Soohyun’s POV

“You don’t have a business presentation today, Soohyun?” My mom asked curiously as she brought me a plate of scrambled eggs. I gave the food a ravenous stare before gobbling it down as if I hadn’t eaten in months. After gulping a glass of milk I replied,

“It’s in the afternoon so I have plenty of time to get to school.” I recalled telling her this several times yesterday, even making notes on the wall calendar by the door but it seems her old age memory isn’t on her side lately. Compared to last year it looked as if she had aged far more than she should have, but she was getting old and this was probably something menopausal women went through anyway. I finished the rest of my breakfast consisting of a few slices of oranges and grabbed my suit jacket that hung over the railing in the stairs. Just as I was about to leave I heard a faint snoring sound from upstairs and then glanced at my watch—it was almost ten.

            Wait. It was almost ten, and Sukyi had some sort of important interview today! The wall calendar never ceased to impress me with its usefulness despite the fact that my lazy sister hardly ever bothered writing on it. Organization didn’t seem to be her thing, but her carelessness was about to get her into a lot of trouble.

            “Yah! Ireona! Bballi!” I kicked her foot that dangled off the side of the bed, “Aish jinjja…” She probably inherited her poor sleeping habits from her father, but I was in a rush.

            “Five more min—“

            “Get up now, Shin Sukyi!” I practically roared. My patience was no more than a thin thread right now as I remembered I had to run a coffee errand before going to set up my presentation. Today was a big day for both of us because my presentation determined whether I would get my internship and Sukyi’s interview was about… something that is probably important. Rubbing her eyes, she finally rose to a sitting position and yawned.

            “Do you know what time it is? Do you even know what day it is?” I sighed, glancing over to her wall calendar of some hot shot singer—his name was Brian Joo or something along those lines. She followed my gaze and immediately shot up, grabbing her clothes from the chair beside her bed and then rushed straight to the washroom. I never saw her move so quick since last night when our mom made jajangmyun.

            “Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?!” She whined from the bathroom, followed by a girly squeal as she gripped her left palm in pain.

            “So careless…” I shook my head disapprovingly and noticed she had burnt part of her palm with her hair curler. It was a little pathetic to watch, but since I wanted to be a responsible older brother I offered her a ride to school. She got ready in less than fifteen minutes and we were on our way. Her penalty was skipping breakfast, and I really hoped her temporary starvation would teach her to be more punctual.

            “So what was that interview going to be about?” I asked, my eyes locked on the road as we approached a red light. I could hear her fumble with sheets of paper beside me in the passenger seat as she mumbled,

            “…Foreign exchange… can’t be late….” Foreign exchange—what?

            “Yah, speak clearer.” I insisted, waiting for another explanation as I pressed gently on the gas pedal to accelerate when the light turned green.

            “Tch, some older brother you are.” From the rear view mirror I saw a pout stamped on her face. Lately I’ve been far too busy to keep track of the events in even my own life let alone hers too. Okay, I guess recently I haven’t been a good brother at all. The ride felt short after our unsuccessful conversation and I parked along the curb by the school, watching her get off and slam the door angrily. What is up with women in my family these days? Shaking my head, I drove away.

Sukyi’s POV

            And he calls himself an older brother? I brushed off my skirt and began making my way into the school. Today there were no classes due to an annual festival held at my school but I wasn’t feeling festive at all, especially because I missed over half of it anyway. If I didn’t have an important appointment I doubt I would’ve even showed up. The clock hung high above by the statue of our mascot in the foyer seemed to gawk as me as the hands ticked by. I was already late! Without consideration of the people in front of me, I shoved hurriedly past them all just to get to the interview room, hoping the hallway I dashed down was the right one.

            “Shin Sukyi,” A voice called, her head peeked out the door that was opened just a crack as she scanned the students all lined up in their seats with stacks of paper in their hands.

            “Shin Sukyi, last call!” She repeated and then traced her list down with her fingers. Before she could call out the next name, I slid in front of her with my hand up as if I had a question.

            “Shin Sukyi?” She asked again, and I nodded confidently. It had been my name since birth anyway. I had no reason to doubt myself. Her eyes scrutinized me from head to toe before she lifted a finger, directing me to come into the office. I had all my papers with me and despite being slightly off time, I was almost certain this interview would go well.

            “You’re here because you applied for the foreign exchange program, am I correct?” She asked for confirmation, and I answered each of her questions respectively. We sat across from each other with only a mahogany desk separating us, and as time flew by it seemed the room was getting smaller and smaller.

