first chappie!
여행기 (Yeo Haeng Gi): Chapter 1
A/N: The rest of the story is 2 months before the prologue. ^^
Lina
“A singer in a smoky room... a smell of wine and cheap perfume!”
There was a fearlessness to Lina's voice as she sang along, despite the fact that it was only 8 in the morning. The song itself, along with Steve Perry's voice, blasted from Lina's car stereo - it could more than likely be heard by anyone outside, even with the closed windows. But Lina drove through the streets, singing in her little cocoon of a car. She kept on driving until she found Ri In's house, and parked right at the front.
Lina was nothing if not enthusiastic. Looking at her, one wouldn't be able to tell in the slightest that she recently went through quite an ordeal.
Her mother died of breast cancer, after a 3-year struggle with the disease. She refused to accept any treatment, telling Lina it was no use trying to heal her - she was ready to die. And so Lina helplessly looked on, unable to help, as her mother slowly deteriorated before her very eyes.
Lina still didn't understand why her mother let herself die. She lived a difficult life, it was true, but she came out of her obstacles triumphant, didn't she? And she was able to raise her daughter well, raise her and encourage her to not be afraid in pursuing her dreams. To not allow anything to hold her back.
Though in the end, her mother let a sickness - a sickness she could've survived - manage to take away her own life. It seemed that her mother was already weary of fighting so many battles, so weary that she didn't fight her last one any longer.
The thought made Lina angry, but she didn't let the feeling linger. There was no use in that. Her mother would expect her to understand, and gradually, Lina had learned to accept it, and the reality of all.
Now, 3 weeks after her mother's funeral, Lina was off to grant her mother's request, her final wish.
Lina liked to think she inherited her mother's quiet strength, but somehow, she knew that making the journey would be difficult alone.
And so, she decided to ask Jessica, Ri In, and Bora to come along with her. It'd be a peaceful but fun trip to the countryside, and they'd stay back in her hometown,.
She couldn't think of any people more suiting for such a vacation than the three.
Jessica was Lina's co-worker, an editorial assistant at the fashion magazine they both worked for. Despite an age difference and polar opposite personalities, the two were good friends, not to mention friends that maintained a healthy mentor/mentee relationship. It was difficult, in an industry as ruthless like fashion, to even find anyone genuine. Luckily, Lina found a loyalty in Jessica. Not to mention, the girl had so much passion and potential for what she did. She worked twice as hard as everyone else for as a newbie, she had to prove what she was capable of. Clearly, it had its rewards - she was granted the 2-3 month vacation along with Lina.
Ri In was her cousin in her mother's side - also an only daughter of her mother's sister. Ever since Lina moved into the city, Ri In stuck to her like glue, treating Lina as the older sister she never had, and vice versa. They were alike in ways, but different in even more. Like Jessica, Ri In got very little sleep, and after the summer, would probably get even less; she was about to enter medical school in the States. Lina was quite sure she would have to physically drag Ri In out of the house to get her to come. Ri In was too keen on reading up to be ahead of her courses - which, of course, only confirmed Lina's belief that her cousin had officially gone insane, and furthermore convinced her that Ri In needed a vacation.
Lina knew too well that Bora would've wanted to go anyway, with or without Ri In. Bora had been Ri In's best friend since elementary school, and thus, she was also a dongsaeng to Lina. It would've made more sense for Bora and Lina to be related - their enthusiasm was enough to keep up a whole town party. They've even made a little joke out of it, calling each other “real unnie” and “real dongsaeng”.
It was going to be a challenge, yes, getting together such a various array of people, but it'd be a fun trip in general. Lina constantly told herself this, and now she was so self-assured she refused to believe otherwise. She needed a breather, and despite the tasks ahead of her, the change of scenery should prove refreshing.
Exactly what she needed. A change. Of anything, really.
“Working hard to get my fill, everybody wants a thrill...”
Suddenly, she heard two loud knocks by the passenger seat window - Lina turned to the sound, still singing, only to scream out of surprise.
