Donghae's POV

"Mom, wait up! " I hollered. I rushed to her, my bags slapping against my thighs and hip. Mom spun around, her curly, short auburn hair swaying; she beckoned for me to run faster. 

"Would it kill you to lay off those choco pies? You're out of shape." Mom criticized lowly. I rolled my eyes and placed my bags, along with hers, in the box. The security guard ordered us individually to pass through the scanner. Mom went in then it was my turn. The security guard handed us our bags and let us pass. 

We were headed to South Korea, to my great grandparents' house that they left for my mom after they passed. My parents divorced last month and my dad got custody of mostly everything except my mom's personal belongings. They've been fighting for quite some time now, mostly about cheating and money. I didn't think any of it was true. I thought they were just exaggerating to make each other look bad and feel guilty. I mean before the divorce, I looked at my dad as a role model; I mean he was president of Kyungmin Group and my mom, the 'first lady' of the company. I saw this hardworking, sincere and devoted man that would do anything for his family until I saw him kissing his secretary. 

With that, my image of my father shattered and darken immensely. I can't imagine how my mom feels. The man she married, the love of her life, cheated on her with some woman who just wanted to get laid. After the divorce, my mom went into slight depression; she didn't eat much nor slept. Her personality changed; my mom use to be a tell-a-joke-then-laugh-at-her-own-joke kind of person but now she's just blue. She doesn't tell jokes anymore and the life in her just died out. It's like my dad took a part of of my mom when he decided to cheat. There's something missing in my mom now, I just don't know what to do about it; a dullness replaced the twinkle she once had in her eyes. I hope moving to South Korea would help her move on. 

We joined the people who were waiting in line for the flight to South Korea. I shifted uncomfortably in my layers of clothes. Mom told me to dress warm since it was going to be cold in South Korea. I set the bags down and shoved my hands in my pockets.

"So..do we have any relatives in South Korea? " I asked. Mom looked at distantly. 

"Why? " Her voice was hard. 

"I'm just wondering. I mean I don't want you to be lonely in a new neighborhood." I told her honestly. She chuckled and gave me a small grin but it didn't reach her eyes. She ruffled my hair as if I were a child.

"Aigoo, my son's so curious. Yes, we do have relatives in Korea. Don't you worry about me, I'm not going to be that lonely. " My mom sniffed. I nodded, fixing my hair. 

"Are you sure about leaving Florida? Are you certain that you don't want to live with your father instead? " My mom asked with a pleading tinge in her eyes. I grinned.

"I'm sure Mom. I don't want to live with a man like that anyway. I'd rather be with you." I reassured her. She returned my smile.

"You're nothing like that man. I'm so lucky to have a son like you." She patted my back affectionately. I smiled and noticed people beginning to enter the door. I picked up the bags.

"Oh, it's time." 

"Let's go." 

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"So where is this house Mom? " I asked retrieving our bags from the little rotating belt. 

"It's in Seorae Maeul. A very peaceful place." My mom answered shortly, dusting her clothes of any lint. 

"Eh? What's that? " I questioned. Mom was calling for a taxi. The taxi pulled over swiftly. She grabbed her bags and looked at me.

"You'll see, Donghae. I think you'll like it." Mom put our bags in the trunk and got into the taxi and so did I. 

"Where to? " The bearded man asked with a gruff. 

"The Kyo Manor. " My mom answered casually. I looked at her. Is she feeling well? 

"Uh Mom I  don't think that's what he means - " I got interrupted when the driver spoke up.  

"We'll be there in five minutes tops. " What the.. How in the world would he know where it is? Do they know each other? I shrugged off my questions and sat back. 

While we were passing through the city, I saw so many different scenes; I saw street food stands, expensive cloth stores, malls, street musicians, and the city mainstreamities. There were many skyscrapers too. I mean it was like the asian version of Los Angeles and New York in one city. Then we entered this calmer, less busy part of Seoul. It was very elegant and quiet, I found myself drawn to almost everything. I mean there were a lot of Italian restraunts and there some French cafes. The streets were less crowded and seemed bare. Instead of hurrying everywhere, the people here were relaxed and walked with a steady pace. The houses here were more spaced out; also, the homes were bigger and everything looked richer. Mom was right, I did like it. 

I was deep in observation when the taxi jolted to a stop. 

"We're here. That'll be 20. " He held out a greasy hand and my mom tossed him the exact amount. He tipped his head and drove off. I finally got a look of what our house looked like. Holy crap. 

The house was huge in height. The whole house extended to about two units of property. It was old fashion though; it looked like something that came out of a creepy history book. The designs were Gothic Victorian; it looked strange in an Asian environment. The roof was painted a light cream color, the windows were the same color; there were about 30 windows over all I spotted just by looking at it. There was a square, stone balcony jutting out on the second floor but the stone was stained with black smudge. Pillars welcomed us at the front door; they must be at least 20 yards tall. On the left of the house, there was a pointed and circular and wide structure; the structure stuck to the house like a magnet. Actually, it made the whole house look like a castle because of the pointed roof. The doors were unecessarily large in height. I mean it was like we were at a royal palace. I spotted a row of three long windows, adorned with white curtains, above the balcony. I'm guessing that's the attic. I glanced at my mom and then back at the attic window. Oh, the curtains.. 

The curtains were swaying as if there was a fan blowing. I squinted. Is that a girl? The girl was staring at us with unblinking eyes. She had long, wavy brown hair that looked unreal to me. Her skin was pale but it wasn't the healthy type of paleness. I mean she looked kind of.. dead. I couldn't see her eyes. 

"Mom look there's someone in the house. " I tore my eyes away and pointed. I looked at my mom. She cocked her eyebrow then turned to me.

"Donghae, nobody has been in this house since your grandparents died. " My mom grabbed her bags and started up the creaky, wooden steps. 

Who was that I saw? .. Eh, whatever. It was probably my imagination. Too much choco pies. 

I picked up my bags and went in after my mom. 

Alright, here's to a new life. 

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I hope you guys enjoyed :). 

** Here's a house similar to what I described up there^ ( http://www.berkshirefinearts.com/uploadedImages/articles/796_Late-Victorian-House284917.jpg )