Ji Young's perspective

"Ji Young," mother called in a sing-song content voice. "Time for dinner!" 

"Okay!" I shouted. Great! I thought, I just finished my music homework. Closing the laptop in front of me, I got out of my swivel chair and ran down the stairs that were to my left. I jumped down from them with a loud 'thud' sound, that caused my parents to shake. 

"Be careful, Ji Young. We wouldn't want you to break a leg or two," he teased. My father joked around a lot, and sometimes cracking very sarcastic jokes that even I couldn't understand.

We all sat down on our chairs, circling the large wooden table. I closed my eyes and inhaled the scents of a variety of foods, and clasped my hands together, listening for the sound of my mother's voice as we began to pray. 

"Amen." When mother was finished praying, we began to eat.

"Ahhhh, what to eat first?" my father thought aloud. I smiled as he began to chow down on the orange chicken, grabbing all the food on the top of the pile first. By the time I finished half of my bowl, he finished two bowls.

"Appa! Don't rush yourself!" I started, but he already got up from his chair and into the kitchen, putting his finished bowl into the sink to be cleaned.

"Appa has a lot of work to do, Ji Young. Enjoy the rest of your meal!" And before I could respond to that, my mother got up from her seat too. "Umma, you're finished too?" I asked.

"Yes, dear. Don't rush yourself!" She practically threw her bowl into the sink and scurried back to her laptop, typing away. I sighed and held my chopsticks to my lips. Everyone is so busy today, I thought. I shrugged my shoulders and finished my meal. "Thanks for the meal!"

I went over to the sink and the tap, running my hands through the water. I started scrubbing the dirty pile of dishes and wondered what Hana was up to. Hana was always up to something, I could sense it.

I could also sense people staring at me, and that's what I felt for a brief moment. I turned my head around swiftly, only seeing my mother with her brown eyes locked into mine. She quickly looked away and muttered something while giggling as she closed her laptop, carrying it upstairs to her bedroom. Finishing the dishes and putting them back into place, I ran upstairs and into my room. 

Flopping onto my bed, I felt around for my cellphone. Suddenly feeling uneasy as I didn't know where it was, I decided to take a shower. After all, it was pretty late.

"Ji Young-ah?" my mother called. 

"Yes?" I responded.

"Ah, here you are," she smiled and took a seat on the stool that took place beside my easel.

"You see, my very good friend has moved into town," she said.

I waited for her to finish her sentence, but she didn't. She just looked at me with twinkly eyes. "That's great, Umma." I said, not knowing what else to say. "Yes! It is! Tomorrow afternoon, they're going to come over, so I expect you to behave properly. Alright?" 

"Ah, this is what she must've been muttering about," I thought as I nodded, feeling hesitant and not knowing what to expect. "Great!" she smiled again and I smiled back. My mother always tried to stay cheerful and content, like Hana. "I'll be leaving, then." she stood up and patted her apron, as if there were dust on it, and closed the door behind her. I laid down on my bed until I couldn't hear her feet padding anymore. 

--

I woke up the next day feeling better than ever. Only half awake, I stumbled into the washroom, turning the light on. I brushed my teeth and washed my face, combed my hair and put on some make up; wanting to put a good impression on my parent's friends.

Putting on some clothes, I walked towards the window and stared outside at the morning sun. The sky was a nice shade of blue; not too bold and not too bright. It calms me down when I feel pressured or uneasy.

I went downstairs and watched cartoons until my parents came down.

Chamchi the cat meowed and put her head under my hand which was dangling off the couch. "Hey Chamchi," I said, while smiling and picking her up. 

"Ji Young! Good morning," my mother said, walking down the stairs while holding the railing. I looked up. "Good morning." I said. 

"What're you doing with Chamchi? Put her down, the Lee family will be here any minute now." she smiled. "Did you eat any breakfast?" 

"I dropped Chamchi on the couch, in shock about how much time has passed already from just watching tv. "Ah, yes." I said, lying so mother wouldn't have to do anything for me. "I can just eat some snacks later," I thought.

Father came down, greeting me as I greeted back. Both of them were wearing very elegant clothing, while I didn't look anywhere near elegant right now. 

"I'll be right back," I apologized, and ran upstairs into my room, hoping I had a blouse or something to change into. I ran my hands through the clothing and found a light pink blouse. "Wonderful," I thought. I changed into it and walked downstairs, letting out a breath of relief as I heard the doorbell ringing.

I stood behind but near my parents, as they opened the door. 

Behind the white door were two adults and someone else. I bowed as they entered and they greeted me with warm smiles. I felt relieved, as they didn't seem like people who were cruel or stuck up. 

"Welcome! Oh my, it's been so long!" greeted my mother. She so excitedly went over to the woman for a hug. The woman opened her arms so wide they almost hit the man beside her. "I've missed you so much!"

"I have too!"

And as for my father, he too did the same thing my mother did. "Ahhh! How have you been, friend?" My father went in for a hug, and the man accepted it with happiness. I stood there awkwardly, smiling confusingly at what was happening. 

"Oh my, I almost forgot!" my mother pulled me to her side and introduced me. "This is my daughter, Ji Young." I bowed and shook both of my parents' friend's hands. "Hello, I'm Ji Young. Nice to meet you," I smiled and they returned it. "She is our only child," my father said, now standing by the other side of me. 

"Ah, is that so?" the woman responded. "We have a child too!" My eyes lit up, not knowing where this person was. I looked around the strangers, and saw that someone was coming out from behind them.

"This is our son, Sungyeol." He bowed at my parents and shook their hands, with me awkwardly in the middle.

"Hello," he said, pausing and straightening his back, while looking at me straight in the eye. "I'm Sungyeol, it's a pleasure to meet you."