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ᴱᵛᵉʳʸ ⁿᵒʷ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʰᵉⁿ ᴵ ᵍᵉᵗ ᵃ ˡⁱᵗᵗˡᵉ ᵇⁱᵗ ˡᵒⁿᵉˡʸ
𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟖- 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐧
This year, the Mins have decided to take a well-deserved vacation with their two teenage sons. Geum-Jae was teasing his younger 15-year-old brother, much to the great annoyance of the latter. Yoongi despises going out, so the family decided to stay in Busan's opulent hotel, the Ananti Hilton Hotel, for two weeks. His parents are successful business owners who thought Busan would be an excellent vacation destination.
Yoongi despises socializing. If he could go back in time, he would have stayed in his hotel room, ordered room service, watched Korean dramas or music shows, and written to his heart's content.
His parents were irritated by his musical tastes. He informed them when he was 13 years old that he decided two years ago to pursue a rap career after hearing Stony Skunk's Ragga Muffin. To his parents' frustration, he had his favourite rap artist on repeat.
For the entire week, he was practically compelled to go on sightseeing tours with his family. Yoongi was irritated when his 19-year-old brother flirted with girls in restaurants and shopping malls.
The family decided to spend the day at the pools. Geum-Jae arranged to meet a lovely Chinese girl from Shanghai, and they began a holiday romance. Yoongi was thus mostly on his own. He was forced to accompany his parents to the pool deck to relax and get some fresh air because he could not do so independently and was constantly occupied with songwriting and lyric writing. He sometimes feels lonely, but he would rather be alone than surrounded by people.
Ms. Min frowns at her younger son and says, "Yoongi, you must get out more. Your skin requires some tanning, and it is whiter than sugar. We're all going to enjoy this little family vacation."
Yoongi wrinkled his brow. "I'm not going swimming today, and for the record, my pale white skin meets the Korean beauty standard. I can't help myself if God made me cuter."
"Yeah, and God wants you to let other people enjoy your cuteness," his mother chuckles.
"Come! I'd like to see you make new friends. And if you make at least one new friend during your vacation, we'll stop bothering you."
Mr. Min's father raised his eyebrows and added, "And no notepads or songwriting. You're going to loosen up, okay?--- Okay, Yoongi." The piercing gaze took Yoongi so aback that he simply nodded. He wonders if he can attend military school to escape this.
His parents were furious when he expressed a desire to become a musician one day. They are now pressuring him to study harder to achieve high grades.
"Yes, Appa... can I bring my phone so I can take pictures and play games?" His mother bought him the most recent Blackberry Bold, which he adores tremendously. He usually writes his lyrics on a notepad app without his dear parents' knowledge.
He walked behind his parents, unimpressed. His brother had already decided to take Lingling to the pool and buy her ice cream. Yoongi snorted, wondering how long the romance would last. He's only 15 years old, and girls are the furthest thing from his mind. He even despises it when girls at school repeatedly ask him out. Is he thirsty or desperate?
He'd heard about an underground rap show on the radio and wanted to learn more about it. But, knowing his brother, his whereabouts will soon reach his strict parents' ears.
The pool area was filled with fellow hotel guests when they arrived. This five-star hotel attracted many international guests, who were lying around the pool deck area in swimsuits that were not appropriate for the public. Yoongi, on the other hand, just shrugged as he followed his parents. They were dressed in their swimsuits and looked into each other's eyes.
Yoongi scoffed; how could old people be so gross? They've been married for nearly 20 years; shouldn't they be a little dull? They're always like teenage couples, kissing or caressing each other publicly and embarrassing him.
He vowed that he would openly deny their relationship if they did it again in public. After that massive breakfast, he is desperate for sleep.
His mother's eyes narrowed as she looked at him. "Was it essential to wear your winter hoodie and shirt on the hottest vacation day? You could have at least worn cool swim shorts. Argh, teenagers."
Yoongi shook his head, "It's comfortable, and I prefer to appear unassuming. It's not extremely hot outside."
Mr. Min shook his head and said, "Aera, please understand that your son is from another planet by now. Yoongi, please...take off your shirt."
Yoongi sighed deeply. To avoid a full-fledged argument with his headstrong father, he simply pulled off his shirt, which his mother grabbed from his hands and pressed into her beach bag. She unceremoniously placed the beach bag and towels in his arms. Yoongi groans audibly.
Yoongi took a deep breath because his mother looked delighted that his light fabric hoodie was sleeveless. He put on jeans and sandals. He doesn't care how he presents himself. Vacations suck! His parents had led them to a secluded area to relax in. Two older ladies sat in two lounge chairs, sipping cocktails. His parents greet them with a slight bow and place their bags on the floor. Yoongi smirked as he saw one lounge chair at the end and quickly plopped down, taking out his phone and earphones. Adamant to block out all unwanted distractions. The waiter arrived just in time with their sodas.
