Summer of 2013

Groans and frustrated sighs echoed throughout the large bedroom. The lonely girl rolled over onto her back and pressed a soft pillow against her face before deciding to throw it across the room.

“What good is it living in a huge house when there’s no one to play with?” She screamed at no one but she got an answer, “You have me. Am I not enough?”

The girl sat up as though the bed were burning her and a genuine smile grew on her face. She stared at the older male as if he were a dream too good to be true. But when she realized that he was real and standing before her, she sprang out of her bed and jumped onto him. She held him tight and giggled joyfully.

The young man chuckled and held her just as tightly as she was. “I missed you, too. I thought I told you not to grow up too much while I was away, you little twerp.”

The girl pulled away slightly and pinched his nose, “Some big brother you are. For your information, you could have watched me grow up if you had stayed.”

“Still haven’t fixed your habit of talking back? You’re still the little rebel that I left behind four years ago. Some things never change, do they?” The siblings chuckled and embraced each other once more in silence.

As the girl had her eyes closed and arms around her brother’s waist, she realized that he was no longer in Africa, that he had come back two years earlier than he had said he would. She pulled away and stood in front of him, head tilted to the side and a confused expression set on her little face. “What are you doing here? You’re back so early.”

A mixture of uneasiness and excitement swirled around in his eyes, “I was going to tell everyone at dinner, but since you’re my favorite person, I’ll let you in on my little secret. Iseul…I’m getting married.”

The saliva that had pooled in as the anticipation grew caused her to choke as she tried to swallow it.

“What do you mean you’re getting married? Last time I checked, you were single but didn’t want to mingle!” Iseul grasped onto her brother’s arms and shook him as she stared into his amused eyes.

He slid her hands off and pressed her cheeks together, “I met her in Africa. She works as a nurse at a different hospital. Iseul, you’re happy for me aren’t you?”

“No! I refuse to be happy for you!” Her brother’s expression fell and he grew crestfallen, “I meant that I can’t be happy for you until I meet her. I need to know if she’s good enough for my big brother or not.” Her brother’s smile bloomed again and he hugged her until she could not breathe properly.

She squealed and begged him to release her, “Jiho oppa! Let go! I can’t breathe, you fool!”

---

Big plates, small food portions, wine, professional chefs, waiters at their beck and call, and elegant people. That was the life of Song Iseul and her family. Although, to her, it was a drab, nothing but boredom wrapped up in a pretty bow. The only good thing about living the life she did was her older brother.

The past few years without him had been difficult for her. He was only person that kept her sane and entertained. He was haughty but he wasn’t exactly the type of person to completely give up his lifestyle either.

Iseul stared at her brother until he looked over at her from across the dinner table. When he locked eyes with her, he made the same face he used to make when she was just a mere child that could not find anything to make her laugh.

“So, Jiho, how was it in Africa?” Their father asked proudly.

If it had anything to do with Jiho, he was always so proud and ready to brag. Jiho was his trophy-of-a-son. A doctor that saved lives and earned a lot of money.

“It was great. I made friends with some good people.” Iseul stifled her laughter and poked her steak, “Yeah, you met a really good person.”

Jiho coughed and gave Iseul a look before smiling at his parents. His mother looked at Iseul and gave her a questionable look, “What is she talking about, Jiho?”

Iseul shrugged her shoulders when Jiho shot her a look of feigned annoyance. He cleared his throat as his parents waited for an answer. “Well, while I was in Africa, I, um, met a girl. We’re getting married.”

The sound of forks and knives dropping onto the beautiful white plates echoed. “Who is she?” Iseul looked at her brother in amusement and batted her eyelashes, “Yeah, oppa, who is she?” Jiho gave her another look before taking a nervous sip of his red wine.

 “Well, she’s a nurse. She works at different hospital. She comes from a well-off family. She graduated from Cambridge University in England. And, I guess, she’s a really good person.” Iseul smiled mischievously, “When can we meet this mystery woman that stole your heart?”

“Wait, Iseul, did you know about this?”

“Why do you always tell your sister these things before you tell us?”

Jiho chuckled, “She’s my favorite. She has to know first before anyone else does.”

Iseul smiled in a bragging manner and ate a green bean. “Yeah, I get to know first.”

