Pirates' Dreams

Yun Ho

There was a room in my house that sat untouched. My family didn't ever talk about it. No one ever enters it, although the door is never locked.

I now stood in front of it, my hand inches from the doorknob. On my way home from school that day, I saw a live band performing by the Han River. I remembered when I used to rush home to grab him and bring him to the concert in hopes that it hadn't ended yet. It reminded me of this room. And after a year, I pushed the door open and stepped into my brothers old practice room.

Instruments were placed in corners. There was an old couch that I used to sit with my brother and laugh while watching the bands on TV. I could remember the happiness and all the memories this room had. Now the room just sat in the dark, dust collecting on all of his old favorite instruments. The room was cold, and goosebumps crawled up my arms.

In the middle of the room, lied my brother's electric guitar he smashed. I quickly pushed the broken guitar to the side and out of my view. I didn't want to be reminded of my brothers dark thinking. He smashed it when he thought he wouldn't be able to achieve his dream. He was so angry that he hid himself in this room for hours, refusing to see anyone.

I was never into the music as much as he was. Yes, I liked dancing, but singing and playing instruments was never my biggest talent. I felt like I owed my brother something. They say not to blame yourself in situations like this, but I can't help but blame myself.

That was when I decided I was going to fulfill the dream my brother always wanted.

Hong Joong came along shortly after. He showed me the warehouse he had claimed as his own. Hong Joong was so persistent, so believing in his dream that it opened an old wound inside of me. He reminded me of my brother, with his talent and his persistence. It was good for me as well as bad for me.

I liked him and Seong Hwa. They were not only talented, but intelligent. They helped my dancing style and taught me little things that had nothing to do with dancing. Seong Hwa was amazing to talk to, and I sometimes wished I could see the way he looked at the world. Hong Joong was strict with himself and others, but it made for a very caring individual.

With my father's permission, I pulled my brothers old couch from his practice room and moved it into the warehouse. The guys loved the idea of furniture, and in turn, started to furnish the warehouse. After our practices, we would sit on the couch and laugh. Sometimes we would order food, but usually we would just talk.