►► chapter one;` to find a home

The weather was strangely bipolar; a day that started sunny and bright became dark and stormy, forcing all the inhabitants of Ganghwa-do to flee into their houses. But a girl named Im Jinah stayed put under that secluded bus stop in the middle of nowhere. She hugged her knees against her chest and attempted to make herself as small as possible; she didn't want to attract too much attention from the lost passersby (but of course, no one really cared about a lone girl like her; that's why her parents abandoned her in the first place.)

Her stoic yet angelic face was stained with dirt and tears and one could see the desperate want for a warm home in her eyes. The 16-year old kept her face hidden, though; for fear that someone might take her and place her into a much darker place than that bus stop. She flinched every time she heard a foreign noise and whenever she saw lights from the distance she would immediately curl up into a ball and tried to camouflage herself into the darkness (it really didn't take much effort for a "worthless" girl like her to blend into something so insignificant).

It had been like this for over two years now. She had been living off of what was thrown in the streets and by now it wouldn't be unusual for her to even forget her own birthday. But she had adapted quickly. In the past, it really wasn't much different, for her parents kept neglecting her anyway. It wasn't the lack of luxury she was afraid of but the fact that she (her body) might be used for another person's pleasure. Although she might be a forgotten orphan, she, too, deserved the dignity that every person was born with (she didn't really know if it was still there, though, ever since she was kicked out of her family).

And so when another pair of lights streamed from the distance she looked away immediately and shielded her face under her torn hoodie. Her heart almost jumped out of her chest when she realized the car had stopped in front of the bus stop, and she swore it stopped beating altogether when a particularly tall person exited out of his car and walked towards her direction. She heard nothing but the pounding in her ears for the next few seconds, but it ceased as soon as the person stopped in front of the directory near the bus stop.

"Where the hell am I," he muttered, (his particularly deep voice calmed Jinah for a short while, somewhat like a lullaby) running his fingers through his jet-black hair. From his shadow, she could tell that he was a particularly tall person, much like she was (last time she checked, at least).

He took out his cellphone from his pocket and used it as a flashlight. Jinah spotted the 2:30 AM that blared from its screen. She realized that she had been up for over twelve hours.

"I'll just call Vic-noona. She'll know the way," he told himself. After typing in "Vic-noona"'s number, he brought it up to his ear and heard the dull beeping echo through the silent dawn--

"There's no reception here," Jinah blurted out, and she herself did not know why. After realizing what she had done her doll-like eyes multiplied in size. She cupped her hand over and mumbled a silent "," before looking back towards the person who stared vacantly at her.

"Holy crap!" he screamed, and stumbled backwards at her sight, "Were you here this entire--are you--you're a freaking ghost! HOLY MOTHER OF--"

She stood up immediately and shook her head (which caused the water from her hair to splash violently everywhere), "No, I'm not a ghost. I swear," she insisted, shaking her hands in front of her defensively, "I'm just one of those homeless people. You know. A hobo."

He looked at her with a blank expression before snickering loudly, "Are you serious--a hobo?! A girl like you?! You look like you're 13." (Jinah didn't know whether to be touched or offended by his statement, but she smiled involuntarily nevertheless.)

His face scrunched into an expression filled with confusion, surprise, and amusement, and it stayed that way for a long time before it brightened (as if a light bulb went off in his head).

"C'mon, I know where you can stay," he stretched his hand towards her and smiled genuinely. Jinah flinched and backed away, her defensive wall rising suddenly after his invitation. She looked down and clasped her hands together, "I...I'm fine. Thanks for the offer, though."

"No, it's okay! It's a really great place, filled with people just like...you," he said, as if it was the most sure thing that he ever said in his whole entire life, "The owner is the nicest person you'll ever meet. Just trust me."

For some reason, Jinah felt convinced. She wanted to comply with his offer, but something in her just kept screaming "no". So she told herself that he was the first person to really take notice of her, and he was the first person that she had spoken to in two years (she was surprised that she still had the ability to talk).

"Just trust me."

Jinah inhaled slowly before placing her hand in his (and it felt strangely right) and nodded. "Fine, I'll go with you," she said, and she softly added, "But just so you know, if you bring me to some abandoned factory, I'll kick you so hard you'll fly all the way to America and back."

He chuckled as they enter his car, "Don't worry. I'm Chansung, by the way. Hwang Chansung."

"My name is Im Jinah," for some reason, she felt obligated to introduce herself. The car moved at an entrancing pace, lulling her into a state of sleep.

"Oh, we have another Jinah," he stated randomly as he drove down the seemingly endless road, "So I think I'll just call you Nana." She, in turn, laughed without knowing as she leaned against the cold window. (It felt good to laugh.)

"So, Nana," he said, after five minutes of an awkward silence, "Do you know the directions to the main town?"

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"Yah, Hwang Chansung, why are you so late? I've been waiting for my ddeokbokki for hours," a tall girl wearing light blue pajamas greeted them at the door, and it looked like she was just going to head off to bed. Her light brown hair was cropped in a boyish manner and it framed a fresh yet naturally pretty face.

"Yeah, sure," he answered sarcastically, "After you ate my ddeokbokki and the dried mangoes that Vic-noona ordered for me. How inconsiderate of me, to forget about the needs of my other friends."

The girl rolled her eyes, "Whatever. Everyone's still awake, though, it's Movie Night. They're watching 2012."

"What?! I'm missing Movie Night?!" Chansung shrieked and immediately rushed past the tall girl and into the large building, "How can you guys start Movie Night without me?!"

