01 New city, same Daesung
Finally left to myself my curiosity returned full blown. My eyes teetered back and forth all around the room to see what I had gotten myself into. The walls seemed to have gotten a fresh coat of paint just recently and the furniture was just bought. I walked around my new bed staring at the small paintings that hung on the wall. It was all so different than what I was used to. My feet carried me to stand in front of the shiny mirrors that comprised my closet doors.
"I look like a fish out of water," I said quietly while looking myself up and down. My ratty socks hid shamefully under the bottoms of my faded jeans. My t-shirt which once shined a bright white now displayed a murky cream color in its place. After I had finished criticizing my appearance my eyes shifted their focus to everything I could see around me: the sterling hard-wood floor underneath my old shoes, the golden-colored lamps that decorated the wall around the headboard of my bed, and the matching desk and dresser on either side.
After tearing myself from my reflection I went over to the front-facing windows and drew up the blinds. It was quite a ways down from the seventh floor. I had never been this high up before... well I guess on a mountain back when I was still in the countryside but never like this. Over and over I heard engines stop and start and an occasional horn or two. Building after building, they all conglomerated into one point at the horizon. It looked like one of the things we had to draw in art class.
It was kind of overwhelming but at the same time a relief. I wished that my family could have come with me, but I knew some day I would be a professional and have enough money to buy my own apartment in Seoul and have them here.
I faced the room with eyes aimed right at my bed. It was quite a step up from the dingy little mattress I was used to sleeping on on the floor. This contraption looked like a scoop of heaven laid gently in the middle of the room with its six or seven baby blue pillows upon layers of blankets and sheets. I decided to try it out and see if it lived up to my sudden expectations. It... did...
I stretched out as usual after any other nap but instead of swooping air my hands hit the headboard. With alarm I almost bolted off the bed but then remembered I was at my aunt's house. Feeling fully awake now I searched for the light switch by the door. Unfortunately the light coming from outside wasn't enough to let me see where everything was and I tripped over my suitcase and fell into the wall.
"Umma! Daesung's awake!" I heard my cousin, YounMi, yell to my aunt from outside. She was only five but had quite a mouth on her already.
I was about to lift myself up, but before I could the door swung open hitting me in the head back into the wall.
"Aiya!~" I screamed in pain. "What the hell?"
YounMi walked around the door and stood looking at me at eye-level.
"Daesung-oppa, what are you doing on the floor?"
"Ahh... YounMi." I got up and turned the light on finally.
She was so adorable. Her mom dressed her up in a frilly pink dress with strawberries on them and put her hair up in pigtails. YounMi was the cute dongsaeng I never had... instead God had bestowed upon me an annoying older sister.
"Did you sleep good?" she asked.
I turned to look at the bed which I had slept in so comfortably moments before. "Oh... yeah." I smiled.
"Daesung-oppa, when you smile your eyes disappear." She put her hands up to her cheeks and giggled.
"So do yours." I bent over and pat her head. She kept giggling.
"Daesung-oppa, Umma wants to know if you wanna eat yet."
"Oh... what time is it?"
"It's..." She looked around the room. "...nine."
"Oh, I slept a lot, huh? I guess I should eat now."
"Okay!" She took my hand and pulled me out of the room and into the living room. "Umma! Look! I brought you Daesung-oppa."
"Hi." She sat up from the sofa she was reclined on while watching a drama.
"Are you hungry?" She got up and started walking towards the kitchen. "Come on, I'll serve you dinner.
I followed her with YounMi sauntering beside me.
As my aunt preoccupied herself with scooping food into dishes she began filling me in on what had happened was I was catching up on sleep.
"Your mother called."
"Really?" I took a seat at the table.
"Yeah, at around six. She was asking for you. She asked me how you were doing and how everything is and I just told her you were sleeping. She said 'Oh, okay. I'll call back later when he's up.'
"She told me to tell you she loves you and she misses you very much."
"Aw..."
"She also reminded me of a couple of things you need to do before you start classes. Your uncle will help you take care of that one of these days." At her last words she turned around with bowls filled with bibimbab ingredients on a tray. My eyes lit up in excitement.
Once set the food down in front of me I quickly glanced over each bowl which housed a generous amount of rice and egg, meat, kimchi, shredded carrots and cucumber. Without hesitation I took the chopsticks handed to me and began eating like never before.
Entertaining myself with dinner I didn't notice YounMi and her mom sit down opposite me.
"Do you like it?" she asked.
"Mm-hmm," I mumbled with beef in my mouth.
"I'm glad." She smiled. I never noticed how much like my own mother she looked. But I guess that's expected.
For the next half hour, even after I had finished my meal, she told me about everything I had to do over the next week and a half before classes started. I had to figure out how to get there and back, where the bus stops were, where everything was basically. I had to fill out a few more forms and submit them to their offices too which I imagined would be a lot. I had to buy books and supplies and I imagined I'd have to buy a new wardrobe for myself too. I felt a bit embarrassed to be walking around the streets of Seoul in these rags.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Did you unpack yet?" She asked me.
