Boring first chapter but stick through it until Chapter 2 at least, mkay? ^w^

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“Why do I have to go all the way back to America to go to college?” Jen asked, blowing her bangs in frustration.

“You got a 4 year full-ride scholarship to the most prestigious college in the entire world, Jen,” her mother remarked while helping her pack her bags, “and you know we can’t afford to pay for your college if you stay here in Korea.”

“I’ll get two… no three jobs so I can stay! Just… I don’t want to go back,” Jen complained, poking out her lips into a cute pout.

“Nice try with the aegyo but you’re going to this school and that’s final,” her mother stated and closed Jen’s last suitcase, latching it securely. Her mother sighed and pushed her hair behind her ear. “I know you hated living in California but this is what’s best for you,” she continued, “besides people are more mature in college… they wont… you know.”

“They wont what? Bully me mercilessly like they did all the way up until middle school?” Jen asked sharply, her eyes burning intensely with anger.

Her mother cleared guiltily. “You know I never wished for that to happen to you.”

“It happened whether you wished for it or not – and now you want me to go back to the very place that ruined my childhood!” Jen exclaimed, gesturing wildly with her arms during her rant before folding them across her chest.

“Jennie please…” her mother sighed and rubbed her forehead, “I’m forcing you to go because I want you to better yourself… because I love you and don’t want you to end up struggling to pay the bills like me and your father…”

Her mother heaved another sigh and sat down on her bed and patted the bed beside her, gesturing for Jen to sit down too. Jen eyed her mother for a moment before reluctantly sitting beside her. Her mother cleared and squirmed awkwardly before speaking. “I… I’m sorry for everything… I should’ve gotten you away from those bullies sooner but we were so poor… poorer than we are now – we had nowhere else to go Jennie. You have n-no idea how much I hated seeing my little girl grow up loathing who she was… how I hated hearing her cry almost every night in her room… how much I hated that I couldn’t p-protect her like I should have,” her mother said sorrowfully, her voice wavering and cracking from desperately holding back her emotions.

Jen looked over to see tears in her mother’s eyes and felt herself become teary-eyed. “Eomma…”

Her mother smiled sadly at her child before pulling her into her arms and kissed the top of her head. “I love you, Jen… please remember that.”

Jen sniffled and hugged her mom tighter. “I w-will. I love you too eomma.”

Her mother released Jen from the embrace and kissed her forehead. “Now lets quit all this crying,” her mother said with a smile and wiped away her own tears before wiping away Jen’s, “we look horrible when we cry.”

“Yah!” Jen laughed a bit and dried her face more with her hand, “I look great all the time.”

“If you say so,” her mother shrugged before laughing along with her daughter, “now let’s get you to the airport.” Her mother stood up and smoothed out her simple black dress shirt and light blue jeans.

“Ne, Eomma,” Jen replied almost monotonously and stood up too. She walked over to her wall-length mirror to give her appearance one last evaluation before departing to America – first impressions were important after all.

Her big, brown eyes peeked out from under her blunt bang and her thick black hair hung in loose curls that just barely touched her shoulders. She wore a lacey white blouse that she tucked into her high-waisted pink skirt – the skirt stopping midway down her thighs. She blinked a few times, actually surprised by her appearance… it was more feminine than she expected. She was more accustomed to the “yoga pants and plain white shirt” kind of look.

Her mother walked up behind her as she stood looking at herself in the mirror. “My child looks beautiful but… I have something that will make her gorgeous,” she said and slowly placed a shimmering diamond necklace around her neck, “this was a gift from your grandmother to me but now I want to pass it on to you.”

Jen gasped in awe and delicately ran her fingers over the necklace then quickly turned around to hug her mother. “I love it! Gamsahamnida eomma!”

Her mother chuckled a bit and returned the hug. “No need to thank me… this lucky necklace helped me through some rough times and gave me hope so I hope it does the same from you,” she explained before picking up two of Jen’s suitcases, “now let’s go before we miss your flight.”

“Ne!” Jen said more enthusiastically this time and picked up the remaining two suitcases before following her mom out of their small, urban apartment. They took the elevator down to the first floor and as soon as the doors opened, Jen’s father ran into them.

“Oh! You’re still here!” he said happily, “I thought I would’ve been too late to see you off.”

Jen smiled brightly at her father’s concern. “Nope, you’re right on time. Do you mind driving us there?”

“Of course I don’t mind!” he exclaimed brightly and took one suitcase from both Jen and her mother, “I can’t have my two pretty ladies carrying this heavy luggage either, now can I?”

“Aish… jinjja yeobo. You are such a dork,” her mother laughed, causing Jen to laugh too.

“More like a knight in shining armor,” her father replied wittily before turning and marching out of the apartment building in a cheesy, military-like style.

Jen and her mother exchanged looks of embarrassment before following him out of the building and put the luggage into the trunk of the car before climbing into it – Jen sat in the back seat and her mother sat in the passenger’s seat while her father drove.

Jen stared out of the window forlornly and then blew on it, drawing a broken heart in the condensation. She couldn’t deny the fact that she was going to miss living in Korea. No one treated her like a freak here… no one looked at her differently here… no one was ever rude to her here – well, except for the occasional grumpy ajusshi on the subway. She heaved a sigh as she thought of the comfortable life she would have to leave behind for the sake of having a world-class education.

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“Well here we are… Kimpo International Airport,” her mother said and Jen’s heart felt like it was doing flips in her chest – now she was beginning to get nervous. She adjusted her blouse and took a deep breath hoping that it doing so, she would calm down but it didn’t work… if anything, it made her heart beat faster.

Her father pulled the car to the front of the airport and put the car in park. “I’ll get the bags,” he said then hurriedly got out and grabbed the luggage out of the trunk with the help of an airport worker.

Her mother turned around in her seat to look at Jen. “Are you going to be alright, sweetie?”

“Ne,” she replied with a sheepish smile and nodded. However, she felt entirely different – she felt like her entire world was crumbling right before her eyes.

Her mother, however, was completely oblivious to her daughter’s distraught state. “Then lets go,” she said then got out the car and waited for Jen to get out as well.

She lightly gripped the car door handle and exhaled slowly. ‘Okay, I can do this. I survived living there once and I can do it again,’ she thought and then opened the door, getting out of the car daintily.

“Palli or you’re going to be late!” her mother exclaimed.

Jen nodded before rushing into the airport with her mother and then they headed to the correct terminal. ‘Terminal 160,’ she thought while looking at her plane ticket and back up to the sign that read: “Terminal 160”.

“There you two are!” her father called and walked over to them, “I guess this is it, huh?”

Jen didn’t respond – she only looked at everything and everyone blankly.

“It’ll all be okay. I know you’ll do great,” her father added noticing Jen’s flustered state, “I love you and call us as soon as you land.” He then gave her a tight hug and kissed her on the cheek.

“And I love you as well,” her mother chimed in, “make us proud, okay?” Her mother also joined the hug, turning it into a group hug and kissed Jen’s cheek too.

“Thanks guys. I love you both too,” Jen said then wiggled her way out of the suffocating group hug.

“All aboard for Flight 160!” a flight attendant announced, “last call for those boarding Flight 160!”

“Oh! I have to go now. Bye eomma bye appa!” Jen called over her shoulder as she walked away and her parents waved her goodbye.

However, with every step she took away from her parents, her heart sunk lower and lower.

‘Well California… here I come.’