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by 이동욱 May 19. 2022

Winter of Seongyojang House

2016

It is a joy to get to the scene and take pictures, but the journey to get there is also a great pleasure. On Tuesday, on the way to my job, I was excited to see the weather forecast that heavy snow was falling in Gangreung, Gangwon-do, overnight. The next day was off, just in time, so I spent the day not knowing how the time passed, full of excitement of Seongyojang House covered in snow. As soon as I got off work, I ate dinner and went to bed early, and the next day, I left home at 3 a.m. with a camera bag. Since it was early in the morning on weekdays, the Seoul-Yangyang Expressway was empty, and my car was filled with warm coffee aroma and favorite music. By the time I passed Hongcheon province, white lanterns indicating winter had begun to turn on one by one in the dark outside the window. I felt free from everything, along with the longed-for unfamiliarity you can have only when you cross the boundary between the ordinary and the extraordinary.

A little after 9 a.m., I arrived at Seongyojang, and it was half-raining and half-snowing. I was a little disappointed that the snow did not accumulate. Still, I hurriedly bought a ticket and entered the place, comforting myself with the scenery of the rainy Seongyojang House. The ticket office staff came from afar, offering me a cup of warm tea. He was sorry for me coming all the way from Seoul but missed the snow. Even though I didn't drink tea, my heart was already warm.

I could only spend 2 hours taking pictures because the winter wind was so fierce. When I went down looking for something to warm up my body, I was greeted by Lee Kang-baek, the director of the Seongyojang House. Eventually, I was offered a cup of warm tea and a delicious lunch at the staff restaurant. It was so grateful and excellent of the people of the Seongyojang House to provide a fleeting traveler such hospitality.