It was 3 pm in the afternoon. Eleanor and her mom were already discussing what they'd have for dinner that evening. She told her mom that her friends were coming over by 3:30 pm. Her mom agreed and headed out to the store to get the groceries she'd use for today's dinner.
The girls got there with their laptops, bit they didn't have a good look on their faces. She noticed this and decided to ask you them what was the problem.
"Yo! 'Sup?! Why are you guys looking like that, something wrong ?"
"Umm… kinda. So Sophia and I kinda did the research and… it didn't go well…"
"What did you guys find?"
She asked this with a worried face. The girl's proceeded imside her room, plopped themselves on her king sized bed, opened their laptops and showed her what they found out about Korea. There were many articles saying different things: High Racism Of South Korea; One Of The Top Most Strict Educational Systems In The World. Seeing this Eleanor froze in shock and then made a hopeless face and laid face-up on her bed. The others did the same.
"El, it's not gonna be that bad, okay? You know how social media is, very sketchy and fake! You don't have to believe them. Soph and I gotcha"
"Wow. Just, wow. First I don't wanna move but now the country doesn't like staying around with people of other races?! And now what's about the strict educational system stuff?"
"Uhh, I guess that means it's gonna be a lot harder that Australia's education system. Probably with higher pass scores and stuff. Besides, you're a great at studies, right Emily?"
"Right! So you'll do just fine okay. There's nothing to worry about"
"I really hope there's NOTHING to worry about. Really want a good and normal life there, not some racist classmates staring at me weirdly…"
"Awwn, Elly. We're always gonna be there for you even though it might not be physically, but you'll be able to face time is whenever you're free"
After Sophia said this, they all had a group hug and go t themselves some snacks from the fridge. They hug out for some time the Emily and Sophia left to their respective houses. Eleanor's mom got home and they cooked dinner together. During dinner, she told her mom about the research her friends made. Her mom was shocked but assured her that it might just be a scam and that there may not be so many racists there. Eleanor was introverted so she didn't mind much about not having many friends in Korea she just didn't want to be talked bad about. Then her mom mentioned something that spoilt her whole mood.
"El, you know how I told you that I'd tell Aunt Min-Hye to set up an extra room for you…"
"Yeah… what about it? "
"You're gonna have to share a room with Jung-kook. She says she can't make an extra room, you'll have to share with Jung-kook"
Eleanor let out a big sigh.
"Fine"
"Thank you. Your dad would have been very proud of you if he got to see you like this"
"Yeah… he probably would"
Her rather died as a result of heart attack when she was seven years old. He died right in front of her.
FLASHBACK
"Eleanor stop running come back here! You know I'll still catch you Jo matter how fast you run my little muffin"
"Yeah, yeah. Then catch me already"
Her father falls to the ground and Eleanor thinks he's pretending so that she'll try to help him out and in the process he'll catch her.
"Eleanor! Help! Ahh!"
"I'm not falling for any of your tricks this time around, I'm not a baby anymore"
"El- Eleanor. I'm not joking please help me"
"Dad, why are you holding your chest like that and why are you whispering to me"
"Call the ambulance…"
Those were the last words Eleanor heard from her father. Even though the ambulance came and ran many tests, he was gone and that was it.
FLASHBACK ENDS …
Today, Eleanor still hlames herself for her dad's death. She was just a kid and probably didn't know much about diseases and stuff. Her mom still tells her that it's not her fault because she was still little at that time. Eleanor still loves her father and wished he was still there with her and her mom.
After dinner, Eleanor face-timed ther friends goodnight and also went to bed. She couldn't sleep peacefully because she kept thinking of what her life would be in Korea. She didn't plan having too many friends there but still she didn't want to look like an alien to them, she just had hope for the best.
Eleanor woke up at 2:00 am in the morning and couldn't sleep. She decided to facetime Dylan who was always available at midnight
"Hey Dylan"
"What's up El? You never call at midnight, something wrong?"
"I'm moving to Korea soon"
"Really? I was really looking forward to ruffling your hair again"
"Ugh. Could you be serious for one frickin' second?"
"Okay, so what's up?"
"I dunno, I just don't feel like myself. I feel... empty"
"Been there. Is it coz you're moving?"
"Yeah. Hey, you've been to Korea. Got a few words of advice for me when I get there"
"Well, my general information about Koreans I'd that they are really nice and can be really sketchy and pretentious when it comes to foreigners. And before I forget, they love second chances so give them one. They'll make great use of it. Just be careful, you never know who is the wolf, you know?"
"Yeah, people of our generation are really scary. hard to even find people to trust."
"But just remember that in all sadness, try to find the tiniest thing that would make you happy"
"Thanks bro. I'm gonna miss you a lot... a whole lot"
"Me too. Just make sure to face time me at least once a week so I don't forget what you look like"
"Ugh. Can you be more annoying than this right now"
"How much annoyance do you want? I could give you a 80% bonus of annoyance."
"Bye. Goodnight you nocturnal bat"
She ended the call and felt happy after that. Dylan just lightens up her mood when she's gloomy or empty. He was one of the best persons to talk to in such situations. She slept peacefully feeling kind of relieved that Korea might not be as bad as she thinks.