Chapter 1

~*~

The streets were far too loud, and the clashing noises were beginning to hurt Lee’s ears. He clung to his mother’s side, practically squeezing the life out of her fingers with his own. He pressed into her side, big eyes darting out in all directions, the thought of so many people in one place beginning to frighten him. Lee felt choked, the dirty air seeping into his tiny lungs, making it next to impossible to breathe. There were too many people in China, closing in on him, squeezing the very life out of Lee. He didn’t like this at all.

At first, when his mother had announced that she had been transferred, Lee was very excited for her. The thought of leaving Seoul, and starting a life somewhere fresh excited Lee, much like the adventures the heroes in the books he read would go off on, exploring new worlds. Lee didn’t sleep a wink the night before their flight. Of course, he hadn’t wanted to leave his friends, but he didn’t say so, wanting to support her.

She had awoken him bright and early the next morning. He had yawned rather widely as she laid out his clothes for him, telling him to be quick.

Lee’s curiosity had been replaced by momentary fear the moment they stepped off of the plane, and onto the bustling streets of Shanghai.

Only one thought ribboned its way through Lee’s curious mind.

So many people.

“Stay close to me, Lee.” His mother said, but of course this was a silly suggestion, given that if Lee squished himself any closer to her, his face would be smothered in her dark blue blazer, and he would be unable to breathe.

He scrambled for his brave face, wanting to look big for his mother, not wanting her to have to worry about him.

He reached up, tugging the fringe of his dark hair, dark eyes darting in all directions.

He caught the eyes of an old man, huddled in the corner of the street. His wrinkled lips curled into a smile, and Lee clung to his mother even tighter than before, all efforts of his brave face smothered away.

~*~

They had finally reached the apartment block that was soon to be their new home. Lee’s mother reached inside of her purse, rummaging around for something as Lee looked about. He felt something furry rub up against his leg, and he looked down to find a small yellow cat. It looked up at him, and mewed, its green eyes wide. Lee sank down on his knees, reaching out thin fingers to pat it. He ran them down its back, and it closed its eyes, seemingly pleased. He circled his fingers loosely around its tail, running them up its length. He was scratching its chin with his index finger and it had begun to purr when he heard the lock pop.

“Lee.” His mother sighed softly, and he felt a long pair of fingers curl around his arm, tugging him away from the animal. “You don’t know where that’s been.” Lee’s mother’s voice was soft, kind even. When Lee got into trouble, he didn’t even feel like he was being scolded, more like pointed towards the right direction.

She pushed open the door, and they entered their new home.

“Mama, can we get a cat?” his voice was small, because he was afraid of the answer.

Lee’s mother strode slowly across the kitchen, setting her purse lightly on the wooden countertop, placing both palms on the edges of the surface, heaving a mighty sigh, happy that they were finally done bustling about.

Her beautiful eyes settled lightly on Lee, who stood in the center of the kitchen, rubbing his elbow with his thumb.

She tilted her head, dazzling Lee with her beautiful smile. “We can definitely try.” She replied, moving out from behind the counter, sauntering over to where Lee was perched. She knelt down to Lee’s level, her business skirt rising a few centimeters. “Let’s just get settled in first, ok?”

Lee nodded profusely, relishing in the idea of having a pet. His mother rose from the ground, the sound of her heels clicking across the tiled floor as she made her way into their new living room.

Lee went across the room to investigate his new room. He pushed the door open, which squeaked lowly. He entered it, his eyes skating the length of the room. Lee plopped down on the bed, the impact pushing out a small breath of air. His eyes floated up to the ceiling, fixing on a small crack that had nestled its way into the ceiling.

He pursed his lips as his mind filled with what was inevitably going to happen in just a few months.

The first day of school.

Lee hated school, with a burning passion that should’ve been considered sinful. Lee rolled over onto his stomach, smothering his face into his pillow, pushing every thought of school out his mind.

