Inquisitive (adj.)
- unduly curious about the affairs of others

It’s been 9 months since I’ve studied here in this school. I have made a lot of memories, friends, and I also learned many things. Not only about maths, English, Korean, sciences and stuff, but I also learned how life revolves not only around me but also for others.

This is the perfect day for graduation.

The sun is beaming through the trees as the children was playing around the garden, waiting for the ceremony to begin. I have no family beside to support me. I should feel alone and envious, but that’s not the case. Today I’m facing the new world with Jaehyun and Taeyong. Jaehyun told me his mother couldn’t come and he really sounded okay with that. That’s why I have no reason to imprison myself in loneliness.

The birds have been chirping happily as I sat to a bench on the lounge. The sky was clear and there are no signs of darkness to happen. The weather forecast might be wrong once again. Last night, I watched the news and they’ve said that the rain will pour harder today with thunderstorms, but to see this clear blue sky, I don’t think it is going to happen. Heaven is in favor of me graduating.

The sunlight flashed through me as I stepped out of the shade. I smell the scent of the leaves, feeling the breeze of the air that is fresh and smooth, brushing to my body as I take a deep breath. My gold tag is shining brightly without any trace of dust nor fingerprints. I’m proud to what I’ve become.

“Hey.” Jaehyun wrapped his left arm around my shoulder, carrying his gown on his back. He really looks like a model by doing so. “Where’s your graduation gown?” He asked as he smiled at me. His eyes are captivating and stunningly perfect as the way sunlight reflects to it. I’d love to stare at it all day.

“Locker.” I answered. “It would be a waste if my gown gets dirty. So, where is Taeyong?”

“Ah, Taeyong is inside, with her mom of course. Come on, let’s go.” He ran, looking back at me, like those dramas, I ended up eyeing him in amusement. He’s definitely slowing the time.

“I’ll be there later!!!” I snapped out of daydreaming.

This will be my last step here. I think I’ll be going back in Thailand for college. I should cherish every moment, every scenery I see, every scent I smell, every food I taste, and every sound I hear. This is the last time I’ll be here in Korea.

I’ve been saving since I got here, and it is because I really want to go back in Thailand to find my memories there. I know I already knew what happened to me ever since, but still, I want to go back to my hometown. That was the place I’ve used to live. I love this country, but I will not brush Thailand aside for that is the country I made memories, not with my friends, but with my family, when they were still alive. At least, I have to go back to reminisce everything and visit their graves. I want to see their smiles, even at their pictures. Even if it is the only memory I had. I have to go back.

I haven’t told Jaehyun nor Taeyong about this yet, but I think they will understand. SNS is made for long distance communication though. We can chat, and hear our voices even though we’re far away from each other. It will be hard of course, but I can assure them that I will be back. Maybe after 4 years or 5? Maybe after college.

I’m still not giving up on Tern. While I’m studying, I’ll go find her. I know she is the one that is supplying my financial needs. I know she’s not dead. That is also my reason why I need to go to Thailand.

Wow, this is really stressing. If my plan goes smoothly as I wanted it to be, and if I successfully find Tern, I’ll be coming back here. She is my last chance I can’t waste.

I stood up and step on the moist grass after thinking and memorizing my plans in life. The early sun rises higher than before, giving warmth to my skin. “Wow, Korea, you did well to my life.” I whispered as I start to walk slowly, wasting my time.

“Ummm.” I heard a voice of a girl whispered, shaking, behind me. I turned back as I see a Junior high schooler. She’s like 16?

“Congratulations Ten sunbae for graduating!” She bowed at me as I saw her golden tag. Her name is Yoon Yerin, and based on her status here, she’s ranked as one of the top of their batch. This tags ain’t just for design, are they?

“Please accept this!” Yerin stretched her hands and in front of me was a chocolate box. I gulped as I saw the case.

”H-How did you know my name??” I feel like someone is watching me. Or should I say there are PEOPLE watching me. It’s odd.

“I’ve been....” She’s stammering.

“You’ve been?” I tried to help her speak out. “You’ve been-- what?”

“I’VE BEEN STALKING YOU SINCE YOU GOT HERE AND I LIKE YOU, SENIOR!”

‘Heol daebak.’

And that was my voice echoed in my mind in a sudden. I don’t know why it’s been like this since I woke up from THAT sleep. My own voice is like telling me what to do. It’s bugging me. Is it a ghost whispering my ear or it’s just my conscience?

But, what did she say?

‘Idiot, she likes you.’

Okay, Mr. I don’t know what to call you; Ghost or conscience or angel or demon or what, but it’s impossible for someone to like me you know..., I look like a corpse duh.

