It started with the adoption…

Lee Taemin waited in the waiting room of the orphanage with Mrs. Cho. He ate a pepero as a little snack to keep him full as he waited for the visitors to arrive. In the meantime he thought talking to Mrs. Cho about these visitors would be a good idea to keep him from being too bored.

“Do you know what they’re going to be like?” Taemin asked, very interested in this topic. All of Taemin’s friends had been adopted from the orphanage, including his best friend, Minho. He was the only kid left, and being at the age of only 7 left him very lonely. He would usually sit in the main lobby and watch Mrs. Cho work. He would ask her questions like how her day has been so far, if she needed help, or if working there was hard. He told her almost everything, she was like the mom he never had. He had always wanted to know his real parents, and he also knew that she could tell him. But he refused to ask. He was afraid of more heartbreak. He just wanted to start fresh with a new family.

“I honestly don’t know. I can tell you some background information.” She said, typing rapidly into her computer. Taemin looked up to her with big eyes.

“Hm. Well, they have one son named Kim Kibum. They live in Seoul and happen to be very fortunate. Would you like to know more about the son?” she asked, seeing straight through Taemin’s facial expression. The young boy nodded his head eagerly, watching her click the mouse on the link that read Kibum, Kim.  

“He’s the age 10 going on 11, which means he’s only 2 years older than you. He is an only child. He doesn’t have any health issues like asthma or allergies. Honestly he looks almost perfect.” She explained while Taemin just nodded his head.

“You know Taemin, you’re a smart boy. You may look weak on the outside, but you’re very strong on the inside. If I was going through what you were, I would’ve ended up killing myself. You’re very smart for the age of 9.” She complimented him. As if Taemin hadn’t heard that compliment from numerous adults numerous times.

When Taemin didn’t answer, she changed the subject. “ I heard some new info on Minho. Would you like to hear?” She offered. Taemin looked up from his half eaten pepero and nodded his head.

“Okay, it turns out he’s going to a new school. It’s called Lee Minhee Academy. It consists of all grades Pre-K into 12^th grade. It happens to be in Seoul, not too far from here.” She glanced at the clock. “The visitors don’t arrive until 5:00 this afternoon, and the school gets out in ten minutes. It also happens to be my lunch break. Would you like to walk with me there to say hi to him?” she asked politely. Taemin face lit up brighter than the sun, answering her question. The grabbed his hand and started walking down the block.

Taemin looked around, amazed. He doesn’t really get to go outside that much. Only to play on the playground with Minho. But that was before he left. He never saw this part of Seoul before. He never has seen the city part of Seoul. Only very briefly on the news. He read almost every sign while crossing the street; the traffic lights amazed him. It took about 5 minutes to get to the school. They entered the big gates. Taemin had never really seen a school outside of the orphanage. It amazed him how big it was. As they walked into the big double doors, Taemin let go of Mrs. Cho’s hand and grabbed her shirt, getting nervous.  They walked into the first room, labeled the ‘Main Office’. Taemin wondered what other offices were around the school. He sat down on one of the chairs while Mrs. Cho went up to another lady at a desk writing in a booklet.

Taemin observed his surroundings while he could, using all 5 senses, as he had learned to do so back at the orphanage. The office smelled like fresh paper and printer ink, just like Mrs. Cho’s office smelled like. The walls were a dark blue, with a cream frame. There were school promotions and awards in frames surround the room. He couldn’t taste the office, considering that it was a room, and not a food. He also couldn’t feel the room with his actual hand, but mentally and internally, it made him feel like he was inside of Mrs. Cho’s office. It sounded like it was very busy; phones were ringing off the hook, women were talking on them, and pens were scribbling on papers like there was no tomorrow. Letters were being pressed on keyboards, mice were being clicked, and printers were shooting out papers. This must be a very busy environment, Taemin thought.

By the time Taemin was finished he observations, Mrs. Cho was finished talking to the lady. She came next to me to sit down.

“He should be coming momentarily,” she assured. About 30 seconds later, he saw his best friend walking though the clear doors of the ‘Main Office’.  The lady pointed to Mrs. Cho and I, answering his questions. He zipped his body around. A smile started to grow on his face.

“Taemin! You came!” he said, hugging the brunette. Taemin hugged back with full feeling.

“Had anyone new came to the orphanage?” he asked, walking up the hill his school was below of. Taemin shook his head. That had made Minho feel even more guilty about leaving him alone.

“But today a nice family is supposed to be meeting me today. They have a child, too!  But, he’s a 5^th grader. I hope he likes me.” Taemin confessed. Minho nodded understandingly.

“Maybe he’ll be cool, like me!” Minho joked, flipping his hair out his face. Taemin laughed at his silly friend. Minho always new how to make him laugh even in the worse situations. Suddenly Minho’s eyes went wide.

“Oh yeah! Look what my new parents got me!” Minho exclaimed while digging through his backpack. Taemin was anxious to see, jumping out of his seat. Mrs. Cho was also engaged into their conversation. Finally he pulled out a black rectangular figure.