~*~

The remainder of the day steamed away like hot water, and night had already fallen. Lee was in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. His tummy was full from a very delicious dinner, and normally, when Lee was full, he fell right asleep.

Except for tonight.

So many things were keeping him up. He wasn’t used to sleeping in a place he wasn’t familiar with, he missed his friends, and his room was much too hot.

Lee peeled off the hot covers, shimmying out of bed. He listened to the pitter patter of his own feet as he padded across the floor, reaching up to pull the door open. His mother’s new room was located just outside of his own, which Lee found quite convenient.

Pushing the door open that led to his mother’s room, he entered quietly, wondering if his mother had already fallen asleep.

“Mommy?” he whispered, loud enough that if she was awake she’d hear, yet low enough that it wouldn’t wake her if she wasn’t.

“Come here, baby.” Her soft voice floated up out of the darkness, and a smile found its way upon Lee’s lips as he made his way across the room, up to the empty side of the bed.

Lee clambered onto the bed, snuggling deeply into his mother’s warm side, nuzzling his chin into her chest. Her night shirt scratched his cheek, but he didn’t mind. His mother’s arm was wrapped securely around his body, pulling him safely into her. He liked the way his mother smelled. Lee had his mother’s scent memorized. If someone were to ask Lee what the smell was, he would not be able to answer. Lee didn’t even have a name for it. He couldn’t even describe it to himself. He just thought it was the most wonderful smell in the world. He’d stuff it to the back of his mind for safe keeping, only retrieving it when he felt antsy or when he felt his chest rumble with sobs threatening to break through. When his mother could not comfort him with her wonderful hugs, Lee made a habit of closing his eyes, imagining his mother’s scent filling up his mind like a lovely perfume, filling up every crevice of his tired mind.

Lee was proud of himself for doing so, because he knew other boys his age would throw a tantrum every time they got upset.

But not Lee.

“You’re very mature for your age.” His mother had said once, right after pressing a soft kiss into his cheek. Lee remembered nearly boiling over with pride. Of course, he had stuffed it back down, because he didn’t want his mother to take it back. He quietly continued to buzz with it however, once he realized he didn’t have to ask his mother what mature meant.

 “I want to go home.” His voice came out muffled, because he had pressed his lips into his mother’s shirt.

He felt his mother’s chest rise and fall in a sigh.

“I know, baby.” Her voice was soft and smooth, like silk. It always worked like magic on Lee, when he was feeling exceptionally upset. It didn’t take much for his mother to calm him down.

“But you have to try to make this your new home.” Her voice came out in a comforting whisper, making Lee want to abide by her wishes.

“China’s too busy.” Lee mumbled, lifting a fist to rub his eye, because he was becoming very sleepy.

A soft rumble emerged from his mother’s chest in a light chuckle. “I know baby, but you’ll get used to that.” Her voice became thick, and Lee knew his mother was very tired from the day’s events. He suddenly felt bothersome, so he pushed himself up off of her, plopping down on his bottom, peering at her through hooded eyes.

“I’m going to go to my own bed now.” he announced, trying to sound mature. His mother looked at him with tired, yet bright eyes. He was suddenly reminded of how sad she used to be, and only as of late, she had finally started being happy again.

Lee had missed her smile terribly.

He pushed himself off of the bed, bidding his mother goodnight before shutting the door behind him. Groping his way through the dark, he found his own bed, planting his tiny palms into the mattress to push himself up onto it.

Once he had pulled the sheets up to his chin, his eyes fixed on the darkness, staring thoughtfully into nothingness. Lee was grateful that they had moved during summer, putting off the dreads of school, and the lonely feeling that came along with it. Lee had all summer to make friends. His chest swelled with a cloudy feeling as a horrid thought crossed his mind. Was he going to make friends?

Lee shoved this forbidden thought to the back of his tired mind, yawning rather widely, the jet-laggedness of the flight finally catching up with him.

