Legions of unspoken affliction

Chapter 3 : Trauma

Loud clinking sounds woke Riki up from his short afternoon slumber. He sat up and looked around, seeing Jay still asleep.  He tucked him in well and went out of the room to investigate.

"What was that sound, Mrs Park ?" Riki asked the lady who was cutting vegetables on the countertop.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just dropped a bowl, that's all. Did I wake you up?"

"No, it's alright. Are you preparing dinner? Do you need help?" Riki approaches the lady and stood by her side, fascinated as he watched her chop up some vegetables.

"Would you like to learn to cook Riki?"

"Yes! Maybe when I'm good enough I can cook a meal for everyone!" Riki responded in excitement.

Jay's mother taught him some knife techniques and about the different types of spices and seasonings, which intrigued Riki while he gave her his assistance.

He would let him prepare the other ingredients under her guidance and supervision, allowing him to practice. Also, letting him add the seasonings more marination and also taught him how to make kimchi.
As a Japanese living in a korean household, he was still trying to get used to the different customs and beliefs. Riki felt he was fortunate to have met Jay's family as they are multilinguals who speak Japanese, Korean, and English.

Mrs Park teaches Riki simple korean terms and introductions, not forgetting to teach him how to read them. Riki was an intelligent boy, he was able to learn to read the words in just a few weeks.

Some words and customs were similar to both Japanese and Korean, which allowed Riki to fit in much more easily. In the beginning, he would say itadakimasu before meals and gochiso sama deshita after meals, which of course the family didn't mind, but as time passed, hearing the Park family saying "jal meokgesseubnida" and "jal meokeosseubnida", he started to learn and gotten accustomed to what they said.

The first time he said it, it was a little unclear since he was pronouncing what he heard, with the help and guidance from Jay's family, he was able to correct his pronounciation and learn to say it properly.

The family did not force him to learn about the Korean culture and language at any point, it was Riki himself who wanted to learn more, which gave the family feel estatic as they now have more opportunities to bond with Riki.

Jay woke up to the aroma of the food, his stomach growling. He went out to see Riki helping to set the table, and all the food was already done cooking. "Wah, this smells so good!" Jay exclaimed.

"Thank you, Jay. Riki helped out today." His mother said, making a smile appear on Riki's face.

"Wow. You can cook?" Jay asked.

"Nope, but I'm going to learn!"
"It must be nice to now have two little assistants." Mr Park said.

"It sure is." Mrs Park responded to her husband with a small giggle.

Intoxicated by the smell of kimchi, stew, and grilled meat. Jay sat by the table eagerly, waiting for his parents to start the meal.

"Jal meokgesseubnida," they said in unison as they dug in and filled their mouths with the amazing dishes Jay's mother has prepared for them. Jay loved food, especially his mother's. Although Jay has been eating his mother's dishes all his life, he never gets tired of it, and he's always filled with excitement whenever it comes to meal time.

"Thank you Riki for helping me today." Mrs Park said, followed by Jay and his father praising Riki and how scrumptious the food was, making Riki feel as though he was the happiest boy in alive for a whole minute.

Nearing the end of dinner, Jay asked his parents : "Mom, dad, can we go to Korea this vacation?"

"Korea? Why korea? Didn't you say you wanted to go to Australia?" His father responded.

"Yes, but I miss Korea. I miss our Grandma and Grandpa. Can we go visit them?" Jay said with a hint of sadness.

"Of course we can,, Jay. You know what? We can go to Korea then, Australia. You have been a good boy, you deserve a reward. You too Riki." Mr Park said as he ruffled Jay's hair.

Riki was new to this whole, "giving your child a reward for being good" thing. All his life, he never gotten any form of appreciation and affirmation; this act made the boy happy. However, how much he wished it was his real parents doing all this with him, but sadly, reality didn't allow that.

The bittersweet feeling ached his little heart, but looking at the happy faces displayed on the other's faces, he forced himself to do so too, hoping they won't notice and cause any worry. But, being reminded of his family made him hit Jay's head on impulse due to habitual behaviour.

Riki froze in the spot, anxiety filled him, making him feel his heart clenching and breathing was a difficult thing all of a sudden. He was so scared that Jay's parents would punish him for his behaviour like his parents did. After understanding that the pain his parents inflicted on his was not acts of love, he felt greater pain and misery, not wanting anyone else to feel the same again.

Now, punishments are all hurtful to him, he didn't want to make any mistakes again so as to never experience it again. But, as the human he was, he was bound to make mistakes and his behaviour could easily relapse. He's trying hard with the support from Jay's family, he's trying to stop himself from being abusive like his parents were.

Although the hit was painful, Jay didn't mind it one bit. He knew Riki did not do it intentionally, and his parents just simply calmed him down and reminded him to stop and think before acting. Noticing Riki standing still, not moving, not talking, worry filled Jay's mother as he pulled him in for a hug. She knew Riki was scared due to his life in the past, and what she wishes to do now is just to make him feel better.