Finding My Way
Children
Jaemi’s POV
“We have two new students transferring here today.” My new teacher, Ms. Lee announces.
The students look around in confusion as they other transfer student hasn’t arrived. Ms. Lee clears her throat, grabbing everyone's attention.
“Please introduce yourself.” She smiles and acknowledges me.
I gaze at the eyes staring me down. They basically know who I am already. Thanks to-
My eyes stay glued on Seokjin, Hoseok and Taehyung who sit in the back, middle row. Seokjin’s hands are folded neatly on his desk. He sits next to Hoseok, who leans back in his chair, making it stand on only two legs. His eyes are closed. He rests his head on the empty desk behind him, next to Taehyung. Taehyung smiles and gives me a small wave.
“You’re sitting here.” He mouths, pointing at the empty desk beside him.
I sigh and clear my throat. “I’m-”
The door opens aggressively, revealing the boy who was causing trouble in the hallway earlier. It’s him.
“Ah, transfer student (cheon haksaeng), nice of you to finally join us.” Ms. Lee says with disappointment. “Come to the front.”
The boy stands next to me, grabbing the attention of the students. They lean in closer as he purposely stands close to me. Our shoulder touch and I cringe at the feeling. Regardless, I still have to introduce myself.
“I’m Kim Jaemi. Transferred from Seoul Dance Academy.” I nod as students eyes widen.
Do I say anything else…?
“Suga.” The boy, or Suga mutters. He bows slightly.
“Find any open seats. We’re already minutes late into the lesson.” Ms. Lee orders. “Open your books to page...”
I walk down the aisle and watch the students shuffle through their belongings to get the correct materials for the lesson.
Hoseok lays asleep. His dark brown hair lays unevenly on the empty desk. I place a hand on his shoulder and squeeze it lightly. He awakens in an instant, however his chair falls backwards. The vacant desk moves rearward due to his weight, making a loud screeching noise. He plunges back, however I manage to support and catch him before he lands roughly. I settle on one knee and his arms wrap around me tightly.
Ms. Lee stops teaching. The students turn their heads back to look at the situation. How humiliating.
“Hoseok-shi…” I whisper as I release my grip on him. Surprisingly, he holds on tightly.
“Ne.” He whispers into my ear.
“You can let go now.” I say, attempting to stand up.
He release his grasp as I help myself up. As Hoseok stands up, Suga unexpectedly brings the vacant desk back into place.
“I’m sorry Ms. Lee.” Hoseok bows and I follow.
She shakes her head and turns her body to face the blackboard. As she continues to teach the lesson, I hear small whispers from students. Some of them even took their phones out.
I sit next to Taehyung and hear him chuckle.
“Hoseok sleeps like that almost everyday. It’s the first time anyone’s ever waken him up.” Taehyung explains.
“Just focus on the lesson, Taehyung-shi.” I sigh and hush him.
I feel the eyes of Suga on me. He sits on the row to my left. Just ignore him.
------
Suga’s POV
The lunch bell rings and almost all of the students run out to the cafeteria. I am the last one to leave, slowly following my three old friends and that girl.
In the cafeteria, I sit alone, nonchalantly observing the four. They sit together and Taehyung bothers her as she eats. However, she ignores him. Like I used to do.
Seokjin tells her something, making her grin. Hoseok turns his head to my direction and I quickly look down at my food.
I see she’s filled in my place.
------
Jaemi’s POV
“Who is that student? S-suga?” I question.
“He..uh, he used to be an orphan like us.” Seokjin explains as we all take a small glance at Suga. He shoves his lunch down his throat. “We used to be close, until he was adopted.”
“But if you were close, why did he bother you this morning?” I continue, taking a bite of my meal.
The three exchange glances. I watch as they talk with their eyes. I shouldn’t forced out information.
“If it’s too personal, you don’t have to tell me anything. We only just met this morning.” I shrug and pick off of my plate.
“Alright.” Taehyung smiles. “Thank you for understanding.”
------
3pm
When we arrive at the orphanage, we’re surrounded by the children. I observe as they embrace with the boys and I’m left there watching.
“Seokjin oppa!” A young girl calls for him. “How was school today?”
“It was wonderful Gaejin-ah.” Seokjin smiles at her. He then turns to me. “Guys, this is Jaemi. She’s your new noona and eonnie. She’ll be staying with us for a while.”
They stare at me in silence. If I want to start a fresh life here, I have to create a good first impression.
I force a smile and bow.
“Annyeonghaseyo. I’m Kim Jaemi.” I introduce myself in a somewhat cheerful voice.
Without hesitation smiles grow across their faces and some giggle as they scurry to hug me. Due to their weight all together, they make me fall backwards. I let out a laugh.
