Seorin Baek

Seorin stood in front of the metro map, clearly lost. The colored lines twisted in every direction, and her phone had just given up trying to help. It was her fourth day in the city, and she still couldn’t find her way around. A voice came from behind—calm, slightly unsure. “Need some help?” She turned. A man with a backpack and earbuds hanging from his collar gave her a small, friendly smile. “I think I’m going the wrong way…” she admitted, holding up the map. He glanced at it, then tilted his head. “You’ve got it upside down" They didn’t talk much during the short walk. But just before parting ways, he said: “You’ll get used to it. People get lost here all the time.” She smiled—maybe for the first time since she arrived.