The little town on the outskirts of Jeju housed more stories than you’d believe.

 

It was a crossroad, where people from near and afar would make their stay, pass by to recharge at the sole starbucks in the area.

 

Though if you stay for just a while- you might get to know a little more than you bargained for.

 

Silly me, this is starting to sound like the intro to a typical highschool film with underlying themes even the average joe could anticipate. Yet here I am, writing this down because I believe that every story is worth telling, and every voice worth heard.

 

From the tale of the dancer and her lover, the cardigan and her favourite, the millionaire and the one she lost, two people in their exile from each other, that same damned millionaire and her incapability to love, the mirrorball and her sole user, the truth beyond eyes, the things went unsaid, the things that were said too much, the lies behind it all, the only love standing, the reason love hurts beyond anything, the sisters and their sufferings, a new tale sprouted from old, the tale as old as time and the stinging wound of the hoax.

 

Even if it starts to sound a little too much like folklore-

 

This is the story.

 

This one’s for you.

 

——

 

When Lia moved into the cheapest possible apartment in her hometown in the outskirts Jeju with her wreck of a cousin, she expected the worst. Though now she wouldn’t call her experience the absolute worst, it certainly was an experience worth talking about.

 

“Thanks Yena,” Lia says through gritted teeth as she finally unpacks the last box, sliding her underwear drawer shut as her cousin scratches her cheek, a habit she always kept around ever since they were children.

 

“No problem cuz,” Yena says awkwardly, Lia inwardly cringing at the nickname.

 

“I’ll cook us some ramen- you get some rest- Canada to Korea is a bit of a strech,” Yena says casually, and Lia nods, sitting on the bed she’d last used when she was a child craddling in her grandmother’s arms.

 

“Tomorrow morning- or evening- I could show you around perhaps?” Yena asks hopefully, and Lia doesn’t have the heart to turn her down, though a part of her believes her jet lag might get the best of her.

 

“Yes, of course Yena,” Lia says gripping the faded bedsheets as she looked around, taking in the outdated interior of the room.

 

“Right- I’ll leave you to it,” Yena says as she quickly exits, the door not forgetting to creak before closing with a thud.

 

You can do this Julia.

 

It’s just a few months before your dad comes and you can take back your job in the city.

 

Just a few months.

 

“Ugh who am I kidding,” Lia groans as she crashes onto the bed, running her hand through her hair as she figures out what to do with her life. Her parents ‘exiled’ her to go find indepence, maturity and things of that category- deciding what better place to become an independent grateful obedient woman than her in the confinement childhood home.

 

Originally, she thought she had two choices on where to stay- but it turned out she was stuck with her duck of a cousin.

 

Lia clicks her tongue as she thinks about her long gone life in Jeju, memories of only one person flashing through her head.

 

Are you okay?

 

Then her mind drifts back to her previous home of Toronto, Canada, and the last summer she spent under it’s somehow always chilly breeze.

 

Are you okay?

 

Lia then mentally slaps herself, this was exactly the reason she was here- the inability to be alone, always needing someone next to her.

 

Independence.

 

“ I hate this,” Lia turns on the little bed, forcing herself to sleep, and it’s not the hardest thing in the world- she’s jet lagged, frustrated and alone- sleeping was the only thing she wanted to do for the next five years.

 

The next five years.

 

——

 

“Hey,” Yena calls, lightly tugging on Lia’s sleeve.

 

It’s still day.

 

“Is dinner ready?” Lia asks, the light stabbing her eyes as she streched around, looking for Yena’s figure in the little room.

 

“Umm, I tried to wake you up 10 times last night- but you wouldn’t budge, so I just let you sleep,” Yena explains, and Lia’s eyes shoot open, grabbing her phone to check if she was telling the truth.

 

Holy .

 

“Oh my god,”

 

“I’m sorry,” Lia apologises, but Yena shakes her head, gesturing for her to calm down.

 

“It’s alright- you looked awfully tired anyways,” Yena says calmly, and Lia sighs, kicking herself for being such a sleepyhead.

 

“You can shower, you remember where it is right?” Yena asks, and Lia nods- she remembers all the times she and Yena showered together in there when they were kids.

 

What a strange memory to keep.

 

“Yeah, then we can go out and eat, my friend Nako will be coming- is that okay?” Yena says all at once, and Lia can only blink for a few seconds, processing the information.

 

But she hears the word ‘eat’- and her grumbling stomach takes over her eardrums and only lets her process that one syllable.

 

“Yes okay,” Lia replies with a soft smile, and Yena smiles back proudly, Lia a bit taken aback by how happy Yena looked.

 

“You smiled! This is the first time since you moved Jisu!” Yena says jokingly, and she barely recognises her own name on Yena’s tongue.

