Gray hair reflected in the window on a rainy day
After spotting a gray hair by the window, Mijeong nudges away her friend’s phone as she tries to take a picture.
When gray hair shows up in a photo her friend took by the café window on a rainy day, Mijeong brings the words she couldn’t laugh off back up in the counseling room.
On a rainy afternoon, Mijeong checks the photo her friend took by the café window and spots a gray hair. Her friend sends it with a laugh: “Guess we’re starting to look our age,” but Mijeong can’t laugh along. A few weeks later, as Mijeong opens the photo again in the counseling room, Onyu asks what she noticed first. Mijeong says she saw her friend’s smiling face before the gray hair. The words left by the window that day haven’t come to an end yet.
When changes in your appearance stay on your mind
Even when all you can see is what’s changed, noticing who you were with and what you said together can help you see where your feelings linger.
Think of a recent moment when your appearance looked different to you. Who was with you, and what did you say?
The moment she spotted the gray hair by the window and couldn’t laugh along stayed with her. The photo held not only hair that had changed, but also her friend’s face, smiling as she said those words. If a similar photo or comment has stayed with you, you’re welcome to tell that story too.
Scenes
- 01 · The Photo by the Window — Sujin leans in beside Mijeong by the window and takes a photo with her phone. Sujin: Guess we’re starting to look our age. Mijeong: Yeah.
- 02 · Pushing the Photo Away — Mijeong spots the gray hair in the photo and slides the phone toward the table. Sujin’s smile fades.
- 03 · The Photo, Open Again — In the counseling room, Mijeong opens the photo again and shows it to Onyu. Onyu: What caught your eye first in the photo, Mijeong? Mijeong: Sujin’s smiling face, before the gray hair.
- 04 · A Smiling Face — Looking down at the photo, Mijeong says she noticed Sujin’s smiling face first. Onyu: What about that smile stayed with you? Mijeong: I couldn’t laugh, but Sujin was just smiling.
Stories by Onyu
- Onyu
- Just before clocking out, the clock reminds me of a request
- Right before clocking out, I pause before canceling our plans
- Right before quitting time, just thinking about learning makes me check the clock.
- Right before clocking out, I can’t think of what to say to a friend.
- I keep checking the clock just before quitting time.
- When I pause at the door, my dinner gets pushed back again.
- The path where she stopped to retie her shoe
- When I get home from work, my family is already doing okay.