Summer Never Ends

FOUR

𝑾𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒕. My dad already summoned an Uber, or KakaoTaxi. I don't know, that's just what it said on the side of the car.

We were off, and driving to the AirBnB house my parents had rented for the next three months. Temporary home, they called it.

As the taxi ride continued, we were heading more and more into the city, which I'm assuming was Seoul. The tall buildings became more frequent, and the beautiful view of the mountains was suddenly behind us. Eventually, I saw a sign that said Seoul in Korean.

'Thanks, Duolingo,' I thought, smiling to myself.

Soon, the city was in sight. A beautiful mix of modern and old buildings made up this center of life. People walking in the streets and chatting with friends. I suddenly felt more lonely and missed my friends. It was probably going to be hard to make new friends here because of the language barrier, and me just being a foreigner in general. I shook off the thought and continued to stare in awe at the busy city. Beautiful tall structures made of pure glass reflect the city around it and the beautiful patches of nature and trees that littered the area. The bright blue sky surrounded all the cute cafes and shops that glowed with a happy aura. Everything here was so aesthetic, clean, and picture-perfect. I took my Polaroid camera I had brought with me and snapped a picture as we drove by. The film slid out and I shook it, excited to see how the picture would turn out.

The taxi drove on and came to a quaint little town of Korean traditional houses. The taxi came to a stop, and my mom and dad got out of the car, I followed soon after.

"Are we staying in one of these?" I ask, slinging my backpack over my shoulder and helping get my suitcase out of the back of the car.

"Yes! Isn't it adorable? We saw it on a rental website, and we'll spend our time here! It's called a hanok, I believe." My mom says, the sound of a squeal evident in her tone. Yup, she was definitely excited.

"Yeah...it kinda is," I say, smiling and snapping another picture with my camera. I rolled my suitcase to the entrance. My dad appears beside me and unlocks the key to the house. I step in and look around.

It was a perfect mix of traditional and modern. It was small, yet big. The house was a large rectangle, with an outdoor courtyard in the middle. The rest of the home was indoors and consisted of a beautiful white and pristine kitchen, a magnificent living room, and a sauna room. A hallway led to the various bedrooms, and the whole interior was wood and stone. I walked down the various hallways and peeked into the bathrooms that were nicer than my own back home. I found a door and pushed it open, to reveal a gorgeous, window-filled bedroom that had the most elegant and minimalist touch.

"Found your room?" Mom says, appearing behind me.

"This one mine?" I say, looking around it still, stopping at the white vanity.

"Yes, we thought you'd like this one. Our room is across the house, so if you need us, it's a bit of a walk, but we thought you'd also like some privacy." Mom says, smiling.

'You're welcome," My dad says, appearing in the doorway of the room.

"Aww, thanks guys," I say, smiling at my parents' thoughtfulness.

"Oh! And before I forget, here is the spare key to the house! If you ever decide to leave on your own or without us, you can get in and out of the house. Just don't lose it!" My dad says, walking over and placing the key in my hand.