It was Bora, waving hello and wearing a sheepish grin on her lips. She held up her thumb to point to the front door of Ri In's house, and immediately, Lina understood.
It was time to drag Ri In out of her bedroom.
Ri In
Not caring if she was creasing her clothes, Ri In remained lying on her bed, fully covered by her blanket.
Normally, yes, she would very much care about the fact that she was creasing her clothes, but this was different.
She only cared when she knew she'd go out in public with a messy appearance, and today she was determined to not make it anywhere outside of her bedroom.
It wasn't that Ri In didn't want a break.
Wait, no. She didn't feel like she could have a break anyway.
It was more... she didn't feel it proper that she actually take a vacation. Not when she was about to be a medical student. A Harvard medical student. In America.
She had to endure blood, sweat, and tears - some literal, some figurative - to make it happen. It was an opportunity that didn't come by often. So really, she couldn't screw this up. She had to be prepared at all costs.
Sure, becoming a hermit for the summer by holing herself up in her bedroom and reading gigantic medical books could be considered too much preparation. But then, Ri In was the type who always pushed herself to the limit, just so she could break through the barriers. She always set out to make her family proud, and prove others wrong.
“Ri In!” Lina's voice rang out from the hallway - she was exclaiming her cousin's name in singsong. It could only mean that fending her off would be a struggle.
Ri In groaned, turning over and covering her head with a pillow.
“Yah, yeodongsaeng!” Ri In felt her unnie's hand on her shoulder, and the latter started to shake it vigorously, “It's time to go! Get up!”
“Unnie,” Ri In raised her head slightly as to not muffle her voice. She tried to keep her tone calm. “Please be reasonable. You know-”
“That you got accepted into Harvard, you have to do well, blah blah.” Lina interrupted, pulling away the blanket from Ri In. “I know, Ri In. And that's why you need this. You really, really need this.”
Ri In slowly turned to Lina, holding the pillow tightly to her chest. “Don't you think it would distract me-”
“What would it distract you from? Ri In, it's a vacation. It's supposed to give you rest.After that, you won't allow yourself to get any. I know you too well."
No reply - Ri In's stare was intent on her pillow.
“Don't you... don't you want to go stargazing?” At this, Ri In attention was on her unnie again, “You can bring your telescope! No, you know what - you can bring all the books you want to bring, medical or not. You can study all you want there - you can study outside and breathe in fresh air! Just promise you'll come.”
Lina just got her cousin's Achilles' heel. If there was anything Ri In loved, it was Science. Especially Astronomy.
“Unnie, you do know me too well.”
“That I do.” Lina replied, smiling. “Now go get your telescope.”
“So she's coming?” Bora called, poking her head through the half-open door. In her hand was a half-bitten cookie.
“Bora, you might as well bring the whole batch. I'm sure Ri In's parents won't mind.”
Bora's face lit up, “Huzzah.” She opened the door, and in her other hand was the whole package of cookies.
“You knew I was going to say that.” Lina said, smirking.
Bora nodded, tilted her head towards her best friend, who had gone on to carefully disassemble her telescope by the window. “Bribery. I can't believe you, real unnie of mine.”
Mocking a shocked expression, Lina replied in a scandalized tone, “It's not bribery! I know she'd benefit from this.”
“True,” Bora picked up a bag from the floor and brought it to the bed. Lina recognized it to be Ri In's. “Other than her usual nerdy tools, she's ready to go.”
“She's done packing?”
“You know Ri In, always prepared for any circumstance. This was her preparation for situation #456: being convinced by her unnie to go on a vacation. I think her subconscious knew she was coming.”
For the first time that day, Lina laughed.
“And you?”
“Already at the front door. I just need your keys.”
Bora
“I'm sitting at the front!” Ri In exclaimed, hurriedly placing her suitcases in the trunk then rushing to the spot she claimed dibs on.
Bora took out her panda plushie from her bag, and attempted to keep hold of it in one arm, while the other still held the cookies. Would she need anything else to keep herself entertained: iPod, book, magazine? Maybe her DVD player? Perhaps she wouldn't need it; Lina unnie and Ri In had always been great to have conversations with, and she had Jessica to get to know and bother with questions-
“Real dongsaeng,are all the bags in?” Lina asked, breaking Bora's train of thought.