---

The moon was out and all was still. Iseul stared at the clock and sighed, it was already midnight and he was nowhere to be found. She sighed and rolled off of her twin-sized bed. She crept up to the window and looked about. It had been days since she saw Mr. Park, the handyman.

He had been the one to keep her company while her brother was away. He would tell her stories and explain the different things he would do around the house. But for the past few days, he had not shown up to the house. He wasn’t in the garage working on fixing up the luxury cars. He wasn’t in the greenhouse to water the flowers. He wasn’t in any of the rooms so that he could fix a broken drawer or change a lightbulb. It was as though he never existed. No one ever mentioned him. No one noticed that he was gone, except for Iseul.

“What are you doing? Shouldn’t you be asleep pipsqueak?” Iseul turned around and saw her brother standing at her door in a nice suit.

Iseul approached her bed and sat down with slumped shoulders. Her brother sat down next to her and ruffled up her hair.

“Mr. Park isn’t here. I always sneak out of my room at this time so that I can goodbye to him.” Iseul disappointedly fiddled with her fingers.

Jiho furrowed his eyebrows, “Mr. Park? The man who’s always in our garage? No one told you?”

Iseul perked up and stared at her brother seriously. Jiho sighed with a softened expression, “Iseul, he won’t be able to come here for a while. He got hurt a few days ago and is resting at home. But hey, don’t be so disappointed. I heard that his son is going to be working here.”

Iseul’s expression fell more, “But I don’t want his son to be here. I want Mr. Park here.” She looked at her brother who seemed to be caught off guard by her frustration. “You don’t understand. You were the only one who used to care. You would take the time to ask me how my day went and actually listen to what happened. You would be the one to comfort me when I would wake up from a nightmare. When you left a few years ago, I was alone. Mom and dad have never really cared because they’re so busy. The maids and butlers make it seem like it’s an obligation to spend time with me. Mr. Park was the only one to actually treat me like I wasn’t some rich girl. He would tell me stories every time I would get bored. He would stop doing whatever he was doing and keep me company. If you get married and Mr. Park doesn’t come back, I won’t have anyone.”

Jiho’s heart grew saddened at his sister’s words. He had no idea she had felt this way. She was always smiling and marching around as if everything was fine and dandy. She never really opened up about what was eating her up inside. Iseul was a lonely girl who just needed someone to see her for who she really was: a normal girl who wanted a normal life.

“I will never leave you, Iseul. Just because I’m getting married doesn’t mean that I won’t be around. I’ll always be there to comfort you. I’ll be there when you need someone to calm you down after you’ve had a nightmare. The only thing that will change is that we’ll have a new addition to our family. I’m not going anywhere, sis. And Mr. Park will come back, I promise. I’ll make sure that he comes back so that he can tell you stories and keep you company.” Iseul hugged her brother abruptly and sighed, “You can’t let this mystery lady get in between us, okay?”

Iseul looked around the large area surrounding her. She passed by the greenhouse and past the tool shed. She groaned out of boredom and begged the gods above to let school start early. She was ready for summer to be over even though her break started five days ago. She wanted to find adventure outside of the world she was born into and school was the only place where she could be away from the maids, butlers, bodyguards, and the dull world of the wealthy.

There was no one to hang out with. Her brother had left to start his shift at the hospital. Her parents were also at work. And the people who worked at their home were all busy.

Disappointed, she slowly walked back toward the house but stopped in her tracks when she heard a wrench falling onto the ground in the garage. A spark of hope lit up in her chest. She ran to the garage and found of legs sticking out from beneath her white Mercedes.

 “Mr. Park! You’re back!” The man underneath the car, startled, hit his head on the car. He slowly rolled himself out and rubbed his aching forehead. He stared at the loud person and froze.

Iseul had forgotten how to breathe. The man was not the Mr. Park she had been expecting. Instead, she had laid her eyes upon the most heavenly being to step foot on Earth.

Jinyoung stared at the beautiful girl standing in the garage. It was as though a goddess had taken the form of a human and was staring straight into his soul.

It was as though they were staring at all of the stars and moon of the night sky packed into a body. They were each other’s childhood desires: the stars and moon that they had desperately wanted to touch and hold.