The Trio
Do Not Go GentleOnce the alarm goes off, I take my time getting ready for school. I don't need to be there early since I'm done with the transfer papers. I take a shower, throw on my uniform, brush my teeth and hair, grab my backpack and head out the door. I haven't seen my aunt and uncle since the first night I came here. I hear Jung Bi all around the house but she's way too busy with cleaning after my aunt and uncle. I feel bad for her. She seems really cool.
I stroll along the side of the road with my headphones in my ears. This morning I want to feel calm so I pick a Zion.t song. I start humming along with it and close my eyes so it seems like I'm the only person in this world. Then I fall silent.
I miss you, Eomma.
I turn my face to the sky as tears start rolling down my cheeks. I can let it out. Just this one time.
"Eomma, haengbokhaja
Apeuji malgo jom apeuji malgo..." The song rings in my ear.
If only I had stopped dad. If only I had listened to them. If only I was the one who had cancer. If only, if only, if only...
"Song Nari Yeong! Song Na... Omo! Gwenchana?!" BamBam shouts as he approaches.
Surprised, I quickly wipe my tears and start walking. BamBam follows me and keeps glancing at me with a concerned look. I turn and look at him, annoyed.
"Stop looking at me, arasseo?!" I yell.
"Yah. I just saw you crying. How can I not look at you?" He replies.
"That was nothing. I'm fine, just leave me alone." I snap.
"You're obviously not fine." BamBam puts his hands on my shoulders and leans closer to me. He gives me a serious look to which I have to turn away.
Why is he being like this?!
"Because you're new here, I'll show you around. So stop being annoyed and actually make some friends! You want to have friends, right?" BamBam asks.
I turn my head back to him. His face is full of concern and frustration. Then I think of how I might never see my friends back home. I will be stuck here for a long time because of what happened in America. I have lost my friends, my family...
"L... Let go of me." I say.
BamBam lets go of me and I lean against the rock wall along the sidewalk. Then I slowly slide down until I'm sitting on the ground. Then they come. The tears start, and I can't control them. I eventually start sobbing into my knees as I'm crouched on the ground. I feel someone sit beside me and embrace me. We both sit like that for another five to ten minutes, BamBam staying quiet and me uncontrollably sobbing.
I finally start to gain better control of the situation. I slowly sit up, embarrassed that I broke down in front of a stranger.
But... This stranger is comforting me. Maybe... Maybe I can trust him.
I look at BamBam. I'm sure I have a wet face from all of the tears and my mascara is running. The only make up I put on and it's ruined. I grab a hold of BamBam's arms and we both stand. Then, I decide that I can have friends.
We don't have to be close. As long as I try...
I pull him close and hug him for a while. It feels good to have someone to hold onto, even if it's just for a moment. He holds me tight as I bury my face into his shoulder.
"Kumawo." I say. "Thanks... For everything."
I gather up the courage to put a smile on my face as I back away. BamBam looks at me and smiles back.
"And... You can call me Nari." I add.
"Okay... Nari." He replies. He starts testing it out. I guess it's weird for Koreans to just say a person's first name.
BamBam and I walk together to school and start small talk. He doesn't say anything about me crying, which is a relief. We both walk into school, and I take a deep breath as we enter homeroom.
Nari's Changed Life in Korea: Day 2
As I sit down the girl in front of me turns around and faces me.
"Yah, transfer student." She says.
I look up. "Mwoh?" I reply in a sassy voice.
"Eyy, look at this chick. She's getting sassy with me," She leans in closer. "You seem cool, Nari Yeong. We should hang out sometime."
I look at her and nod. She smiles and holds out her hand.
"I'm Yoo Ji Ae." She says. I shake her hand and feel an instant bond with her.
I find out that Yoo Ji Ae and I share most classes together, which makes me happier.
At least I can feel comfortable around someone.
Yoo Ji Ae and I start getting to know each other and I feel like I can relate to her in a lot of ways. Then, we have to split because she goes to art and I go to a guitar class. We wave goodbye and go our separate ways. Then I hear her shout behind me.
"At least you have Jungkook in that class!"
I turn around and stick my tongue out to her before walking to class.
Who is Jungkook?