~*~

Lee was woken the next morning with a wonderful smell that had enveloped his room, along with the sunshine that spilled in through his window so freely, filling up every crevice of his room.

He dashed into the kitchen, just as his mother was setting the soup pot on the center of the table. As he flew across the room, she scooped the ladle into the soup, pouring a heaping amount into the bowl at his side of the table.

Plopping down on his chair, his tongue lapped out to lick his lips as the steam of the soup engulfed his senses.

As if things couldn’t be more perfect, his mother set down a heaping bowl of white rice, steaming hot. Lee looked up at his mother, her cheeks rosy from the heat of the food.

His mother was always one to be fascinated with culture, and Lee knew she had been very excited to try China’s treasured cuisine. Lee, on the other hand, liked the food he was raised on, not one to stray from the Korean delicacies. His mother knew this, and this was one of the many reasons why Lee loved his mother.

He picked up his silver spoon, dipping into the soup, watching as the metal handle began to fog up from the steam. His mother sat down in the chair to his right, filling up her own bowl. Sucking the liquid free of the spoon, it was very hot, but Lee didn’t care. It was much too good to complain about the temperature. The hot liquid slid past his tongue, igniting his senses, sliding down his throat.

“I noticed there was a little playground right outside the apartment building.” His mother suggested, picking up her own spoon.

Lee’s cheeks had now started to swell with the immense amount of rice he’d stuffed them with. His eyes widened exceptionally at the sound of a playground, where chances of there being a swing set was great.

At their old home, the nearest playground was a good four blocks, and if Lee was desperate enough, he’d walk there around midday, just after he’d finished his homework, otherwise his mother wouldn’t allow him to go.

So the thought of a next-door playground, was beyond Lee’s wildest expectations.

Too soon, breakfast was over, and mother was off to prepare a presentation she had to give the next day. Lee took this as the perfect opportunity to disappear off to the playground, not wanting to bother her as she worked.

After informing as to where he’d be, he whipped the door open, dashing off to the said playground. The bright day brought on a cooling breeze, and it slithered through Lee’s hair, cooling his scalp. The air in the apartment had become stiff and hot from breakfast, and Lee was grateful for the fresh air. It seemed unusually cool for a summer day.

His eyes settled on the playground, nestled right where his mother had said. Dark eyes lighting up when they rested on the alleged swing set, he dug his heel in the dirt, quickly closing the distance between himself and the swing that was just simply calling out for him.

The chain was rough against his palms, and his grip tightened as he heaved himself onto the plastic seat. It fit snuggly around his bottom, the chains squeaking as it swayed with its newly acquired cargo. Lee began to hum to himself as he swung his legs back and forth, gaining momentum. When Lee was younger, he liked to think that if he swung high enough, he’d sprout wings, and soar off into the sky. He’d sometimes find himself outside on his swing set back home when his mother and father were having one of their fights. It was those times that Lee wished with all his might that he could sprout wings, and fly away.

The wind began to whip through his hair, pulling it back from his forehead. He closed his eyes, letting his stomach rise and fall comfortably as he swung back and forth, back and forth. The wind ruffled through his blue T-shirt, pulling it up over his tummy.

His aunt would often come outside to comfort him, speaking softly to him as he swung harder and harder, clamping his teeth together, because his chest would begin to rumble, tears threatening to break through. Lee would not allow them to however, because his father always told him that real men didn’t cry.

Lee wanted to be a real man.

Sometimes, only Aunt Yuri could calm him down, speaking pretty words to Lee. Sometimes he’d even sit in her lap, playing with the little gold bracelet around her small wrist.

It was about eight months ago when his aunt became sick. Lee didn’t know what it was, but he knew it was bad, because his mother would go away a lot, going to his aunt’s house.

When his mother received the promotion at work, she told Aunt Yuri that she was going to turn it down. She was going to stay in Seoul so she could tend to her sister.

