Ship/Member: Mingyu/Minghao Major Tags: Epistolary, Long Distance Relationship, Multiverse, Alternate Universe(s), Magical Realism, Dreams/Dreaming Additional Tags: junhui cameo!, vernon cameo!, jungkook cameo!, there’s some miscommunication that’s kinda stressful (but it gets worked out, i promise!), one mention of drinking alcohol and getting drunk Permission to remix: Yes!
***
“How beautiful you must be to have been able to lead me this far with only the sound of your going away.”
--W.S. Merwin
***
viv and i were talking about their fill for this prompt, and then this happened! As viv mentioned in their tags, the childhood media i thought about first for this concept was griffin & sabine, an epistolary novel that i read for the first time when i was about ten and have thought about often ever since; this fic is loosely based on that. it also has some your name vibes in it, too! See also: the subtle knife and the amber spyglass by phillip pullman; the exchange between sam and suzy from moonrise kingdom (“Dear Suzy, When?,” “Dear Sam, Where?,” etc., etc.). i thought a lot about the song “somewhere only we know” by keane, for both viv’s fill and this remix, so that’s the title! See also: “invisible string” by taylor swift, and “hiding tonight” by alex turner (“I’ll know the way back, if you know the way”).
i will update with the second part when i am done editing it, i am so sorry, it will be completed i promise!! also it exceeds the character limit so i have to post in multiple parts RIP. thanks for reading!
***
October 1, 2017 Dear Mr. Xu,
You don’t know me, let me introduce myself! My name is Kim Mingyu. I’m 20 years old, and I live in New York City. It’s nice to meet you! I hope we can stay in touch for a long time!
Sincerely, Mingyu Kim 63 St. Joseph’s Pl., Apt. 5A New York, NY 10003, USA
***
14 October Dear Mr. Kim,
You’re right—I don’t think I know you, but your name sounds vaguely familiar…How did you get my address?
Sincerely, Xu Minghao Bldg. 102 Unit 14 Dongil-ro-gil 19 Hwayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 04900 South Korea
***
November 2, 2017 Dear Mr. Xu,
I’m sorry, I should have mentioned this in my first letter, but I found your address because I bought a set of old postcards from a thrift shop a couple weeks ago just for fun, and one of the postcards was one you had sent! It was to someone named “Junhui.” It was postmarked June 27, 2004, and you wrote about visiting Los Angeles on a family trip. You even included a stick figure drawing of yourself and your family in the bottom right hand corner! You must have been young, all you could talk about was the strawberry ice cream bar you had for dessert, and how they don’t have that in Korea.
What else do you remember about the trip? What did you think of the U.S.? Have you ever been back to L.A. since then? I went for the first time last summer and I thought it was really fun! Tell me more about yourself! I’m sorry about all the questions! I’ve never had a penpal before, but I think I would really like one…but no pressure if this is weirding you out! You don’t even have to reply if this is too creepy for you!
Sincerely, Kim Mingyu
P.S. I like that you included your dog in the stick figure drawing, even though she couldn’t come with you on the trip ^__^ P.P.S. Your name sounded familiar too, but I really don’t think we have ever met!
***
21 November Dear Mr. Kim,
It’s not creepy, but it is a little weird that you found that postcard. Junhui and I were childhood best friends, but we haven’t talked in a while!
I don’t remember very much from the L.A. trip, even though I was ten or eleven years old when we went. The people were so friendly! I remember waiting for the elevator in the hotel lobby with my family, and a man standing with us started talking to my dad about the weather. My dad was so shocked! Talking to strangers isn’t really a thing in Korea, so we were surprised by how chatty Americans are!
Ah, I never really know what to say when people ask me about myself…I’m also 20 years old, I’m a fashion design student, I work part-time at a clothing store. It’s my senior year, so I’m spending a lot of time in the studio on campus working on my final project.
How about you? What do you do?
Sincerely, Xu Minghao [Since I’m working on my final project, I might not be able to send you a reply for some time.]
***
December 13, 2017 Dear Minghao (is it okay if I call you that? It feels weird calling you “Mr.” since we’re the same age…),
Tell me more about your final project! I’m actually a photography major, but I don’t know anything about fashion, I mostly shoot landscapes. My friend Vernon is a stylist though, I usually just wear whatever he gives me.
Also, don’t worry about getting back to me right away! I told you, it’s just fun to have a penpal, so you really don’t have to worry!
