[Sol Han Na’s POV]

It is yet another busy day here in Jejudo. August is about to come to an end and in just a matter of few days, it would be farewell, summer and hello, autumn so hotels and beach resorts all over Jeju Island are already jam-packed with tourists who are trying to enjoy the last moments of hot and humid weather. Yes, just a few more wait and all these hustle and bustle would be finally over. But as it lingers… here I am, in my worn-out supposed-to-be-dark-blue-but-now-it-is-light-blue work clothes, busy restocking commodities on the shelves of this once-upon-a-time prestigious convenience store. 

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not a ragged old woman working to feed her poor family. I am a nineteen-year old girl working part-time to help in sustaining her otherwise poor family. My father is a fisherman while my mother sells my father’s catch in the local community market. I have a kid brother who’s currently in middle school. I graduated with honors and was supposed to continue my studies in a university through scholarship but had to cancel it due to my family’s incapability. It wasn’t like the scholarship wouldn’t help me in pursuing college but I don’t have the heart to leave my family and study faraway, not in this kind of state where my parents barely have anything to support us, not when I have a brother who’s also studying. So yes, I decided to delay school for a while and let my brother finish his first. I began working to help my parents in our expenses but promised myself to enter college once every thing became settled. I wonder when that would be…

Back to the story. Here I am, restocking ramyun on the shelves after a group of middle-aged women - tourists, apparently - went and emptied them. 

“Deoneun mangseoriji ma jebal nae simjangeul geodueo ga
Geurae nalkaroulsurok joha dalbit jochado nuneul gameun bam…”

One fact about me is I love singing. It is one of those things that my parents gave me that I cannot achieve anywhere - not even in school. I remember my father telling me, “We may not be able to give you material things but that,” touching my throat, “that is one gift we’ve given to you. You cannot find it anywhere. Treasure it.”

So there goes my passion in singing. 

Singing has been a natural form of escape for me. Things may get too rough, but music has always serve as my comfort zone - a place of peace and solitude. Whenever lonely, I would usually go to one of the seashores with my paper and pen and would find myself actually writing a song of my own. It has always been like that, and it would always be. 

“Na anin dareun namjayeotdamyeon huigeuk anui han gujeorieotdeoramyeon
Neoui geu saranggwa bakkun sangcheo modu taewobeoryeo…”

I have already finished restocking the ramyun and was on my way towards the other shelves when suddenly…

“Aaack!!!” 

There was a man kneeling beside the shelf and I accidentally stepped on his hand in haste to transfer onto my next location.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Sir!” I said, kneeling beside him to check if I had injured his hand. Gosh, Han Na, why do you have to be so stupid. You barely have enough money to eat three times a day and now you might have to pay for the treatment of someone else’s hand!

“Sir, I’m really sorry. Is your hand okay? Was it injured? Does it need to be treated?” I blurted in my extreme anxiety.

“No. It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s my fault anyway. I shouldn’t have knelt there. It’s clear you wouldn’t have seen me.” The man answered. He looked like he is in his mid-40′s or late 30′s, I don’t know. But he doesn’t look that young, not with those creases formed in his face. He smiled at me tentatively and put his hands in his pockets. 

“I had been listening to you sing.”

“Sir?” I answered, surprised.

“You have a pretty good voice. It’s soothing and sweet and…”

“I’m sorry, Sir, but I don’t get what you mean.” I said, cutting his words. Well, if he’s just going to talk about my voice I might as well end the conversation. I’ve still got loads of stuffs to do. 

Please Subscribe to read the full chapter