Aunt Yuri wouldn’t have it, she told Lee’s mother not to be ridiculous, to take the job. Lee had peaked out from behind the doorframe, reaching up to press his fingers into the wood as he listened to them. Lee’s mother had continued to object, but her heart always seemed to melt for Aunt Yuri, always wanting her to have her way. Aunt Yuri had said something about how Lee’s mother had her whole life ahead of her. Lee wasn’t sure what she meant by this, because Aunt Yuri was very young too, with her whole life ahead of her as well.

Lee’s hands began to grow sore from holding the chains so tight, and he figured it was time for a break. Slamming his heels into the gravel, he quickly came to a shuddering stop. Peeling himself free of the swing, he stood up straight, rubbing his palms along his shorts, trying to relieve them a bit of the tightness that his fingers felt.

He spotted a very nice looking place off behind the playground. From what Lee could see, it looked like a woods, and Lee’s heart leapt within his ribcage with excitement, the thought of adventure arising within his mind. He set forward, biting his lower lip with curiosity as he buried himself within the looming trees. It was dark, because the big green leaves forbade the sun to break through, an eerie feeling descending upon Lee like a fog. But he didn’t mind at all. He preferred it that way actually. Made him feel like an explorer, who was destined to discover a whole new world.

The crunches and snaps of the twigs beneath his feet filled his ears as he made his way deeper into the woods.

Woods.

Lee chewed on the word as his eyes darted out in all directions. He’d never been in such a place before. In Seoul, they lived in the heart of the bustling city, no such thing as a tree existing within a ten mile radius.

His fingertips began to buzz the deeper he burrowed, the thought of exploring making him all tingly. He did his best not to get dirty though, because his mother might be upset if he came home traipsing dirt through the apartment.

There was one part of the wooded area where the sun peaked through, as if the woods allowed the sun one little spot to shine in.

It took advantage of this, the liquid gold spilling through the leaves, leaking into the leaves and twigs and rocks on the ground.

Lee stepped into the gold, squinting his eyes a bit from the sudden light.

“Who are you?”

Lee nearly jumped out of his skin from the voice that brightly popped out of nowhere. He flung around, towards the direction from which it emerged.

His eyes fell on a tree, but no one was there. Slowly, his eyes floated up to the branches, finding a small boy perched happily on a branch, his small fingers curled around a smaller branch right above him. He was peering down at Lee with the widest eyes he had ever seen. They were very dark, filled with such curiosity. The boy cocked his head, and Lee realized he hadn’t answered his question.

“Lee.” Lee replied, still slightly shaken from the boy’s sudden appearance.

He had dark brown hair, almost black, but not quite. He had a very round face, his cheeks still cursed with the chubbiness that baby’s bore. He looked to be about six years old. He looked very small, and Lee found himself slightly worried that he was settled so high in the tree.

The boy leaned down a bit, scoping out Lee, who stared back blankly.

“That can’t be your real name.” the boy objected rather bluntly. He blinked at Lee, clearly expecting something else.

Lee sighed, rolling his eyes, not particularly favoring this boy’s persistence.

“Lee Chin-Ho.”

The boy’s eyebrows furrowed as he studied Lee, still perched comfortably on the branch. It was as if he belonged there.

“Why do you go by Lee, then?”

Lee caught himself wondering what he’d done to deserve to be pestered by this strange boy.

“Because I don’t like my name.” Lee mumbled. Lee hated his name. The way it sloppily slipped off of the tongue of anyone who spoke it.

The boy straightened up, his eyes floating up to the sky, as if thinking about something.

“Lee Chin-Ho.” Lee’s full name rolled freely off of Han’s pink tongue, as if tasting it.

“Sound’s fine to me.” The boy shrugged his little shoulders, turning his body to the side, clambering skillfully down the tree.

He hopped to the ground, peering up at Lee with naturally wide eyes.

“I’m Han.” The boy said rather bubbly, as if Lee cared.

