Just Before Turning Seventeen (1)
It was late February, just three days before the high school entrance ceremony. On this Sunday morning, our house should have been quiet, but everyone in my family—including me—was moving around busily. The reason was simple. My parents’ assignment to the U.S. Embassy, originally scheduled for sometime in March, had been moved up dramatically. In just two hours, they had to board a plane and leave the country.
“Honey, did you forget anything? Passport, ID, all that stuff—did you pack everything?”
“I’ve got all mine. What about you, Eunhye? Double-check and make sure you didn’t miss anything.”
“Passport, check. ID, check. Wallet, check. Phone… Huh? Where did I put my phone?”
“Here, Mom. You left it on the living room sofa.”
“Ah, thank you~ My Wooju is the best after all~”
Mom must have already started using English because she was about to go to America. Instead of saying “thank you,” she said “thank you” as she took the phone from me. She carefully slipped it into the crossbody pouch she wore around her chest, then gently tugged the strap and looked at me.
“But Wooju, are you really okay with this? Even now, do you want to come with Mom and Dad to America?”
“Eunhye, are you bringing that up again? We already settled this.”
Dad jumped in right as I was struggling to find the right words. Mom pouted her lips.
“We settled it, but I can still ask, can’t I? And who knows? Maybe Wooju’s heart changed in the meantime and he suddenly wants to come with us. Right, Wooju?”
“Son, just bear with her. Your mom can be pretty persistent. She doesn’t listen when people talk and only says what she wants. And she’s got such a big nose for other people’s business… Ah, ow!”
“…Are you really going to keep saying weird things in front of our Wooju?”
“Ow, ow…! I surrender, I surrender—! Eunhye, if you pull there, my skin’s gonna stretch…!”
Even though they were getting older, my parents were still the same. They were about to turn forty and were the same age, so their little marital spat felt a bit childish. But the thought that once Mom and Dad left for America, I wouldn’t see this kind of scene for at least a year made my chest feel strangely unsettled.
I wasn’t sad or upset about living apart from them. After all, I was the one who chose to stay in Korea. But how should I put it? I guess… I was just a little sorry about it. Yeah, it would be weirder if I wasn’t sorry. We weren’t a cold family. We were really close and made sure to go out together at least once a month.
…That’s probably going to stop for a while too.
While I was lost in these sudden emotions, Mom’s voice called out to me. She had already let go of Dad’s collar and was standing with her arms lightly spread open.
“…What?”
“What do you mean, what? Mom just wants to hug her Wooju one more time.”
She wiggled her fingers as if telling me to come and get hugged. Since I hadn’t done any direct skinship with my parents after becoming a middle schooler, I hesitated and couldn’t approach right away. Dad, standing beside her, let out a small chuckle.
“Wooju, your mom says she wants to hug her son. Go give her a proper one.”
“Uh, um…”
“What, you don’t want to? Are you too old now to feel embarrassed about hugging?”
“No, it’s not that I’m embarrassed…”
It just felt new because we never did it anymore.
“If you’re not embarrassed, then hug her. Who knows? This might be the last hug between mother and son.”
“Wait, why would it be the last hug?”
“Because no one knows what could happen once you leave. The plane could get hijacked, there could be a terrorist attack at the embassy, or if not that, a sudden car accident on the way… Ack!”
“Hey, Siwon Ju! Watch your mouth! I told you to be careful with that mouth of yours, didn’t I?!”
“……”
If there was one thing I understood clearly, it was that my occasional slip-ups were one hundred percent because of Dad’s influence.
“Saying stuff like that in front of your own son! Siwon Ju, I swear today I’m going to—!”
“Mom.”
Before they could start fighting again, I took a step forward and gently wrapped my arms around her.
“Take care of yourselves. If anything happens, call me right away. I’ll come straight there.”
“…This kid. What could a seventeen-year-old possibly do even if he came all the way to America?”
Her words sounded a little curt, but her mood had clearly softened. She hugged me back tenderly. We stayed like that for about five seconds before slowly pulling apart.
“Still, thank you for saying that. Our Wooju has really grown up, hasn’t he?”
“It’s all thanks to you and Dad raising me so well.”
“…Oh my. How does our Wooju speak so sweetly? It’s amazing how different he is from your father.”
Mom looked up at me with eyes that seemed to say, I raised at least one good son, didn’t I? It was a compliment, but I felt awkward agreeing, so I just smiled back. Dad, who had been quietly watching, cleared his throat and stepped closer.
“Son, let Dad have a hug too.”
“Ah, sure.”
