Love Across Universe

Lunar New Year

Soojin

The atmosphere in my motherland, Korea, was always enchanting, but during Lunar New Year, it transformed into something truly magical. An aroma of tradition and celebration filled the air, and the streets, adorned with twinkling lights and colorful decorations, exuded a festive vibe.

Here I was, standing in front of a small stall festooned with vibrant banners and lanterns. This temporary stall, set up only for the occasion, had a handwritten banner proclaiming, 'Happy Year Of The Rabbit' in Korean.

"Does this look good?" Sooah asked, showing me a hand fan adorned with a picture of a rabbit, the majestic creature symbolizing this year.

"It'll look good only for a few days. After we return to the States, it'll end up in your drawer," I said, trying not to sound rude but voicing a likely reality. Sooah would use it for this year's festival, but next year, it would be forgotten when another creature would take the spotlight.

"Leave your smart American shell for a while and indulge in some traditional mood," she said, paying for the hand fan.

My sister and I had similar tastes, but she was more traditional while I leaned towards a Westernized style. It wasn’t my fault; she had spent two more years in Korea than I had.

We were in Seoul, but my family still spoke to me in English because I was more comfortable with it. Sooah was seven and I was five when we moved to the States. She still had her childhood Korean friends, but I had none.

Mostly, I had only three friends at school, counting Alain as my best friend. The year of the rabbit reminded me of him. Why? Because it symbolized friendships and relationships. Every year during this time, I’d video call Alain to show him the streets, decorations, and lights. This year was different. My eyes turned glossy again.

"What are you doing there Soojin? Come, let's watch the fireworks together," Appa called me, and I moved towards the Haesang park.

Many people had gathered there to give their eyes a treat of fireworks show. A few stars were smiling at our unique planet against a dense canopy of black sky.

The fireworks were chaos and predictability - their explosive gifts finding their own time and space to own. As they do, I the spectator, the one seeing their blazing trails arced above. There was something about them that warms me even in the windy night, as if their stray sparks passed into my blood.

The incessant roar of fireworks continue and I decided to explore the nearby areas of the park. While trudging, I stumbled upon a boulder, but the upper surface appeared to be glinting. I quickly touched that area and then suddenly darkness engulfed everything.

I couldn't see neither the people nor any creation of nature around me. I decided to walk a few steps ahead when I heard someone asking for my help.

"Soojin help!" said Alain's voice. I turned back and saw his body getting automatically pulled in the darkness. It was like a dark hole pulling him towards itself.

"WHAT?" I screamed at the top of my voice and was about to run but I felt a strong grip around my waist, pulling me back.

"What happened?" Sooah held my hand tightly.

"Have you gone mad?" Eomma said, putting her hand on my forehead.

The people around us gave looks of disbelief.

"I...I s-saw h-him," I stuttered, trying to make my speech clear.

"Who?! And God forbid if I hadn't pulled you back in time, you would have been in a car crash now," Appa said, worry and disappointment evident on his face.

"I saw Alain, Appa! I wouldn’t have, I
there was darkness all around and there were no cars; I could've saved my best friend," I said, breaking down.

"Oh my ttal, you must have been dreaming. Jagiya, let’s go back home; I understand you’re tired," Eomma comforted me, patting my back.

I followed my family, taking one last glance at that place.

We reached home after a 30-minute walk. We lived in the capital, so the park wasn’t far.

It was past midnight, and I couldn’t sleep. Sooah was snoring beside me. In our Seoul house, there were three bedrooms; since we didn’t visit often, it hardly mattered.

Reflecting on today's incident, I pondered over it. What did I even witness? I sighed and started tossing.

But I couldn't deny the alien encounter. My visions couldn't trick me; I was sure. Suddenly, the creepy stories, Alice used to tell me started haunting my mind, and I began to sweat. God, why? Ghosts didn’t exist.

"Why are you still up?"

I saw a face beside me, whitely lit, and screamed at the top of my lungs. "AAAAHHHHH!!!!"

"Hahaha, it was fun, siso," Without even looking, I knew whose voice it was - Sooah!

"You were sweating, and I knew you were thinking of something creepy, so I decided to turn on the flashlight. Since the light was aimed at my face, it illuminated the best feature God gifted me," she said, turning on the lights with a playful smile.

"Does everything in this world seem like a joke to you, Min Sooah?" I dropped all the honorifics because I was fuming now.

"You must respect elders, Soojin. Now, get back to sleep." She turned off the lights laughing, and I rested my head back on the pillow.

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I am having a lot of fun while writing the sister bickering parts haha. Are you all enjoying reading them too?

They're so different from each other too 😫

They remind me of JinKook!! 💜💜

I am having a hard time writing the descriptions though, but I am trying my best to improve. Love you all ❤️❤️ thanks for reading 😊