"Ahhh, Sara you're back! Dinners nearly ready, sweetie." The melodic voice of Melody rings. I throw my bag down and take off my shoes, sniffling a few times, rubbing my eyes as I see Melody's silhouette on the floor. "Oh my... are you alright?" She rushes over, embracing me in a hug and cooing me whilst brushing my hair with her fingers. She may not be my real mother, but she knows how I work and something about it is instantly calming. My body shakes as I bury my head in her chest, letting my tears soak her jumper. "Shhhh... baby shhhh... it'll be okay. Don't worry." She continues as I nod my hair.
"Mommy, is dinner nearly-- Sara? Sara, are you okay?" The puzzled voice of Sophia questions but her mom only replies with a shush and an instruction, "Go and get Hansol to turn the oven and stove off, Sofia, it'll be up after I've talked to Sara." In no time at all, Sophia can be heard shouting her brothers name as the Drake pours from his speakers, Hansol groaning. I pull back from Melody, giggling softly through my tears as we walk into the living room. The complaining of both Chwe's still loud as ever.
Sophia and Hansol are my step-siblings and both the loveliest people you could meet. I've never been more protective of people like I have them, Hansol hates it since there's only about 8 months between us, me being a late May baby from 1997, him being from February baby from 1998. Apparently I don't have to look out for him now since he's eighteen but that's not going to change anything, I need to make sure his friends aren't assholes and any of the girls he dates aren't... you know... the easy type... Luckily, I have his sister Sophia for assistance when it comes to the job of annoying this baby boy, and I hope I always will.
Soon the sighs of Hansol can be heard as he walks into the living room, smiling a little as he pats me on the back, going over to the desktop in the corner of the room. "You might want me to look out for you sometime, Noona." He chuckles a little, knowing that I don't like the word. When we were younger, our parents wanted us to connect over something and since I had the weirdest interest in geography (which I still garner except with a new found love in Hansol's music interests, Sophia's love of dramas, and anything to do with space) and Hansol begin fluent in Korean, they thought it would be good for him to try and teach me, whilst I taught him the name of the country that every flag belongs too. Needless to say, none of learnt nothing due to various disagreements and decisions to just put on any random Disney or Shrek movie when we were supposed to be doing the task. Hansol did somehow teach me the basics and how to address people correctly; me being me finding that you'd call someone "oppa", which in German translates to grandad; then finding out that you'd call someone "Noona", which translates to Grandma in Italian: all tad insulting.
"Unless you can protect my mentality Hansol, you're not much use." I utter, my voice still a little croaky as I speak. Hansol rolls his eyes before plugging in his headphones into the desktop, playing music so loud that it comes out of the headphones themselves, surprisingly him still being able to hear everything him and his mother discuss.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Melody asks, pull a few loose strands of my hair through her fingertips. After contemplating, I decide to speak. "I got at Father Hong for trying to ask me about faith and what I think about religion... you know what I'm like." Melody chuckles, nodding her head, "Yes. Yes I do know what you're like Miss Harper. You're either, Miss: I'm not going to do anything if I can get out of it and just to sleep. Or Miss: I really don't care but I'm a sassy, confident, beautiful young woman until you ask me to cook and I start a fire." I laugh in unison with Melody, Hansol chuckling and Sofia can be heard giggling from just outside the room. I'm Happy that Melody is more of my best friend and older sister than a step mother. I'm so happy she can make my dad laugh and smile again. I remember when they first met and he came home, telling me all about the lady he met at my parents evening. Who happened to be my grade teacher in the end. Minus the awkwardness, connecting with her was a breeze, even though it pissed me off when she wouldn't let me get out of things in any of my classes. She did sneak a "grounded" Sara into a end of grade party before, which was awesome.
"Well, I'm guessing hot headed Sara escaped for a while and it just scared you since you've been so calm these days, even with Sofia asking you about boys." She laughs, trying to make me feel better, and it working.
"Sofia isn't dating until she's thirty. I'm making sure of that." Hansol mutters, the music still blaring and Sophia groaning from outside the room as she walks in with a can of soda.
"Hey, Mr Headphones, how can you hear us with that S.Coups mixtape blaring out like that (Ayyy, I ain't complaining. The guy is good and is rather handsome)? Hansol rolls his eyes, "I've told you," the Master of Headphones begins, "I have powers." The giggles of Sophia can be heard as she sits down beside me, handing me her can of soda.
"This is for you, and the only thing Hansol will have is a severe case of deafness if he doesn't sort his headphones out." She remarks, earning a laugh from me and her mother, and one of her brothers infamous eyerolls.
"The only thing you'll be getting is a severe case of embarrassment if you think you can date before the decided age. I will show your friend every embarrassing video and picture of a 7-year-old Sofia if you're not careful." Mr Headphones sasses his sister, leaving me and their mother in the middle, in fits of laughter. Melody wipes away a tear, still laughing like a madman, "I guess I'll go and get the dinner up then. Is homemade pizza any good?"