Sincerely,
Mingyu
***
27 December Dear Mingyu (it feels so much better to call you that),
My final project is a capsule collection, which is a shortened version of a full fashion collection. It’s meant to be a preview of what I would make if I was a full-fledged designer. All the fashion design students make one, and then we have a show at the end of the year and we invite a bunch of people in the fashion world to view it. I included a couple pictures of designs that I’ve been working on. I’ve been really obsessed with the ocean, can you tell?
Sincerely, Minghao
***
January 15, 2018
Minghao, this is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen! I didn’t even know fabric could do that! I showed your designs to my friend Vernon (I hope you don’t mind), and he said you’re really good at draping.
Since you showed me your work, I included a few pictures I took while I was in California last summer! I tried to take pictures of the sunset because it was so pretty that day, but I don’t think it came out anywhere close to what it was like in real life.
Sincerely, Mingyu
P.S. I like how you made the skirt in outfit #2, it looks like one big wave. P.P.S. Thank you for sharing your work with me (a complete stranger)
***
13 February Dear Mingyu,
Exactly!! The skirt is supposed to be like an ocean wave! You’re the first person to catch that!
I really like the picture you took of the jetty, it looks like the ocean is about to swallow the sun. I think you should give yourself more credit, I felt like I could feel the sun’s warmth through the photo. Is that weird?
Also—is that a picture of the front of the L.A. art museum? I think I’ve been there, I remember running around with other kids through those lamps!
Sincerely, Minghao [You’re not a complete stranger to me, I think it’s nice to talk to you.]
***
February 29, 2018 Dear Minghao,
That’s not weird! That’s why they call it the golden hour, right? It’s the perfect time to take photographs.
You’re right, it’s the front of LACMA (L.A. County Museum of Art)! I thought it looked really cool at night with all the lamps lit up.
Minghao, maybe this is too much, but what do you look like? I’ve been trying to picture what you look like, but I really can’t. Maybe you could Would you feel comfortable Could you send a picture of yourself? I want to be able to put a face to your name.
Sincerely, Mingyu
P.S. You really don’t have to send a photo if that makes you uncomfortable! Ah!! You can forget I said anything!
***
March 24, 2018 Dear Minghao,
I haven’t heard from you in a while. Did I blow it? I’m so sorry!! I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable! If I have, I really am so sorry.
Best wishes, Mingyu
***
21 April Dear Mingyu,
I’m sorry I haven’t written in a while. Life got really busy and so much has happened! I graduated, I got an apprenticeship, and I moved apartments!
The spring was really stressful because we had the showcase for our capsule collections, and a lot of important people were there and I was so anxious that I think I gave a really bad first impression to some fashion editors. And then I went through a slump—some of my classmates got offers from department stores to buy their capsules, but no one bought mine. I know that it doesn’t really make sense to compare myself to them, all of our work is so different, and I was happy to see them have such a strong start, but I wanted that for myself too. Is that selfish?
By chance, one of my friends sent my sketches to a designer named Woo Youngmi, and she hired me! I’m starting out small—she has me sewing mockups and helping with fittings—but even watching her process is motivating me to work harder. I usually get up early to sew before going to work, even though the neighbors probably don’t appreciate the sound of my sewing machine at dawn.
You had asked me for a picture of myself, and I think that’s alright, as long as you send one back! The photo I sent is of me taken on the rooftop of my new apartment building. Sometimes, I go up there after work to watch the sun set. What do you think? It’s a beautiful view, right? I wish you could see it in person.
Yours, Minghao Bldg. 38 Unit 35 Sangdong-ro 12 Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do 14543 South Korea
[Please don’t apologize for sending me letters. I can’t always respond right away, and the mail service can be slow these days, but I find myself looking forward to seeing your handwriting in my mail pile.]
***
May 20, 2018 Dear Minghao,
I saw your handwriting in the mail and had to sit down and write to you right away!
First, congratulations on graduating! Even though I only saw a few of your designs, I really, really liked your vision, and I am so excited for you to start this new journey! I know how you feel. I graduated too, and now I’m working freelance and have steady gigs, but I didn’t have many clients when I had just graduated. I hated feeling so energized and inspired at a shoot, but not knowing when I would hit that high again. I don’t think you’re selfish, it doesn’t make sense for you to compare yourselves to others. You are yourself, and your work has its own feel, and I think it’s better to wait for the right people to come around and recognize that.