“PLEASE SMILE MORE. PLEASE ACCEPT MY HOME MADE CHOCOLATE.”

“HOME MADE?!” I squealed. I don’t know what to say. I’m flustered. “Err, wait, what did you say earlier? You like me? How? I look like a zombie. I mean I look like dead rotten ghost.” I giggled as I raised both of my eyebrows in confusion.

I opened the box as I saw her polaroid picture with a caption of ‘This is me before’. I don’t know what she meant but I tried to look at her now, and she’s different. WAY TOO DIFFERENT.

Yerin in this picture is a nerd girl. Definitely those stereotype nerds in movies that gets bullied. Her hair is messy, going in places and is like it has been blown by tornado or something, but now..

She’s like a model of toothpastes and shampoos. “Wow.. This is awesome.”

“I’ve been bullied by my classmates since middle school. They once poured flour on my face when I was inside the cubicle in the comfort room. They bumped me every time I was sitting alone in the canteen.
And when I got here, even though they didn’t know me, it feels like it’s just like the same. Even though middle school life is way worse than high school, students here are cruel as well. They’re not thinking if their words can hurt someone or not. They just speak because it’s fun, but just because everyone is laughing doesn’t mean it’s funny.

I saw you on the first day of the class and everyone avoided you. I feel like I think I should be like you. I adored that deathly aura back then, because you keep everyone away, not bothering you,
until you changed. You smile very often after getting some friends like Jaehyun and Taeyong sunbae. They really did a good job in making you smile like that. I thought everyone would abuse you because you’re smiling and letting them use but it’s not the case.

You laugh when it’s funny.

You smile when you’re happy.

It’s obvious when you’re not in the mood.

You give them the death stare when you’re mad.

I want to be like you. I want to have courage to show them how I feel. That I should not be smiling when I’m not okay. That I should let it cry. That I should laugh because it’s funny. That I shouldn’t because it’s not. I wish I could do those things. Not accepting pain with a smile. I didn’t want to be fake anymore. So, I changed. One day, I tried to start a day with a confidence by fixing myself. How I look, how I approach my friends, and how I handle people with their criticisms. I’m changing not to please everyone. But for myself. To have the courage to take another step, being me. I feel like I’m already a human now.

I adore you. Thanks to you.” She grinned after giving that speech.

I was speechless. I didn’t know someone would dare to watch me from a far. I thought no one cared about me, how I live, how I talk. I’m surprised to see her change, because she saw me changing as well. I’ve become an inspiration.

“Sorry, I talk a lot!” Shyly she smiled while scratching her head. I don’t want to reject her but I don’t like her as a girl, neither. I like someone, but I don’t want to say it.

“Do not think of an answer.” She whispered.

“What?”

“I know after you listened to my story, you’ve thought on how you can reject or accept me. It’s okay. I’m not dreaming to be with you~. I just-

I just like you.” Proudly she grinned. I patted her head and scrubbed her hair to comfort.

“Thank you..” She was tearing up.

“Don’t worry.. I’ll go back here to visit you.” I promised.

“WHAT?!”

“I’m serious.” Why do I feel like I’m not going in Thailand for college anymore? Sigh, you made a promise to yourself that you’ll find your sis and you just broke it? Eew, Ten. Eew. “I’m serious... I think?” She laughed at my confusedness.

The bell rang as a signal that the graduation will start. She bid her farewell and I’ve ran inside the hallway to get my graduation gown and cap as fast as I can, and as I heard someone is speaking on the microphone, I went back in the gym. I scanned the seats to find where Jaehyun and Taeyong is until I finally saw them.

“Why are you late?” Taeyong mumbled.

“You won’t believe it.” I giggled as he rolled his eyes, again, for the hundredth time. I’m between these two, whispering as I felt my phone vibrated inside my pocket. I want to get it but It would be too disrespectful for the guest speaker who keeps on babbling about lives and to pursue what we want, and such. It’s not like all of us will become a perfect graduated students anyway. “Answer it.” Jaehyun, on my left side, felt the vibration as well.

“It’s just a message.”

“So? Maybe it’s Tern.”

“Tern?! Heol, you must be kidding.”

I grabbed my phone in my pocket as I saw an Unknown number. It has a weird number. “+81-80-xxxx-xxxx.” I at maths and phone directory so I don’t know what to do with this.

“It’s from Japan.” Taeyong whispered as he peaked on my phone.

“How did you know?” I’m not opening the message yet. I only saw 1/8 of it which is ‘Hi, this is going to be-’.. And you know. I don’t know if it’s a virus or a bomb threat. Who knows? It’s graduation.

“I saw those numbers a lot in Anime and stuffs. It’s from Japan.” Taeyong answered.

