Couple has honeymoon without an end

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Couple has honeymoon without an end

A couple finished a 414-day honeymoon and released a record of their travels together as newlyweds entitled “Together, Again, Europe,” which is written from both the bride and groom’s perspectives.

Oh Jae-cheol, 42, and Jeong Min-ah, 34, were inseparable for more than a year after they got married in October 2012. Their honeymoon lasted through December 2013.

What they have found through the long honeymoon was that they were different in many ways. Jeong liked wet fogs in the morning. Oh liked sunsets. When they visited a small town in Italy featured in the movie “Cinema Paradiso,” Oh was thrilled. Jeong was bored.

That why the two decided to write different versions of their travels. They spent 222 days in Central and South America, 96 days in Europe and 96 days in North America. “Together, Again, Europe” is the first installment. A second volume dedicated to their journey through South America is on the way.

Even before they began their extended honeymoon, friends asked, “Are you that rich?” or “You’re going to get a wakeup call all right.”

But according to Jeong, “I didn’t hesitate because I wanted to travel and there was the person I wanted to go with right next to me.”

However, the 414 days of travel around the globe came at price.

Oh, a freelance photographer, risked his professional relationships with clients. Jeong, a web developer, quit a job that she had for seven years.

The couple saved in many ways to pay for their honeymoon. They had their wedding reception at a free wedding hall and took wedding photos on their own. They sold everything they could sell. At the end, they cobbled together 50 million won ($42,290) and expected to travel for a year.

The honeymoon lasted nearly two months longer thanks to Oh’s camera. They bartered photos they took along the way. Oh took photos of a hostel to be used in promotions and the couple was allowed to stay for free.

They got a 1.5 million won tour of the Galapagos Islands on the condition that Oh took photos for the tour operator.

Sometimes they slept in cars. Despite the inconvenience, they enjoyed the romance of improvising. Natural settings are some of their best memories, such as the cliff on the coast of Marseille where they could see the blue sea below or a highland in Scotland that got foggy every morning. That was when they realized that happiness was not far away.

“When I felt I was really happy on the trip, all I had next to me was a suitcase and my husband,” Jeong said.

When asked whether they fought during the trip, the couple said no.

The 414 days had a particularly happy ending. Jeong gave birth to a daughter and the couple is being invited to give photo lectures about world travel.

“Many people hesitate to do something out of fear,” Jeong said. “I want to suggest they try it. It might be the best thing for them.”

BY HONG SANG-JI [kim.bongmoon@joongang.co.kr]
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