            “The city of choice is Seoul, South Korea. Of all the places you could have chosen, such as the romantic city of Paris, or the historical landmarks of Rome, why did you choose such a city?” Her question seemed more insulting than inquiry, and I couldn’t help but be offended by her outlook on where my family came from. I just found another reason why I wanted to leave America so badly. Culturally accepting? Tch, as if.

            “Not many people know this, but I was actually born in Seoul. We left to America when I was very young and all the jet lag and drastic events left me with a blurred memory. I can only briefly remember the plane ride here, and so I want to rediscover the authentic culture I gave up on as a kid.” I explained boldly, staring her straight in the eyes. She seemed taken aback by my strong focus and coughed, looking away.

            “Seoul is a great and influential city, largely undermined by American society. I believe what I can take from there will be able to alternate the egotistical views of many students attending this university, as well as teachers.” When I spoke the last part of my statement, my stare towards her turned cold; so much that I even caught her shivering a little. After that, I was dismissed from her office. It didn’t seem like I left a good impression at all, and I was almost certain that I wouldn’t get chosen for the foreign exchange program. I sighed heavily, trying to prepare myself for the next six months in UC San Diego. It wasn’t really too bad here, except for the fact that I had practically no friends. It didn’t seem like anyone shared the same interests as I did, but then again, I was still an undeclared major. People probably saw me as a lost soul who would give up and drop out in a year anyway.

            As I left the school, left over banners were now ripped and torn from where they had previously been taped beautifully. The festival banner had fallen on one side and the field was empty of visitors. Only the festival organization committee stayed to clean up, and I wasn’t in the mood to offer help where I knew I wasn’t wanted. With my head hung low, I began to walk home. As I passed the external storage buildings of the university to get to the opposite road, I noticed two blonde teenagers making out a little past the fence. Things were always like that—everywhere. Growing up in America people would think I’d be used to such indiscreet behavior, but no matter how many years I’ve lived in this country I still can’t stand it.

★★★

            Now, a few weeks later, I heard that the head of foreign exchange was going to make phone calls to the nominated individuals tonight. Even though it was hopeless, I sat rolled up into a ball with my cordless phone lying on my bed. My toes were feeling chilled from the wind passing through my window, but I liked having it open. The cold breezes had a unique way of calming my nerves, and I really needed extra comfort right now. My parents hadn’t even asked me how the interview went. I had a feeling they never even knew about it. My arms hugged my knees close together as I glanced out my window. It was only six, yet the sky had already grown to be such a dark blue and the stars were already faintly visible above, twinkling in majestic harmony.

            This was what I liked about the night sky. No matter where I sat in the world, it would always look the same to me, with the moon watching over me and the stars giving me light. It had been a long time since I recited a childish poem I heard from some nursery rhyme or something, but tonight no matter how childish it seemed I felt like giving it a try wouldn’t hurt.

            “Star light, star bright…” I mumbled, my voice cracked as my dry throat demanded water. It had been hours since I had even opened my mouth as I confined myself in my own room. After sipping from my water bottle, I decided to give it another shot.

            “Star light, star bright, the first star I see tonight…” With each passing word my voice went from a light whisper into one filled with child-like excitement, “I wish I may I wish I might, please grant the wish I wish tonight…” It felt like tradition that I clasp my hands together as if I were praying and closed my eyes. I had one star in mind right now—the brightest star in the night sky named… named… The name seemed to have slipped my tongue for the moment.

            “Polaris,” A deep voice from my memory reminded me, and without thinking much of it my lips curved into a smile. Right; Polaris. Though my mind couldn’t recognize the voice as much as I tried, it sounded strangely familiar and warm to my ears. My eyes remained closed as I whispered my wish for the heavens to hear.

            “I wish that I’ll get to go to Seoul for foreign exchange.” After finally speaking my heart I felt the enthusiastic hope leave my side. Now, I just felt foolishly childish and returned to my fetal position on my bed. There’s no way wishing on a star can make anything some true. Only children believe that, and that’s why these silly poems only exist in nursery rhymes. For the next three hours, I sat staring at my phone with hope fading unceasingly. That lady hated me, it didn’t matter what star I wished on, that fact wasn’t going to change. 

A/N: One section of the story was bolded for effect because I wanted readers to pay close attention to it. It's foreshadowing something significant in the plot that I have generally mapped out for this fanfic ^^! I have a feeling this story will be an exciting journey for me, and hopefully you all will like it enough to venture through it with me until the end :D! Thank you for reading chapter 1! It'll get more interesting soon I promise.