I clicked the icon and took a deep breath as I read the message: It is odd.

‘Hi, this is going to be short. Did you know the story of Little Mermaid? Please read it and think of it whenever you’re in a dangerous situation. This is a hint from me.’ -Unknown sender.

Little Mermaid? Is that the mermaid who wants to be a human? Why do I need that fairytale when I’m in need. It’s not like I can throw it like a bomb? And Hint? Hint for what? I already knew who I am and where I belong so giving me hints like these are not necessary anymore.

My phone vibrated in my hand once again. I peaked through it and gasped as I saw the name. It is a voice message and I became startled.

“Excuse me, Miss. Can I go outside for a bit?” The sound of the graduation march is echoing inside the gym. Students are walking one by one to receive their medals and certificates. No one is really paying attention.

“Why?”

“I need to pee.”

“Make it fast!”

I ran outside. Just beside the door. No one would dare to follow me anyway. I grabbed my earphones in my pocket and attached it in my ear. The first second was silence but then she spoke. I already know who she is.

“This is me Hyejin. I’m in Japan already, Sorry I grabbed your phone number when you’re asleep in the clinic last time. I’ll warn you: Don’t be reckless and think before you do something risky. This is my last message for you. If you need something, I don’t know if I can reply. Please read the original story of Little mermaid. Spare me 60 seconds or 2 minutes of your life reading it. It’s better than to hear the speech of the guest speaker, right? Anyways, Congratulations on graduating. I hope we can talk more. READ IT NOW! If I said now, you should read it after hearing this voice mess-- Oops. I have to go. Bye.” She’s done. I don’t get it, but to feed my curiosity, I will.

I walked beyond the lounge until I arrived at the pond. I sat behind there as the reflection of the sun blinding my eyes. The wind became calm as I searched the story of Little mermaid in my phone. I have no idea about the original story. I just know the overrated one. “Gosh, what does this story have to do with my life?”

I texted Jaehyun to message me if they’re going to call my name, cause I will dump this story. Sorry Hyejin, I have to. I took a deep breath because this is going to be a roller coaster ride according to the reviews. I closed my eyes, opened it and read.

So, Little Mermaid is a ten year old girl who has five older sisters. Her father is the King of the Sea, and she has no mother. How poor, but it’s okay because I don’t even have both. She even has a grandmother, I don’t remember having one.

In this story, it is explained that on every mermaid’s 15^th birthday, they are already allowed to swim onto the surface to see the world above them. This mermaid listened to her sisters on how pretty the world above is. The mermaid dreamed about life above the sea. Eventually, after her fifteenth birthday, she travelled above to see how beautiful it was.
She then spotted and approached a huge ship, as she heard the some music and it gave her a cheering vibe, until after scanning, she found a handsome guy. But the skies went dark and there was a storm coming, knocking the ship till it sank.

The mermaid swam and rescued him from drowning. She took him ashore and petted his head gently until she heard someone coming near. The Prince was found and taken back to his castle by a girl, but it saddened the Mermaid that he would never know what she did for him. The Mermaid returned to her home and told her sisters about what happened. Her grandmother goes on to tell her that Mermaids live for sometimes 300 years, and that upon their death, they become sea foam. Humans, however, have a much shorter life span, except when a human dies, their soul lives on eternally and ascends to heaven. The mermaid asks her grandmother if Mermaids could ever have souls, and she responds, telling her granddaughter that only if she were to marry a human who loved her more so than his own parents and family, that a part of his soul would enter her and she would have a soul of her own.

One night, when the underwater kingdom is having a ball, The Little Mermaid decides to go to the Sea Witch, hoping for a way to become human. The sea witch tells her that she is foolish, and that it would only end in heartbreak for her, but the mermaid persists. The sea witch tells her that in exchange for her ability to speak, she could be human. However, every step she takes will feel like a knife through her legs, and if the prince does not marry her, then the morning after his wedding, the Mermaid would die and become sea foam. The mermaid agrees and the Sea Witch takes a knife and cuts the Mermaid’s tongue out.

Okay, I have to stop reading for a while. This is gross.

She’s stupid, I know, but she went inside the castle and tried so hard to get noticed by the prince. Even though it hurts, she did it. Her sisters saw her in human form to convince her to come back, but this foolish mermaid didn’t want to.

The prince loved the mermaid but it was just a filial love. Or let’s say he loved her as a little child. He told her he was in love with a temple maiden that rescued him on the beach. He also told her he tried to get rid of that maiden in his mind but he couldn’t. The mermaid and the prince sail away to meet the princess that his parents are forcing him to marry. On their way there, he tells the mermaid that his parents cannot force him to marry the princess, and that he would rather marry the mermaid who has been so loyal to him. The mermaid grows happier but when they arrive at the town,

her world – and heart – is shattered.