Second, I’ve included a picture of myself! Vernon took it when we went bike riding in the park one day.
Lastly, thank you for the photo, but did you include the wrong one by accident? I see the view, but I don’t see you!
Yours, Mingyu
P.S. It really is a beautiful view! I would love to see it in person.
***
1 June Dear Mingyu,
That’s odd—I definitely sent you the right photo. I actually sent you the only copy of that photo, I threw the negatives out by accident when I was getting rid of moving boxes, but I know I didn’t have any photos of just the view by itself…
What’s weird is that your photo doesn’t have you in it either! It looks like a lovely picnic on a sunny day, but there’s no one there! Is it possible you sent the wrong picture?
Yours, Minghao
***
June 19, 2018 Minghao,
That’s so strange. I looked at the negative of the photo I sent you, and it is definitely the one with me in it. Are you positive you have the right one? There should be a green bike leaning against a tree in the right side of the picture. And I’m sitting in the center of the picnic blanket! You can’t miss me!!
Yours, Mingyu
***
2 July Dear Mingyu,
Hmm, the photo you sent matches your description…to be fair, most of the picture is underexposed so it’s really hard to make anything out, maybe your face is in shadow? In any case, I put it on the pinboard above my sewing machine at home, and I find myself looking at it whenever I find a lull in my work.
Mingyu—I have exciting news!! I was invited by Youngmi daepyo-nim to accompany her in Europe this summer! We’re sourcing fabrics for future collections and meeting with manufacturers, distributors, and other designers. By the time you get this, I’ll be on a plane to Vienna!
The trip will last the whole summer; after Vienna we’ll go to Berlin, then Amsterdam, and then we’ll go to New York for Fashion Week. It’s actually the longest time I’ll be away from home. I’m looking forward to it, of course, but to be honest, I’m also very nervous. Mingyu—do you ever feel nervous about things like this? This is something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time, but I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want to jinx it or anything. And now it’s happening and all my things are packed and I’m ready to go, but I don’t think it’s hit me yet.
Maybe I’ll feel truly excited when I arrive…but for now?...I guess I’m worried that I’ll ruin something, or that someone else in my position might do better than me, or be more deserving of this. I guess it just feels like I’m holding something great in my hands and I don’t know what to do with it?
I’m sorry for this rambling letter, but I think it will make up for whatever else I’ll manage to write to you this summer! Which is to say—I’ll write to you when I can, so expect some postcards from faraway places!
Yours, Minghao [Forward your letter to my flat in Berlin, please! I would love nothing more than to have a letter from you waiting for me when I arrive.]
Minghao Xu Niederbarnimstr. 4
10247 Berlin Germany
***
July 18, 2018 Dear Minghao,
I hope you arrived in Berlin safely! I am so excited for you, and I think you’ll have a great time no matter what. And I want you to know that you, you are deserving of this. We haven’t been writing to each other for very long but I know you work hard at everything you do, and I think you should consider this a celebration of that work!
I have the picture of your view saved too! I have a “wall of inspiration” in my bedroom where I hang pictures from photoshoots I like. Your picture is taped next to a Steven Meisel photoshoot from the '90’s that is set at a swimming pool. I see it every morning when I get ready for the day.
I’m actually traveling for work this summer too, I’ll be in L.A. all of August and September. I got hired to shoot an ad campaign for cars (can’t say for which company, it’s a secret ;) ), and I also have a bunch of personal stuff I want to shoot while I’m there. Write to me at this L.A. address!
Yours,
Mingyu 384 Kenilworth Ave Los Angeles, CA 90039
***
2 August Mingyu,
I’m trying to write this quickly—I’m at a dinner party and it’s almost midnight and I’m a little tipsy. I’m writing to say that I miss you. I think I can say that now, to you, in a letter. Youngmi daepyo-nim and I have been going to art museums a lot as part of the research for future collections, and I go home in the evening and my brain feels stuffed full of so many ideas for my own designs. I’m just drunk enough now that I don’t think I’ll feel embarrassed about this until tomorrow morning, but I still think about what you said about my senior project—how it looked like an ocean wave. And I think about how cool it would be if we created something together. If I styled a photoshoot for you? Something like that…maybe one day.
I have to go now, my friend is pounding on the door and accusing me of being antisocial! I guess I just wanted to say that I wish you were here.
