Chapter 2- New Family

Wonwoo brushed his teeth and washed his face. He looked at his reflection in the mirror, sighing upon seeing the eyebags underneath his puffy eyes. All those crying made him look tired. He changed into fresh clothes before heading out into his room. As he walked down the hallway into his shared room, he could hear loud chattering coming from the living room. He didn’t want to face the other children yet, he couldn’t bring himself to. As he entered his room, he realised that Mingyu had left the room. Great. Now I can finally have the room and peace to myself. I should unpack my stuff now…Wonwoo planned on unpacking his luggage before heading out of the room to find a place in the orphanage that he could have to himself.

He unpacked all his clothes and towels into the cupboard that stood at the side of the room. He then unpacked his textbooks from his schoolbag and kept them neatly on his study table. The other table, presumably occupied by Mingyu, was cluttered with papers, textbooks, post-its and many other junk. As he continued to unpack more stuff from his luggage, he stumbled upon 4 photo frames that his mother packed in. There were pictures of his mother and him from their short vacation in Jeju Island 2 years ago. As Wonwoo looked at the photos, memories of their vacation in Jeju Island came back…

Flashback to 2 years ago…

“Wonwoo-yah! Guess what? Mum took 3 days off from work. We’re going on a…vacation to Jeju Island! Aren’t you excited? You have been bugging me to bring you there ever since your schoolmates went!” Yeon Woo exclaimed and told Wonwoo when he came home from school one day.

Wonwoo, who was 6 years old, smiled excitedly at his mother, his eyes twinkling. “YES!!! WE CAN FINALLY GET TO GO ON A VACATION~”

Both mother and son packed their luggage before taking a night flight to Jeju Island. They arrived in Jeju Island at 6am in the morning and they booked into a budget hotel. His mother brought Wonwoo sightseeing and they went to the famous restaurants that were recommended by famous chefs. They took many photos with a camera which was borrowed from Yeon Woo’s colleague. Wonwoo was really happy as it was the first time his mother brought him on a vacation, even though it was just Jeju Island. He got to experience his first plane ride, first time seeing the Hareubang statues and first time trying barbequed black pork. He enjoyed himself thoroughly for the 3 days. Time flew as both mother and son enjoyed themselves. They may have been on a budget trip, but they appreciated the time spent together. It was hard to come by and Wonwoo knew. After they got back to Seoul, his mother developed a couple of photos they took from the trip and placed them inside photo frames. From then on, those photo frames stood on Wonwoo’s study table. A look at the pictures would brighten his day no matter what happened.

Wonwoo had a smile plastered to his face as he looked at his photo frame. He turned it around to read the familiar words. “Wonwoo-yah. My precious son. Always work hard. Reap what you sow. Bear in mind that mum will always be proud of you. Always.” He placed the precious photo frames on his current study table. After getting a good night’s rest, he cleared his mind and decided to focus on his studies once school started. He was determined to make his mother proud. No matter how far apart they were. He had a feeling his mother would know, and she would be so proud of him. Wonwoo knew that if his mother wanted him to do something, it would always be for his own good. Thus he knew that he had to stay in the orphanage so his mother wouldn’t be disappointed in him. Wonwoo had packed almost everything and so he picked up one of his favourite adventure novels. He left the room, on a search for a quiet place in the orphanage. He walked along the hallways before he noticed that there was a door at the end. He opened the door, wondering where it led to. As the door creaked open, it led to a wide balcony where one could oversee over the playground. At the other end of the balcony, there was a staircase leading to the roof of the orphanage. Wonwoo decided to take a risk and climbed up the stairs to the roof. When he got up there, he realized how beautiful the view was. The wind blowing ever so gently, sweeping his bangs to the side. The sun was not too bright either, making it the perfect weather.

Wonwoo noticed that there was an outdoor folding tent that was set up near the side of the roof. The tent had a blue roof, with a net covering the sides of it. It seemed like someone had already found the perfect quiet place in the orphanage. He walked towards the tent, and just as he was 5 feet away, he heard someone playing a guitar. The person playing the guitar seemed to be singing with a soft, gentle voice. Wonwoo decided to find out who the person was. He peeked into the tent and he was surprised to see the boy with long bangs who scolded Mingyu earlier. Heol. I didn’t know he had this side to him? He seemed really fierce just now. Woah. His skills are really no joke... Wonwoo clapped his hands as the boy finished playing his song. The boy who was previously concentrating on his song, now looked up and whipped his head in Wonwoo’s direction. “What are you doing here? Nobody else is allowed here.” The boy spat, while glaring at Wonwoo. A voice in Wonwoo’s head told him to run and get away from this scary boy and to never come back. But, he did the exact opposite. He retorted, “Why can’t I be here? You don’t own this place. Plus, I’m just looking for a quiet place to read my book. We can share this space can’t we?” Wonwoo flashed a toothy smile and showing the boy his book. It was quite shocking that Wonwoo spoke more than 3 sentences to a stranger, and he even smiled. Something about this boy made Wonwoo feel at ease and open