KOR version: The Private View :: 일곱 번째 집: 나름 럭셔리한 듀플렉스 일층집
7.
The First Floor of a Duplex - luxury in its own way
1) Basic Info
- Location: Gardner, Massachusetts, USA
It is a city according to American standards, but to Hyojeong, who is from Korea, it is practically the countryside as all the supermarkets and cafes are at least 5 minutes away. Guns are legal here so finding a safe neighborhood is the priority when looking for a house - if you have to choose between a dilapidated shack in a safer place and a luxury mansion in a lawless place, choose the former and renovate it.
- Population: 3 - Hyojeong Kim (24 years old/ mother, cook, cleaner), Nolan Kim (30 years old / father, earner, handyman), Junyeong Kim aka Jun (3 years old/ son, in charge of being cute and lovely)
- Pet: Hana the cat (6 years old/ immigrated from Korea together with the family), Namu the dog (5 months years old/ very cheerful, giving a hard time to raise)
- Language: Mainly English. Nolan’s Korean doesn’t show any progress so there’s no chance that Korean can be the main language. Korean is spoken as a secret language between Hyoheong and Jun. Nolan can’t understand 99% of what they say to each other so when Hyojeong needs to talk to Jun only, she speaks Korean. Chinese is also another language used by Hyojeong and Jun but it is very basic. Hyojeong believes language is a key to open a door to a wider world so she studies Chinese with Jun hoping Jun speaks as many languages as he can.
- History: Hyojeong and Nolan used to live in Pohang, Korea and Jun was born in February 2017. When Jun became 10 months old, the family moved to the U.S. It was Christmas Day. At first, they stayed at Nolan’s parents’ then moved to an apartment in Worcester. The rent was $1,600 in the first year and increased to $1,750 next year. They couldn’t afford it so looked for a cheaper house. Finally, they found this duplex for $1,150. They are generally happy with the choice and planning to live here as long as they can since they don’t want to go back to the cycle of changing residences every year.
- Important memorial days: Birthdays, New Year’s Day, Hangeul (Korean alphabet) day, Thanksgiving, Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving), Saint Patrick’s day, Halloween, Christmas, etc.
- Additional information: Every month, different insects scare Hyojeong. At first, she was just screaming and running away from them but 3-years of living in America made her tougher; she just hits them with a fly swatter or a shoe now. Jun used to be scared and cry until he was 1 year old but now he even kills spiders with his own hands without any problem. Luckily, cockroaches haven’t been spotted yet. Hyojeong hopes not to see them ever.
2) Main Attractions
- A Corner of the Living Room, the first place seen when you open the house door
Hyojeong’s favorite spot also has photos of the family members wearing Korean traditional clothes. Although Hana’s eating spot and bathroom happen to be next to each other, at least the colors match well.
- Jun’s Room / Living Room
There are two rooms in the house. One is a bedroom and the other is a study for Nolan as he is a teacher. Therefore, Jun’s belongings naturally take up the living room. He always makes the space messy but Hyojeong just appreciates that Jun spends the stay at home days during the COVID-19 pandemic without any complaints.
- The Sunny Bathroom
The bathroom is quite spacious and there’s a toilet right in front of the entrance. It faces the sun so you can use the toilet all day in the sunlight.
- The Pantry
It’s a good place to hide to surprise people. There are all kinds of food, in other words, a paradise of snacks and sauces.
- The Side Door of the Kitchen
One side of the wall to the door is uniquely curved. Hyojeong puts important notes on the door with magnets. This leads to the side yard of the house where they can make a swimming pool for Jun, play with sand, and Namu can relieve himself.
3) Additional things to see
- The Multi-purpose Dining Table
The spot for Hyojeong to study (even though she has her own desk), to bake, to eat and to play with slime with Jun. This is why the table is always messy.
- Namu’s Toys Lying around on the Floor
Like the living room, there are toys lying around in the kitchen as Namu stays in the kitchen. One positive thing is that there are not many toys so it’s easy to tidy up.
- The Peace Zone between the Living Room and the Kitchen
Hana extremely hates Namu so they needed to be separated. As a result, there is a fence between the living room and the kitchen. The living room is taken by Jun and Hana, and the kitchen is taken by Hyojeong and Namu. Lifting your leg to cross the fence can be a good exercise.
- A Handmade Bag
The pants bought through online shopping were too small so they were made into a bag.
4) Food
- The “Don’t Judge by its Look” Chocolate Cream Cake
Despite the not-so-pretty look, the cake tastes fantastic. It’s also made with almond chocolate. The family members can finish the whole cake as soon as it’s made.
- Lettuce, Tomatoes and Herbs from the Garden
When you want to relieve your stress, buy a pack of pork belly from a Korean supermarket and have it with the vegetables from the garden.
- Homemade Burger
The 100% real homemade burger with lettuce and tomatoes from the garden, home-baked buns and handmade patties with a lot of onions.
- Wild Blueberry and Raspberry
Nolan and Jun go for a walk often. One day they found berry bush and came home with a bucket of berries. When you have a chance to compare home-grown or wild vegetables and fruits to the ones in the supermarkets, you will appreciate the natural ones better.
Lastly, introducing the fluff balls, Hana and Namu, and the first son of the family who started to go to taekwondo lessons every two weeks.
