Chapter 1: I'm Moving?!

 

  It was just like any other Friday afternoon. There was always a surprise test in biology or exciting news like if we won the football championship; always something to make me smile. This time, however, it was a little different kind of news. My parents had just told me, I finally was going to live with my brother, which normally wouldn’t come as a surprise. I was dazzled because he didn’t live in the same country as us. He lived in Seoul, South Korea.

   So like I said, it was just like any other Friday afternoon. Except it was Monday. And the clock read 04.14am. And I had 20 minutes to pack everything I needed. Not exactly how I had imagined that day, but I couldn’t complain. My dream about moving to South Korea was finally coming true.

   Before I really understood what was going on, I was in the back of our car heading to the airport. I tiredly rubbed my eyes and looked out the window. It was late spring so it was still a tiny bit dark and a tad cold. Everything was quiet. Only the sound of tires racing across asphalt played like background music. A few trees had some green leaves while the rest were still . A lonely dog barked, catching my attention as we drove by. I had always wanted a pet, but my parents always found some reason not to get one. Dogs were too time-consuming while cats would never be home. Birds were noisy while turtles were too boring. I guess I survived without, but it wouldn’t have hurt to at least have a guinea pig to play with.

   “Aren’t you excited, Y/N? You know you’ve always dreamed about this day”, my mom interrupted. I looked at her in the rearview mirror. Her Korean features were clearly visible when her face was bare. Her narrow, chocolate brown eyes peeked back at me. The naturally pink lips were curled up in a smile showing a straight line of perfect, white teeth. I was so jealous of her beauty. I wish I had gotten my looks from her, but that was kind of impossible considering the fact that I was adopted. Left on their doorstep, just like my brother.

   “Of course I know; it’s my dream. I still can't really believe the situation. I mean why now all of a sudden?” I mumbled curiously. My dad cleared his throat. I couldn’t see him properly, but I could imagine he adjusted his glasses before answering. “Well, you see. We had planned this as a surprise for your 18^th birthday, but the date of your departure somehow got messed up. I only just found out when I got home about 10 minutes before we woke you up.”

   My face must have looked especially funny since mom started snorting from laughter. The mix of my mind, still half asleep, trying to comprehend the situation along with my exceptionally puffy face and barely open eyes, must have looked like something from a comedy. “I guess it was a surprise after all”, she smiled. I rolled my eyes and looked back out of the window. As the houses kept flashing by, the galloping tires became my lullaby and I fell asleep once again.

 

   “We made it!” mom almost shouted as we entered the airport. Dad looked at her with grinning eyes. “You doubted my driving?” I chuckled from behind them. “Come on. There’s not much time left”, mom said with sad eyes. Both dad and I nodded in agreement.

   Dad took care of the luggage, as mom gave me a bit of advice, a map and some money.

   “We can’t go any further now”, dad said quietly. Mom didn’t say a word. Reality was hitting her. Soon both her babies would be far away from home, where she couldn’t protect us like when we were younger. Dad was more cool about it. He was excited for me to finally be able to visit his birthplace. There was a tiny hint of sorrow in his eyes, but he really put in an effort to hide it, so I played along.

   “I’m gonna miss you”, I calmly said as I hugged dad. He silently d my back. The warmth from his body was so relaxing, I could stand there for hours. When I tried to let go, though, his grip tightened. He wasn’t ready to let me go just yet. No matter how much he tried to suppress his true emotions, they still shone through. I was his little girl. How did you expect him to just let me on a plane, all alone, to a different country without much information about anything, and not having a bit of a rough time? He’s only human; it’s natural.

   A crackled voice broke off the hug. “Passenger Y/N Lee travelling to Seoul, South Korea, please proceed to gate 34.” Dad took a step back to let mom say goodbye. She immediately took his place. With her wearing high heels, I was able to rest my head on her shoulder. “Please take care”, she whispered. I nodded with a feeling of sadness covering me like a soft blanket. She wiped her eyes and smiled vaguely. “Thanks. For everything. For taking me in, raising me in a proper way, always taking care of me and thank you so much for loving me enough to let me go. I love you”, I sniffled. “Go”, dad rushed. A small smile crept onto my lips. Even though I was sorrowful having to leave them, I couldn't wait any longer. 

   As I turned around and started walking, my phone beeped. Call us as soon as you get there. –Mom. I hugged the phone tightly, and let a small tear escape my eye.

   “This is the final call for passenger Y/N Lee. Please proceed to gate 34 immediately.” Following the order, I started running towards my gate. The lit up sign was not far ahead. For the last few yards, I sprinted. “I’m. Here.” I exclaimed, completely out of breath, as I reached the staff at the gate. A rather good-looking guy smiled and showed me onboard. The plane was large but only a few people were going. Seat 52G. That was my seat. I was placed way in the back as the only one. Not that I mind. I plugged my earphones in and played my favorite song. Now I finally had time to just sit back and relax and try to understand the circumstances.

