Hanbyul has been waiting for her mom for about an hour or more because she went to the toilet, dealing with her stomach ache since last night. Hanbyul's first experience going on a plane with her mom wasn't great since she farted a lot. Her mom went overboard, eating fruit in one sitting. A few hours of journey from Canada to Korea was very tiring. Hanbyul and her mom went there because of her mom's business project. Depending on her mom, they would stay over there for a few months or probably years. The girl couldn't decide whether she was happy with the new change or sad about it. She remembered that her entire life was dedicated to and surrounded by her mother and grandparents. Dad? She had never felt any father figures in her whole life except for his grandad.
Enough talking about that non-existing figure. Let's take a fresh and new step.
The sounds of the stomach rumbling could be heard since Hanbyul didn't have her breakfast just yet. The girl ignored the churn in her stomach as she waited patiently for her mother. Swaying her leg back and front as she sat on the seat in the waiting area, looking around to see if there was a sight of her mother. She always knew that her mom always had problems with her lousy indigestion. She remembers that one time when both of them planned a birthday party for grandma, but then they were stranded at the petrol pump station because of her mom's stomachache for two hours. Even the cashier started to wonder why Hanbyul had been waiting outside the washroom.
Sighing as she saw no glimpse of her mom, she took a ukulele from the bag. The ukulele is her favorite musical instrument other than the piano. Her grandfather taught her to play the ukulele a few years back in her home country. Slowly plucking the string, the girl started finding the tune she liked. Luckily the ukulele looked good on her, and the size was on point for a 14-year-old girl. She let out a few hums before she started singing. Singing has been her passion since she was a kid. At first, she started singing just for fun when her grandparents made her sing for them, but now she volunteers to sing for them.
As she started to sing, the girl was surrounded by the crowds. Some pulled out their phones and started recording her singing while playing the ukulele. The rest just went with the flow, tapping their feet as they listened to her soft yet unique voice.
Remember the way you made me feel,
such young love but,
something in me knew that it was real,
frozen in my head,
pictures I'm living through for now,
trying to remember all the good times,
our life was cutting through so loud,
memories are playing in my dull mind,
I hate this part about paper hearts,
and I'll hold a piece of yours,
don't think I will forget about it,
hoping that you won't forget about it,
everything is gray under these skies,
wet mascara,
hiding every cloud under a smile,
when there are cameras,
and I can't reach out to tell you,
that I always wonder what you're up to,
pictures I'm living for now,
trying to remember all the good times,
our life was cutting through so loud,
memories are playing in my dull mind,
I hate this part about paper hearts,
and ill hold a piece of yours,
don't think I will forget about it,
hoping that you won't forget about it,
I live through pictures as if I was right,
thereby your side,
but you'll be good without me, and if I could give it some time,
ill be alright,
goodbye love, you flew right by love,
pictures I'm living through for now,
trying to remember all the good times,
our life was cutting through so loud,
memories are playing in my dull mind,
I hate this part about paper hearts,
and I'll hold a piece of yours,
don't think I will forget about it,
hoping that you won't forget about it.
Hanbyul stood up from the bench and bowed at them as a thank-you gesture. She never thought she would get this kind of attention and loved every second of it. "Thank you for listening. Thank you," The flustered girl muttered as she kept bowing at the crowds. All of them were cheering for her, saying she was talented and a good singer. Hanbyul thanked them even more since she didn't deserve that kind of praise. She was a bit afraid since she saw how the guards constantly looked at her. At this point, all she wants is not to get kicked out. Soon enough, all of them started to walk away with a smile. She quickly returns to her seat and then puts the ukulele next to her seat.
"You looked so cool just now," a man around his early 40s suddenly approached her. Hanbyul looked up at him while muttering thank you. He looked a bit creepy, but she brushed that thought off. "What's your name?- oh, my bad. My name is Bang Sihyuk," he told her in English, but she could easily sense his Korean accent. Should she answer him? But her mother told her not to talk to strangers. "Don't be afraid. I wouldn't kidnap you or do something bad. There are so many people out here anyway," The man giggled as he saw she was hesitating to talk to him. Grinning at him awkwardly, "My name is Esther, but my Korean name is Oh Hanbyul," She said. What he told her was true. No one would kidnap someone with so many people around and the guards patrolling everywhere. Hanbyul then kindly let him sit beside her.
"So Esther, right? You're Korean?" The older male asked. The little girl just smiled at him as she answered his question truthfully, "My father is Korean, and my mother is Canadian. I've been living in Canada my whole life. I don't know how to speak Korean even though my dad is Korean," The older male nodded his head, trusting the little girl since she didn't look like a pure Korean anyway because she got more of her mother's traits than her father.
"You're so good at singing. I adore your voice and the little performance just now. Do you want to be a singer by any chance?" The man asked. Of course, she has always liked to sing but to be a singer? She was not so sure about that.
Hanbyul tilted her head and raised one of her eyebrows, "Singer? I like to sing and play musical instruments, but I want to be a singer. Hmm, I'm not sure about that," The man nodded his head. So many people like her liked to sing and play musical instruments but didn't want to be a singer, so they might end up being composers or songwriters. "What about you, sir? What do you do for a living?" She asked back. Hanbyul felt pretty glad that sometimes she was very outgoing with people on the first meeting. "Oh me? I'm just the CEO of an entertainment company but not a famous one," The man told the little girl.
"Can I ask you something? Do you like singing, dancing, or have any talents?" The man asked her. Hanbyul was unsure why he had been asking her about singing and dancing. "As I've told you, I like singing a lot. I used to go to a community dance class or exercise class with my grandma on weekends. Other than that, I used to act in my school's drama and theater club," The man smiled fondly at the little girl, "You sure do have a lot of talents anyway. Where are your parents?" He asked, looking around until now as he found no one had approached her.
"Thank you, sir. I've just arrived here this morning with my mother, and she went to the restroom," Hanbyul said softly. She could see that the man beside her was genuinely nice to her, even though she initially found him a little bit sketchy. Hanbyul couldn't help but always be on her guard regarding men because her mother told her not all men were good, even though they were family members. "Oh really? Hanbyul, do you perhaps interested in joining a K-Pop group-"
"Esther!!