PROMPTS

In Pursuit of Happiness - 11

(Reposted) A/N: I do not pretend to understand what it would be like to grow up in an orphanage. I am just trying my best to write this while understanding that children can have their own gut instincts about some grown ups and do not trust quickly, there are also children who cling to certain people. And, sometimes, those adults are worth the trust. :)

Hoon was left in an orphanage as a baby.

When he became aware of the world around him, he only knew of the nurses, teachers and directors in the orphanage. Through the stories they were told during reading time or in their informal classes, Hoon came to learn about what a mother and a father were all about.

And he understood that he did not have them.

He also learned about the adoption process. Mothers and Fathers who were looking for a child would come to the orphanage, talk to them and, if you were lucky, you were the chosen child to get a new mom and dad.

At four years old, he did not understand why some of his friends who found homes were returned to the orphanage. Weren't all children accepted? He had different kinds of friends, some boys, some girls, some quiet, some noisy, some who ran a lot, some who read a lot... but he loved all of them. Why did the parents who chose them return them?

His young, innocent mind did not understand these things but he knew that his heart hurt when he saw his friends sad.

Hoon wasn't chosen for many times and he did feel sad, wondering at night why people did not like him. But, eventually, he did not mind anymore because when he did get chosen, he got Dr. Cha Mi-jo as his mother. Through her, Hoon learned about unconditional love.

They had been friends for as long as he could recall in the four years he had on this planet and he always felt happy with Dr. Cha and looked forward to her visits. She was very kind and funny and smart. Not to mention, her eyes, when she smiled, reminded him of the moon in one of its phases. And Hoon loved the moon.

Living with her still required an adjustment at first — He now lived in a tall building and had his own room!

"This is all mine, Dr. Cha? I mean, Eomma?" Hoon asked when Cha Mi-jo escorted him to his quarters, decorated with a bed and toys he loved.

"Yes, all yours, Hoonie! Do you like it? Blue is your favorite color, right?" she asked, motioning to the blue sheets on the bed that she bought specifically for this homecoming.

"Yes! Oh a toy truck! And a stuffed toy! Awesome!"

In those first weeks, Hoon tried his best to move carefully so he didn't break anything or dent Dr. Cha's stuff at home because everything looked so expensive. When he broke a glass accidentally because he was so amazed at the big tv he was watching cartoons on, he ran to his room and started packing his bags.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Cha! I'm sorry. I'll take the bus back to the orphanage," he nervously said, wiping his tears in between his apologies.

"Hoon-ah," Cha Mi-jo called gently. She stopped his motions, held his hands and hugged him tightly. "You're not going back to the orphanage."

"I'm... I'm not? But I broke your glass," he cried.

"Are you hurt? Did you cut yourself?" Mi-jo asked. When he shook his head, she smiled, "That's all that matters."

"Really?" Hoon asked, surprised. Isn't this why children were returned to the orphanage?

Mi-jo nodded. "Yes. Be careful next time because I don't want those glass shards to cut you, but you're more important to me than that cup. You understand?"

Hoon hugged her tightly. "Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you, Dr... Eomma."

Cha Mi-jo asked him to stay in the room because she was going to clean up the broken pieces and did not want him injured. Hoon recalled peeking out the door to watch her and to make sure she wasn't calling the orphanage to return him. They even slept in his room that night because he was still worried to wake up back in his bed in the orphanage. But when he woke up the following day, his clothes were in the closet and his luggage neatly packed away.