The morning of the festival Yoon-Yi woke up at sunrise. She had spent the most part of the night tossing and turning. Her mind was in a whirlwind and she fretted with anticipation.
Last time she had attended the Baekjung festival, she was nine years old, barely old enough to know what was going on around her. This time though, she could fully appreciate the effort that went into preparing for such an important day.
The entire household had been in an uproar the day before, from the cooks to the maids, preparing dishes and cleaning every inch of the house. Not even the courtyard or the pond escaped untouched. The gravel had been renewed and the surface of the pond was completely free of leaves, making the water look like a big, strange shaped mirror.
The only thing that riled her up was the fact that she was expected to dress up for the occasion. When she came to breakfast that morning she was wearing a pair of tattered jeans and a large white t-shirt with a grey cat on the chest. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail and she was wearing a wide smile. That is, until she saw her mother staring at her in shock.
Yoon-Yi's appearance was enough to almost give Mrs. Kim a heart attack. The woman placed a trembling hand over her chest and tried to speak in as calm a voice as she could possibly muster.
"Yoon-Yi darling, you can't go visiting the family graves looking like that."
"Why not?" Yoon-Yi asked in honest confusion. "Aren't we supposed to take a walk afterwards?"
"Yes, but…"
"Then I would like to be as comfortable as possible." Yoon-Yi concluded firmly.
After saying those words, she took a seat and proceeded to fill her plate with food.
Mrs. Kim glanced sideways at her father, pleading for help. The old man merely smiled knowingly, but didn't speak a word all through breakfast. When the table was cleared out of all the food, he called Yoon-Yi outside.
"I have something for you." he said walking slowly across the courtyard, his hands crossed behind his back.
"What is it?"
"You'll see." Mr. Kim replied with a mysterious smile on his lips.
"Oh?"
'What could he possibly have to give me?' Yoon-Yi began to wonder quietly. It wasn't like her grandfather to be so secretive about something. Usually he would be upfront and tell her everything from the start.
When the two finally reached the other side of the courtyard, Mr. Kim stopped in front of a small building. Yoon-Yi had never entered that side of the house before, but she knew it was mostly used as storage space.
He stepped inside and she followed him into an old dusty room. After a few moments of rummaging through different packages, moving things carefully from one side to another, the old man finally stopped. Yoon-Yi watched her grandfather pull out an old looking chest, placing it on a table in front of Yoon-Yi and taking a step back.
"This is for you." the old man said simply, moving his eyes from the chest to look at Yoon-Yi.
"Uhm, thank you." She said in an uncertain tone, gazing down at the tattered object. "But what am I supposed to do with this old looking chest, grandfather? It looks like it has seen quite a few wars." She finished with a grimace.
Indeed, the chest looked so ragged that she could barely distinguish the delicate pattern on the wooden lid. Signs of ill-usage were visible at the corners and, all around, the walls were covered with small, thin cracks. Yoon-Yi thought it would crumble at the slightest touch.
"Very smart and amusing, what can I say." Mr. Kim retorted, not really paying attention to her condescending tone. "Perhaps you could open it. What's inside is more important than the outside."
Starting to become even more curious now, Yoon-Yi took a deep breath and pushed the lid open. Inside, there was a mixture of color and fabric that took Yoon-Yi completely by surprise. The faded exterior strongly contrasted with the vibrant colors that were found inside, thus emphasizing the former's antiquated aspect, and the latter's beauty.
"This was your grandmother's
Yoon-Yi let out a soft gasp, slowly pulling the dress out. Then, she gently placed it on the table beside the chest so she could see it better.
The hanbok was made out of a wrap-around skirt and a short blouse shirt. Both pieces were made from an airy fabric, which gave it a look of elegance. The whiteness of the upper part of the dress was tinged with soft specks of color that represented summer flowers, delicately sewn across the sleeves and torso.
The skirt was light pink and it complimented the white ribbon of the blouse. It was the most beautiful traditional dress Yoon-Yi had ever seen, at least in real life. She wasn't counting the hundreds of dresses she had seen in pictures or dramas.
"It is beautiful." Yoon-Yi said, gazing quietly at the dress.
She brushed her fingers across the fabric, gently tracing the patterns. It felt like air under her fingertips.
"Thank you, grandfather." She said, turning around and giving the old man a wide smile. Then, with a sigh of defeat she continued. "This means I won't be able to escape my mother and Mrs. Choe now, would I?"
