One Thing After Another

Surrounded by english speakers made me feel so nervously calm. I mean I can speak it of course. I found it super easy in school. I reckon one of my parents were European. I like to think they were anyway. I mean, my skin is so white I always assumed I was European. I don’t actually know what I am, or who I am.

It’s been this way for seventeen years.

Bullied for being white, bullied for being who I was. I used to cry in primary school, because I wondered why me, of all people, had they chosen to pick on. I stopped crying after I realised I couldn’t answer my own question. I didn’t know who I was, or where I felt like I belonged. Of course they kept picking on me, but ever since realising I couldn’t satisfy them, I ignored them. Focussed on something different. My daily diary was so important to me, and the few friends I had used to ask me to organise their parties. I felt purpose when they did this. When things were in order, I felt comfortable. Felt like my worries of never knowing who I truly am, faded away.

“Flight number 395, is starting to board,” the announcer voiced in. I switched my head up from looking at my planner a.k.a my sidekick. As the voice had said, my flight was boarding, so I packed away my planner and pen into my carry on bag, and stood up heading for the gate. I’m going back to mum and dad. Not home, but to a familiar place, with familiar people, and familiar streets and sights. Back to Uncle and his big plans for me. Back to reality.
I’m a student and a manager. Meaning no time for anything else normal teenagers do. Or at least what I believe to be normal, based on my two brothers activities. I like to think my parents had siblings, and that i’m not stuck with Sanghoon or Seokwoo as my siblings for the rest of my life. That I could maybe meet them some day.

“Ticket please ma’am.”
“Here you go,” I hand over my plane ticket to the air hostess. After checking it she guides me in the right direction of my seat. As I found the seat, I sighed at the sight of it. The middle seat… really? I sat down in it expecting annoyed people beside me immediately. I pulled out my earplugs while turning my phone onto airplane mode with the other hand. Turning on my favourite song at the moment, I pull out my Korean book for practise. I went through the phrases that I knew I would have forgotten over my time in America. Out of the corner of my eye I saw people sitting down on either side of me. Oh no. Now here’s the fun part, trying to not be too rude and not interacting with them, but not interacting too much.
“Oh, hello!” I heard the person on my left say in a whisper. I turned my head to see clock eyes. It’s… 10:10… from Seventeen. I blinked a couple times to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. I was a fan of them, I mean they were playing in my ears right now. I paused looking at his cute smiling face, feeling my heart race.
“Hi,” I said shyly, removing my earplugs to not look too rude. I adjusted in my seat awkwardly as he sat down next to me. I fiddled with my earplugs I had pulled out of my ears in my lap. At least it wasn’t a generic ‘annoying plane person’ but did it have to be Hoshi of all people?!
“Hansol-ah, I think she’s a foreigner. Can you speak to her?” Hoshi looked across my seat. Hansol?! Like Vernon? I looked to my right to see the half-american’s face looking at mine. My heart almost stopped at the sight of him. His clear skin glistening back at me made my average skin feel like I had bumps and lumps all over it in comparison to his.
“Oh, hello,” I bowed my head to him and spoke Korean. He smiled a little back and bowed his head as well. My heart could not stop pounding. I mean there are two good looking Korean Kpop idols sitting on either side of me. It was so loud I was scared they would hear it beating.
“I think she can speak Korean Soonyoung hyung,” he said looking across my seat to Hoshi.
“Oh, can you really?” Hoshi said to me with a slightly shocked face. I smiled a little and nodded.
“Yes, I can."
“Ah… sorry,” he smiled as he apologised, revealing his clock eyes again, making my heart start to speed up again, just when it was calming down a little.
“No it’s okay! I’m not Korean so I understand why you would get that idea,” I stuttered out slightly, shaking my hands and my head at him. I resumed to my book as they pulled out their phones and books as well. What felt like an awkward silence, started between us. I didn’t have the confidence to start any other conversation up. Maybe i’m the generic ‘annoying plane person’ in this situation. If I talk too much, they’ll think i’m weird. I had so many questions for them, as a fan. I resisted and focussed on my book fully.
“Where are you from may I ask?” Hoshi broke through the silence between us. I looked to him on my left finding his eyes gleaming back at me endearingly. I hated this question. I got it all the time. Though coming from Hoshi, it seemed less annoying. I stared at him for a bit, wondering how I should answer. From South Korea where my current parents are? Or from another distant country where my parents are from, which I have no idea is.
“Nowhere really,” I blurted out after a long silence. Realising how weird what I said was, I looked at Hoshi’s face to check I hadn’t freaked him out. With a surprised face, he blinked at me. I laughed out of awkwardness, and turned back to my phone and planner, distracting myself from how awful I made myself look in front of Hoshi.

I couldn’t believe I was about to manage the exact people I was sitting next to.

Notes

I dunno about this story but i'm giving it a shot.
If you liked this chapter show your love plz~ (cause i'm feeling unconfident about this)
Maybe i'll continue this if I feel like it'll be a nice story...