The passing cars and bricks of the busy city were a blur to the teen. Distant faces came into view as they entered the city center, driving through the traffic of their new home. The start-stop of the cars made the teen want to vomit on top of the anxious stomach ache. 

“Is it too late to go back home?” Taemin asked his parents in the front seat. “We can turn around and go right back can’t we?” Taemin kept asking.

His father said in a stern voice, “Taemin, I’m sorry but we aren’t going back. Not right now and not for a while. Your mother and I are here because we have more opportunities for work and to make money. Don’t you want to be well off and go to a pristine university?” His father adjusted the back mirror so he could see Taemin, looking down at his hands twirling his thumbs. “Taemin I know this is hard to pack up and leave but it will be ok, I promise.” 

The teen wanted to jump from the car and run back home, but things didn’t work like that. “No, they are not. I’ll be the outcast with an accent,” he rested his head onto his hand and gazed out of the foggy car window. The rain began to drip drop onto the car as the sky turned a dark gray and everything darkened, like the light vanished. The people walking on the street began to open their umbrellas and a sea of black roofed people continued walking down the streets. 

The teen’s fringe fell over his eyes as he bent his head down to look at the falling rain that hit the bleak sidewalk. Blowing his fringe up, he broke the silence of the car, “Great. The only good part of my day is now ruined. Thanks for absolutely nothing stupid rain,” Taemin scoffed, straightening himself in his seat, now crossing his arms in disappointment and slight anger. “This day couldn’t get any worse.” 

His mother looked back at him and reached for his hand, “Try to be positive Taem, you haven’t even seen the new house or new school. At least give it a day before you get all upset.” He sighed and gave her his hand. Her thumb rubbed the top skin of his hand as she tried to tell him some of the benefits of moving. “We have a much bigger house now, you can invite friends over and cook...” she kept talking but Taemin zoned out and looked out of the window once again. 

In his mind, everything was spiraling fast and his life was in shambles. One day he’s perfectly fine in his hometown and he’s happy with the friends he had known his entire life, to now being the new stranger to everything around him. The unfamiliar streets and rude city people seemed foreign and strange to think about. 

The car began to pull up to the new residence of the Lee family. “And we’re here,” his dad said, pulling into the driveway of their new house. “Let’s go inside and wait out the rain before we get the luggage,” his dad suggested and before anyone knew, he was sprinting towards the front door to avoid the pounding rain. Taemin and his mother followed the father inside the massive front door. 

Once inside they were greeted with a beautiful open foyer and huge spiral staircase, with marble floors spreading far and wide. The family shuffled into the living area where a grand couch and some chairs were placed, “I think this will be a lovely entertaining place don’t you think?” Taemin’s father asked his mother, nudging her arm. She nodded in agreement and they both turned to their not so excited son. “What do you think about the house so far?” His father asked.

Taemin took a second to register the question asked as his mind was moving a mile a minute, trying to fathom the reality he was in. “It’s ok,” he managed to spit out but all his words were laced with anger and sadness. “I miss home,”

His father cut him off and said in return, “This is home now. Come on lighten up a little and be happy, no one wants to see a grouchy Taemin.” 

Taemin’s face showed all his emotions. The built-up anger was getting harder to contain.“This isn’t home. Home isn’t Seoul.” He shook his head and left the room before making a huge scene. 

The teen made his way upstairs to the bedroom at the far end of the hallway and shut the door behind him. Looking around at the new room he leaned against the wooden door and slid down to the floor, curling up and beginning to sniffle. Before he could cry, he heard his parents coming up the stairs looking for him. He wiped his face with his sleeve and sat on the desk chair in his room. 

“Taemin?” His parents knocked on the door. “May we come in?” They asked so they wouldn’t intrude. 

Taemin looked at himself in his phone camera, making sure he didn’t look sad or have his eyes red from the forming tears, “Yeah go ahead.”

The two pushed open the door and came in one after another. Looking around they sat on the foot of the new bed, “How do you like the room?” They asked him, knowing he hated it. No response came from Taemin. Trying to keep the tension low, his mother asked, “Have you seen your new window? You even have a balcony! Isn’t that fun?” She tried to act excited. 

Taemin glanced over to the plain window and responded, “Yeah, so fun,” he rasped in a low tone. He spun around in his chair so he wouldn’t have to look at his parents. 

The two got up from their places and hugged Taemin, “We will leave you alone now. Try to get used to the new room, also we are ordering pizza for dinner.” His parents left the room and shut the door behind them. 

He slouched in his chair and closed his eye. This was his new life, new city, and new house. “Ughhhh,” he groaned as he got up from the leather desk chair and moved to the bed. He grabbed his phone and checked his messages, maybe one of his friends texted him yet nothing appeared. “They forgot about me already? ing lovely!” Taemin yelled and threw his phone across the bed. 

He laid, staring at the ceiling, hoping for something to change, but alas nothing happened. The wall clock ticked through the minutes and then the hours till it was dusk. 

“Taemin pizza is here!” His parents called to him. 

He rolled over off of the bed but changed his mind. “I’m not hungry, but I’m going onto the balcony to clear my head,” he called to them. They responded with an “ok”. 

Taemin walked to the Window and opened it to get onto the balcony. He took a step out before realizing it was still sprinkling. Not caring he continued into the rain. The teen noticed that the balcony allowed for roof access, so being the person he is, he couldn’t resist going to the top. 

The rain began to clear as he climbed to the top of the roof and took a seat upon one of the bricks. Looking up all he saw was the clear sky and the moon, shining its moonlight over the city and himself. 

Taemin brought his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, allowing himself to let out a shuttered cry. A couple of tears strolled down his face as he let out the sadness he felt from leaving. “I want to go back home, I don’t want to be here. I hate this so much,” he cried to the moon. “I want to leave already. I have no one here, no one at all. I’m all alone, but at least I have you right?” He asked the moon. 

A small hymn came from his lips. “Mmmmm fly away,” he sang in a soft falsetto. “Fly away to somewhere far away,” he continued, “take me away, to the places high away.” He got up from his seat and hugged himself, allowing himself to soak the moonlight up and dance with the stars. 

He rocked back and forth with himself, like he was dancing with someone, but all someone would see is a teen dancing alone, his cheek. “Set me free of all gravity, and take me to the moon,” he stared at the moon with his eyes fixated on the beautiful glow. 

“I wish everyone was like you moon, can I call you that? Moon? Anyway, you’re so easy to talk to, why can’t my parents or anyone else be easy to talk to?” Taemin asked the unresponsive sky. “Forget about it, all I need is you, moon.” 

He could hear the distant call of his name from his parents so he stood up and began to go back inside, “See you tomorrow moon,” he smiled and walked back inside, the happiest he’s been all day. 

As Taemin went inside, someone else came outside holding a note. Quietly sneaking across their roof to the roof of the Lee family, he slipped the note, signed K.J. Moon, underneath a broken brick, and left.