Welcome To Seoul

Seoul was just as she had expected—unfamiliar. Its kind of rowdy atmosphere was far different from Elton. The stares they got from people were full of curiosity rather than malice, but it still made Maya uncomfortable. Her skin and that of her family were shades darker than the average Korean; her long, curly hair was also a giveaway that she didn’t belong here. One would wonder why Selene would choose Korea of all places to seek a fresh start.

“She got a good job here,” Nia said. Maya still had her doubts if that was the real reason behind their sudden move, but she made no complaint. The neighbourhood they were in was relatively private, with the houses all looking similar and with a good space between them. They had a lush garden at the front that would require proper maintenance to keep the flowers vibrant.

She didn’t have that many friends to begin with, so she had no one that would miss her. And this way, Evan wouldn’t bother her anymore. Maybe, just maybe, the change of space would do her some good. There was no Federico Cooper being detained in this town, so the thought of him escaping the mental ward and coming for her could be pushed to the very back of her mind.

“Hwanyeon ghamnida,” Maya was already halfway into the house when one of the neighbours, a middle-aged woman, came to greet them. She heard her mother struggling with a greeting while not having any knowledge of Korean. Thankfully, Mrs. Peng’s husband was British, so her English, while not completely coherent, was still alright. “It’s good to see new faces in the neighbourhood.”

Maya didn’t bother prying more into their conversation. She took her bag upstairs to her new room. It was smaller than her former room, with a king-sized bed shoved in a corner. A large drawer was positioned right next to a door that led to a shared bathroom with her sister. The window was bigger too, but the doors could easily be bolted shut. She did that first, ensuring to keep out any unwanted visitors. Not like there would be any, but she was just making sure. There was a small reading table and chair by the side, and an old rug at the foot of her bed. And finally, the large poster placed awkwardly at the top of the bed.

The poster was a bit crooked and was tearing at the edges. It was a pic of a handsome man striking a pose on a stage. His red hair fell messily over his face, so she couldn’t make out his appearance properly. He was sticking out his tongue and had an array of piercings decorating his ears and lower lip. A K-pop idol. Maya knew they called them that because Nia had been obsessed with them at one point.

With a roll of her eyes, she climbed the bed and tore off the poster. She disposed of it in the trashcan on her way downstairs to retrieve her other bag. She found her mother still talking enthusiastically with Mrs. Peng. This time around, the woman noticed her—Maya couldn’t have escaped without at least saying hi.

“Oh, what a beautiful daughter you have. Such nice skin and hair.” Maya found the compliment odd. Most people wouldn’t point out her features in a compliment, but she was open-minded to the difference in Korean culture compared to that in America. She accepted the compliment with a smile she hoped did not seem too forced.

“My daughter is also around your age. She should be back from school soon. I’ll send her over with my homemade kimchi fried rice.”

“Oh, there is really no need for the stress, Mrs. Peng.”

“It is no problem at all, Selene.” Mrs. Peng somehow managed not to butcher the name entirely; Selene was clearly pleased by this. “And please, call me Minji. If you need something, I am just down the street, the first house to your right.”

“Thank you so much.”

They spent the rest of the day unpacking. By 3 p.m., Maya had her room all sorted out and was in the kitchen making a light snack. There was a knock at the door, and as reluctant as she was, Maya still went to check. The blonde-haired girl outside the door smiled cheerfully at her.

“Hello, my name is Annabel. My mom says to bring you some kimchi fried rice. Hers is the best in the entire street. Trust me, you will like it.”

“Oh.” Maya didn’t mean to stare, but Annabel was incredibly beautiful. Though her obvious British features showed that she took after her father the most. How does she cope like this? With so many people staring, judging?

“You are…”

“Biracial? Yes, I am.”

“I was actually going to say you are very beautiful.”

“Oh.” Annabel clearly hadn’t expected the compliment. “Thanks. Sorry, I just get asked that question a lot. There aren’t a lot of kids like us around here. Imagine my joy when my eomma told me about you. Can I come in?”

“O… of course, sorry.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Maya stepped aside to let the girl in. Annabel’s gaze scanned the space as soon as she was inside.

“Woah, your house is so spacious. With the right decor, it should be banging.”

“Do you only speak English?”

“I speak Korean too, but only to my eomma.”

“I see.”

They went to the kitchen so Anna could store the kimchi in the fridge. Nia came into the room at that point and took notice of the guest—or to be exact, what she was wearing.

“Oh my God, is that a LYNX shirt? How did you manage to get one? I heard they won’t be out until next month!”

Anna looked down at her shirt and her face immediately brightened. She held the edge of the T-shirt proudly and did a little twirl. Nia clapped enthusiastically. Maya couldn’t for the life of her see anything special about the plain T-shirt with the word “LYNX” plastered in ugly fonts at the front.

“I freaking know, right? I had to fight tooth and nail for this. You are a fan of Dae-Soon too, right?”

“Fan? I can literally give my organs up for him!”

“Me too! His agency held some promo event. Guess freaking what—I got three tickets to his latest performance in Songpa-gu. I heard it’s going to be a private show, and only four lucky fans can get tickets for it.”

“Damn, you are so damn lucky. I would do anything to see Dae-Soon perform.” Nia had tears in her eyes. Whether from excitement or disappointment, Maya wasn’t sure. She had absolutely no idea who Dae was; perhaps she had seen pictures of him somewhere, just never cared to pay attention.

“You can totally go with me. I have three tickets with me.”

While Nia was screaming in excitement, Maya couldn’t help but ask,

“Why not go with your friends?” They’d only met once, after all. Why would Anna want to go with them?

“I would do that if I had any friends, that is.”

Oh, that was just sad. But Maya couldn’t even be surprised. She must be having a hard time socializing with people who viewed her so differently. Keep that aside, Maya had absolutely no intention of attending a concert, especially not for an artist she’d never heard of.

“That’s nice and all, Anna. I’m sure Nia would love to go with you.”

“You don’t want to go?” Anna picked up on her reluctance.

“I don’t like crowds.”

“It won’t be crowded,” Nia didn’t want to go alone either. “Anna said it’ll be a private performance. Besides, it will be so fun. I’m sure you’ll like it.”

“Nia, I don’t—”

“What’s going on?” Selene had come into the kitchen without any of them noticing. Maya sighed. At this point, she knew she’d lost the argument. Her mother would no doubt force her to go. It was all about coming out of her shell, as her therapist had so kindly put it.

“You should go,” Selene gestured over to Nia and Annabel. “Some fresh air would do you good. Plus, the girls need someone to keep an eye on them.”

Maya refrained from pointing out that Anna was the same age as her.

“Whatever.” If this had been Elton, she wouldn’t even consider it, but maybe this could be fun after all.