10 years ago

"happy birthday, son!"

"happy birthday, jeno!"

"happy birthday, dear!" said the mother of the celebrant who took him in her arms with a flashing grin.

while party crackers erupted in the living room, four cats pooled around the feet of the celebrant and his mother, as if greeting him the same phrase his family did.

april 23rd, jeno's birthday.

a boy entered his phase on adulthood. now called a young man in the household, he was excited of discovering what the world could offer him. apart from moving out of his parents' house, he was also gifted a summer trip in a renowned island in south korea: ulsan.

but before spending a month in an unknown place, never-ending greetings of gratitude and celebration were toasted in the dinner table occupied by the family of four.

adjacent to his father, jeno was next to his nuna, his older sister who helped in preparing this wonderful occasion.

champagne bottles were clinked in the air as they begin eating. it was a memorable day for the celebrant because it marked the start of an adventure on his own.

he still had roughly two months to prepare for his final year in high school.

on september, a new life awaits.

therefore, jeno wouldn't miss any single sunrise in ulsan. if truth would speak for him, he wished the clock would stop ticking.

he wasn't ready for bigger responsibilities.

"are you ready to visit ulsan?" asked his mom.

"i hope you've studied the map i left in your room the other day," said his dad.

"appa, we're technologically advanced now. uri aegi can use gps if he wanna drive," argued his older sister.

yet, their mom had another concern, "wouldn't he take too long if he travels by car? we can arrange him plane tickets. i'm afraid he'll lose a day because of tiresome traffic."

"hmm..." his father hums in consideration. "you have a point. we can't risk your safety."

jeno disagreed. he shrugged and voiced his opinion, "i mean.... how would i be independent if i wouldn't experiment on my own? besides, it'd be very much ironic if a brand new car, fresh from the deale