--Hours Later--
After we finished homework, the four of us head outside to play with the children. Taehyung and Hoseok run around and play soccer with the majority of the children. Seokjin plays with a young girl who I learned to call, Gaejin. I watch Hoseok and Taehyung, who are drenched in sweat, keep a positive smile on their faces. They lose on purpose, making the children laugh at them.
“Jaemi.” Seokjin calls to me and I turn my head to meet his eyes. “This is Gaejin. My younger sister.”
Gaejin stands up and bows to me before she sits in between Seokjin and I.
I grin. So polite. She must’ve learned from her brother.
------
Seokjin’s POV
“I like your dress.” Jaemi warmly smiles at Gaejin. “It’s very beautiful.”
Gaejin blushes and brushes her dress in admiration. “Eomma bought it for me. It was a birthday present.”
I bite my lip and look down with sorrow. I see Jaemi’s eyes sadden as we meet eyes for a brief moment. She lightly caresses Gaejin’s light brown, thin hair.
“Here.” Jaemi says. She takes something out of her bag. “You see these shoes?”
Jaemi reveals ballet pointe shoes. They’re almost worn out.
“My eomma bought this for me too.” Jaemi says softly. “I wish I got something as pretty as yours.”
Gaejin smiles and moves closer to Jaemi and gently takes the shoes out of her hands. She shakes her head. “These shoes are better than my dress… can you dance?”
Jaemi…
Jaemi nods her head. “I’ll promise to dance for you and everyone one of these days.”
“Really? You can’t take that back.” Gaejin sticks her pinky out and Jaemi crosses her pinky with her.
“I promise.” Jaemi smiles. “Now, go play with your friends.”
She’s soft and warm with children. To my Gaejin.
Gaejin waves goodbye to the two of us and runs off to catch up with her friends.
I find myself smile at Jaemi, making her blush.
“What?” She asks, looking at me weirdly.
“Thank you.” I put a hand on her shoulder. “She too pure to know that our mother isn’t coming back.”
Jaemi looks at me with sympathy. “Tell me more.”
I watch as Jaemi shifts her position towards me. Should I? Well, we're almost strangers... and we're going to be together for a while, I might as well get it over with.
“Gaejin is too young to remember. We’ve been here for almost forever. I was only seven then and Gaejin was still a baby. Our mother grew ill from a rare, contagious disease. Our father ran away from our family the minute he found out my mother was pregnant with Gaejin. I don’t know why, but it came out to be like that.” I explain. “And since we had no relatives, we were sent here… or we would’ve caught the same disease as our mother.”
“Oh.” Jaemi says, looking down. “I’m sorry to ask.”
“It’s okay.” I smile and see her nod. “I’ll ‘forgive’ you if you tell about your story.”
Taehyung and Hoseok join us. I nonchalantly chuckle.
Jaemi sighs as she knows she’ll have to explain to all of us her situation.
------
Jaemi’s POV
As I explain how I ended up at this orphanage, I watch all three of them lurk closer to me. It’s like I’m telling a story to children. But… I look into their dull eyes. The innocence in their eyes are gone. They’ve gone through a lot. Stop judging, Jaemi. Get to know them more first.
“Children!” Byeol calls for all of us. “Dinner is ready!”
The children scream in content and run towards the dining hall.
“C’mon.” Taehyung holds his hand towards me, very gentleman-like. “Let’s go get dinner.”
I sigh in regret as I accept his gesture. Taehyung and I leave first. He holds my hand and lightly tugs me down the yard. He carries my bag with his other free hand.
------
Hoseok’s POV
Seokjin laughs. “What is he doing.”
“It’s his first love. Let him be.” I shrug. “We’re all waiting for that ‘special girl’ to come. I guess Taehyung thinks it’s Jaemi.”
“You think?” Seokjin retorts.
We watch as Taehyung plays cute with Jaemi as they make their way to the dining hall.
“What you think Jaemi makes of this?” I ask. “Can you see her face?”
“No.” Seokjin shrugs. “She’s not backing away from Taehyung’s stupid actions, so I bet she’s enjoying herself just as much as he is.”
“I hope so… we both know what Taehyung will do if he gets rejected.”
“We have two new students transferring here today.” My new teacher, Ms. Lee announces.
The students look around in confusion as they other transfer student hasn’t arrived. Ms. Lee clears her throat, grabbing everyone's attention.
“Please introduce yourself.” She smiles and acknowledges me.