She quickly skimmed the trunk space - all of her bags were there, all of Ri In's heavy suitcases. She also spotted bags that were more than likely Lina's.
“I think so...?” Bora replied. “Unless, you know, you forgot something at home.”
“I had a whole checklist, I think I'm good.” Lina came up beside her, and seeing that Bora had quite an armful, closed the trunk herself.
“You're doing fine, I hope?”
“You're talking to me, right?” Bora joked, though the question threw her off. She already had a hunch Lina would ask her about it, even though she didn't want to be asked.
“I just thought,” Lina shrugged. “Maybe having you and Ri In on this vacation might help your friendship, but now that she actually brought her books there, she'll be talking about Harvard all the time-”
“Honestly, real unnie, I'm fine. Don't worry about me.” Bora assured her, even smiling widely for good measure. “I hate Science. It was about time fate slapped me in the face about it. I needed to stop trying to be Ri In, since clearly one's enough for the world to manage.”
Lina could only smile halfheartedly. “Have you looked into other universities?”
Bora shook her head, “I haven't done anything after the rejection letter. I think I need to be away from my parents. They're so nagging about everything.”
Squeezing Bora's shoulder, Lina asked, “Speaking of family - so your cousin really has a house just outside my hometown?”
“Yep. Weird, but convenient. And yes, he can still take us in, don't worry. He's a bachelor - he has plenty of room.”
Lina raised an eyebrow, “That's exactly it. He's a bachelor. He might have a messy... pad, or crib.”
“He's surprisingly neat. At least from what I remember when I was little. He's not the typical bachelor. He's not the typical anything, if you think about it...”
“Are you two ever going to come in?” came Ri In's call from the front window.
“Yah, just a sec!” Bora called back. She turned to Lina.“Ready, real unnie?”
“Ready, real dongsaeng.”
Jessica
“Come on, Changmin,” Jessica muttered as the phone kept ringing, and ringing...
And ringing. Then a familiar voice came on: “Hello, you've reached the voicemail of Shim Chang-”
Now she was quick to shut her phone close before his voicemail message could go on again. Jessica slumped down onto her bed and stared at the ceiling, letting her thoughts run loose.
Time for her optimism to kick in - or rather, as she preferred to call it - rational thinking.
Changmin was a very busy guy... and Jessica knew too well that he always had an alloted time during the day in which he checked his cellphone. Such was the habit of an organized person - a must for any businessman - and Changmin was prepping himself up to become one. And right now, Jessica was sure, wasn't cellphone-checking time in his schedule. Though, yes, it'd be nice to have a slight exception for a girlfriend who was about to leave to go out of town for a couple of months. Still, Changmin had much more urgent matters to attend to.
He was to become a successful businessman, and successful businessmen didn't let their personal lives distract them and get in the way of their work.
Yet Jessica couldn't help but feel slight disappointment. She didn't want to be the clingy, overdependent girlfriend, but she wasn't going to see him for quite some time, and it was already rare enough that they even got chances to be together. Both of their career choices didn't provide room for such a thing.
Jessica rubbed her temples, the monotone of the phone ringing on the other line echoing through her head.
She hated herself for feeling the way she did, for being so irrational.
She tried to convinced herself that she ought to start worrying about herself instead of him. He'd be doing just fine. Besides, she wasn't allowed to worry about anyone; she distinctly remembered Lina telling her that. She was about to go on a vacation. Vacations were supposed to ease the mind and rid it of worries.
Seeing the time on her bedside clock, Jessica quickly stood back up and proceeded to her dresser. She checked herself in the mirror - hair and make-up intact, check. She turned to see her suitcase sitting on the edge of her bed - all packed and ready, check.
She went on to pick up her suitcase, check her room one last time, then herself in the mirror once again. The expression on her face was much too cold for her taste. She forced a smile, but to no avail - the awkwardness she felt along with it was unbearable.