"No?..."
"Oh, then you probably didn't see it yet."
"What is it?"
"There's something in the dresser for you. It's from your mom."
"What is it?" I tried to pry the answer out of her.
"Go see." She shooed me away from the table.
I returned to my room and without hesitation pulled on the first drawer of my dresser... but there was nothing in there. I figured it must have been in the bottom then, so I tried that one... but there wasn't anything in that one either. I tried the middle two but there was still nothing to be found. "There's nothing in here!" I said loudly. My aunt then came in and pulled a box from the top drawer. I was simply dumbfounded.
I opened it up to reveal a bright red graphic t-shirt and a brand new pair of jeans. My eyes gleamed with joy and I felt myself tearing up a tiny bit actually. I was really grateful.
"That's not all," my aunt said. "Just wait one moment." She left the room for a bit while I was admiring the new clothes my mother had gotten me. She returned with another box. Upon taking off the lid I was faced with a brand new pair of black Nikes.
"Wah..." I pulled them out and stared at them like I had pulled a golden crown and staff from a treasure chest.
"Your mom wanted you to have nice, new clothes to start at the university with. Now go to bed early. We have a long day tomorrow. I'll be showing you around the city."
"Really?" I got really excited again.
"Yes. Now just go to bed." As she went to open the door YounMi fell into the room. "YounMi, what are you doing?" She picked her little body off the floor.
"I just wanted to say good night to Daesung-oppa." She readjusted herself in her dress and ran over to me sitting down on the bed. She crawled up right beside me and kissed me on the cheek. "Night Daesung-oppa." She gave me a hug and left with my aunt.
After that I carefully put my new clothes and shoes back into the respective boxes and put them into the top drawer of my dresser. I got ready for bed but my excitement was too great to control at the moment to go to sleep. I couldn't wait for what the next few days had in store for me. At one point I let out an almost ultrasonic shriek of happiness that even I couldn't hear. But after hours of lying awake I finally managed to fall asleep.
"Daesung-oppa~~~"
I heard my name being called over and over again. It seemed familiar but it wasn't in the annoying tone I was used to. I just rolled over hoping it would go away.
I wondered to myself what time it was and figured it wouldn't hurt to check... that much. I pried my eyes open to meet another, smaller pair only centimeters away from my face.
"YA!" I shrieked and jumped backwards. It was YounMi. She echoed my high pitched scream which caused my aunt to bolt into the room.
"What happened!?" she asked, alarmed.
"Daesung-oppa screamed so I screamed too." YounMi answered in a giddy mood.
"Oh, that was you the first time?" She looked at me.
"Yeah..." I rubbed my eyes and waited for the news that I had to be up.
"Come on, YounMi. Let Daesung sleep." My aunt pulled YounMi away and out the door.
"Wait!" I called out. "Aren't we going out today?"
"Yes, but I figured I'd let you sleep a little bit more." She poked her head through the door. "It's eight-thirty now. I figured we could go out to a late breakfast at ten. Is that alright?"
"Yeah, that's fine."
I plopped back down and shut my eyes to try to get some more shut-eye, but it was all in vain; I was already wide awake. Nonetheless I lied there for another half an hour before getting ready.
After my shower I opened my gifts from last night and gazed over them as if I was reading a map to find the lost city of Atlantis. I carefully slipped them on and looked at myself in the mirror. I was pleased. Noona, look at me now... I posed in the mirror. Who's the ugly slob now?
Although only my clothes were new I got really carried away in making odd gestures and faces in the mirror... much like I was doing my own photoshoot. I was too deep in thought and--
"Daesung?" My aunt opened the door and scared the crap out of me.
"Ahk!" I screamed while turning around and hitting myself into the mirror doors.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I scare you?"
"Yes." I bluntly confessed.
"I'm sorry. We can go now if you want."
"Okay!" After she left the room to go get YounMi, I took my new sneakers out of their box and met them near the front door of the apartment. In a few minutes YounMi hopped around the hallway and arrived at feel.
"Good morning, Daesung-oppa."
The restroom was empty. I figured it was because it was kind of early and a weekday. I just did my business and went to wash my hands.
Just then I heard the weirdest noise coming from the stalls behind me. I shut the faucet off trying to figure out in my hand what it was. It was like a person sighing but it wasn't something you'd really hear in a bathroom. I kind of cringed wishing my mind wouldn't go to that dirty place I frequented on my own time. I turned the faucet back on and scrubbed my hands clean as quick as I could, but I stopped the water at the wrong time, as I heard an even lower growl. I grit my teeth together and went over to dry my hands so I could leave as quick as I could, but I didn't see an almost invisible puddle of water where I stepped and I fell to the ground.