 

“Sorry,” Lia says again, with a chuckle this time.

 

“It’s okay,”

 

“Just smile more,”

 

——

 

“Hey Nak,” Yena calls as they exit the tiny home, Nako leaning at the foot of the steps, leaning her hands on the railing.

 

“Hey! Thought you ditched me for your cousin already,” Nako jokes, giving Yena a quick fist bump before shyly waving to Lia- and Lia wants to laugh at her stout height, but she emmits this intimidating aura Jisu doesn’t have the bravery to go up against, so she politely waves and follows the two down the steps.

 

“Hey it’s Yujin!” Yena points out, and a skateboarder whizzes by, stopping right after she passes Yena’s home.

 

“Hey! Haven’t seen you two in a while,” the girl, who Lia can only assume is Yujin greets, and the two are smiling broadly, Yujin tossing them a roll of newspaper.

 

“You’re never gonna see Nako if she keeps cutting class,” Yena deadpans, and Nako clicks her tongue, shoving Yena the slightest bit.

 

“Shut it- I go on Fridays,” Nako argues, and Yujin only chuckling at Nako’s statement.

 

“Right- the day where you have all classes with Wonyoung,” Yujin teases, and Yena cackles at the information, gripping Nako’s shoulder for support, Lia feeling a tad but awkward standing in between the little exchange.

 

“ you Ahn!” Nako snaps, and Lia can’t help but find her cute, letting out a tiny giggle despite not understanding anything.

 

“See ya!” Yujin hollers as she skates away, ready to avoid any threats from the mini japanese.

 

“You’re not even gonna say hi to Jisu?!” Yena asks, hopping off the steps while raising her hand, making big gestures with her hand for Yujin to come back.

 

Yujin stops again, and she turns, looking directly at Jisu, making sure that her gaze was on her and her only.

 

“Jisu?” Yujin asks, though it doesn’t seem like she expected an answer.

 

“I’ll remember you,”

 

——

 

“Nako is a senior with Yujin in high school,” Yena explains as they drive through the town, heading towards the bakery that belonged to Nako’s mother, Yena driving, Lia riding shotgun with Nako laying down in the back seat.

 

‘It gives me an opportunity to stretch my short legs’ was her excuse.

 

“Oh?”

 

“Yes, we were close because my friend Chaeyeon- you remember her? She’s the same age as us,”

 

Of course I remember Chaeyeon.

 

How could I not remember the s—

 

“Well Chaeyeon’s sister is in Yujin’s friend group, and she works as the newspaper girl, so her stopping by my house every day became a regular thing eventually,” Yena explains, and Lia fills her head with thoughts of this Yujin, who’s name was very much uncanny to her own- nope. Not now Lia.

 

“She’s charming,” Lia says honestly, though she feels like anyone on a skateboard could steal her heart with just the light push of their dominant leg.

 

“Yeah it’s why we keep her around- when I tell you she has all the boys and girls all over her,” Yena tells enthusiastically, and Lia nods, digesting the information slowly.

 

“Does she like girls?” Lia asks, a bit too straightforward to her liking, but there was no use beating around the bush for a person she doesn’t know.

 

“Well uh- it’s- not- my place to tell,” Yena says after a brief moment of panic, Lia clearly seeing her relative bite her lip in nervousness, her eyes unsure as she kept them trained on the road.

 

“You basically just told her you !” Nako groans at the fool in Yena, just as they arrive at a stop light, Yena letting out a sigh of frustration as she banged her head on the steering wheel, shaking her head in blatant regret.

 

“Just don’t tell anyone,”

 

“I can trust you right?”

 

——

 

“Why are we so close to the school?!” Nako screeches at a big bulky building present in the corner of Lia’s eye, the woman having to turn to take a proper look at it in all it’s modesty, and it wasn’t at all grandeur- just what you’d expect a school to look like.

 

“We have to pass it! This thing is in the middle of everything!” Yena snaps back, and Nako sighs, trying to hide her face within the fluffy confines of her hoodie.

 

Lia watches silently as students pour out of the school, making it clear that school had just ended. She observes the people one by one, and she catches an older woman, presumably a teacher resting her back against the outer wall, the frustration and tiredness on her face clearer than broad daylight.

 

I wonder what her story is.

 

Lia then changes her line of vision to this one kid with a grimace on her lips, her hoodie pulled above her head as short light brown locks messily spewed out of it, next to her was a tiny ball of sunshine, her squishy cheeks standing out amongst her delicate features.

 

I wonder how they became friends.

 

She turns her head only multiple degrees before she finds herself looking at two girls, who were denying the attention of random guys that were probably trying to court them. Lia snickers at this, with Yena cursing the heavy traffic of parents picking their kids up from school.

 

ing men. I hope they go far away from those dirtbags.