She didn't feel ready at all.
A/N: The rest of the story is 2 months before the prologue. ^^
Lina
“A singer in a smoky room... a smell of wine and cheap perfume!”
There was a fearlessness to Lina's voice as she sang along, despite the fact that it was only 8 in the morning. The song itself, along with Steve Perry's voice, blasted from Lina's car stereo - it could more than likely be heard by anyone outside, even with the closed windows. But Lina drove through the streets, singing in her little cocoon of a car. She kept on driving until she found Ri In's house, and parked right at the front.
Lina was nothing if not enthusiastic. Looking at her, one wouldn't be able to tell in the slightest that she recently went through quite an ordeal.
Her mother died of breast cancer, after a 3-year struggle with the disease. She refused to accept any treatment, telling Lina it was no use trying to heal her - she was ready to die. And so Lina helplessly looked on, unable to help, as her mother slowly deteriorated before her very eyes.
Lina still didn't understand why her mother let herself die. She lived a difficult life, it was true, but she came out of her obstacles triumphant, didn't she? And she was able to raise her daughter well, raise her and encourage her to not be afraid in pursuing her dreams. To not allow anything to hold her back.
Though in the end, her mother let a sickness - a sickness she could've survived - manage to take away her own life. It seemed that her mother was already weary of fighting so many battles, so weary that she didn't fight her last one any longer.
The thought made Lina angry, but she didn't let the feeling linger. There was no use in that. Her mother would expect her to understand, and gradually, Lina had learned to accept it, and the reality of all.
Now, 3 weeks after her mother's funeral, Lina was off to grant her mother's request, her final wish.
Lina liked to think she inherited her mother's quiet strength, but somehow, she knew that making the journey would be difficult alone.
And so, she decided to ask Jessica, Ri In, and Bora to come along with her. It'd be a peaceful but fun trip to the countryside, and they'd stay back in her hometown,.
She couldn't think of any people more suiting for such a vacation than the three.
Jessica was Lina's co-worker, an editorial assistant at the fashion magazine they both worked for. Despite an age difference and polar opposite personalities, the two were good friends, not to mention friends that maintained a healthy mentor/mentee relationship. It was difficult, in an industry as ruthless like fashion, to even find anyone genuine. Luckily, Lina found a loyalty in Jessica. Not to mention, the girl had so much passion and potential for what she did. She worked twice as hard as everyone else for as a newbie, she had to prove what she was capable of. Clearly, it had its rewards - she was granted the 2-3 month vacation along with Lina.
Ri In was her cousin in her mother's side - also an only daughter of her mother's sister. Ever since Lina moved into the city, Ri In stuck to her like glue, treating Lina as the older sister she never had, and vice versa. They were alike in ways, but different in even more. Like Jessica, Ri In got very little sleep, and after the summer, would probably get even less; she was about to enter medical school in the States. Lina was quite sure she would have to physically drag Ri In out of the house to get her to come. Ri In was too keen on reading up to be ahead of her courses - which, of course, only confirmed Lina's belief that her cousin had officially gone insane, and furthermore convinced her that Ri In needed a vacation.
Lina knew too well that Bora would've wanted to go anyway, with or without Ri In. Bora had been Ri In's best friend since elementary school, and thus, she was also a dongsaeng to Lina. It would've made more sense for Bora and Lina to be related - their enthusiasm was enough to keep up a whole town party. They've even made a little joke out of it, calling each other “real unnie” and “real dongsaeng”.
It was going to be a challenge, yes, getting together such a various array of people, but it'd be a fun trip in general. Lina constantly told herself this, and now she was so self-assured she refused to believe otherwise. She needed a breather, and despite the tasks ahead of her, the change of scenery should prove refreshing.
Exactly what she needed. A change. Of anything, really.
“Working hard to get my fill, everybody wants a thrill...”
Suddenly, she heard two loud knocks by the passenger seat window - Lina turned to the sound, still singing, only to scream out of surprise.
It was Bora, waving hello and wearing a sheepish grin on her lips. She held up her thumb to point to the front door of Ri In's house, and immediately, Lina understood.