On the other hand, "Nana" walked meekly up the flight of stairs and took note of the obnoxiously bright writing on the door that read "Cloud Nine". She stared at it blankly, before a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Uh, don't take this the wrong way, but who are you?" the girl asked. She looked at Jinah curiously (who wouldn't, with her ragged hoodie, torn pants, disheveled hair, and stained face) and opened the door wider for her. Jinah smiled warmly (she's getting used to smiling by now.)

"I'm Im Jinah, but you can call me Nana," she introduced herself, and she quickly added the last part after remembering that there was another Jinah in this building, "Um, that person...he brought me here..."

The girl laughed, "Come on in, then. You must be hungry. I'm Sooyoung, by the way. Choi Sooyoung."

Nana nodded and smiled as she entered the building. The door led straight into a well-lit hallway which separated into two more hallways at the end. Various artworks added color to the beige walls that lined the hallways. There were large double-doors at the end of the hallway and one could tell that the room it led to was full of people from the noise that emitted from that room. As Nana walked against the gray linoleum floors, she left a trail of wet footsteps leading towards the double-doors. Sooyoung guided her to another room, though, and as they walk through the left hallway Nana couldn't help but stare at the beautiful paintings that covered the walls.

"We're here," Sooyoung announced as they stop in front of the many doors that lined the hallway. She knocked on the door quietly, in case the inhabitant of that room was sleeping. "Vic-umma, you awake?"

Sounds of crinkling paper and falling cups echoed throughout the silent hallway, "Uh, yeah, I am now. What's wrong, Sooyoung?" (Nana was amazed at her ability to recognize people's voices.)

"Chansung came home; he was lost on the way back and he brought someone here," she explained. Nana heard a cup clatter loudly on the ground followed by quick footsteps. The door opened violently, revealing a brown haired lady as tall as Sooyoung (Nana couldn't help but think that there were many tall people that lived here). She looked shocked as she saw Nana, and she gulped before continuing.

"I thought I told everyone: no dating unless I know who the person is--"

Nana laughed for the second time that day, and she actually felt content for once in her miserable life.

"Yah, Vic-umma, she is way out of his league, I mean, she's so pretty!" Sooyoung argued, and Nana felt a blush creep onto her cheeks. The "umma" laughed and waved her hand, "I'm just joking. Come in! Sooyoung--" she quickly ran into her room, checked a large chart, and fished out a key from one of the many cabinets, "--mind getting the room set up? Room 31."

"No problem," the younger replied, immediately running the other direction as Nana walked inside the quaint room. It was small, but most likely because of the mountainous piles of paper and books making its home in that room. Large shelves covered the entire east wall and a gargantuan desk stood stationary right in the middle of everything. The room was cluttered, and the floor was barely seen except for a neat streak of cherry colored wood leading itself towards the desk.

"I'm Victoria, by the way; I'm the owner of this place," the dark-haired lady introduced herself, "And I trip over my Korean a lot since I came from China, but I think you'll get used to it." Victoria winked charmingly towards Nana and sat behind her desk. She pointed to a sofa that sat comfortably between the file cabinets and a large window, "Sit! Don't worry; I'm not a bad person." (Nana could tell right when she saw her; Victoria had a very motherly aura.)

"So, what's your name?"

"I-It's Jinah. Im Jinah," she answered immediately, as if being spoken to by an army sergeant, "But you can call me Nana."

Victoria chuckled warmly as she through a pile of papers, "I'm guessing Chansung gave you that name? He likes nicknaming people, for some odd reason--but never mind that! Let's get to the main point. As you know, I'm the caretaker of everyone here, so if you have any problems at all, don't hesitate to ask me, alright? This is my main office, but I like to hang out with a lot of the kids here. I'm everywhere, basically. So if you need me, you can ask the nearest person and they'll know where I am.

"Cloud Nine isn't just an orphanage, though. It's where people have lived for most of their childhood. Sooyoung and Chansung; they're like my helpers. They're the reason why I created this in the first place. I know you'll meet fantastic people here. And most of them grow up to be successful; I mean, one of them became a piano prodigy! She was adopted earlier than most, and she's in the US right now. I don't like making people uncomfortable here, because this place is practically my home and the children who stay here are like my own sons and daughters. And since the building is right in the middle of the town, we would occasionally walk around together, too. You meet a lot of really great people here.

"This building is pretty big, right? It houses over fifty people. Teenagers like you have their own rooms, though. The hallway across from this one is where all of the rooms are. And the double-doors lead to a large auditorium where we have lunch and Movie Night and what not. This hallway houses my office, a small gym, the art room, the music room, and the "one-room school" for the little kids. I wouldn't want them to grow up without knowing how to read. I'm the oldest here, by the way. Sooyoung and Chansung are both 17; I'm 19."

Nana took a moment to sink in all the information before opening to speak, "What if I want to earn my own money, Victoria-ssi?"

"Ah, that's no problem. There are a lot of available jobs in this town, and I think I can get you one in the mainland if you want, too. And drop the honorifics! Just call me 'unnie'," she laughed.

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door, "Vic-umma, the room is ready!"

"You should get going, then," Victoria winked. Nana rose from her seat and walked towards the door as Sooyoung opened it. Before she left, though, she turned around and smiled widely; the kind of smile that reaches one's eyes.

"Thank you, Victoria-unnie."

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 ►► trivial thoughts.

Ages are changed in this story, just by a little bit, to fit the storyline. Right now, it’s somewhat in the past, so their ages will be different.

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{ farewell, darling !
{ me + u – f(x) ; naengmyeon & iced coffee
{ twothousandten.