The princess is the same girl from the temple that found him on the beach, and the prince had finally found the girl that had rescued him. Even the mermaid acknowledges that she is the most beautiful thing she had ever laid eyes on.

The prince married the princess. The mermaid even attended the wedding, walking behind the princess helping her to hold her train. That night, on the prince’s ship, the little mermaid waited for the sun to rise and for her imminent death. It was then that she saw her sisters surface from the ocean depths with all of their beautiful hair cut short. They gave her a dagger, saying they all sacrificed their hair to the sea witch in exchange for a way to save their sister’s life. The Little Mermaid would have to plunge it into the heart of prince and let his blood drip over her feet, then, she would turn back into a mermaid and would be able to live out the rest of her life.

The mermaid – holding the knife in her hand – walked into the prince’s chambers where he and his bride slept, and couldn’t muster the strength to kill him. After everything, she still loved him so much. She threw the dagger overboard, and as the sun started to rise, she threw herself into the ocean, her body turning into foam...

Ah.. Depressing. The mermaid saved the prince. The prince chose the girl who found him on the beach. The mermaid wanted to kill the prince to be mermaid again, but she can’t, so she died. The prince and the girl lived happily ever after.

My phone vibrated after I read the story. I stared at the pond with my face reflecting. My heart feels like it was drenched by a boiling water. After wondering about the story, I closed the website, opened and read the message. It’s Jaehyun.

“Last 20 students and we’re going in line. Are you done?”

“Yeah. Wait me up.”

I received the golden tag, a golden medal, and a certificate of being in this rank. My mind is still on the story I’ve read, thinking how it goes in my life. I doesn’t make sense. I’m a person who’s not good at solving things and connecting it to my life. I I poems, art, and everything. Why did Hyejin suggested me to read this kind of fairytale?

An hour has passed and they’re going home already, some are, some aren’t. Some are crying like it is the end of their career. “What the hell is this drama. It’s not like your friend is going to die.” Taeyong grunted as he walked between us. He slapped Jaehyun’s so loud I think everyone heard it. “I will still visit your room come on. Why so stiff.” He asked Jaehyun.

“Ah... A-About Ten..”

“What?”

“Ten, you’re going to Thailand for real?”

“HOW DID YOU KNOW?!” I screamed and the teachers yelled at us. We ran as fast as we could to get out of their sights. “Jaehyun how did you know!?!?!” Taeyong went silenced. I know he doesn’t want me to travel and be there for sure. Silence is his response if he doesn’t like something about what I’m doing.

“It’s just that.-- HYEJIN TOLD ME. Hyejin told me that there are possibilities that you’re going back to Thailand to visit your mom or dad. And.. To find Tern.” He faked his smile. That girl is a nuisance. For real.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay, Ten.” No it’s not. “Don’t mind us!!! Family is.. Important.. Right Taeyong?”

”.... Ah! Yes! Yes! Go for it and for the college fight fight!”

“Shut up, I’m not going.”

“What?” Taeyong shifted his head on mine after bowing.

“I’ll stay here but I can’t guarantee you guys that I can meet you for like everyday. I’ll be very busy after this. I’ll find Tern through Hyejin. She has a lot of connection. Since she she owe a debt. I’ll make her find Tern or my mom and dad.” I smiled and cut the sadness they’re showing.

It’s already 3pm as the sky became dark once again. It seems like the forecast for today is accurate and I was just assuming that it would be a nice day without any trace of rain. The cold breeze brushed through my body as if it was circling on me. I shivered as I scrub my hands to give warmth.

“Speaking of hospital. Jaehyun, you’ll go there, right?” Taeyong tapped his back.

“For what?” Worriedly I asked.

“I don’t know. He has been visiting--.” He paused as his jaw fell.

“Oh. I mean he’s heading- to- the..”

They’re hiding something. The way Taeyong stammer, it is the sign that Taeyong is hiding something from me. We stopped walking as he changed the topic. “I HAVE TO GO WITH MY MOM! SEE YOU ON YOUR ROOM LATER WOOJAE~” Taeyong ran as he saw her mom. He’s panicking.

“Ah! Me too! Ten, I’m sorry I have to go to the police station.”

“For what? Really guys?” I raised my eyebrows.

“I’ll be checking my dad! Don’t worry about me. Come to my dorm later, we’ll be having party and we can sleep there overnight!!” He ran waving his goodbye. Something weird is happening. Everything is odd. Why do I feel like it’s all about me?

I think I need to break my promise.

Sorry Hyejin, but I’ll be reckless this time. I’m going to stalk Jaehyun.