Waiting For Rain

Earlier this year, I stumbled upon Waiting for Rain (비와 당신의 이야기), the story of a struggling student named Young-Ho who reaches out via a handwritten letter to an elementary school classmate named So-Yeon, whose kindness he can't forget. Young-Ho doesn't know that So-Yeon is terminally ill and is being looked after by her younger sister, So-Hee, who, in reading Young-Ho's letter to her older sister, decides to write back to Young-Ho pretending to be So-Yeon, as she senses that a penpalship could lift her sister's spirits.

What follows is a heartwarming exchange of letters as Young-Ho and So-Hee become sources of comfort and hope to one another as they look to get through their days and discover what lies ahead. As their connection becomes stronger, they agree to meet in front of their elementary school if it ever rains on a future December 31st. As Young-Ho narrates, it's a story about waiting, and perhaps how waiting for someone is a form of love.

Living in today's era where even phone calls have largely been replaced by text messages, I love the analogue experience of writing, sending, and waiting for handwritten letters that have to make their way through a physical delivery network. There's something magical that comes with creating and exchanging letters and parcels by post, and Waiting for Rain captures this beautifully.

There is a supporting character in the story named Sora, who is also a struggling student attending the same academy as Young-Ho. Sora is drawn to Young-Ho's authenticity and existential angst, and she isn't shy about letting him know how fond she is of him. Though Young-Ho appreciates Sora's uniquely bright and straightforward personality, it's clear that So-Hee's spirit has his heart's full attention, and in realizing this, Sora directly asks Young-Ho how So-Hee is different from her.

After pausing to reflect on Sora's question, he explains:

"You're like a star, and she's like the rain. You're dazzling, while she brings comfort."
"너는 별 같고, 그 친구는 비 같아. 너는 눈부시고, 그 친구는 위안을 줘."

In considering Young-Ho's honest answer, Sora sadly accepts that the stars don't align for them to be a couple.

Fast forward eight years, and Sora visits Young-Ho at his artisan umbrella shop after seeing in a magazine that he has become a highly skilled craftsman. They briefly enjoy catching up, and then part ways as old friends, having nothing but good wishes for one another. Sora then fulfills her longtime dream of going to Iceland to view aurora-filled skies, and in taking in the northern lights, she prays:

There must have been a time long ago when there was nothing in this universe.
먼 옛날 이 우주에 아무것도 없었던 때가 있었겠지?

No stars, no wind, no clouds.
별도, 바람도, 구름도.

In this world where there was nothing, you and I brushed past and got to know each other, we laughed and we cried. What other miracles will this universe be filled with?
이 아무것도 없던 세상에 너와 내가 스치고 알아가고, 웃고 울고. 이 우주에는 또 어떤 기적으로 넘쳐날까?

I hope many miracles spread to you. Amazing, mysterious, and beautiful miracles. I will pray for this.
너에게 많은 기적이 번져 갔으면 해. 놀랍고 신비롭고 아름다운 기적. 기도할게.

I found this deeply moving. While much of the world functions via mutually agreed upon equitable transactions where many people don't care about those who don't provide some benefit, Sora's heartfelt wish for Young-Ho to thrive and experience more miracles feels like a state of being that’s well worth striving for.

Sora's prayer for Young-Ho should have us wonder: among those in our circle of life, who earnestly wishes for us to be healthy and fulfilled, even if we can do nothing to benefit them? In the same vein of thought, who do we pray to see thrive without concern for what they bring to our life?

Imagine a world in which more of us strive to care for others with Sora's spirit, praying for good things to happen for them even while knowing that we may never again cross paths. Such pure and beautiful intention feels like it should be the essence of every spiritual practice that aims to allow us to experience peace, fulfillment, and love.