Moon nights - a summer romance in Seoul

Chapter 34: Ayla

I hope you don't mind
If I talk about you in my poetry
It's easier to write about you
Then talk with you

__________________________________

"Ayla, I love you dearly, but you can't continue this. You HAVE to tell him."

"Give me one good reason that I should?"

"I'll give you not only a good reason but a great reason even: you might be able to find out if he feels the same about you. Which if you ask me, he does. And it would give you two times to figure out how to make everything work. You fell in love with him; what's the big deal about it?"

"I'm not in love with him-"

Tala shot me a glare and I gulped in return. Was I?

"Look me in the eyes and tell me that if you think of any person standing next to you in your future, he looks nothing like him but is a foggy chillout, just a presence instead."

"That's not how you can determine if I am in love.", I refused.

"Ayla. I know how you do anything possible to avoid confrontations at any cost, but this isn't something to run away from. You don't realise it, but I and the rest of the group can see how you two gaze into each other like there's no one else in the room other than you two. You guys haven't been acting for a while anymore; it's intentional and real on both sides. And I can assure you he is just as much into you as you are. Even IF you didn't fall in love with him, you're about to fall soon because those feelings gradually build up over time. And you seem to have passed the first steps towards it already. Just allow yourself to love him and let him love you back. What are you so afraid of?"

I put the mascara wand in my hand down and turned slightly to look at my best friend sitting on my bed while I was getting ready for the day.

What was I afraid of?

"He might feel differently or less to put effort into after the show ends. How does a long-distance relationship even work? It's not like we are two countries apart. There's an ocean between us. And even after that, how would a future together between us look? Love isn't the only important aspect of a healthy relationship, especially long-distance."

"That's why he needs to know now, so you guys have time to figure it out before we leave. He's a smart guy working towards the international fashion market; he'd figure it out with you. Allow him and yourself to find a solution, Ayla. As wonderful as Jonghyun is, he's not a mind reader. Communication is essential, no matter how hard it is."

I knew that Tala was right and that she wanted the best for me by telling me the reality I needed to face, but I still wagered. There wasn't anyone beside him I could wish to have by my side in the future, but the thought of fully committing myself to Jonghyun beyond our fake relationship title was freighting. It hadn't been unreal for me in a while; I constantly wondered if he acted upon the play or if his acts were genuine. My heart said his heart was beating the same melody as mine, but my brain interfered with the song.

I lived in Istanbul; he lived in Seoul. Thousand of miles away.

Our constructions around us were built under such different circumstances, but the base of our hearts was the same.

Tomorrow was already the celebration of National Independence Day—15th August.
A day later was Jonghyun's birthday. And a couple of days later, the show was closing its curtains for the last time, ending our journey.
Was I ready to go back home?

I wasn't. Because a part of Seoul had slowly turned into my home. Less of Izmir and more of Seoul occupied what I called home.

After securing the lemon cake recipe the other day for his birthday, I found or instead created the perfect gift for him, which had been more nerve-wracking than seeing a gift for my father.
Buying gifts for men was, in experience, always a hassle, but worse if you liked that person and wanted to impress them. It had a more significant meaning.

"OH SHIT!" we heard Naeun shout from the bathroom, followed by a rumbling noise that shook the ground.
Tala and I shot up from across the hall; the door to the bedroom was open.
"Naeun, are you okay?" Tala shouted as we rushed over to the bathroom of her and Naeun.
"Not really, no- OH MY GOD", she shrieked and threw the door open. And with that, a pool of water rushed through the door, leaking all over the hallway.
Water was gushing out from the toilet, more like a water fountain. The bathroom floor was covered in water, which seemed a couple of centimetres up.

"I think the toilet broke?"
"Call assistant Lee, the landlord, and anyone who can stop it. Close the door!"

"So you just broke the toilet?", Tatho asked Naeun for the third time.
"I DIDNT BREAK THE FREAKING TOILET!", Naeun explained as she explained herself for, take a guess, a third time. We were standing in the garden, waiting for any information of the bathroom's condition.

"I was sitting on it while I waited for the waxing machine to warm up and heard a crack. Before I realised what was happening, when I stood up to check, the stupid thing fell apart and drowned the bathroom in water. How is that even possible?"
"You're lucky you didn't injure yourself; it could have crashed your foot."
Faras had his own way of showing us all that he cared. Even if it was wrapped up in thick sarcasm most of the time.

Assistant Ms Lee walked over to us in the garden after speaking to the landlord and the maintenance workers that we had called over. They had come as quickly as possible, but the damage seemed to be done anyways.

"Okay, so the work might take some days since a broken pipe must be replaced. We would have asked you to share a bathroom if the damage was only in the bathroom. But since the hallway and the floors of your rooms have also been damaged by the water leak, we will replace you with a hotel instead for the next two days."

"And then we can move back into our house?" I asked her with anticipation.
"Oh no, then you leave", she said with an apologetic face.

I felt my body freeze all over.
Do we leave?

"Leave? Isn't the show set to end at the end of the month?" Tala asked her.

"Yea, we adjusted the filming schedule and locations. On August 17th, you all leave for Istanbul and wrap up filming there before the foundation gala."

„We are what?!"

Episode 9: National Independence Day

"August 15th is a National Holiday as it is the National Liberation Day in South Korea, also called Gwangbokjeol, bringing back the light. The meaning behind the name stands for the end of the darkness clouded over South Korea during Japan's rule.

Koreans had to indulge in hard physical labour for the Japanese and were stripped of their rights, culture, and language. During the Japanese rule, brave Koreans stood up to their oppressors and often paid with their life. March 1st, 1919, is one of the most important dates during their period as it marks the day when several Korean nationalists declared Korea as independent. But the independence stretched out for another 25 years until it was fully achieved, till 1945.

Three years later, the Republic of Korea was established.

We celebrate National Independence Day by observing the official ceremony of the Korean government and attending the ceremony as we did by honouring the activists that fought for their country's freedom and educating ourselves about the future. You can also visit the Arch of Triumph, which we are about to arrive at. Next to the arch, you can find the mural of Kim II Sung delivering the historic speech. Or you can even visit the Mangyongdae Native House. The soldiers who paid with their lives while fighting against the Japanese rule were laid to rest at the hilltop cemetery, Revolutionary Marty's Cemetery. To get even more information, we can also educate ourselves further with a visit to the Korean Revolution Museum.

Naeun explains to the rest of the group as they all make their way to the arch of triumph.