“An iPhone 4!” Minho shouted with glee. Taemin smiled, thinking of all the times both of the two friends would sit in the computer room gawking over the expensive phone. They knew almost every detail of that phone.

“Isn’t it neat, Taemin?” he asked. Taemin nodded his head eagerly.

“Wow, you finally got it? Good, now all of that nagging about it to me was worth it, wasn’t it?” Mrs. Cho joked. Taemin and Minho both laughed along.

“How many gigabytes?” Taemin asked.

“16. I kept it simple.” Minho joked, making Taemin giggle.

“How about this, Minho; let’s take you phone number down, so Taemin can message you!” Mrs. Cho suggested. Minho nodded his head eagerly. He reached into his backpack one again, this time finding what he need quicker, a notebook and a pencil. He wrote down his phone number and gave it to Taemin. Taemin smiled at his friend. Maybe my new parents will get me an iPhone 4, Taemin thought.

Mrs. Cho glanced at her own iPhone 4S. “Sorry Taemin, I know you’re having fun with Minho, but it’s time for us to start packing you things. It was nice seeing you, Minho!” Mrs. Cho bid her goodbyes, watching the two best friends hug.

“Don’t forget to message me all the time. Never forget, dude!” Minho said, running down the slanted driveway. Taemin waved back to him, clenching the piece of paper tightly in his hand. Using his free hand, he grabbed Mrs. Cho’s hand, walking back to the orphanage, when he smelled something really delicious. It had a spice to it though, and he liked that.

“Mrs. Cho , do you smell that?” He said, jumping up and down happily. She sniffed the air, smiling in realization.

“I almost forgot you never tried Kimchi before. Would you like to try some?” She asked as they got closer to the stand. He nodded his head, smiling brightly.

When they reached the stand, Mrs. Cho asked the man if they could try some Kimchi. He gave in almost immediately, filling up 2 bowls of the pickled cabbage. He put two plastic spoons into the bowls. Mrs. Cho gave him 200 won in return and bid her thanks. We both took our bowl and continued walking back to the orphanage.

“Gosh look at the time! The visitors should be here soon!” Mrs. Cho explained when they reached the orphanage. Taemin was too engaged in his serving of food to even realize that someone was at the door.

“Hello. Is this the Pang Yen Orphanage?” The man asked. Taemin looked up from his Kimchi with innocent looking eyes at the man. He immediately scanned the man. He had sleek black hair, and a grey suit on with a corresponding tie but in a darker shade. He was rather tall and a bit muscular, but not over the top from what Taemin could see. He hoped that would be his dad.

“Ah yes, and you must be Mr. Kim?” Mrs. Cho asked. The older man nodded his head. Mrs. Cho handed him a clip board and told him where to sign. Taemin anxiously ran to get his stuff from his ‘room’. He quickly grabbed the bag. He checked the bathroom and closet to make sure he had gotten everything. All of his toys and clothes, and most importantly, his memory notebook of him and Minho. When he was sure he had everything, he rushed out into the main lobby. By then the man, identified as Mr. Kim, was finished signing all of the paper work needed. He walked over to Taemin.

“And you must be Taemin, am I right?” He asked, smiling at the younger boy. Taemin giggled and nodded his head, feeling rather comfortable with the man. Mrs. Cho smiled. Normally, Taemin wasn’t good with people he just met. She was going to miss her old quiet and shy Taemin bugging her every morning, taking sips of her coffee, and half of her bagel. She was so used to him, and now he was leaving.

“It’s okay, Mrs. Cho, I’ll come visit! I promise! And besides, I have you number in my memory book so if I get really bored or something I’ll call you!” Taemin assured her, making her tears she was holding in fall down on her cheeks. Taemin hugged her, knowing it would make her feel better.

“I’ll miss you, Taemin-ah” Mrs. Cho stated to the little boy. He looked up at her beaming.

“I’ll miss you too, Mrs. Cho.”

On the way out, Taemin held the man’s hand to cross the street towards the parking lot. There were tons of shiny cars, but one stood out to Taemin. The black, sleek SUV.

“Is that your car, dad?” I asked, feeling a little weird from calling him the D word. Although Taemin felt weird, the man smiled.

“The black one? Yeah, it happens to be. Are you more comfortable in the front seat or back seat, kiddo?” He asked. Taemin has been in Mrs. Cho’s car many times before, and always got rejected when asking to sit in the front seat. Btu this time he was getting offered?

“S-sure.” Taemin stuttered. “The front.”

“Okie dokie. And don’t forget to put you seat belt on, just to be safe.” The man warned, unlocking the car. Taemin had already learned that from Mrs. Cho that if you don’t wear a seatbelt, a police man will pull you over and make you pay a lot of money, which isn’t a good thing. So it was always a force of habit to put on his seatbelt when in a vehicle that was equipped with one.

He started the car when they were both buckled in and drove away from the orphanage. Taemin looked out of the window, fascinated with sights he had never seen before. Churches and convenient stores and McDonalds, a fast food restaurant he had heard of on the news. Rumor has it they served very unhealthy yet addicting foods. He always wanted to try some.

