Few weeks later, the black haired woman returned to her sister's house, this time carrying some papers with her. The blonde sister unaware of everything was happy to receive her sister but when she noticed the grave expression of the black haired woman, her smile changed into that of confusion.
Then she was presented with the papers from the brown envelope that the sister of the blonde haired woman was carrying. There wasn't much change in the expression of the former. She read the lines on the paper, looked at her sister and asked; "Are you sure about this?"
"Positive."
The blonde sister wasted no time to sign away her only daughter to her own blood sibling.
From that day onwards the door of the blonde sibling and the door of the raven head sibling closed forever to each other not without a taunt from the former;
"Good bye to your married life!"
Emilia expected an earful from her aunt after she reached home when the storm finally calmed down. But she didn't! even when she entered the house still wearing Rio's loose clothes. Most of the time if she returned home in the morning after a long late night party, her aunt would give her an expression of disapproval, a dissatisfied shake of her head—which was weird considering how strict her aunt was while she grew up.
Emilia couldn't take it anymore so she blurted out because if she doesn't ask her now, she'll never have the courage to do it anymore; "Why aren't you saying anything?"
School was closed today because the old peach tree of the school campus has collapsed and requires time to clear up everything. She had received this message right after the internet connection was restored with her phone blowing up with countless of notifications from all kinds of social media.
"About what?" her aunt asked back.
"Are you seriously not gonna ask where I was for one day?"
"No? Because you sent me a text message through Whatsapp and left a voicemail which I checked right before my connection was cut off due to the storm and also Mrs. Okum informed me how she had sent you of all people to Rio Sanders house to deliver some notes—which I know weren't some. So yeah I'm not gonna ask anything.....even if you entered the house by wearing oversized boy's clothes."
"Okay..?" Emilia didn't pry further but the meal didn't continue in silence for long.
"Is he your friend?"
"Who?"
"The one whose clothes......"
"Ahh Rio?"
"Oh first name basis already....ah yes yes Rio Sanders."
"Oh um….we are friends yup we are and um, that is from my side I believe we are friends so uh I don't know if he believes me to be…uh his friend."
"Okay. Good."
No further conversations were exchanged after that between the aunt and the niece.
A day off from school might be a boon to some, while a curse to some others.
Seon Hul is sure that she fits right in the second category because she is surrounded by her two parents and her two brothers at the dinner table and for some reason she is at the center of their 'spotlight'.
The usual lonely table surely feels lively today.
Annoyingly lively.
It started with; "How is school?"
To which she replied; "The same."
"Yo—you're not getting bullied anymore, are you?" They finally decided to stop beating around the bush by using useless questions to her and hit the spot directly.
Wish they'd done that earlier.
"Nope. Not anymore."
Rather she's defending the bullied people from bullies.
"Are you really sure, byul-i? Ugh, wish they'd drop that stupid nickname already.
"I am."
"Tell us if anybody's bothering you, oppa will teach them a good lesson!" the older brother of Seon Hul spoke up with the middle brother nodding in approval, bringing a smile at their parents' face.
That lesson, you should've taught it back then when I was......…
Seon Hul put down her chopsticks loudly enough to break the 'amiable', 'cozy' atmosphere that was built up around the table.
"Ah! Kkamchaagiya! Ah wae?"
"I have finished my eating. I am going to my room." She didn't waste anymore of her time and retired to the upstairs of the house.
"Eomma, did I do anything wrong?"
"Aniyaa, don't mind her much, uri byul-i is in her puberty, so she's a bit rebellious eh?"
"What rebellious eomma….she looks quite punkish and rebellious enough with those piercings and pink hair. Oww!" Her mom probably slapped the arm of the middle sibling.
"Aigoo how many times do I have to tell you all to leave her be…."
Seon Hul didn't hear the rest of the conversation for she slammed the door of her bedroom shut quite loud enough for the people in the dining room to hear.
Seon Hul stood in front of her full length mirror of the room. Her pink hair, her piercings definitely depict the punk style but although it started with a wild, impulsive thought, it turned out actually pretty well for her. She had hated her dark hair, her nose, her face that she had inherited genealogically from her parents, at one point of her life but that impulsive decision of dying her hair screaming pink and piercing needles in her skin for piercings that earned her gasps, yells, threats from her parents and criticisms from her deadbeat relatives, turned out to be the best decision of her life.
It was hard at first, constantly feeling guilty of doing something her parents' approval but gradually when the nasty treatment due to her race stopped did she finally realize the fruit of all emotional upheaval.
Seon Hul was finally able to accept who she is.
People avoided her which didn't bother her at all. She just made sure to plaster an arrogant expression on her face all the time. Then slowly she started to familiarize herself with the 'popular bunch' of her middle school but never made an official debut in that group.
What really brought her solace was listening to music, especially the music of her motherland. Probably it was a blessing from her motherland that she got a friend like Emilia Johannes, the first native of this country to extend her hand of friendship towards her and they bonded over their similar taste in music. Seon Hul doesn't know about others but she likes Emilia because like her she too wears the mask of an extrovert, popular queen bee slut, yet on the inside, she is as true as nature.
It's not like she hates her family, she does loves them but it's just that she doesn't like them to pry in her life much when they didn't when she tried them too. That's why she prefers calm, quiet and peace. A knock interrupted her thoughts.
Without awaiting for her permission, the door was opened by her younger brother.
"Are you sure there are no boys in your life?" She didn't miss a beat from throwing a pillow at her sibling that sadly didn't hit him as he backed out before it could hit him.
"Kkeojyeo!"
Author's note:
I'll be posting the meaning of the foreign words that'll be used in the chapter after the end of it:
Kkamchaagiya--- you startled/ surprised me
wae-- meaning may differ based on which situation it'll be used, here it means what's matter with you
Eomma--- mom
Aniyaa-- no
uri-- affectionately, our
Kkeojyeo-- get lost, informal