I walk to my guitar class and the teacher tells us to sit in a circle around the room. I drag a chair into the circle and lean against it. Then, I observe everyone else in the room. There are about ten of us, and everyone is unpacking their guitar. I learned yesterday that I needed my own guitar in this class so I had Jung Bi buy one for me as a favor. Now I unpack my own and quietly tune it. I don't get out the pick yet because I like practicing without one. I love playing guitar, but I had to leave mine in America.
Someone drags their chair next to mine and plops in it. I steal a glance and notice that it's the guy with the ear piercings who likes to draw. He gets his guitar out and starts tuning it as well.
Yesterday in class we mostly sat and learned chords like B7 and D minor 7. Today we are supposed to play.
I finally get to play.
Class starts and we all stop practicing. The teacher, Mr. Suk, goes through what we will cover in class today. Once he's done, he starts pairing us up to go into different practice rooms to play. He looks at me and then points to the guy next to me.
"Song Nari Yeong and Jeon Jungkook, you two go to practice room #3." Mr. Suk says, handing me some practice books.
So the guy with the ear piercings... Is Jungkook.
Jungkook looks at me and stands. I grab my guitar and follow him to our practice room. Once inside, I hand him a practice book and quickly fine tune my guitar before starting.
"So... Do you want to start at page 5 and go from there?" He asks me.
I shrug and turn to page 5. This should be easy.
I count for four beats before we start. He has the melody and I have the harmony chords. Jungkook messes up a little and I can tell that he is a beginner. After warming up with page 5, I start flipping to different pages.
"Ah, I forgot my pick. I'll be back." Jungkook says.
"Omo... Me too. Grab mine while you're at it!" I call after him.
He shuts the door and I start strumming chords. Once I strum the E minor chord, one of BTS's songs comes to mind. Suddenly, I feel like singing it.
"Girl let me know, girl let me know, imi da kkeutnan geon algo itjiman milyeon-ilado namji anhgeman..." I start singing.
I have a quieter and softer voice than normal people. Instead of bellowing out, I like to hit falsetto and sing really high harmonies or do runs. I strum the guitar and sing to the BTS song. I get lost in the song so I can't hear when Jungkook enters and sits back down. He taps his music stand and I jump out my chair, almost letting go of my guitar.
"What the hell was that?!" I shout. "You should have said something! You should have knocked you idiot! Pabo!"
"It's not my fault that you had your eyes closed." He replies.
"Shut up. This practice book is too easy for me. I'm leaving." I say. I'm getting annoyed by this kid.
"This is your second day, right? Do you want to be written up once a day, then? Because that's where you're headed, my friend." Jungkook says.
"Yah! Don't mess with me. I will snap your arm in half."
Jungkook leans in closer. "Do it. I dare you."
Both of us are gritting our teeth and aggressively staring into each other's eyes. Just as I'm about to get up and leave, something about the situation starts to seem really entertaining to me. I start chuckling and then laughing at the idea that we are fighting over something so trivial. Jungkook starts laughing too, and then both of us end up on the floor dying with laughter.
After another few minutes, I sit up and grab onto Jungkook's shoulder. He reaches for my arm and we both lean on each other while trying to stand. My legs feel like noodles after holding them above my heart while I was on the ground. Jungkook then hands me my pick and I chuckle again. We both sit and end up talking for the rest of class.
After school ends, I go to my guitar class and grab my guitar, and then I head out. As I go outside I hear BamBam running up from behind.
"Annyeong Nari! What shall we do today?" He asks.
I think for a few seconds.
"I want to go to Klondike Cafe." I reply.
"Yahhh. That place is daebak," BamBam says. "But since it's Friday, we should do something fun! How about we have a karaoke night?"
"With just us two?" I ask.
As if answering my question, Yoo Ji Ae catches up to us and throws her arm around BamBam.
"Yah," She says. "You can't go to karaoke without me."
I guess her and BamBam are good friends too. I shrug and look at BamBam. He seems like he expected her to walk up.
"Where's Jungkook? He's coming too, right?" BamBam asks.
Jungkook? Are they close too? Are they like a trio or something? Did they plan to individually become friends with me?
I don't know the answers to all of these questions, but one thing is for certain.
I can get used to these people.
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