"AH!" I screamed in pain.
At that instant I looked up and saw two figures run out of the restroom. I also heard the stall doors slam loudly.
"I look like a fish out of water," I said quietly while looking myself up and down. My ratty socks hid shamefully under the bottoms of my faded jeans. My t-shirt which once shined a bright white now displayed a murky cream color in its place. After I had finished criticizing my appearance my eyes shifted their focus to everything I could see around me: the sterling hard-wood floor underneath my old shoes, the golden-colored lamps that decorated the wall around the headboard of my bed, and the matching desk and dresser on either side.
After tearing myself from my reflection I went over to the front-facing windows and drew up the blinds. It was quite a ways down from the seventh floor. I had never been this high up before... well I guess on a mountain back when I was still in the countryside but never like this. Over and over I heard engines stop and start and an occasional horn or two. Building after building, they all conglomerated into one point at the horizon. It looked like one of the things we had to draw in art class.
It was kind of overwhelming but at the same time a relief. I wished that my family could have come with me, but I knew some day I would be a professional and have enough money to buy my own apartment in Seoul and have them here.
I faced the room with eyes aimed right at my bed. It was quite a step up from the dingy little mattress I was used to sleeping on on the floor. This contraption looked like a scoop of heaven laid gently in the middle of the room with its six or seven baby blue pillows upon layers of blankets and sheets. I decided to try it out and see if it lived up to my sudden expectations. It... did...
I stretched out as usual after any other nap but instead of swooping air my hands hit the headboard. With alarm I almost bolted off the bed but then remembered I was at my aunt's house. Feeling fully awake now I searched for the light switch by the door. Unfortunately the light coming from outside wasn't enough to let me see where everything was and I tripped over my suitcase and fell into the wall.
"Umma! Daesung's awake!" I heard my cousin, YounMi, yell to my aunt from outside. She was only five but had quite a mouth on her already.
I was about to lift myself up, but before I could the door swung open hitting me in the head back into the wall.
"Aiya!~" I screamed in pain. "What the hell?"
YounMi walked around the door and stood looking at me at eye-level.
"Daesung-oppa, what are you doing on the floor?"
"Ahh... YounMi." I got up and turned the light on finally.
She was so adorable. Her mom dressed her up in a frilly pink dress with strawberries on them and put her hair up in pigtails. YounMi was the cute dongsaeng I never had... instead God had bestowed upon me an annoying older sister.
"Did you sleep good?" she asked.
I turned to look at the bed which I had slept in so comfortably moments before. "Oh... yeah." I smiled.
"Daesung-oppa, when you smile your eyes disappear." She put her hands up to her cheeks and giggled.
"So do yours." I bent over and pat her head. She kept giggling.
"Daesung-oppa, Umma wants to know if you wanna eat yet."
"Oh... what time is it?"
"It's..." She looked around the room. "...nine."
"Oh, I slept a lot, huh? I guess I should eat now."
"Okay!" She took my hand and pulled me out of the room and into the living room. "Umma! Look! I brought you Daesung-oppa."
"Hi." She sat up from the sofa she was reclined on while watching a drama.
"Are you hungry?" She got up and started walking towards the kitchen. "Come on, I'll serve you dinner.
I followed her with YounMi sauntering beside me.
As my aunt preoccupied herself with scooping food into dishes she began filling me in on what had happened was I was catching up on sleep.
"Your mother called."
"Really?" I took a seat at the table.
"Yeah, at around six. She was asking for you. She asked me how you were doing and how everything is and I just told her you were sleeping. She said 'Oh, okay. I'll call back later when he's up.'
"She told me to tell you she loves you and she misses you very much."
"Aw..."
"She also reminded me of a couple of things you need to do before you start classes. Your uncle will help you take care of that one of these days." At her last words she turned around with bowls filled with bibimbab ingredients on a tray. My eyes lit up in excitement.
Once set the food down in front of me I quickly glanced over each bowl which housed a generous amount of rice and egg, meat, kimchi, shredded carrots and cucumber. Without hesitation I took the chopsticks handed to me and began eating like never before.
Entertaining myself with dinner I didn't notice YounMi and her mom sit down opposite me.
"Do you like it?" she asked.
"Mm-hmm," I mumbled with beef in my mouth.
"I'm glad." She smiled. I never noticed how much like my own mother she looked. But I guess that's expected.
For the next half hour, even after I had finished my meal, she told me about everything I had to do over the next week and a half before classes started. I had to figure out how to get there and back, where the bus stops were, where everything was basically. I had to fill out a few more forms and submit them to their offices too which I imagined would be a lot. I had to buy books and supplies and I imagined I'd have to buy a new wardrobe for myself too. I felt a bit embarrassed to be walking around the streets of Seoul in these rags.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Did you unpack yet?" She asked me.
