High Teen Society

Chapter 1: Gerbera Daisy

Jake sat across from me at the dining table. He went on and on about the Theory of Relativity by Albert Einstein in a funny accent as I sat there stiffly, pretending to know what the hell he was talking about. It had been almost an hour, and his bowl of galbi-jjim was still barely touched. It was six thirty o'clock on a Monday morning.

You see, Jake is my stepbrother. But it had only been three months since I met him. I'd already known about his existence ever since my mom and his dad started dating (partly because his dad wouldn't shut up about him), but he had been living in Australia with his mom all his life until January of that year, when he came to South Korea for the wedding.

"And Einstein was on the train to go back home and he wondered—"

"You gonna eat that?" I asked, eyeing the delectable piece of galbi poking out of his bowl.

"You can have all of it!" Jake exclaimed, passing the bowl to me. I obliged as he continued his spiel about how time is different for everyone.

It wasn't that I didn't like Jake. In fact, he was as good as you would hope a step-brother would be. I thought he would be mean to me since I was merely a stranger invading his life, but he was completely the opposite. He was sweet and kind, always looking at me with eagerness each time I explained something to him, holding on to every word. I wish I was half that nice.

But no matter how I tried, our interests were simply too different. He was still very much culturally an Australian. He wouldn't sit down to watch K-Dramas with me. He wasn't fascinated with skincare products and Korean make-up as I was. He would much rather talk about football or Western Artists like Justin Bieber who I didn't particularly listen to.

"Geez, I didn't even notice the time," said Jake suddenly, snapping me back to reality. "Come on, lil bro. We still gotta brush our teeth."

I waddled behind Jake as we left the dining area. The Sim house only had two floors, but it was spacious as hell. I was still getting used to the abundance of unoccupied areas since I grew up in a cramped up apartment complex with my mother in Gyeonggi. Their garden was even big enough to fit a mini-pool, which I hadn't brought myself to use just yet.

I studied Jake's face as he brushed his teeth next to me. I started to wonder if his mother was a White Australian. He didn't look 100% Korean. He was very handsome, not in the perfect, modelesque way that K-Drama actors were. His looks were more boy-next-door than anything. He had dark brown hair that was a little too long and too unkempt for the South Korean norm, and the kind of face that stopped you in your tracks. It didn't help that he was so modest with it, too.

Jake was quick to leave the bathroom but I, an avid looker of beautiful things (myself) took a little more time.

"Sunoo-ya! It's quarter to 7! You're going to be late!" I heard my beloved mother yelling from downstairs.

"I'M COMING!" I yelled back, furiously dabbing my cheeks with lip tint.

It was our first day at Gwanglim Academy. And if you knew what that school was, you'd understand why I was taking my precious time to look good.

I stared at myself in the mirror, straightening my blazer. Gwanglim's uniform is immaculate, I thought. I was 16, but people always thought I was younger because of my bowl cut. They would always call me a yuchiwonsaeng.

Not to be conceited, but I am quite frankly good-looking. Anyone with a functioning pair of eyes could see.

I grabbed my backpack and practically flew down the stairs, kissed my mom goodbye, and took another 5 minutes at the doorway because she forced the lunchbox she prepared (that I didn't want to bring to school) into my bag.