[remix] somewhere only we know (pt. 1a)
Major Tags: Epistolary, Long Distance Relationship, Multiverse, Alternate Universe(s), Magical Realism, Dreams/Dreaming
Additional Tags: junhui cameo!, vernon cameo!, jungkook cameo!, there’s some miscommunication that’s kinda stressful (but it gets worked out, i promise!), one mention of drinking alcohol and getting drunk
Permission to remix: Yes!
***
--W.S. Merwin
***
viv and i were talking about their fill for this prompt, and then this happened! As viv mentioned in their tags, the childhood media i thought about first for this concept was griffin & sabine, an epistolary novel that i read for the first time when i was about ten and have thought about often ever since; this fic is loosely based on that. it also has some your name vibes in it, too! See also: the subtle knife and the amber spyglass by phillip pullman; the exchange between sam and suzy from moonrise kingdom (“Dear Suzy, When?,” “Dear Sam, Where?,” etc., etc.). i thought a lot about the song “somewhere only we know” by keane, for both viv’s fill and this remix, so that’s the title! See also: “invisible string” by taylor swift, and “hiding tonight” by alex turner (“I’ll know the way back, if you know the way”).
i will update with the second part when i am done editing it, i am so sorry, it will be completed i promise!! also it exceeds the character limit so i have to post in multiple parts RIP. thanks for reading!
***
October 1, 2017
Dear Mr. Xu,
You don’t know me, let me introduce myself! My name is Kim Mingyu. I’m 20 years old, and I live in New York City. It’s nice to meet you! I hope we can stay in touch for a long time!
Sincerely,
Mingyu Kim
63 St. Joseph’s Pl., Apt. 5A
New York, NY 10003, USA
***
14 October
Dear Mr. Kim,
You’re right—I don’t think I know you, but your name sounds vaguely familiar…How did you get my address?
Sincerely,
Xu Minghao
Bldg. 102 Unit 14
Dongil-ro-gil 19
Hwayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 04900
South Korea
***
November 2, 2017
Dear Mr. Xu,
I’m sorry, I should have mentioned this in my first letter, but I found your address because I bought a set of old postcards from a thrift shop a couple weeks ago just for fun, and one of the postcards was one you had sent! It was to someone named “Junhui.” It was postmarked June 27, 2004, and you wrote about visiting Los Angeles on a family trip. You even included a stick figure drawing of yourself and your family in the bottom right hand corner! You must have been young, all you could talk about was the strawberry ice cream bar you had for dessert, and how they don’t have that in Korea.
What else do you remember about the trip? What did you think of the U.S.? Have you ever been back to L.A. since then? I went for the first time last summer and I thought it was really fun! Tell me more about yourself! I’m sorry about all the questions! I’ve never had a penpal before, but I think I would really like one…but no pressure if this is weirding you out! You don’t even have to reply if this is too creepy for you!
Sincerely,
Kim Mingyu
P.S. I like that you included your dog in the stick figure drawing, even though she couldn’t come with you on the trip ^__^
P.P.S. Your name sounded familiar too, but I really don’t think we have ever met!
***
21 November
Dear Mr. Kim,
It’s not creepy, but it is a little weird that you found that postcard. Junhui and I were childhood best friends, but we haven’t talked in a while!
I don’t remember very much from the L.A. trip, even though I was ten or eleven years old when we went. The people were so friendly! I remember waiting for the elevator in the hotel lobby with my family, and a man standing with us started talking to my dad about the weather. My dad was so shocked! Talking to strangers isn’t really a thing in Korea, so we were surprised by how chatty Americans are!
Ah, I never really know what to say when people ask me about myself…I’m also 20 years old, I’m a fashion design student, I work part-time at a clothing store. It’s my senior year, so I’m spending a lot of time in the studio on campus working on my final project.
How about you? What do you do?
Sincerely,
Xu Minghao
[Since I’m working on my final project, I might not be able to send you a reply for some time.]
***
December 13, 2017
Dear Minghao (is it okay if I call you that? It feels weird calling you “Mr.” since we’re the same age…),
Tell me more about your final project! I’m actually a photography major, but I don’t know anything about fashion, I mostly shoot landscapes. My friend Vernon is a stylist though, I usually just wear whatever he gives me.
Also, don’t worry about getting back to me right away! I told you, it’s just fun to have a penpal, so you really don’t have to worry!