It was time to drag Ri In out of her bedroom.
Ri In
Not caring if she was creasing her clothes, Ri In remained lying on her bed, fully covered by her blanket.
Normally, yes, she would very much care about the fact that she was creasing her clothes, but this was different.
She only cared when she knew she'd go out in public with a messy appearance, and today she was determined to not make it anywhere outside of her bedroom.
It wasn't that Ri In didn't want a break.
Wait, no. She didn't feel like she could have a break anyway.
It was more... she didn't feel it proper that she actually take a vacation. Not when she was about to be a medical student. A Harvard medical student. In America.
She had to endure blood, sweat, and tears - some literal, some figurative - to make it happen. It was an opportunity that didn't come by often. So really, she couldn't screw this up. She had to be prepared at all costs.
Sure, becoming a hermit for the summer by holing herself up in her bedroom and reading gigantic medical books could be considered too much preparation. But then, Ri In was the type who always pushed herself to the limit, just so she could break through the barriers. She always set out to make her family proud, and prove others wrong.
“Ri In!” Lina's voice rang out from the hallway - she was exclaiming her cousin's name in singsong. It could only mean that fending her off would be a struggle.
Ri In groaned, turning over and covering her head with a pillow.
“Yah, yeodongsaeng!” Ri In felt her unnie's hand on her shoulder, and the latter started to shake it vigorously, “It's time to go! Get up!”
“Unnie,” Ri In raised her head slightly as to not muffle her voice. She tried to keep her tone calm. “Please be reasonable. You know-”
“That you got accepted into Harvard, you have to do well, blah blah.” Lina interrupted, pulling away the blanket from Ri In. “I know, Ri In. And that's why you need this. You really, really need this.”
Ri In slowly turned to Lina, holding the pillow tightly to her chest. “Don't you think it would distract me-”
“What would it distract you from? Ri In, it's a vacation. It's supposed to give you rest.After that, you won't allow yourself to get any. I know you too well."
No reply - Ri In's stare was intent on her pillow.
“Don't you... don't you want to go stargazing?” At this, Ri In attention was on her unnie again, “You can bring your telescope! No, you know what - you can bring all the books you want to bring, medical or not. You can study all you want there - you can study outside and breathe in fresh air! Just promise you'll come.”
Lina just got her cousin's Achilles' heel. If there was anything Ri In loved, it was Science. Especially Astronomy.
“Unnie, you do know me too well.”
“That I do.” Lina replied, smiling. “Now go get your telescope.”
“So she's coming?” Bora called, poking her head through the half-open door. In her hand was a half-bitten cookie.
“Bora, you might as well bring the whole batch. I'm sure Ri In's parents won't mind.”
Bora's face lit up, “Huzzah.” She opened the door, and in her other hand was the whole package of cookies.
“You knew I was going to say that.” Lina said, smirking.
Bora nodded, tilted her head towards her best friend, who had gone on to carefully disassemble her telescope by the window. “Bribery. I can't believe you, real unnie of mine.”
Mocking a shocked expression, Lina replied in a scandalized tone, “It's not bribery! I know she'd benefit from this.”
“True,” Bora picked up a bag from the floor and brought it to the bed. Lina recognized it to be Ri In's. “Other than her usual nerdy tools, she's ready to go.”
“She's done packing?”
“You know Ri In, always prepared for any circumstance. This was her preparation for situation #456: being convinced by her unnie to go on a vacation. I think her subconscious knew she was coming.”
For the first time that day, Lina laughed.
“And you?”
“Already at the front door. I just need your keys.”
Bora
“I'm sitting at the front!” Ri In exclaimed, hurriedly placing her suitcases in the trunk then rushing to the spot she claimed dibs on.
Bora took out her panda plushie from her bag, and attempted to keep hold of it in one arm, while the other still held the cookies. Would she need anything else to keep herself entertained: iPod, book, magazine? Maybe her DVD player? Perhaps she wouldn't need it; Lina unnie and Ri In had always been great to have conversations with, and she had Jessica to get to know and bother with questions-
“Real dongsaeng,are all the bags in?” Lina asked, breaking Bora's train of thought.