"I suppose not." Mr. Kim replied with a mischievous glint in his round eyes. "But if it makes you feel any better, know that your grandmother will be very happy to see you dressed in this."
It was somewhat of a consolation, knowing she will be making her grandmother happy.
Therefore, with less grumblings and a lighter heart, Yoon-Yi allowed her mother and former nanny to dress her up for the festival. Her mother also braided Yoon-Yi's hair and tied it with a long red ribbon that fell along her backline. The thin fabric fluttered gracefully in the summer breeze.
To complete her traditional appearance, Yoon-Yi put on a pair of red leather shoes, a gift her mother gave her a year ago on her birthday. Apparently, her mother was thoroughly prepared for this occasion since she even brought those with her.
After she was fully dressed, Yoon-Yi looked at herself in the mirror. The difference between her former appearance and the current one was striking. Where a disheveled girl previously was, now stood a beautiful young lady. She looked graceful and fragile and, somehow, she could not believe that the woman who was staring back at her from inside the mirror was really her.
Falling in a daze, Yoon-Yi slowly raised her hands and pinched her cheeks. Then, she turned around, moved her legs, all to make sure it was really her image that was reflected in front of her.
After a few minutes she was finally satisfied and, throwing one last grin to her reflection, she turned around and left the room.
***
As was his custom, on the day of the festival, Mr. Kim gave new clothes to the servants and allowed them to take a day off. Everyone was to spend the day leisurely, walking around the small town, playing games at the market, and paying respects to their ancestors.
The family, on the other hand, was supposed to go up to the base of the mountain, where the family graves were located. Some of them were centuries old, with the names barely visible on the stone, proof of the Kim family's long lineage.
With an elated heart, Yoon-Yi hurried up the slopes shortly after dinner, carrying a basket filled with food and drinks. She stopped from time to time, pulling the large skirt upward so she could walk faster. The dress may have been beautiful, but it was very troublesome to wear while walking up the hills. Even the shoes soon made her miss the comfortable sneakers that were waiting for her back at the house.
Nevertheless, she pressed on and after another half an hour of walking, she saw the stone heads of the graves. Her grandmother's was close to the path, allowing them easy access.
They placed the food on special plates and poured the alcohol in tiny cups, all the while remaining silent and respectful. When everything was ready, they knelt on the ground and bowed deeply.
After the ritual was finally complete, Yoon-Yi lit three incense sticks and placed them in a bowl filled with sand. She put the bowl in front of the stone-grave and bowed her head. She smiled to herself.
Normally, they could have done all this back at home, just like everybody else was doing during Baekjung festival, but Yoon-Yi was grateful for the opportunity to leave the house.
After they said their greetings, Mr. Kim said he wanted to be alone with his wife. Therefore, in order to allow him some privacy, Yoon-Yi and her mother walked farther along the path.
"It's so quiet here." Yoon-Yi said, stopping at the edge of the hill.
Below the edge she could see the small-town bustling with people going about their business. Even from that distance she could still see the colorful clothes they were all wearing.
"Yes." Her mother agreed silently, looking up at the darkening sky. "The spirits are at peace."
Yoon-Yi felt a shiver going down her spine. She never really felt comfortable thinking about spirits or ghosts. The subject always made her feel slightly squeamish.
Luckily for her, Mr. Kim joined them soon afterwards and her mind eventually got diverted from those scary thoughts.
"We can return home now." Mr. Kim said, smiling sadly.
They all started for the town, but soon afterwards, Yoon-Yi got restless due to their slow pace and decided to go on ahead. She also felt a sudden need to be alone, to take in the scenery all by herself. Visiting the graves and thinking about her ancestors' spirits watching her, suddenly made her emotional for some reason.
"I'll go for a walk and meet you at the bridge." She said, suddenly turning on her heels and almost running along the path.
"Just be careful, dear. It's getting dark soon." Her mother shouted after her, but Yoon-Yi simply waved her hand and started walking faster.
Due to her haste, she didn't notice the nervous glance Mr. Kim and her mother shot at each other. The meaning was obvious though, they were both worried about her.
"Do you think she will be alright?" Mrs. Kim asked her father worriedly.
Her thin and perfect eyebrows were knitted together and her lips parted with a sigh.
"The spirits will know what to do. One way or another, she will find her path. All we can do is watch over her and support her when that happens." Mr. Kim said, trying to sound more confident than he really was.