His father noticed one of his new friends and excused himself to join them in the pool.
His mother conversed with the two women, rubbing suntan lotion on her long, athletic legs. The two friendly women sounded foreign but proved to be Asian. He concluded from the conversation that they are Americans. They'll be in this hotel for two weeks, their final two weeks before returning home.
Yoongi leaned back and closed his eyes as the conversation became increasingly bland. Fortunately, he brought his sunglasses so no one would know whether he was sleeping. He had a talent for simply ignoring people. Chatterboxes used to drain his social batteries, and he now feels like his batteries have lost more of their life span.
He took a deep breath of relief as he reflected on his complicated life. Suddenly, water droplets appeared all over his arms and face. His eyes flew open to see a girl standing near his lounge chair, vigorously shaking her long, soaking dark strands as she tried to get the access water out of her hair.
"What the ---," he exclaimed, exasperating, pulling his sunglasses off. A girl in a one-piece swimsuit bowed, fervently shaking her long, wet hair. Cold water droplets splashed on him.
"My bad, my bad!"She raises her face apologetically, looking at his irritated, annoyance-filled eyes. Her moist face is lit up with a radiant smile. Yoongi furrowed his brows as he assessed the cheerful girl. He despises overly cheerful females, mainly young, annoying ones. She appears to be very young but has a round face and is not average-looking for a girl.
"Whoa, dude! You're quite the rude dude, huh? I dig to meet new folks. I'll let your rudeness slide, though. Anyways, I'm Joy-" She beams broadly and extends her slender hand for him to shake. Yoongi looked at her hand with a deadpan expression.
"And I'm not interested!" he retorted in perfect English before abruptly returning his attention to his phone and inserting his earphones back into his ears, completely ignoring the girl's shocked expression. She lowered her outstretched arm, embarrassed. She thought Koreans were gentle and friendly. But when she saw this clearly unkind boy, deep disappointment seeped through her cheerful veneer.
The girl scowled at him, stamped her foot on the ground, and huffed, "What a total jerk!"She gave him one stink eye as she turned and walked a few feet away to her mother's and aunt's lounge chairs. She was unaware of a pair of eyes following her brisk walk. Although the two chairs next to them are empty, she notices bags and towels on them, it must be occupied.
She sighs heavily. Yesterday, she desired to make new friends with this stoic, cold boy. She noticed him from a few tables away during last night's dinner. And he's so cute and indifferent. She hasn't made any friends yet. Most of the kids speak Korean, but her Korean is still lacking, and she feels insecure in the presence of all the cute girls.
Her gaze narrowed toward him from where she sat. Her mother looked at her, surprised. Her cheerful girl appeared to be depressed.
"Why's my girl so bummed out?" She smirks as Joy groans in frustration, grabbing her towel and furiously wiping her body. Her hair was long and curly.
"Is it seriously that hard to be cool? I was trying to be buds with that dude, but dang, he totally blew me off like a little kid." She became glum, and a sad expression laced her big eyes.
Her aunt laughs softly. "You can't make random folks be your pals, honey," she says. "You drenched him with your wet hair." She chuckled as she glanced at the adorable Korean boy a few feet away. She recognized the boy from dinner the night before. Joy was captivated by the cold, unbothered boy who sat a few tables away.
"Still, I said sorry. Why are the cool ones so harsh on me? Even in a different place, I will be a total loser." She sighed and pursed her lips. She is an outcast at her middle school in Warwick, Rhode Island. At school, she was always on the unpopular list. She hoped to change that when she returned to high school after the summer. She desired to reinvent herself in Korea. Her mother purchased contact lenses for her because she was short-sighted.
Her mother smiles softly. "Maybe he's not feeling great. I saw his folks scolding him a bit ago. Let him chill out and give it another shot later."Sitting in the lounge chair next to her, she pats her daughter on the back.
"This summer, I want to buddy up with a Korean kid, but—" Joy began, looking concerned.
"Forget about it. You're a 13-year-old who's bright, bubbly, and super sharp. Plenty of kids would love to be your friend. Just be yourself and keep smiling," her mom reassured her.
Joy thoughtfully bit her bottom lip and exclaimed, "Myself sucks!"
Yoongi lay down and snorted softly while listening to the girl and her mother's conversation. He could understand English but struggled to speak it fluently. He is suddenly ashamed of his behaviour toward this "Joy" girl. She appears to have a complicated life for a 13-year-old on the verge of adolescence.
He suddenly felt a kindred spirit of understanding with the girl. It's challenging to be misunderstood.
"You're right, Joy, but "myself" sucks just as much as "yourself. I wish I could come back as a rock in my next life," he closed his eyes and murmured inwardly.
He promised himself that he would make amends later, but not now.
A/n the first chapter of Eclipse of the Heart. I hope you like it.
1. How do you find the characters of the two protagonists?