Lee fixed his eyes on the boy, his lips pursed into a thin line. This boy was annoying him. Lee wanted to make friends of course, but with children his own age, not with annoying little boys who were two years younger than him.

“How come I’ve never seen you before?” the boy reached up, smoothing out his red shirt, which had wrinkled from his dangerous climb.

Lee shifted, His mind buzzing with possibilities of how to get rid of this kid.

“Because I recently moved in.”

The boy’s eyes widened even more, as if this bit of information was actually fascinating.

“Oh really? Where did you move from?”

This was why Lee didn’t want to be friends with boys like Han. Too many questions.

“South Korea.”

Han seemed rather impressed with this answer. “Wow! That’s a long way from here!”

It took every bit of will for Lee not to roll his eyes again. His mother had taught him to be mannerly, and he knew better than this. But this boy’s enthusiasm was really starting to get on his nerves.

“When did you get to Shanghai?” the boy pressed, clearly interested in Lee’s entire life story.

The boy sank to the ground, crouching on his haunches as he plunged his hands into the dirt. Lee furrowed his brow, his mouth twitching at Han’s apparent desire to get extremely dirty.

“Um, yesterday.” Lee stuck his hands into his pockets, eyeing the boy as Han began gathering rock and twigs, preparing to build a tiny fort.

“Was it a long flight?” Han captured a rather large rock, plopping it down right in front of him.

“Yes it was.” Lee replied simply, his eyes floating to the sky, his chest beginning to swell with annoyance.

“Did you sleep on the plane?” The boy suggested, his hair having fallen in his face as he busied himself with a very long stick.

Lee chewed his lip, the annoyance turning to bitterness. “Yeah.” Within his pocket, he rubbed his index finger and thumb together, feeling the warmth of the friction.

“Are you still tired?” Han had given up on the fort, and was now drawing pictures in the loose dirt with his newly acquired stick.

“Where do you live?” Han had created a rather impressive mess of squiggly lines, having scratched out his previous art piece.

Lee curled his toes, holding back the urge to whack the boy.

“In the apartment block right outside of here.” Lee realized this was the longest sentence he’s uttered since he’s met the boy.

“Oh, that’s a nice apartment building.”

This was hardly true, given that the door creaked and the tiles squeaked.

“I live over by the market on the other side of the street.”

Lee wanted to fling Han away. Lee was a big boy. He didn’t have time for babies like Han.

Han tore away from his dirty artwork, glancing up at Lee, who desperately tried to hide his fuming attitude.

Lee didn't want to put up with Han anymore. He was tired. Most importantly, he was hungry. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been out here, but he knew it was a long time, and it was probably time for lunch. He figured his mother at this very moment, was filling bowl to the brim with soup, and setting it on the table.

 

“Um, I have to go.” Lee said awkwardly, shifting from one foot to the other. Han’s tongue was tucked tightly between his teeth, the pink tip of it peeking through his lips.

 

“Oh. Well ok.” Han’s shoulders, along with his bubbliness, fell a bit, and Lee caught himself feeling guilty. Lee wondered if he had been too short. He quickly tried to think of something to bring Han’s spirits back up.

 

“Maybe I’ll see you again.” Lee bit at the words as they escaped from his lips, immediately regretting it.

 

No doubt Han loved this idea, because he perked up immediately, that ridiculous smile returning to his splotchy face.

 

“You promise?”

 

‘No, I don’t promise.’ Lee thought to himself.

 

“I promise.”

 

This caused Han’s smile to widen, and a strange warmth ran through Lee’s chest, and Lee caught himself thinking that, just maybe, Han wasn’t that bad after all.

~*~

Reviews

[RainDancer1997]

Ok, first I want to say this is really good:) Then I wanna give u some friendly advice:) In some places where you have comma's I would advise u to go back and replace them with periods. Because you have some run-on sentences, and also because periods give the reader a chance to take a second and comprehend everything that's going on:) Anyways it was interesting:)