People come and go, though some can leave a lasting impression on you even after years of their absence. I'm pretty sure you've gone through that before. It's probably someone you knew growing up; your childhood best friend, your elementary school mate, a teacher, or a college professor. It can also be someone you knew in passing; a stranger you met while commuting, a fellow passenger on the airplane, a cafe barista, or someone who waited at the same bus stop as you. It can be anyone.
One of those people for me was my next door neighbour.
My neighbour when I was still living in my old house in Bandung had always been Koreans, as far as I remember. My first memory of interacting with one of them was with an older man in his late 40s/early 50s, I think. If I'm not mistaken he stayed there alone. I only knew him as Mr. Kim. He was a sweet and gentle man, and I always saw him with a smile on his face.
Whenever I played outside with my brother or friends, he would come out and watch us on his front porch. He even knew our domestic helpers and would sometimes interact with them. What a friendly man, I always liked him.
What he would always do was give us a batch of homemade kimchi once every month. It all started when my parents gave him a batch of local sweet potatoes. He was so grateful he gave us some kimchi in return on the same day! And after that, it became a regular thing for him. He would also sometimes give us some packets of ramyeon (couldn't find any in local stores back then, so these were all OG ramyeon) along with the kimchi. I was always very excited when he came over to give us the kimchi, especially when there's an extra added ramyeon. It was really peak luxury for me, at least. But now that I think about it, I feel really touched about what he did for us. He actually had us, a family of 4, in mind whenever he made kimchi. He purposely made extra so that he could give some for us. Well, even if he didn't make it but instead bought it from someone, it's still touching because he bought extra to give some to us. I have never met anyone as generous as Mr. Kim ever since.
Unfortunately after 2 or 3 years being neighbours, Mr. Kim had to move away. I think he was moving back to Korea. I didn't even get the chance to see him one last time before he left because I was at school. I remember coming back to school to see the house next to mine vacant. There was no Mr. Kim. I didn't get the chance to say my last goodbye. Though our helper said he did come by our house to bid farewell and dropped off some farewell gifts, but I can't remember what he gave us. It's probably one last batch of kimchi and some packets of ramyeon.
Whenever I eat kimchi now, I think about Mr. Kim. He showed me what true generosity really is. I still sometimes regret the fact I didn't say my goodbyes before he left. I really wanted to say how grateful I was for him and his kindness, and how much I would miss him, because I still do. It's been more than 20 years now.
Mr. Kim, I hope you still remember us and think about us sometimes, and I hope you're doing well, wherever you are right now.
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