She quickly skimmed the trunk space - all of her bags were there, all of Ri In's heavy suitcases. She also spotted bags that were more than likely Lina's.
“I think so...?” Bora replied. “Unless, you know, you forgot something at home.”
“I had a whole checklist, I think I'm good.” Lina came up beside her, and seeing that Bora had quite an armful, closed the trunk herself.
“You're doing fine, I hope?”
“You're talking to me, right?” Bora joked, though the question threw her off. She already had a hunch Lina would ask her about it, even though she didn't want to be asked.
“I just thought,” Lina shrugged. “Maybe having you and Ri In on this vacation might help your friendship, but now that she actually brought her books there, she'll be talking about Harvard all the time-”
“Honestly, real unnie, I'm fine. Don't worry about me.” Bora assured her, even smiling widely for good measure. “I hate Science. It was about time fate slapped me in the face about it. I needed to stop trying to be Ri In, since clearly one's enough for the world to manage.”
Lina could only smile halfheartedly. “Have you looked into other universities?”
Bora shook her head, “I haven't done anything after the rejection letter. I think I need to be away from my parents. They're so nagging about everything.”
Squeezing Bora's shoulder, Lina asked, “Speaking of family - so your cousin really has a house just outside my hometown?”
“Yep. Weird, but convenient. And yes, he can still take us in, don't worry. He's a bachelor - he has plenty of room.”
Lina raised an eyebrow, “That's exactly it. He's a bachelor. He might have a messy... pad, or crib.”
“He's surprisingly neat. At least from what I remember when I was little. He's not the typical bachelor. He's not the typical anything, if you think about it...”
“Are you two ever going to come in?” came Ri In's call from the front window.
“Yah, just a sec!” Bora called back. She turned to Lina.“Ready, real unnie?”
“Ready, real dongsaeng.”
Jessica
“Come on, Changmin,” Jessica muttered as the phone kept ringing, and ringing...
And ringing. Then a familiar voice came on: “Hello, you've reached the voicemail of Shim Chang-”
Now she was quick to shut her phone close before his voicemail message could go on again. Jessica slumped down onto her bed and stared at the ceiling, letting her thoughts run loose.
Time for her optimism to kick in - or rather, as she preferred to call it - rational thinking.
Changmin was a very busy guy... and Jessica knew too well that he always had an alloted time during the day in which he checked his cellphone. Such was the habit of an organized person - a must for any businessman - and Changmin was prepping himself up to become one. And right now, Jessica was sure, wasn't cellphone-checking time in his schedule. Though, yes, it'd be nice to have a slight exception for a girlfriend who was about to leave to go out of town for a couple of months. Still, Changmin had much more urgent matters to attend to.
He was to become a successful businessman, and successful businessmen didn't let their personal lives distract them and get in the way of their work.
Yet Jessica couldn't help but feel slight disappointment. She didn't want to be the clingy, overdependent girlfriend, but she wasn't going to see him for quite some time, and it was already rare enough that they even got chances to be together. Both of their career choices didn't provide room for such a thing.
Jessica rubbed her temples, the monotone of the phone ringing on the other line echoing through her head.
She hated herself for feeling the way she did, for being so irrational.
She tried to convinced herself that she ought to start worrying about herself instead of him. He'd be doing just fine. Besides, she wasn't allowed to worry about anyone; she distinctly remembered Lina telling her that. She was about to go on a vacation. Vacations were supposed to ease the mind and rid it of worries.
Seeing the time on her bedside clock, Jessica quickly stood back up and proceeded to her dresser. She checked herself in the mirror - hair and make-up intact, check. She turned to see her suitcase sitting on the edge of her bed - all packed and ready, check.
She went on to pick up her suitcase, check her room one last time, then herself in the mirror once again. The expression on her face was much too cold for her taste. She forced a smile, but to no avail - the awkwardness she felt along with it was unbearable.
She didn't feel ready at all.