Chapter 1

Living is America was defiantly overrated. I have been living here for 8 years now and I hated it more than anything. For starters everyone was constantly asking me to translate stuff for them and were always asking me why I had been living alone for 8 years of my life. Well I wasn't completely alone. I did have this butler, Park Changwoo, with me. He was a nice guy and all, a little annoying at times, but nice. He was more like a brother to me that I never wanted. He constantly made me clean the house and cook dinner for him. I was guessing when my parents sent me to America when I was in 9^th grade that they were sending me with someone that was going to take care of me. Oh were they sadly wrong. Not only did I have to cook and clean for the man he continuously hit on me all the time. I mean I understand that he is only 4 years older than me, but he is also an employee of my parents. I did once call my parents to tell them about the butler and how unsettling he makes me but they just blew it off saying I was making up an excuse to get out of America. Now don't get me wrong there is somethings that are actually good about this place. For example, there is..............okay so maybe I don't have something to say. But I am sure other people find is amazing here. I on the other hand don't care for this place much and can't wait to get out.

The day I got to go back home was coming up fast, to my luck. I had just finished my last year of College at Stanford University. I had been studying English and minored in Business. It was very boring but I put up with it because I knew my parents wanted that of me. I loved my parents and my older brother more than anything, even if they weren't my real family. Yes I was adopted. I was actually born in America which is why my parents wanted me to study here so much. They wanted me to be fluent in my native language. So to make my parents happy I studied not only English while I lived here but Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Thai, French, Spanish and German. I know that is a lot to learn in 8 years. I am not fluent in French or German yet but I am trying. It didn't take me that long to pick up on Thai and Spanish because I had a friend who was a mix of both. She was a pretty girl that I have been friends with since 9^th grade. Because her father was Spanish her parents went with a Spanish name to fit her last name, Selena Perez.

“Soojung your brother is on the phone!” I heard Changwoo shout up at me as I laid on my bed writing in my diary. I had decided to keep a diary since day one in America. It had anything and everything in it. From a letter my brother and his new singing group sent me to a family photo that my parents took photo shopping in my senior picture they made me get done. I was upset that I couldn't be there to get the photo done with them but I knew in the end they would be happy to have me home. I knew my parents didn't send me away because they hated me, they loved me very much. Even if I wasn't Korean or even their real child.

“Soojung!” Changwoo yelled once again pulling my thoughts away from my diary. I was currently writing about the dream I had last night and wanted to get it down before I forgot. I remember that I was standing in a room, a dark room I had never been in before. I couldn't see anything and didn't hear any noise besides my feet shuffling on the floor. I was walking very slowly my hands spread out in front of me feeling around. My fingers touched something smooth and cold and I quickly retreated them to my sides. The next thing I knew the lights . I squinted up at the lights before looking around me. Noticing the hard wood floor and the mirrors that lined the walls I realized I was in some type of dance studio. I remembered hearing a boy call my name and I looked over in the direction of which it came. Two boys stood by a tall white door smiling over at me. I couldn't make out their faces because of the blur that took over them. I squinted my eyes at them once again trying to see if I could make their faces turn visible but nothing happened. Everything else on them was visible except their faces. It looked like someone had took a picture of them and dropped water on their faces making it blurry.

A boy with black hair shuffled his way over to me. He stood in front of me looking down at me, I suspected, as he towered over me. He was defiantly taller than me. I looked up at the boy and watched as his blurry mouth turned into a smile once again.

“Soojung....” The boy had said to me as he took another step closer to me and grabbed my cheeks. Confused I looked at the boy like he had lost his mind. He just smiled bigger and leaned in towards my face. Just before his lips touched the soft, pale, skin of my forehead I had woken up. This dream may seem like nothing spectacular but when you have had the same dream for 5 nights now it kind of gets to you.

“Are you even listening to me?” Changwoo asked barging through my door. I quickly covered my diary and looked over at the intruder.

“No, I was not ignoring you.” I told him closing my diary and sitting up. I held my hand out to him waiting patiently for him to give me the phone. He tossed in on the bed beside me and walked out of the room making sure to slam the white wood door after him. I rolled my eyes and picked up the small black phone placing it to my right ear.

“Hello?” I asked falling back down into a laying position but this time on my back. I looked up at the white ceiling waiting for someone to answer.

“Soojung!” I heard my older brother's voice shout excitedly through the phone.

“Sunggyu!” I shouted back at him just as excitedly as he had me. Kim Sunggyu was my older brother's name. Yes the same Kim Sunggyu that was in the 7 member group named Infinite.

“Soojung, when are you coming back?”

“In 3 days. Do you want me to bring anything back for you?” I asked him letting my head fall to the side so I was now looking around my small but quaint, light blue room. I heard my brother make a 'hmm' noise slightly into the phone, taking a few seconds to think my question over.

“Nope just to see my baby sister!” He shouted at me once again. I laughed and took a few seconds to once again roll my eyes.

