Hyodex is a combination of the words hyo and dex, which when put together reminds people of a well-known delivery service company. This name indicates Hyodex’s main goal of “delivering hyo.”
Hyodex was initially founded by six university students: Lim Chul-woong (Sogang University, 4), Lee Sang-jung (Chung-Ang University, 4), Kim Kyung-soo (Sogang University, 4), Kim Dong-hwan (Dongkuk University, 4), Kim Chan-sik (Sogang University, 4) and Shin Hyo-sup (Hanyang University, 4). All six founding members have been friends since elementary school, growing up in the same district.
“I always wanted to do something meaningful with my close friends,” said Lim, the founder of Hyodex. “During university, I realized that some students feel uncomfortable communicating with their parents. From this, the idea of delivering hyo popped up in my mind.”
Hyodex takes pride in the fact that it is the first and only student-led group in Korea that concerns hyo as its main theme. Hyodex’s main activity is to receive stories from students through its official homepage for two weeks. Then they choose one story and family to hold an event for.
The events take on various forms, depending on the clients and their stories. An event takes place in the parents’ workplace or at home as a surprise party and includes a video letter from the client. The process of preparing for the events is arduous as it requires meticulous scripts to make the day successful.
“I remember a male student preparing for the national exams who wanted to thank his parents for always believing in him and supporting him,” said Lee Se-mi (Nursing Science, 2), a member of Hyodex. “We filmed a video titled ‘My Day’ which showed the student’s daily life. The son wore a doll mask while his parents were watching the film, and when he took off the mask in the end, his parents bursted into tears.”
Even though the members consider every moment worthwhile, forming a student group that deals with the unfamiliar theme of hyo was never easy. With only six members in the group at first, the lack of labor was their most grave concern.
“Since all of us are senior students, it is difficult to always spare time and split roles for the events,” Lee said. “At first, we had to do everything by ourselves from planning, holding the event and even taking photographs. It seemed impossible, but our passion and devotion eventually led to successful events.”
Today, 26 enthusiastic students from freshmen to graduate students are actively delivering hyo. Holding such events builds teamwork and brings members together. They believe that Hyodex is totally different from other ordinary student organizations as the activity helps contemplate on the relationship between students and their parents.
“Before starting Hyodex, I did not talk with my parents often because of my shy personality,” Lee said. “Hyodex taught me the importance of expressing my gratitude and emotions to my parents. Now I try to share every moment of my life with them.”
Even though it has only been six months since its foundation, Hyodex has established a solid foothold among university students as a unique group. Hyodex plans to pursue its ultimate goal of becoming a medium for university students to communicate with their parents.
“Hyo is rediscovering happiness,” Lim said. “We never know how happy we can be by the simple act of expressing our gratitude and love to our parents. Someday, I hope Hyodex can be a pioneer in settling hyo delivery as one of the common cultures in this desolate society.”
Chung Che-yoon
thfl353@ewhain.net