Sincerely,
Mingyu
***
27 December
Dear Mingyu (it feels so much better to call you that),
My final project is a capsule collection, which is a shortened version of a full fashion collection. It’s meant to be a preview of what I would make if I was a full-fledged designer. All the fashion design students make one, and then we have a show at the end of the year and we invite a bunch of people in the fashion world to view it. I included a couple pictures of designs that I’ve been working on. I’ve been really obsessed with the ocean, can you tell?
Sincerely,
Minghao
***
January 15, 2018
Minghao, this is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen! I didn’t even know fabric could do that! I showed your designs to my friend Vernon (I hope you don’t mind), and he said you’re really good at draping.
Since you showed me your work, I included a few pictures I took while I was in California last summer! I tried to take pictures of the sunset because it was so pretty that day, but I don’t think it came out anywhere close to what it was like in real life.
Sincerely,
Mingyu
P.S. I like how you made the skirt in outfit #2, it looks like one big wave.
P.P.S. Thank you for sharing your work with me (a complete stranger)
***
13 February
Dear Mingyu,
Exactly!! The skirt is supposed to be like an ocean wave! You’re the first person to catch that!
I really like the picture you took of the jetty, it looks like the ocean is about to swallow the sun. I think you should give yourself more credit, I felt like I could feel the sun’s warmth through the photo. Is that weird?
Also—is that a picture of the front of the L.A. art museum? I think I’ve been there, I remember running around with other kids through those lamps!
Sincerely,
Minghao
[You’re not a complete stranger to me, I think it’s nice to talk to you.]
***
February 29, 2018
Dear Minghao,
That’s not weird! That’s why they call it the golden hour, right? It’s the perfect time to take photographs.
You’re right, it’s the front of LACMA (L.A. County Museum of Art)! I thought it looked really cool at night with all the lamps lit up.
Minghao, maybe this is too much, but what do you look like? I’ve been trying to picture what you look like, but I really can’t.
Maybe you could Would you feel comfortableCould you send a picture of yourself? I want to be able to put a face to your name.Sincerely,
Mingyu
P.S. You really don’t have to send a photo if that makes you uncomfortable! Ah!! You can forget I said anything!
***
March 24, 2018
Dear Minghao,
I haven’t heard from you in a while. Did I blow it? I’m so sorry!! I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable! If I have, I really am so sorry.
Best wishes,
Mingyu
***
21 April
Dear Mingyu,
I’m sorry I haven’t written in a while. Life got really busy and so much has happened! I graduated, I got an apprenticeship, and I moved apartments!
The spring was really stressful because we had the showcase for our capsule collections, and a lot of important people were there and I was so anxious that I think I gave a really bad first impression to some fashion editors. And then I went through a slump—some of my classmates got offers from department stores to buy their capsules, but no one bought mine. I know that it doesn’t really make sense to compare myself to them, all of our work is so different, and I was happy to see them have such a strong start, but I wanted that for myself too. Is that selfish?
By chance, one of my friends sent my sketches to a designer named Woo Youngmi, and she hired me! I’m starting out small—she has me sewing mockups and helping with fittings—but even watching her process is motivating me to work harder. I usually get up early to sew before going to work, even though the neighbors probably don’t appreciate the sound of my sewing machine at dawn.
You had asked me for a picture of myself, and I think that’s alright, as long as you send one back! The photo I sent is of me taken on the rooftop of my new apartment building. Sometimes, I go up there after work to watch the sun set. What do you think? It’s a beautiful view, right? I wish you could see it in person.
Yours,
Minghao
Bldg. 38 Unit 35
Sangdong-ro 12
Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do 14543
South Korea
[Please don’t apologize for sending me letters. I can’t always respond right away, and the mail service can be slow these days, but I find myself looking forward to seeing your handwriting in my mail pile.]
***
May 20, 2018
Dear Minghao,
I saw your handwriting in the mail and had to sit down and write to you right away!
First, congratulations on graduating! Even though I only saw a few of your designs, I really, really liked your vision, and I am so excited for you to start this new journey! I know how you feel. I graduated too, and now I’m working freelance and have steady gigs, but I didn’t have many clients when I had just graduated. I hated feeling so energized and inspired at a shoot, but not knowing when I would hit that high again. I don’t think you’re selfish, it doesn’t make sense for you to compare yourselves to others. You are yourself, and your work has its own feel, and I think it’s better to wait for the right people to come around and recognize that.
