"Uh... where are we going...?" I cautiously asked my mum, peering out the window from the passenger's seat.

"Hm? Oh right, I forgot to tell you that you're gonna be spending the summer with your favourite grandmother! Exciting isn't it?"

"Last time I checked, your parents were dead." my mother cleared uncomfortably at my carelessly thrown statement about the deceased.

"We're visiting your paternal grandmother. She hasn't seen you in forever!"

"Forever seems to have been a long time if I can't even remember that I had an ancestor who was still alive."

"Ances- Okay you know what. This trip will be good for you! You'll get to learn new things and I bet it'll teach you how to be more respectful of elders-"

"Elder-ly. Not elders. I don't respect elders. I respect the elderly."

"You should respect both." my mother frowned. "Anyways, I told your teachers to take a break from your homeschooling sessions for this special bonding trip." I secretly pumped my fist in the air when my mother wasn't looking. 

"And while I do that, what are you gonna do?"

"I need to do some preparations for my upcoming wedding." she smiled as she turned the steering wheel.

"Right, which wedding is it again? Third?"

"Fourth actually."

"Ah, sorry I lost count after the first remarriage." More like didn't even bother counting

Step fathers are such a drag. They stick around just for the money. Well at least that's how I see them from my perspective. My mother gives me no hope for a better life either. There is no such thing as love in my family. My life is practically money, money and more money.

"My husband said it would be a good experience for you too. Your grandmother might be able to tame that hot head of yours."

I opened my mouth to retort when we suddenly passed by a herd of cows and that was when I realised the change in settings. We weren't in the city anymore, we were in the countryside??? 

"Which husband? I'm gonna kill him." I fumed and my mother slapped my arm.

"Ow wha- WILL YOU TELL ME WHY WE JUST PASSED BY A HERD OF COWS?!"

"Your grandmother lives here in Busan. She loves the vast greenery." I stared at her in disbelief. I hated grass. Bad experience. I shuddered at the thought.

"Are you dreaming of my farmgirl life or something because I'm sure as heck that I ain't up for any of that ."

"You'll be fine sweetheart."

Great, just great. Now I'm contemplating if I should jump out the car this instant and escape this horrible fate.

[][][]

    My mother parked the car on the open space near the sea and started dragging me towards the house overlooking the shores. I wasn't sure if my feet were acting against my will, or I had no will to move in the first place because my mum sure had one heck of a time lugging me over.   She knocked on the door and turned to me sternly. "Be nice."   "No promises, really." She gave me a pointed look and rolled her eyes at me. I stuck my tongue out at her and at that time the door opened, revealing my black-haired grandmother. She was shorter than I had remembered her to be. The wrinkles surrounding her eyes showed that she was a lady who smiled often.   "Omonim! Long time no see." My grandmother looked at my her from head to toe and stayed expressionless.   "Ah Aerin, you've changed." Her expression softened when she saw me peeping from behind my mother.   "Omo, is this my beautiful granddaughter? Come here sweetheart!" she stepped forward and engulfed me in a bone-crushing hug.   "Um....hi? It's uh.... nice to meet you.... again." I smiled awkwardly as I let her hug me.    "Well okay, this looks heartwarming! Now that everything's settled," my mother shoved a heavy carrier bag to into the house and bowed.   "I have a corporate meeting to attend. Thank you for having her over the summer, omonim. I'm sure she'll behave." My mother gave me another pointed look as I rolled my eyes. My grandmother nodded emotionlessly and pulled me into the house.    "I'll pick you up at the end of the month, honey!" I heard my mother call as I ignored her and grabbed my luggage.   "Sounds like your mother doesn't want you around for the summer." my grandmother laughed as she shut the door.   "I thought so too." I turned around and explored the house.    "Your room's on the second floor. First door on the left. Sehun stays in the room next to yours so," she smiled again. "Make sure you don't get the wrong room."   "Sehun? What's that? Some sort of plant." I scoffed to myself but apparently the elder had heard it.   "No, Sehun is a boy and he's very handsome if you ask me."  But I didn't ask you.   "Okay then. I'll just go and unpack my things."   "Come back down once you're done!"   [][][]   It's only been two hours but I'm already dying here. She's brought me around the neighbourhood, boasting about me to the townsfolk. Aha, not like there's anything to boast about. She showed me around the corn fields and even brought me to where the cows were. Ugh I hate everything here! WORST THING IS, there is absolutely no wi-fi in the area AND THERE'S GRASS EVERYWHERE.   "I'm going for a walk down the beach."   "But it's going to rain-"   "I'll manage."   "Okay, come back safe and-" with that I slammed the front door. I pulled my hoodie over my head and zipped up my jacket as the wind blew against my face. I guess I'll be the girl dancing in the rain today. Not exactly dancing, but well, you get what I mean. I kicked the sand as I dragged myself along the shoreline, thinking about how bad this trip was gonna be. I scoffed at the thought of my mother enjoying herself back in Seoul.   "Might as well have banished me to Africa where I could've at least died of poverty. But this is just plain stupid! Staying with a grandmother I never even knew I had, sleeping in a house that smells like fermented soybean, AND NO RECEPTION!! WHAT KIND OF ED UP PLACE HAS NO RECEPTION?!" I snapped my head up towards the grey sky as the rain started to pound hard against my skin.    "Since nobody's even cared about me, I should just end my life while I'm at it. Saves me the suffering anyway. " I muttered to myself as I trudged towards the harsh waves coming towards the bay. Lightning struck and thunder roared as I walked closer towards the crashing waves.   "This is for all the times you've made me watch you re-marry ." I scoffed and leaned towards the waves when a pair of arms shot out of nowhere and pulled me harshly away from the waters.   "What the- Let me go!"   "Oh shut up you whiny brat." I gasped at the insult and clutched onto the iron grip around my waist as I spat distastefully in the stranger's face.    "Okay first, ATTITUDE." I shouted as I pointed my index finger towards his face "and second, you did NOT just interfere with what I was about to do."   "And what you were about to do, was kill yourself."   "What I was about to do, doesn't concern you!"   "OH RIGHT, because I'm just gonna be that bad guy who stands by the side as he watches the dumb blonde you are, throw herself into the choppy waters IN THE MIDDLE OF A THUNDERSTORM just because you can't get ing wi-fi. Isn't that just the most LOGICAL AND HUMANE thing to do right