Meant To Be » 𝐉𝐀𝐊𝐄

» II «

My mother slowly shook her head in dismissal, “That's not happening. What makes you think that we'd allow you to go and study in another country?”

“I'm graduating soon anyway. I thought there would be less burden for you and dad if I went to college somewhere else,” I pursed my lips.

She looked at me with a disinterested expression on her face, “You're the only kid in the house. You're not much of a burden.”

I released a breath and was about to leave for my room when I slid back to her, “Or else can I retry twelfth grade?”

“Just go up to your room,” she sighed in frustration.

៚ · •

“Hello, is this Christopher?” I asked through the phone.

“Yep, who is this?” The guy on the other line asked.

“It's Emma Jones—”

“Emma?! From Melbourne?!”

“Yes, you know me?”

“You're my youngest cousin, of course I know you,” he spoke enthusiastically, “What's up? It's been a decade since the last time I saw you.”

“Yeah, it's been so long. I heard that you are in...Seoul?” I cautiously asked.

“Yup, how did you get my number though?”

“I got it from my father...'s phone.”

“Oh? So why did you want to talk to me?”

“I wanted to come to Seoul and study there but my parents are against it. I heard that you also left for Seoul to attend college, didn't you?”

“Yeah, that's true.”

“Yeah, so, I thought you'd know how to persuade my parents,” I left a timid and awkward chuckle at the end.

“Oh, I understand. What made you want to study here? I'm curious.”

“Studying abroad was always a dream of mine since I was little,” I lied, “Since someone I know, you, lives in a foreign country, I thought it would be the best if I picked the most appropriate one.”

“You really thought this through, didn't you?” He chuckled, “Alright, I'll talk to your parents. You might have to stay at my place if I do though.”

“It's all good if it means studying in South Korea.”

He laughed, “Okay, I'll call you back later.”

He hung up and I immediately started dancing victoriously.

៚ · •

“You do know that I'm still not okay with you flying to Korea all by yourself, don't you?” My mother folded her arms.

“Mom, please, we already bought the tickets and my flight is in three days. It's a little bit too late to say no now,” I sighed.

She shook her head, “I called Chris. He's already here to fly back there with you.”

“What?! Are you serious?!” I jumped up from my seat.

“I don't kid around like you. I already thanked him in advance but you must also thank him once you reach there.”

“But mom, isn't he busy?”

“It seems like he's not.”

“Ah, is he staying in a hotel? We should tell him to stay here—”

“He's 25 years old, he has his own apartment here.”

“Oh...”

Mother exhaled in disbelief as she shook her head, probably thinking why she had a dumb daughter as an only child.

៚ · •

“So, what universities are you going to try?” Chris asked.

He had come over the next afternoon, probably to see my parents for a while.

“I'm not really sure,” I chuckled.

“I don't think Emma will be accepted in any of the universities there,” my father laughed mockingly.

“Don't be so mean,” Chris grinned, showing us his crescent shaped eyes.

I grimaced, “I actually believe that too.”

“Why—” Chris was cut off by mother.

“She failed the last assessment.”

“Oh, I see. Do you have to stay in the same grade for another year then?” He turned to me.

“I don't have to. I want to,” I slightly rolled my eyes, partly to myself because the only reason I wanted to be on the same grade again was because of Jake.

“Well, that's not a problem. You'll have more chance to...you know, know more about the culture, I guess,” he shrugged.

“Mhm...”  I hummed.

“Won't she just bother you if she stays with you? I'm sure there are hostels for students like her,” my mother frowned.

“It'll be alright. It would be too risky for her to be alone as soon as she reaches. It will be better if she stays with me for the first few months.”

“I would go with her if I wasn't so busy here,” she sighed.

“It's not like she's going to gamble if she goes alone,” my father butted in.

៚ · •

The moment I stepped outside from the airport, I felt a gush of anxiety at once.

“So, how old am I now?” I asked Chris.

“Nineteen? I'm not sure.”

“What if they find me weird for being older than everyone else in the class?” I asked.

“It isn't time to worry about that. Come on,” he walked past me and I straggled behind him.

៚ · •

It had only been a few weeks but I could see that I was really improving with my grammar. Chris was a strict tutor when it came to that topic so we always used Korean among each other.

I spent most of my time either learning Korean or reading new articles about Youngjae and Heeseung. Articles about the others were rare but I managed to find out Jay's and Sunghoon's social media accounts.

I was quite surprised to find out that they were both quite popular. I quickly understood why Sunghoon's interview video got tons of views compared to other videos.

Jay was rather active in social media than Sunghoon. It looked like he posted daily, his aesthetic feed catching my eyes. There wasn't anything related to Youngjae as he only started posting days after her disappearance.

As for Sunghoon, there weren't much posts to go through but there were some that included the two siblings and Jake. It really made it clear that they were really close. It also made me discover the other accounts.

Just as I was about to see Jake's, Chris called me from the other room, “Your results are out, Emma!”

© 2022 -JAKISM