Second, I’ve included a picture of myself! Vernon took it when we went bike riding in the park one day.
Lastly, thank you for the photo, but did you include the wrong one by accident? I see the view, but I don’t see you!
Yours,
Mingyu
P.S. It really is a beautiful view! I would love to see it in person.
***
1 June
Dear Mingyu,
That’s odd—I definitely sent you the right photo. I actually sent you the only copy of that photo, I threw the negatives out by accident when I was getting rid of moving boxes, but I know I didn’t have any photos of just the view by itself…
What’s weird is that your photo doesn’t have you in it either! It looks like a lovely picnic on a sunny day, but there’s no one there! Is it possible you sent the wrong picture?
Yours,
Minghao
***
June 19, 2018
Minghao,
That’s so strange. I looked at the negative of the photo I sent you, and it is definitely the one with me in it. Are you positive you have the right one? There should be a green bike leaning against a tree in the right side of the picture. And I’m sitting in the center of the picnic blanket! You can’t miss me!!
Yours,
Mingyu
***
2 July
Dear Mingyu,
Hmm, the photo you sent matches your description…to be fair, most of the picture is underexposed so it’s really hard to make anything out, maybe your face is in shadow? In any case, I put it on the pinboard above my sewing machine at home, and I find myself looking at it whenever I find a lull in my work.
Mingyu—I have exciting news!! I was invited by Youngmi daepyo-nim to accompany her in Europe this summer! We’re sourcing fabrics for future collections and meeting with manufacturers, distributors, and other designers. By the time you get this, I’ll be on a plane to Vienna!
The trip will last the whole summer; after Vienna we’ll go to Berlin, then Amsterdam, and then we’ll go to New York for Fashion Week. It’s actually the longest time I’ll be away from home. I’m looking forward to it, of course, but to be honest, I’m also very nervous. Mingyu—do you ever feel nervous about things like this? This is something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time, but I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want to jinx it or anything. And now it’s happening and all my things are packed and I’m ready to go, but I don’t think it’s hit me yet.
Maybe I’ll feel truly excited when I arrive…but for now?...I guess I’m worried that I’ll ruin something, or that someone else in my position might do better than me, or be more deserving of this. I guess it just feels like I’m holding something great in my hands and I don’t know what to do with it?
I’m sorry for this rambling letter, but I think it will make up for whatever else I’ll manage to write to you this summer! Which is to say—I’ll write to you when I can, so expect some postcards from faraway places!
Yours,
Minghao
[Forward your letter to my flat in Berlin, please! I would love nothing more than to have a letter from you waiting for me when I arrive.]
Minghao Xu
Niederbarnimstr. 4
10247 Berlin
Germany
***
July 18, 2018
Dear Minghao,
I hope you arrived in Berlin safely! I am so excited for you, and I think you’ll have a great time no matter what. And I want you to know that you, you are deserving of this. We haven’t been writing to each other for very long but I know you work hard at everything you do, and I think you should consider this a celebration of that work!
I have the picture of your view saved too! I have a “wall of inspiration” in my bedroom where I hang pictures from photoshoots I like. Your picture is taped next to a Steven Meisel photoshoot from the '90’s that is set at a swimming pool. I see it every morning when I get ready for the day.
I’m actually traveling for work this summer too, I’ll be in L.A. all of August and September. I got hired to shoot an ad campaign for cars (can’t say for which company, it’s a secret ;) ), and I also have a bunch of personal stuff I want to shoot while I’m there. Write to me at this L.A. address!
Yours,
Mingyu
384 Kenilworth Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90039
***
2 August
Mingyu,
I’m trying to write this quickly—I’m at a dinner party and it’s almost midnight and I’m a little tipsy.
I’m writing to say that I miss you. I think I can say that now, to you, in a letter. Youngmi daepyo-nim and I have been going to art museums a lot as part of the research for future collections, and I go home in the evening and my brain feels stuffed full of so many ideas for my own designs. I’m just drunk enough now that I don’t think I’ll feel embarrassed about this until tomorrow morning, but I still think about what you said about my senior project—how it looked like an ocean wave. And I think about how cool it would be if we created something together. If I styled a photoshoot for you? Something like that…maybe one day.
I have to go now, my friend is pounding on the door and accusing me of being antisocial! I guess I just wanted to say that I wish you were here.
Yours truly,
Minghao