s a restaurant or anything “food,” I would go. I also love photo booths. There are a couple of photo booths near Koreatown, and I go there with my friends to take pictures. You can wear headbands or silly hats to take pictures. It’s really fun.

Why did you join KORYO?

I joined because my friend recommended it to me, saying, ‘Hey, you should come with me to this program called KORYO! It’s a KYCC program.’ I looked into it a bit and found out that it was about opioids — that was the main thing about this program — and I was curious. I was like, “Well, I never thought about that.” I want to learn more about it and see if I can help anyone.

Do you and your friend go to the same school? 

Yeah, we do. My friend Ashley recommended it to me because she knew I was looking to find places to volunteer, but this wasn’t just for volunteering. I wanted to have a full experience in this program.

What do you know about opioids or stimulants?

I know that opioids [are for pain]. It can be any drug that is addictive, especially painkillers. I know that you get a prescription from a doctor, but people abuse it by continuing to use the drugs since it makes them feel good and takes away the pain. They often don’t know that it’s harming them. It has a negative impact on a person, but there are many ways you can heal and get better.

Do you have any family members or classmates who are abusing opioids or stimulants?

I do. I wouldn’t say drugs, but it’s mainly smoking, which is not opioids or [other] drugs. When I see someone doing that kind of thing at a very young age, I feel bad. It’s probably from influences from other friends or their surroundings. I just wish they could get help someday, sooner or later, because it is impacting their health and their mental health. They’re going through something because they seem quieter and not very talkative. You know, it’s those kinds of things when you’re on that route, where you’re just getting those negative influences.

I see kids these days — teenagers way younger than me — and they’re already doing all sorts of stuff, and that kind of hurts, to be honest. It’s not just about me, but especially for them. It’s sad that their parents don’t know anything about it. I don’t know if this could be stereotypical, but if I see kids smoking or doing drugs, usually their parents are either not at home or never there to take care of them. That can also lead them down the wrong path and others influencing them. They don’t have an adult to set an example by saying, “Hey, you shouldn’t do this.”

What is the impact of someone using opioids or stimulants in the community or at school?

They have their community at school or their environment, and their use of opioids or any stimulant can impact others around them as well. As I said, I’m sure they also had some impact or influence from others, or they might have just done it on their own, but it can be bad for their health.

Moving on to more personal questions, what are your hobbies, or what do you like to do when you come home from school? 

Well, if I’m really honest, I can’t say I have a specific hobby. I don’t know; that kind of question is hard for me to answer. But there are a lot of things I’m interested in. Since you asked, I’m on my phone most of the time when I come home from work or school. I also like fashion and makeup. I play the piano. I also know how to play the violin, but I haven’t played in a long time. I’m doing piano right now. I also like taking pictures.

Who are your favorite music artists?

The genres I like right now are R&B and pop music. I also like rap, but I wouldn’t say American rap. [It’s just] my opinion, but I don’t like American celebrities that much. I also like K-pop. There’s a group called Seventeen — I love them! The first song I recommend you listen to is “Pretty U.” I also recommend “THANKS.” I also like Korean R&B. If you like calm music, I recommend Korean R&B because it’s mostly calm. There are some [songs] where it’s more “hyper,” but most of them are pretty calm, depending on the artist. 

What’s your favorite childhood memory?

When I was 4 or 5, I was in Korea, and it was snowing. I was at my grandparents’ place in the countryside. They have farmland — how do I explain it? I don’t know if you’ve seen it, but if you go to the countryside, it’s just land everywhere. [There is always] wheat or [some crop] planted there. Since it was snowing, everything was covered in snow. There’s a place where it’s steep, so if it is covered with snow, you just slide down the steep land. It’s like using a snowboard. I remember doing it with my siblings and my cousins.

What’s your favorite animal? I’m curious. 

My favorite animals are cats and bunnies. Oh my god, bunnies are so cute! I had a pet bunny when I was really little because my grandma had one. She gave it to me, but sadly, it died.

How would you describe yourself?

Loud yet quiet. Well, I wouldn’t say loud, but talkative. I can’t talk to a person if I don’t know them. Some people can just approach anyone and talk, but I can’t. They’ll have to approach me first, or I have to get comfortable, and then I’ll start talking.

What’s your favorite food?

I like any Korean food because I’m obviously Korean, and that’s mostly what I eat. I also love sushi.

Do you want to try other types of food? 

I want to try South Asian food because I know they go hard with the seasoning! Oh, and I also want to try Japanese food. Honestly, I’m not picky, but I kind of have a texture problem. I’m fine with anything as long as it’s not weird.

Are you in any photography clubs at school?

Oh, no. We don’t have a photography club, but I was in the yearbook club last year. I might join the Red Cross this year instead. I’m also taking an art class — specifically, we have media arts.

We just started school about a week and a half ago, and I changed my schedule recently, but now it’s the intro. My teacher is making us decorate our paper with the first letter of our names, and mine is “S.” That’s our first assignment right now.