Mingi jumped out of the truck and onto the dusty driveway of the little farm. The sun immediately came bearing down on him with intense heat, urging Mingi to scramble and reach for the straw hat that hung down on his back. He pressed it back onto his brown locks that had sweat sticking to his hairline.
Only then, he dared to lift his head again and glance out over the vast field in front of him. As far as his eye could reach bright yellow sunflowers surrounded them. They encircled the whole farm like an ocean of yellow to try and reach the sun with the elegant long stems. They were healthier than any flower Mingi had ever seen and shone in their vibrant colors.
The fields were impressive, especially given that the little family here did all this by themselves. Little holiday helpers like Mingi were only there to help around the house and additional work that came up. No one except for the Jeongs themselves were allowed to tend to the flowers.
"This is amazing. You have my respect for all this hard work. They are beautiful." Mingi turned to look at the head of the house that had been so kind as to collect him at the train station. The man threw him a brilliant smile from where he was just lifting Mingi's suitcase from the back of the truck. Mingi hurried to help him.
"Thanks, Mingi! I hope that you will spend a nice summer here. If you have questions or any needs, you can bother me or wife any time. I'm confident that you will get along wonderfully with my sons!"
Mingi took his suitcase as well as another bag of tools the man handed him. As they walked around the house to find the front door, Mingi matched his pace with that of the man next to him.
"You said that one of them was my age, right? Yunho, I believe?" Mingi's voice was laced with curiosity. Coming from the countryside he had not too many friends his age around. Rather, he was surrounded by warm-hearted if sometimes easily offended old people. Most of them loved Mingi for his height and pretty face but he craved friends his age.
"He is. He was born just a few months before you from what I have gathered. You two will get along well!" The man smiled proudly with his old and wrinkly face. Mingi beamed at him.
"Alright! I will report back to you after we have met!" Mingi could barely hold his excitement at the prospect of a new friend. It was part of why he had agreed to the offer to come here during his precious holiday time. His mother had shown him photos of the family via Facebook and when Mingi had seen their bright smiling faces and the radiant happiness both of the sons embodied, he had agreed.
For now, meeting new friends was postponed, though. Mingi was led into the house and got to know the cheerful Mrs. Jeong, who insisted on being called mom by Mingi. She was positively delighted at getting to know Mingi and complimented about every aspect of Mingi she could see. After Mingi had gotten to know her a bit and brought his things to his room, he was already roped into work.
With an old shirt that was bound to have dirt all over it in a few hours' time, Mingi followed Mister Jeong around the farm. The man explained patiently where the tools were and what Mingi's job was. He was supposed to build a shed near the house, so he would spend many hours outside basking in the warm sun and overlooking the pretty fields.
They began to get some work done while dinner was prepared inside. Mingi carried all the things he needed over and listened attentively to Mister Jeong's instructions as he did. He already liked the place. The people were kind and he had a spectacular view over the sunflower fields from where he was working. Right next to where the shed would be there was also an old a mighty apple tree that had a swing hanging down from one of the thicker branches. It looked picturesque and like a spot full of fond children's memories with the little wildflowers that surrounded the spot.