“What are you staring at? Oh the McDonalds?” Mr. Kim asked. Taemin turned and nodded his head. Mr. Kim slowed down and turned into the drive through.

“How about we make it dinner tonight?” He offered, not even letting the little boy answer as he talked into the microphone.

“Do you like cheese burgers?” Mr. Kim asked. Taemin nodded his head, remembering the cookout they had on his birthday just this summer.

“What about french-fries and soda?” He started nodded his head until he heard the soda. He wasn’t allowed to have soda that much in the orphanage. But he wasn’t there anymore, and he needed to get used to the fact that he wasn’t going back.

“Sprite, please.” Taemin requested. Mr. Kim smiled at him and started to take the order when Taemin noticed something.

“May we have 4 Cheeseburgers, A medium ice tea, a medium coke, and 2 medium sprites, and 4 small fries?” he spoke into the microphone.

“Sure your total is ₩1400 and 28 jeon” the voice responded, which Taemin though was amazing. The car drove up to the first winder, where a lady exchanged the money for the food. Mr. Kim said thanks and drove off.

On the road, Taemin started to get bored. It seemed as if Mr. Kim sensed it so he brought up a conversation.

“Maybe tomorrow I’ll bring you to ikea with Kibum and you can start getting things for your room.” He said, smiling.

“Kibum?” Taemin asked, curious.

“Oh sorry. Kibum is my son- I thought Mrs. Cho told you?” Mr. Kim asked.

“Oh yeah, now I remember.” Taemin said.

“Yeah, we’ll go to ikea, you know, that furniture place? We’ll get you some furniture there. Then we’ll go clothes shopping. Then school supply shopping. Then we’ll go home. So I would sleep well tonight, we have a busy day tomorrow. Kibum will give you a tour of the house after diner. Then get some rest.” Mr. Kim explained. Taemin’s eyes got wide.

“A tour of the house?” Is it that big? Taemin thought.

“Yeah. Just the basics.” He said, pulling into a circular drive way. The house was white and gigantic! Taemin got his bag and the McDonalds and ran to the front door. Mr. Kim eventually caught up. He put the key in the doorknob, twisting it open to reveal a castle. Taemin was so amazed by the house. A chandelier hung above him. He took his shoes off in the proper place and waited for Mr. Kim to lead him to the kitchen. As they both entered the kitchen together, a two pairs of eyes went from Mr. Kim to the little boy walking closely behind him.

“Kibum, Mina, this is little Taemin. Taemin, that is your new mom and you’re new brother Kibum.” Mr. Kim introduced. Taemin smiled politely. Mrs. Kim couldn’t take it and hugged the little boy. Being the polite person he was, Taemin hugged backed. Mrs. Kim then went back to washing the dishes. Taemin had that awkward I-don’t-know-what-to-do-next feeling as he stood there, Kibum texting away at his phone and Mrs. Kim Washing dishes. Mr. Kim noticed this and tapped Taemin’s shoulder. When he looked up, he motioned him to come with him.

“I was going to give this to you tomorrow, but I feel today will be fine.” He said, reaching into one of the kitchen drawers by the sink. It was a small white box that he recognized almost instantly. He could spot that Apple logo from 800 miles away.

“Mrs. Cho told me on how badly you and you’re best friend were craving this phone, so as a little welcome gift, I give you this phone. iPhone 4. I  hope you’re okay with it being in black?” Mr. Kim asked before the tiny boy hugged him tightly.

“Thank you so much! I wouldn’t care if it was purple, I could always work my magic!” he said, making Mr. Kim laugh.

5 minutes later they were all eating McDonalds either in the dining room(Mr. Kim and Mrs. Kim were the only two in there) or in the kitchen on that table (Kibum and Taemin). Both of the two boys were absorbed in their phones. Taemin reached into his pocket, getting out a very important number. He dialed it into his phone and saved it to his contacts. He immediately texted Minho.

To: Choi Minho

Guess who also got a black iPhone 4??? I’ll give you a hint, it’s your best friend…

He clicked send. This was so fun. Taemin liked that feel of having a phone. He downloaded some games when he realized he still had McDonalds to try. He locked his phone and picked up the burger. He nibbled a tiny bite out of it. When the object hit his taste buds, they almost automatically craved for more. He took larger bites, earning weird glances from Kibum himself.

“You eat it like you never have had McDonalds before,” he chuckled, taking a sip of his drink. Taemin gulped down his food before responded.

“That’s because I haven’t.”

“Oh. Isn’t it good?” he asked. Taemin nodded.

“How old are you?” Kibum asked. Taemin  stuck out 9 fingers, since his mouth was full of salted McDonalds French fries. That made Kibum laugh a lot. Taemin smiled also. He thought that maybe being adopted here wasn’t so bad after all. Maybe it was the fact that he was scared of leaving the orphanage. But now, this place feels like home. He started to fall asleep when his phone went off.