   How did I ever become this lucky? I was left on the doorstep of a possibly random house when I was only a week old. If my biological parents hadn’t given me up, I probably wouldn’t have been here right now. I’m glad they did, though. Not just because of this, but a whole lot of other things. Yes, I sometimes wished I knew who they were. I wanted to know exactly where and who I came from. I wanted to hear people tell me I had my mother’s beautiful eyes and my father’s goofy smile. I wanted to play around with my cousins and get spoiled by my grandparents and know I belonged. But God didn’t plan my life that way. Instead, my biological parents cowardly abandoned me and threw the responsibility for at baby to someone else. I’m glad I got to meet these people instead of growing up with a pair of unstable parents. I got to meet my real family. The Lee family did not hesitate to take me in. In fact, they had done this once before. My brother had the same fate. He too was left on the doorstep. I’ve sometimes wondered if we perhaps were biologically related. It could be, since the both of us went through the exact same thing. Even though I wanted to, I never asked. I didn’t want to remind anyone, nor did I want to remind myself, that we weren’t of the same blood. Nevertheless, we were still a real family. They paid for piano lessons, let me attend several summer courses and paid for concert tickets. They scolded me when I didn’t do as I was told and praised me when I got a good grade. They celebrated my birthday every year and bragged about me to their friends and colleagues. They comforted me whenever I was sad and never failed to make me smile. But most importantly, they loved me like I was of their own flesh and bones. They supported me in whatever decisions I made. And then, of course, they gave me permission to go live with my brother. Speaking of my brother, I don’t quite know what he looks like anymore. It’s been a long time since we’ve spoken. He went to study in Korea when he was 18 and now, at 24, he’s the owner of a small, successful restaurant in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu. He had always liked cooking a lot, and was fairly good at it, but he never thought of becoming a chef, let alone be the owner of a restaurant. If he did, he never talked about it. Back to the point, I was not sure what he looked like. We had emailed a lot. He had talked about letting his hair grow longer and maybe growing a beard as well. I didn’t know if it happened or if he ditched the idea. I also didn’t know if he was in a relationship or not. There were a lot of things I didn’t know about him. Fortunately, I had plenty of time to find out.

   As I was thinking about my friends and family, past and future, I peacefully dozed off.

 

   “Miss? Miss. You have to wake up now. We’re here.” Someone tapped my shoulder. I opened my eyes slightly. A blonde woman in blue was showing me all her teeth. “We have arrived, miss”, she smiled. We were already here? It felt like we just left 10 minutes ago.

   “Oh”, I mumbled. “Thanks.” I stretched my arms and yawned, then grabbed my bag from underneath the seat in front of me and got up. As I did, I bumped my head into the luggage cabin above me. “Well, that certainly woke me up”, I grumbled.

   I hastily left the aircraft and hurried to bag drop and checkout. I was so excited to finally see my brother again after six years. He was not only my older brother but also one of my best and closest friends. I could hardly wait. But as I walked through the doors where hordes of people normally would be happily waiting for their beloved’s arrival, I saw no one at all. My shoulders dropped, letting my bag fall to the ground. He wasn’t there. I barely knew how to get off the plane, how was I supposed to find my way around alone?

   “I thought you missed your flight”, someone calmly said from a settee at the wall. Although it was a bit darker than the last time I heard it, I recognized the voice immediately.

   “Alex!” I shouted and ran towards him, dropping my luggage and jumping on him. “Wow. Easy there, cowgirl”, he laughed a bit shocked at my sudden action. “I’ve missed you so much, you have no idea!” I whimpered and hugged him tighter. Maybe even a bit too tight, since he started gasping for air. After staying like that for a bit, I finally let go allowing him to breathe properly again. “How was the flight?” he asked. Was that all? Didn't he miss me at all? I played offended. “So that’s all you care about? You don’t want to know how I’ve been doing? You don’t even want to tell me you’ve missed me like hell as well?” I crossed my arms and pouted. With a wide grin smeared across his face, he picked up my bags and told me to follow him.

   “Of course I’ve missed you, pabo!” He said and ruffled my hair. “And man, you’ve grown. A lot.” I looked up at him. “Well, obviously. You haven’t seen me since I was 12!” I proclaimed. Me trying to look mad, and failing horribly, made Alex laugh out loud.

   I followed him to a small rusty red car on the parking lot. I was a bit shocked. It wasn’t what I expected. He earned a fair amount of money, so I assumed his car would be a bit more prestigious.

