Eunice's Point of View
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I felt weak all over my body. I couldn’t move. I wanted to, though. But it just would not budge. It felt difficult. And then, Jake walked into my room. The smell of the delicious dish of ramen noodles filled the air.
How did he know?
And then, he sat by my side on my bed. I woke up.
“Have I come at a bad time?” Jake asked.
I shook my head.
Jake smiled.
I ate the whole thing as my hunger calmed itself. After finishing the dish, I set it aside and then I laid back down. I hadn’t felt that happy in many years of my life. And my life was already rejoicing.
Jake then returned to my room. He saw the bowl of ramen noodles empty. And then, he saw me asleep. He wanted to be certain that I wouldn’t get hurt by my cruel tiger mother once again, so he stayed right by my side.
And then, I woke up feeling as if I had recovered from my severe hunger. I visited Jake in his room and jumped right on him in his bed. And we officially made love for the first time. But not really, since we were just kissing as we played underneath the bed sheets.
We went out to the streets of Itaewon. I remembered that my mother and father met while they were smoking in the middle of the intersection as high school students. And my father asked for a lighter. But he didn't do it to really flirt with my mother. He just wanted to resent his parents, who were my grandparents. Eomma was fifteen; Appa was twenty. He was also a college student like Jake.
Things were about to change in my life. And somehow, it was a good change, but at a terrifying time. It was while me and Jake were walking in the streets of Itaewon, when suddenly, the ground began to shake. And then, the sound of air raiding planes were heard.
What is happening?
We then took shelter in a traditional restaurant.
We had to hide under one of the tables.
Most of the inside was intact. But the sign had already been destroyed. I heard the sound of gunshots and bombings. I had seemed to have forgotten about the war between Genovia and Great Britain.
I was scared. But I had Jake right beside me, so I felt safe at the same time.
When we went out of cover, Jake noticed a couple that was standing in the middle of the intersection outside the restaurant. But what I didn’t know was that it was actually my mum and dad that were both at gunpoint. He then held me tightly in his arms, covering my eyes from the terrible scene. I didn’t know…that my parents were shot dead.
And then, chaos erupted.
All of the people were rushing to get home. I didn’t want to get trampled on by all of the people in Itaewon. I remembered how I lost my big cousin Huening Kai in this. He was trampled on. I remembered that there was blood all over his mouth and his head. It was terrifying to look at.
But I didn’t want Jake going through that same exact thing. He was the one person I never wanted to lose. EVER! When the crowd calmed down, it was safe for us to get out and come home.
We then returned to our apartment after the horrific tragedy in Itaewon. Jake rested his head on my shoulder. He then gave me a peck on my cheek, close to my ear. There was a knock on the door a little while later.
Jake answered and there was a police officer standing in front of him. They spoke for quite a while. Eventually, he came back inside the room. He gave off a frown.
“Your mum and dad…didn’t make it.”
I dropped to my knees…and broke down crying. He heard me whisper “thank you” in Korean.
“Why are you so thankful about this? Your parents are dead!”
I grabbed my new boyfriend by the shirt.
“You do not know how miserable I was! They were all pushy-wushy with me ever since my first day of preschool, where they would beat me under my buttlocks! I wanted so badly to get my revenge on them!”
“You wanted…revenge?”
“No one wants a pair of tigers in their families. I wanted love, not just education!”
We both smiled and laid our heads on top of each other.
I laid quietly in my bed. But…I felt as if something was missing. I felt empty inside my stomach. And just when I was about to sit up from my bed, I heard a familiar sound. A sound from a familiar instrument. I listened through the wall behind my bed…and heard the sound of the violin being played by the one and only Shim Jae-yun.
For some reason, I was completely serenaded by the violin’s delicate vibration. I had never felt this way before, about a version of a fancied carmel brown guitar…that happened to have such a straight- looking bow…without an arrow.
But now, I might have figured out how much this guy liked me so much. It’s just…so hard to explain!