Strip Tease °jhs au°

8.

Yuri's POV

I walk into the living room of the home my aunt and I share, seeing her sitting on the couch reading her magazine. I quickly announce myself. "Hey, Auntie."

My Aunt Jihyo smiles at me and places the magazine on her lap. "Hey, kiddo. You're home a little later than normal on pay day."

"Oh, I went out with a friend for dinner and a walk downtown." I plop down on the couch next to her and take a deep, relaxing breath.

"Was it that Taehyung boy?"

"Huh?" I now sit up straight. "No, it wasn't him."

"Jackson? Jungkook?"

"No and no, Auntie. Damn, does it matter? No, it wasn't one of the main dancers."

She puts up her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I was just wondering."

"His name is Hoseok, he's just starting."

"That name sounds a bit familiar. His surname?"

"Jung."

Aunt Jihyo gasps, eyes widening. "From Gwangju's Paradise!? He's working at the club now!? Oh, you guys have hit the jackpot with this one. Business is sure to start booming even more."

I laugh at her excitement. "Yeah, he's certainly a good one."

"Were you able to get the week off?"

I nod, playing with invisible nothings on the couch. "Yeah. When do we leave again?"

"Tomorrow afternoon. Are you sure you want to go?"

"If I don't go now, when will I ever?" I shrug.

She nods, standing from the couch and stretching. "Get some rest, honey. We have to be to the airport at 1pm."

I'm soon left alone in the living room, staring at the wall in front of me. In a few days, it will mark the 20 year anniversary of my mother's death. I barely remember her and I hate that, but what I does remember is that my mom loved me with every breath she ever took. She was so beautiful, kind, and did everything she could to ensure that I grew up well taken care of. Unfortunately, she didn't make it to see me past the age of 5.

I soon find myself nodding off to sleep on the couch, having to wake up early to pack. I have no energy to walk to my bedroom. Aunt Jihyo and I have a long journey ahead of us as we prepare for our flight to America.

--

"I hope you had a good flight." The attendant says to us as we're walking towards the front of the plane.

"It was really long, but it was okay. Thank you." I smile.

We quickly make our way off of the plane, stepping inside the bright airport. It's not too busy, being that it's very early in the morning in California. I haven't been in the states since I was 8 years old, so everything is foreign to me now. The fashion, the smells, the people, everything. The only thing that I can relate to in this surrounding is the ability to speak English. Aunt Jihyo travels for business, so she's in America more often than not.

"What would you prefer to speak while we're here?" Aunt Jihyo asks in English.

"Korean, unless we're talking to an American." I answer back in Korean.

She nods,  leading me over to baggage claim. "More comfortable that way?"

"Yeah. I grew up in Korea, not America. I was only born here."