"No?..."
"Oh, then you probably didn't see it yet."
"What is it?"
"There's something in the dresser for you. It's from your mom."
"What is it?" I tried to pry the answer out of her.
"Go see." She shooed me away from the table.
I returned to my room and without hesitation pulled on the first drawer of my dresser... but there was nothing in there. I figured it must have been in the bottom then, so I tried that one... but there wasn't anything in that one either. I tried the middle two but there was still nothing to be found. "There's nothing in here!" I said loudly. My aunt then came in and pulled a box from the top drawer. I was simply dumbfounded.
I opened it up to reveal a bright red graphic t-shirt and a brand new pair of jeans. My eyes gleamed with joy and I felt myself tearing up a tiny bit actually. I was really grateful.
"That's not all," my aunt said. "Just wait one moment." She left the room for a bit while I was admiring the new clothes my mother had gotten me. She returned with another box. Upon taking off the lid I was faced with a brand new pair of black Nikes.
"Wah..." I pulled them out and stared at them like I had pulled a golden crown and staff from a treasure chest.
"Your mom wanted you to have nice, new clothes to start at the university with. Now go to bed early. We have a long day tomorrow. I'll be showing you around the city."
"Really?" I got really excited again.
"Yes. Now just go to bed." As she went to open the door YounMi fell into the room. "YounMi, what are you doing?" She picked her little body off the floor.
"I just wanted to say good night to Daesung-oppa." She readjusted herself in her dress and ran over to me sitting down on the bed. She crawled up right beside me and kissed me on the cheek. "Night Daesung-oppa." She gave me a hug and left with my aunt.
After that I carefully put my new clothes and shoes back into the respective boxes and put them into the top drawer of my dresser. I got ready for bed but my excitement was too great to control at the moment to go to sleep. I couldn't wait for what the next few days had in store for me. At one point I let out an almost ultrasonic shriek of happiness that even I couldn't hear. But after hours of lying awake I finally managed to fall asleep.
"Daesung-oppa~~~"
I heard my name being called over and over again. It seemed familiar but it wasn't in the annoying tone I was used to. I just rolled over hoping it would go away.
I wondered to myself what time it was and figured it wouldn't hurt to check... that much. I pried my eyes open to meet another, smaller pair only centimeters away from my face.
"YA!" I shrieked and jumped backwards. It was YounMi. She echoed my high pitched scream which caused my aunt to bolt into the room.
"What happened!?" she asked, alarmed.
"Daesung-oppa screamed so I screamed too." YounMi answered in a giddy mood.
"Oh, that was you the first time?" She looked at me.
"Yeah..." I rubbed my eyes and waited for the news that I had to be up.
"Come on, YounMi. Let Daesung sleep." My aunt pulled YounMi away and out the door.
"Wait!" I called out. "Aren't we going out today?"
"Yes, but I figured I'd let you sleep a little bit more." She poked her head through the door. "It's eight-thirty now. I figured we could go out to a late breakfast at ten. Is that alright?"
"Yeah, that's fine."
I plopped back down and shut my eyes to try to get some more shut-eye, but it was all in vain; I was already wide awake. Nonetheless I lied there for another half an hour before getting ready.
After my shower I opened my gifts from last night and gazed over them as if I was reading a map to find the lost city of Atlantis. I carefully slipped them on and looked at myself in the mirror. I was pleased. Noona, look at me now... I posed in the mirror. Who's the ugly slob now?
Although only my clothes were new I got really carried away in making odd gestures and faces in the mirror... much like I was doing my own photoshoot. I was too deep in thought and--
"Daesung?" My aunt opened the door and scared the crap out of me.
"Ahk!" I screamed while turning around and hitting myself into the mirror doors.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I scare you?"
"Yes." I bluntly confessed.
"I'm sorry. We can go now if you want."
"Okay!" After she left the room to go get YounMi, I took my new sneakers out of their box and met them near the front door of the apartment. In a few minutes YounMi hopped around the hallway and arrived at feel.
"Good morning, Daesung-oppa."
The restroom was empty. I figured it was because it was kind of early and a weekday. I just did my business and went to wash my hands.
Just then I heard the weirdest noise coming from the stalls behind me. I shut the faucet off trying to figure out in my hand what it was. It was like a person sighing but it wasn't something you'd really hear in a bathroom. I kind of cringed wishing my mind wouldn't go to that dirty place I frequented on my own time. I turned the faucet back on and scrubbed my hands clean as quick as I could, but I stopped the water at the wrong time, as I heard an even lower growl. I grit my teeth together and went over to dry my hands so I could leave as quick as I could, but I didn't see an almost invisible puddle of water where I stepped and I fell to the ground.
"AH!" I screamed in pain.
At that instant I looked up and saw two figures run out of the restroom. I also heard the stall doors slam loudly.