for you

dedicated to fay

dear fay,

upon encountering your birthday, i realized just how little i feel like i know about you, yet i know that hirokazu koreeda is one of your favorite movie directors, i know you have more than one sibling, i know that you call lee juyeon with such an endearing nickname. yes, love may be stored in familiarity, but it is also stored in progression. you told me something once that made my heart leapt out of my chest, it was that we are growing up buddies. i cannot wait to receive more stories you are willing to share to me to help me uncloak new forms of love i could possibly discover in you.

dear fay,

happiest birthday to the gentlest leo, the most tender flames. “I don’t want to give up on nurturing my inner child just yet,” you once wrote. and that is exactly what i feel, hear, and see when i converse with you: childhood preserved. there is just so much wonder you carry, many places you have ever been to, and plenty lessons to learn. when you present them to the world, everything seems to be glittering in hope and the promise of tomorrows. i wish we could be forever growing up, but never growing old. within a minute, you will be defending your thesis then a whole new world will spread across your feet. you will look back with pride to this very moment where you grew up kindly. may responsibilities and jobs do not erode that memory away from you. however, if you ever feel lost or simply need a pair of ears to listen to the most wholesome rambling about the latest film you watched, you know where to find me.

dear fay,

i hope the world gives you more and more reasons to be happy. i hope you find sanctuary in words the way i found one in your old posted writings. may the journey you are currently facing does not hinder you from making another art. dear fayi, happy birthday to you. may life lead you to the best scenarios you could possibly imagine.