lost in the mist: chasing whispers in jeonju

woke up to the sound of rain tapping on the window like it was trying to tell me something. the air outside felt like soup-thick, wet, and clinging to your skin. i just checked and it's 7.32°c with 96% humidity there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. the kind of cold that sneaks in through your jacket and curls up in your bones.

"don't trust the map, it lies," an old man said to me in a cafe, steam curling from his coffee like a ghost. "jeonju's streets move when you're not looking."

i laughed, but then i got lost three times trying to find hanok village. not the cute kind of lost-the kind where you start questioning if your phone's gps is haunted. the buildings here are beautiful though, all curved tile roofs and paper windows glowing like lanterns in the mist. i overheard someone say the best bibimbap in korea is hidden in a back alley near the market, but they also said the owner only serves it if he likes your face. no idea if that's true, but i'm gonna try tomorrow.

if you get bored, busan and seoul are just a short drive away, but honestly? jeonju doesn't need them. it's got its own rhythm, slow and stubborn like an old song stuck in your head.

i passed a tiny gallery where a street artist was painting murals with coffee. yes, coffee. the smell mixed with rain and wet stone, and i stood there too long until my shoes soaked through. someone told me the artist's work disappears if it doesn't rain within three days. i don't know if that's drunk advice or local legend, but i'm choosing to believe it.

*jeonju traditional market* was a riot of color and sound-dried fish, silk, and the clatter of metal bowls. i bought a scarf that smells like smoke and old stories. the vendor winked and said, "it'll keep your secrets."

i'm sitting now in a tea house that smells like cinnamon and regret, watching the rain turn the cobblestones into mirrors. the barista told me if you drink three cups of their wild chrysanthemum tea, you'll dream in hanja. i'm on cup two and already seeing shapes in the steam.

if you're coming, bring boots. and maybe a compass. or don't-getting lost here is half the point.

for more on jeonju's hidden corners, check out tripadvisor's guide or the local jeonju blog for folklore that'll make your skin crawl in the best way.