 

Her eyes travel back to the teacher, who now is talking to another older woman- who seemed oddly farmiliar, and she seemed oddly stunned, the two not moving from their position of shaking hands til the latter gave out, stomping away in what seemed like embarrassment from the quick encounter.

 

Oh there’s definitely a story behind that one.

 

Her eyes dart from one quirky student to another, and she lands on her.

 

Chaeryeong.

 

Her childhood friend, the only meaning she had left in Jeju- the only person she ever genuinely missed through her time in Canada. Of course she was still here, this was her hometown, something she promised to never leave, even since they were kids- Chaeryeong’s home was Jeju- and Jeju she would stay.

 

“Ryeong,” Lia says softly as she played with the younger’s hair, trying to braid the thing to perfection- but the perfectionist inside her was starting to take over, no strand of hair to her ever being the perfect fit for her perfect Lee.

 

“Yeah?” Chaeryeong replies softly, cocking an eyebrow.

 

“Don’t you wanna get out of here?” Lia asks gently, but Chaeryeong shakes her head vigorously, completely disagreeing with her statement.

 

“Nope! We’ve got everything we need here!” Chaeryeong chirps happily, and Lia can’t deny that they do but-

 

“Even if you could run away to see the world with me?” Lia asks, and Chaeryeong just laughs, gazing longingly into Lia’s eyes.

 

“I don’t need to see the world when I’ve already seen you,”

 

Lia shakes herself back into the present. Blinking multiple times before realising that they already passed the school, and her view of Chaeryeong was no more.

 

God that was such a cheesy line Chaer.

 

——

 

They stepped into the bakery, the earnest and warm interior making Lia loosen up the slightest bit, the smell of fresh bread letting her mind calm itself after the series of flashbacks she’d experienced in the car.

 

“Nako!” An older woman chirps from behind the counter, Nako holding back the smile on her lips as she waved at her, the woman flashing her a brilliant smile in return.

 

“Yena, how are you sweetie? And who’s this? Finally got over Yu-”

 

Yu?

 

“No! Aunty, this is my cousin Jisu- she just moved here, I’m not dating anybody,” Yena explains hastily, and the aunty just lets out a giggle, waving Yena off.

 

“Don’t need to panic Yena- i’m just teasing,” the aunty says, Nako rolling her eyes at her.

 

“Mom you know she gets sensitive whenever you mention Yur-”

 

“SHHHHHH SHUT UP NAKO!” Yena hisses, and the two just laugh, Lia yet again feeling a little out of place in the store.

 

“Now what can I get for y’all? Especially you Jisu, since it’s your first time around I’ll treat you to something nice,” she says in a motherly tone, and Jisu smiles softly at her, nodding as she made her way to the display section of the bakery, the well done varieties of breads and gorgeously decorated cakes making Lia gasp silently.

 

“Like what you see?” Nako asks, going behind the counter to lean the opposite of Jisu, Lia chuckling at how she had to tip-toe to look over into the display.

 

“Yeah, I like- cheese,” Lia says, and she’s not sure why it comes out awkwardly, but it does, and Nako chuckles at her.

 

“Cheesecake or cheese bread?” Nako asks, and Lia ponders for a moment, scanning the bread as if one of them would hold the answer.

 

“Cheesecake- I’m really hungry,” Lia says shyly, and Nako nods, turning away from the counter to prepare her cake.

 

Before Lia could start her train of excessive thoughts, the sound of the chimes hung on the front door interrupted her, causing her to turn to the new patron, who she recognised immediately.

 

Chaer?

 

“Chaeyeon! What can I do for you today?” Nako’s mother says with delight, the tired look on Chaeyeon’s face fading with her words.

 

Chaeyeon?

 

“Do you have the sweet potato bread?” Chaeyeon asks politely, and Nako’s mother nods, typing a few things on the cash register.

 

“You know I always save some for you,” The aunty coos as she turns away to fetch what Chaeyeon needed.

 

! Does she remember me? I look different but-

 

“Hi,” Chaeyeon suddenly says, approaching Lia slowly, the Canadian’s heart really to somersault out of her chest.

 

“Are you new around here? You seem lost,” Chaeyeon asks with genuine concern laced around her tone, and Lia lets out a sigh of relief before opening .

 

“Chae! Don’t bother my baby cousin,” Yena suddenly intervenes, and Lia’s forehead scrunched in a mix of confusion and frustration, the two of them turning to Yena abruptly.

 

“Baby? Were the same damn age!” Lia protests, and Chaeyeon only laughs- and Jisu almost gasps when she realises Chaeyeon’s laugh hasn’t changed a single octave.

 

“I haven’t seen you awhile Chae,” Yena says, her tone suddenly going soft, Chaeyeon scratching the back of her neck.

 

“Well, you know- ever since,”