Moon nights - a summer romance in Seoul

Chapter 27

To get the full experience, listen to A-Team and Aurora in the Moon Nights playlist on Spotify! 🫶🏻
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Episode 7: the history in Us

In today's episode, our group is attending a foundation gala in honour of our veterans. Among the numerous speeches, our Ayla is the representative of her country and the story that brought us closer with our brothers and sisters in Turkey: the story of Ayla and her Turkish father, Süleyman:

"Hello, everyone. I'm Ayla and Duman, and it is a great honour to be here today and speak in front of so many important and impactful people. I came to South Korea, Seoul, a couple of weeks ago, thanks to an educational reality show called the history in Us. With other descendants of war veterans whose ancestors have fought within the UN forces alongside endless brave Korean fellow citizens, we learned more about the history of South Korea, the impact such a war has on people, and the bravery and sacrifices of people. About the history of all of us.

My great-great-grandfather, Ali Duman, arrived in South Korea on October 17th, 1950, to defend the Pusan Perimeter. The war had left my great-great grandfather with more scars than you could not see, but no matter how much he had been impacted by his duty as a soldier. He would tell family members that he was honoured for defending the Pusan Perimeter and South Korea. My great-great-grandfather was also one among the soldiers who had found Ayla. 5-year-old Ayla was found by the brave soldier Süleyman Dilbirligi in the middle of the night, in the middle of her once neighbours, family, and friends. Her face is like the moon; the moon was shining down on her when we found her", Süleyman had told the others about why they had named Ayla. For 15 months, they had looked after Ayla until they had to part. Sixty years later, they were reunited. Father and daughter.

The moon leads us to where we need to be, where the wise words of my great-great-grandfather passed in my family in times of advice and comfort. And it is very accurate. The moon witnesses so many gruesome, joyful, terrifying, and nerve-wracking events in not our life but every individual. So many different stories. Today, we are here to honour the story of so many soldiers who have fought with everything they had left and sacrificed themselves for the greater good."

With a round of applause, Ayla ascends from the modest back to her group's seats, where her friends and her love greet her. Holding the hand of Jonghyun, the two listen to the rest of the speeches.

The room is filled with politicians, respected soldiers, businesspeople of defendants' companies, and descendants. Together, the foundation can collect an impressive sum of money to aid families still affected by the aftermath of the war.

With a final toast from the major of Seoul, the gala ends, and our group leaves the event with new impressions about the past and the future.

But it is not time to head back home yet as they decide to lead to a Karaoke bar on short notice. With classy looks, they book themselves a room and let the after-party begin:

From BTS to Michael Jackson, they take their rounds, singing their hearts out and hitting the notes. The golden duo, Jonghyun and Tatho, gift us an additional " growl " dance break.

"Who's next??"

"Ayla?" Jonghyun looked at his girlfriend. She took the microphone he handed to him, and the melody already begins to play:

(A-team by Ed Sheeran):

Together, the couple sings the duet:

"It's too cold for angels to fly."

Round of applause, everyone!

Jonghyun chose an additional song, performing the music Aurora by Lionfield:

"Keep me there with you when it's too cold, Don't be scared to fall, Sono dove sei. Noncercare trove"

Moved by the emotional beauty of the song, the girls wiped their tears away. Ayla, whose face is tear-stained, fanned herself and hid her face behind his back once he sat down next to her again. He cupped her face by her chin and wiped the dark tears away from her face with his handkerchief. Oh dear, Ayla's makeup is all ruined by the emotional performance of her boyfriend.