“Oppa! Stop shouting!” I yelled into the phone hearing a muffled 'shut up' from an annoyed Changwoo from somewhere in the house. I sat up and grabbed a pillow from beside me. Taking the few steps I needed to reach my door I threw it open and chucked the pillow at Changwoo who was walking down the hallway. He turned around to glare and me and started towards me with a look that said he was about to kill me. I quickly slammed my door closed and locked it preventing him from getting in.

“What was that?” My brother asked his voice turning slightly worried.

“Just Changwoo. I can't wait to be away from him.” I told my brother as I leaned against the door holding it shut just in case Changwoo could somehow get it open. After a few loud bangs on the door he gave up and I heard him retreat down the hall saying he would deal with me later. “Won't be able to leave my room till Friday now.”

“I don't like that guy.” My brother said as a loud bang came through his side of the phone. “Dangit Sungyeol will you stop picking on Sungjong?” I heard him yell at someone. I knew Sungyeol was the member that loved picking on people because my brother constantly complained to me when Sungyeol was annoying him. Though it wasn't much that my brother and I got to talk we defiantly treasured the moments we got.

“Hello?” I heard a new voice come from the phone and pulled it away from my ear for a second.

“Hello.” I stated once I returned it.

“Hi, Sunggyu had to deal with Sungyeol for a moment so he handed me the phone.” I heard the boy say and I nodded my head. Realizing that he could not see me I decided to ask him who he was.

“And this might be?”

“I am Dongwoo. Jang Dongwoo. Your Soojung right?”

“Yes my name is Soojung. Kim Soojung.” I told him. I heard a loud bang on my door and knew that Changwoo had decided that he needed to annoy me more. “What?!” I shouted at Changwoo through the door.

“I am hungry come make me something to eat.” He ordered banging on my door once more.

“Cook for yourself! You are my butler so stop making me cook for you!” I shouted at him slamming my hand on the door.

“Your a female you are the one that should be cooking.” I noticed the hint of confidence in his statement and knew he was smirking. I quickly opened the door, seeing the smirk on his face.

“Hello Soojung are you ok?” I heard Dongwoo ask me.

“Yes I am fine. I will be better once I get back home though.” I told him pushing Changwoo out of the way and walking down the hall. I picked up my pillow and tossed it back into my room. Changwoo watching me closely looking me up and down. I snorted at his action and watched as he made his way passed me towards the living room. The second he made it passed me I ran back through my door, closing and locking it behind me.

“Cook for yourself!” I shouted through the door and hopped on my bed.

“Your coming back to Seoul?” I heard Dongwoo ask. I realized he was ignoring everything that was going on between Changwoo and I knowing it wasn't his business.

“Yes I will be back Friday.” I told him.

“Today is Thursday?” I knew by the way he was asking the questions that he felt awkward and wasn't sure on what to ask me.

“For you. It will be Thursday for me soon though.” South Korea was 16 hours ahead of where I was in America, California. I was dreading the time change that was going to happen to me. I was going to be sleeping the whole plane ride back home.

“Oh well here is your brother.” I heard Dongwoo say.

“Oh well it was nice talking to you.”

“You too. Hopefully we will get to meet you when you come home.” Dongwoo said. I wasn't sure why it took me so long to notice the slight dialect in his voice. I wasn't really sure where he was from, but I knew it wasn't Seoul.

“Soojung I will have to let you go now but I will be picking you up from the airport. Mom and Dad have a dinner reservation and its on the way back from my schedule I have that night.” I heard my brother say. Some random yelling could be heard in the background and I laughed slightly to myself. They sounded like they were having fun; I couldn't wait to meet them.

“Ok, I will see you Friday then. Love you and goodnight.” I told him.

“I love you too, night have good dreams.” I hung up the phone and threw it on my blue comforter beside me. Suddenly getting the urge to go to the bathroom I stood up from the bed and walked over to the door. I cracked the door open and looked outside the room. I looked both ways down the hall before stepping out and walking to the bathroom. The closing of the front door told me that Changwoo had decided to go out to eat. He never brought people over so I knew he was the one that was leaving. I opened the door to the bathroom and walked inside closing it behind me.

When I had finished my business in the bathroom I walked back to my room and started to pack some more of my stuff into my suitcase. I had collected a lot of stuff since I had moved to America so I was not sure how all of it was going to go home with me. Looking around at everything else I had left to pack my blue eyes landed on the gift I had bought for my mother. I had bought her a cute baby blue, lacy pajama set I knew she would love.

The present I purchased for my father was something I knew he was going to use everyday. It was a black, leather bound, brief case. My father worked a lot so I knew he was going to use the brief case a lot.

My brother on the other hand I had not bought a present for yet. I made a mental note that I would get him something tomorrow before I finished packing. Maybe I would get something for his fellow members also. I was not sure about that yet, but if I found something I would defiantly get it.