   “May I present my lovely car, Maggie”, he said proudly and puffed his chest. I eyed ‘Maggie’. Beside the rusty red color, I noticed that most of the front was covered in duct tape. “If you can’t fix it with duct tape, it’s either not broken or you’re not using enough”, I chuckled. That was sort of Alex’s motto in life. 

   He looked confused. “You don’t look amazed” he said. “I must admit I had expected a bit more”, I confessed. Usually, Alex wasn't one to get offended easily. He was one of those people, who laugh at everything. It could be a bit annoying at times, but he never failed to lift the mood. Now, however, he looked slightly unamused. Though I just sort of dissed his love, he quickly recovered from the insult and put my bags in the trunk. "Be careful with what you say. You might end up having to grab a cab, if you behave like that", he grinned, making me roll my eyes. 

   As we sat in the car, I really got to know him better. He told me about the beginning of his career as a restaurant owner, his social- and love life, his favorite places to go, where absolutely not to go and so much more. He was not in a relationship at the moment, but he did get a girlfriend when he first moved here to study. She then broke things off after finding out he was going to be a school dropout and start a restaurant instead. He had a group of friends, who he met during his schooldays, that he went out to get a drink with Friday every other week. He enjoyed going to the Han River, even though it was quite the walk from his apartment. There was also an ice cream shop and a shopping mall he'd like to take me to. There were a lot of things. He asked about my life, too. There wasn't much to talk about. I had never been in a relationship and I didn't do anything extraordinary in my spare time. I hung out with the few friends I had from time to time but not much more than that. My friends. Crap. They didn't know anything about me leaving. How do you explain, that you left to live in another country without even as much as a goodbye, and expect them to not freak out?

   Alex noticed me stiffen. “Everything alright there, little sis?” he asked taking a quick glance at me. “My- my friends. They have no idea I left”, I stuttered while staring blankly at the road. Several thoughts crossed my mind. Would they be able to forgive me?

   Alex laughed again. “Don’t worry. We’ve got it covered. Mom told them a few weeks ago. They were all kind of excited”, he reassured. I checked my phone to see if anybody had reached out. Nothing. I even had service, so it would get through to me. Guess they weren't that excited after all. Or maybe they didn't care. We weren't that close after all.

   It suddenly started vibrating in my hands. Mom called. “Hello?” I answered. “Hi sweetie! Are you there? Was the flight alright? Has Alex picked you up yet?” She was too busy asking all sorts of questions to let me answer any. “Mo- mom, I-” I tried. “Is it mom?” Alex asked. I nodded while rolling my eyes. “Put her on speaker”, he laughed. As soon as I pressed the button, her unnecessarily worried voice filled the car. “Do you need anything? If there’s anything, just call! And as you know, Alex has never been the cleanest person, so if you want to-” “Mom!” I interrupted. “You’re on speaker”, Alex continued. The line went silent. She uttered an ‘Oh’ before starting again. “Hi Alex! I just wanted to make sure everything went fine”, she awkwardly said. “I’m good, Alex is good, the flight was good; everything is good”, I hurriedly guaranteed. “That’s good to hear. What about Seoul? Isn’t it lovely?” She kept going like that for a good 15 minutes before the phone died. Soon after, we arrived at the apartment complex.

 

   I leaned against the beige couch in the middle of the living room, which was huge considering it was an apartment. A large flat screen was placed on a TV table in front of a half wall, which made it possible to have contact with the people walking around the kitchen on the other side of it. The kitchen was rather big as well. Everything was so up-to-date in sand, black and white. Wooden floor and white walls with a few paintings, and not those old-fashioned oil paintings of houses and forests. Modern abstract art. Everything was so nice and tidy, it didn’t even seem like Alex.

   “You look surprised. Cool, right?” he asked as he grabbed some milk from the fridge. I turned to him again. He drank directly from the carton. That seemed like Alex. “This place makes up for the car”, I said dumbfounded.

   “You must be hungry. Let me make you some food”, he offered. I followed him and sat on one of the kitchen tables. As he stood there and peeled potatoes in the sink, with his side facing me, I realized something I hadn’t noticed before. He did do it. He grew a nice balbo beard, like Robert Downey Jr.’s. I was a er for Iron Man, and now I knew everything about the man. Back to the point; it really suited him. The black facial hair matched well with his caramel-like skin-color. He had also gotten longer hair. It must’ve been around shoulder length, but I couldn’t really tell as it was put in a low bun. I’ve never really looked at my brother like that, but he was quite handsome. Tall and slender but well-built and muscular as well.

   “Getting a good look, now, aren’t ya?” he smirked, not taking his eyes off the nearly peeled potato. “Yeah. You look good with curry stuck in your beard", I grinned back.