I gaze at the eyes staring me down. They basically know who I am already. Thanks to-
My eyes stay glued on Seokjin, Hoseok and Taehyung who sit in the back, middle row. Seokjin’s hands are folded neatly on his desk. He sits next to Hoseok, who leans back in his chair, making it stand on only two legs. His eyes are closed. He rests his head on the empty desk behind him, next to Taehyung. Taehyung smiles and gives me a small wave.
“You’re sitting here.” He mouths, pointing at the empty desk beside him.
I sigh and clear my throat. “I’m-”
The door opens aggressively, revealing the boy who was causing trouble in the hallway earlier. It’s him.
“Ah, transfer student (cheon haksaeng), nice of you to finally join us.” Ms. Lee says with disappointment. “Come to the front.”
The boy stands next to me, grabbing the attention of the students. They lean in closer as he purposely stands close to me. Our shoulder touch and I cringe at the feeling. Regardless, I still have to introduce myself.
“I’m Kim Jaemi. Transferred from Seoul Dance Academy.” I nod as students eyes widen.
Do I say anything else…?
“Suga.” The boy, or Suga mutters. He bows slightly.
“Find any open seats. We’re already minutes late into the lesson.” Ms. Lee orders. “Open your books to page...”
I walk down the aisle and watch the students shuffle through their belongings to get the correct materials for the lesson.
Hoseok lays asleep. His dark brown hair lays unevenly on the empty desk. I place a hand on his shoulder and squeeze it lightly. He awakens in an instant, however his chair falls backwards. The vacant desk moves rearward due to his weight, making a loud screeching noise. He plunges back, however I manage to support and catch him before he lands roughly. I settle on one knee and his arms wrap around me tightly.
Ms. Lee stops teaching. The students turn their heads back to look at the situation. How humiliating.
“Hoseok-shi…” I whisper as I release my grip on him. Surprisingly, he holds on tightly.
“Ne.” He whispers into my ear.
“You can let go now.” I say, attempting to stand up.
He release his grasp as I help myself up. As Hoseok stands up, Suga unexpectedly brings the vacant desk back into place.
“I’m sorry Ms. Lee.” Hoseok bows and I follow.
She shakes her head and turns her body to face the blackboard. As she continues to teach the lesson, I hear small whispers from students. Some of them even took their phones out.
I sit next to Taehyung and hear him chuckle.
“Hoseok sleeps like that almost everyday. It’s the first time anyone’s ever waken him up.” Taehyung explains.
“Just focus on the lesson, Taehyung-shi.” I sigh and hush him.
I feel the eyes of Suga on me. He sits on the row to my left. Just ignore him.
------
Suga’s POV
The lunch bell rings and almost all of the students run out to the cafeteria. I am the last one to leave, slowly following my three old friends and that girl.
In the cafeteria, I sit alone, nonchalantly observing the four. They sit together and Taehyung bothers her as she eats. However, she ignores him. Like I used to do.
Seokjin tells her something, making her grin. Hoseok turns his head to my direction and I quickly look down at my food.
I see she’s filled in my place.
------
Jaemi’s POV
“Who is that student? S-suga?” I question.
“He..uh, he used to be an orphan like us.” Seokjin explains as we all take a small glance at Suga. He shoves his lunch down his throat. “We used to be close, until he was adopted.”
“But if you were close, why did he bother you this morning?” I continue, taking a bite of my meal.
The three exchange glances. I watch as they talk with their eyes. I shouldn’t forced out information.
“If it’s too personal, you don’t have to tell me anything. We only just met this morning.” I shrug and pick off of my plate.
“Alright.” Taehyung smiles. “Thank you for understanding.”
------
3pm
When we arrive at the orphanage, we’re surrounded by the children. I observe as they embrace with the boys and I’m left there watching.
“Seokjin oppa!” A young girl calls for him. “How was school today?”
“It was wonderful Gaejin-ah.” Seokjin smiles at her. He then turns to me. “Guys, this is Jaemi. She’s your new noona and eonnie. She’ll be staying with us for a while.”
They stare at me in silence. If I want to start a fresh life here, I have to create a good first impression.
I force a smile and bow.
“Annyeonghaseyo. I’m Kim Jaemi.” I introduce myself in a somewhat cheerful voice.
Without hesitation smiles grow across their faces and some giggle as they scurry to hug me. Due to their weight all together, they make me fall backwards. I let out a laugh.
--Hours Later--
After we finished homework, the four of us head outside to play with the children. Taehyung and Hoseok run around and play soccer with the majority of the children. Seokjin plays with a young girl who I learned to call, Gaejin. I watch Hoseok and Taehyung, who are drenched in sweat, keep a positive smile on their faces. They lose on purpose, making the children laugh at them.
“Jaemi.” Seokjin calls to me and I turn my head to meet his eyes. “This is Gaejin. My younger sister.”
