North - South

First impressions - 2

Pyongyang, December

Among all her schoolmates, Myeong-sung was far and away Se-ri's favourite. Shy, meek, and sweet, often fooled by the other mates for her naïve questions, she was in truth clever and an acute observer. And on top of that, she'd been gifted a big heart.

When she didn't come home with Seung-jun or the boys, it was with Myeong-sung that Se-ri shared some chat after school, not really eager to go home.

However, that one in particular should not be her lucky day.

"I have to run home or my parents will be worried sick," the friend warned, already hurrying, her feet walking in place both to fight the cold and because she really was in a hurry. Due to a blackout, the last class had lasted one hour longer than expected. "Aren't yours waiting?"

Se-ri thought about her last years in London, when she'd been declared old enough to get the train home by herself. Her school not being far from Westminster – apparently the location of choice of many terrorists or aspiring -, they had been often secured in the building for safety reasons.

When the police gave the ok for the students to go out, there were usually thousands of cars and a crowd of parents and maids, some crying, some discussing with the policemen.

Se-ri was used to slipping her thumbs under the backpack straps and staring at a point in front of her, walking fast, as if going to someone who was waiting for her. Then, concealed in the hubbub, turned the corner and walked to the metro to reach the train station.

"No, they're working, besides, they don't expect for me to arrive home exactly after school, I was used to have extra activities, so..."

"Oh," Myeong-sung joined her hands with that pure delight every teen shows to the friends who could benefit from more liberal parents, "Se-ri you're so lucky! They trust you so much..."

"Mhm..." Se-ri managed to produce a warm smile.

"You must have had so much fun in London, Pyongyang must seem the quietest place in the world to your parents."

"Mhm..."

So much fun. Entire nights out... out of the window, looking at the starry sky from time to time while enjoying the nth movie night, reading night or – her fav – drawing night, dreaming about the University, when she would have been eventually free.

It wasn't as if they had forbidden her to mingle or such, yet living in the countryside, she would have needed someone driving her, but of course nobody would have volunteered so that she didn't even bother to ask. To what extent? Only to get a no? Therefore, she refused all the invitations and, in the end, her mates had stopped inviting her. She wasn't considered a snob or nasty. Simply, she wasn't in.

Design had been her Saturday night mate for years. She could spend whole weekends, when she wasn't with Rover, designing outfits. Sometimes, instead of the lunch, she bought Vogue or Harper's Bazaar, or even fashion books, guides, fabrics, buttons, everything.

She would have liked to beg Mrs. Kwon to teach her sewing – the woman was a pro – but knowing her mom was displeased when the maids spent too much time with her, the girl had never asked, doing everything by herself. The secret pocket money her father gave her had provided a Singer in a relatively short time, and Youtube and the books had made the rest. The Singer was hidden behind a pile of shoeboxes and gave her constant palpitations, to the point that she only used it on Saturday night when her parents were usually out for dinner, or the noise would have betrayed her little secret.