Gaejin stands up and bows to me before she sits in between Seokjin and I.
I grin. So polite. She must’ve learned from her brother.
------
Seokjin’s POV
“I like your dress.” Jaemi warmly smiles at Gaejin. “It’s very beautiful.”
Gaejin blushes and brushes her dress in admiration. “Eomma bought it for me. It was a birthday present.”
I bite my lip and look down with sorrow. I see Jaemi’s eyes sadden as we meet eyes for a brief moment. She lightly caresses Gaejin’s light brown, thin hair.
“Here.” Jaemi says. She takes something out of her bag. “You see these shoes?”
Jaemi reveals ballet pointe shoes. They’re almost worn out.
“My eomma bought this for me too.” Jaemi says softly. “I wish I got something as pretty as yours.”
Gaejin smiles and moves closer to Jaemi and gently takes the shoes out of her hands. She shakes her head. “These shoes are better than my dress… can you dance?”
Jaemi…
Jaemi nods her head. “I’ll promise to dance for you and everyone one of these days.”
“Really? You can’t take that back.” Gaejin sticks her pinky out and Jaemi crosses her pinky with her.
“I promise.” Jaemi smiles. “Now, go play with your friends.”
She’s soft and warm with children. To my Gaejin.
Gaejin waves goodbye to the two of us and runs off to catch up with her friends.
I find myself smile at Jaemi, making her blush.
“What?” She asks, looking at me weirdly.
“Thank you.” I put a hand on her shoulder. “She too pure to know that our mother isn’t coming back.”
Jaemi looks at me with sympathy. “Tell me more.”
I watch as Jaemi shifts her position towards me. Should I? Well, we're almost strangers... and we're going to be together for a while, I might as well get it over with.
“Gaejin is too young to remember. We’ve been here for almost forever. I was only seven then and Gaejin was still a baby. Our mother grew ill from a rare, contagious disease. Our father ran away from our family the minute he found out my mother was pregnant with Gaejin. I don’t know why, but it came out to be like that.” I explain. “And since we had no relatives, we were sent here… or we would’ve caught the same disease as our mother.”
“Oh.” Jaemi says, looking down. “I’m sorry to ask.”
“It’s okay.” I smile and see her nod. “I’ll ‘forgive’ you if you tell about your story.”
Taehyung and Hoseok join us. I nonchalantly chuckle.
Jaemi sighs as she knows she’ll have to explain to all of us her situation.
------
Jaemi’s POV
As I explain how I ended up at this orphanage, I watch all three of them lurk closer to me. It’s like I’m telling a story to children. But… I look into their dull eyes. The innocence in their eyes are gone. They’ve gone through a lot. Stop judging, Jaemi. Get to know them more first.
“Children!” Byeol calls for all of us. “Dinner is ready!”
The children scream in content and run towards the dining hall.
“C’mon.” Taehyung holds his hand towards me, very gentleman-like. “Let’s go get dinner.”
I sigh in regret as I accept his gesture. Taehyung and I leave first. He holds my hand and lightly tugs me down the yard. He carries my bag with his other free hand.
------
Hoseok’s POV
Seokjin laughs. “What is he doing.”
“It’s his first love. Let him be.” I shrug. “We’re all waiting for that ‘special girl’ to come. I guess Taehyung thinks it’s Jaemi.”
“You think?” Seokjin retorts.
We watch as Taehyung plays cute with Jaemi as they make their way to the dining hall.
“What you think Jaemi makes of this?” I ask. “Can you see her face?”
“No.” Seokjin shrugs. “She’s not backing away from Taehyung’s stupid actions, so I bet she’s enjoying herself just as much as he is.”
“I hope so… we both know what Taehyung will do if he gets rejected.”
Notes
Hey readers.
I know, I know, this chapter is EXTREMELY boring. I literally was too lazy to update in general. BUT HERE I AM!
I'm flying out to Korea for a wedding this weekend, on top of that, I have finals in two weeks. FML. I'm going to be so jet-lagged. I'm planning on giving two updates on Friday if all goes well. I'm sorry if any of you were waiting for an update, though I highly doubt it.
This chapter introduces Gaejin and Seokjin's background story. It also reveals Hoseok and his carelessness, on top of that, the reveal of Taehyung's first love. Yes, he is going to be the character going through his first love. Well, they all are going through their first love, but because of Taehyungs personality, he'll think its the end of the world if Jaemi rejects him. Sorry for blabbering.
See you in the next chapter~
~Alexis Thao
P.S. My korean name is Aejeong. 애정. Which means "affection" in english. Yeah... I don't want people calling me "affection" in english lmao.
I'm seriously fangirling it's just-
5/16/18