I was pulled into Dad’s arms. At nearly 190 centimeters tall, he was half a head taller than me. Unlike Mom’s soft embrace, Dad’s whole body was solid muscle, so being hugged by him was a bit strenuous. Still, I stayed still and didn’t let it show.
“Son, you’ll be fine living without Mom and Dad, right?”
“Yes, don’t worry. I’ll keep to a regular schedule even without you two.”
“Good. Dad will trust you and head off then.”
Just like Dad said while hugging me, it was time for them to leave. They had to go through complicated procedures at the airport, and unexpected things could happen, so it was better to arrive early.
“Should I go with you to the airport?”
“Oh, would you? Wooju, want to come to the airport with Mom and Dad?”
“No, just stay home. Even if we take a taxi there, the problem is coming back. If you get unlucky, you’ll have to wait over an hour for the bus.”
“Why take the bus? Just send him back by taxi.”
“Do you know how far it is? A one-way trip costs at least twenty thousand won. With that money, Wooju could just buy himself some chicken. Stop talking nonsense and let’s go.”
“Ugh, Siwon Ju, you’re so annoying… Wooju, Mom’s leaving now. Stay healthy and make sure you answer my calls once a week, okay?”
“Yeah… I will.”
Mom, who had been acting cute while complaining to Dad, opened the front door and stepped out first. I stood a little distance away, quietly watching her back.
“…Oh, son?”
Dad glanced at Mom to make sure she was out of earshot, then quickly came over to me.
“Here, take this.”
“Uh, what is this?”
“Dad’s credit card.”
“A credit card…?”
Why was he giving it to me? When I looked at him with that question in my eyes, Dad winked.
“Mom will send you living expenses every month, but food costs alone will add up. There won’t be much left over, and now that you’re a high schooler, you’ll have plenty of places to spend money.”
“Well, yeah, that’s true, but…”
“So if you need to buy anything, use Dad’s card. If you need extra allowance, just tell me. I’ll send it without Mom knowing.”
“…!”
Ah, so that’s what this card meant…! Only then did I understand Dad’s intentions. My hand trembled slightly as I accepted the card.
“Thank you, Dad. I mean, Father…!”
“Your mom’s calling. I’ll head out now. And don’t tell Mom I gave you the card. Got it?”
“Yes, I absolutely won’t say anything!”
“Good. Study hard. Even without Mom and Dad…”
“Ah, okay, okay! I’m coming!”
Dad strode quickly to the front door, handed me the card, and stepped outside. Then came the electronic beep and a heavy thud as the door closed.
“……”
I lowered my gaze. In my hand was a single card. The one Dad had secretly given me behind Mom’s back—a sleek black card with gold embroidery.
This is the famous…
Mom’s card? Or rather, Dad’s card? Mom had never been generous with money, so until now I had only ever received allowance and never a card. But now that I was actually holding one, just gripping it made me feel not just reassured, but downright wealthy.
So this was why kids always talked about “parents’ cards.”
I immediately went upstairs, placed the card in my wallet with the care of handling a sacred object, and set it reverently on my desk. I was just starting to wonder what I should use it for first when a thought suddenly stopped me.
I shouldn’t spend it too recklessly… right?
Dad had given me the card because he trusted me. I couldn’t just go wild.
“……”
Thinking about it again, that was definitely the case. He hadn’t given it to me to use however I wanted. It was probably meant as a last resort—something to use only when I couldn’t manage with my living expenses. So, to avoid disappointing the father who had trusted me, I needed to show restraint.
…Yeah, that’s right.
I shouldn’t get excited and waste money. Having reached that conclusion, I flopped down in the chair at my desk.
Just a little while ago the whole house had been noisy with my parents’ voices echoing up to the second floor, but now that they were gone, the house was deathly quiet.
“Mmm…”
Now what?
I had already finished all the homework Teacher Kim Yuna assigned yesterday, and of course there was no schoolwork yet. This was that floating period right before becoming a freshman.
“Maybe I’ll play some games…”
The thought crossed my mind for a second, but then I immediately thought, Games? What games? Truthfully, games hadn’t been fun lately. It would be better to go out and chat with my friends. Or maybe hang out with Aki.
…Now that I think of it, should I give her a call?
She sleeps a lot, but she should be up by now. The moment that thought occurred to me—
Ring ring, ring ring!
The phone next to my wallet started ringing. For a second I thought, Speak of the tiger and it appears—maybe it was Aki calling. I quickly checked the screen.
[Caller – Nam Jaehyun]
“…Ah.”
It was Jaehyun, not Aki. Without realizing it, I pursed my lips and answered the phone.
“Hello.”
[Ju Wooju, what are you doing?]
“Just at home. Why?”
[Really? Then let’s go to karaoke. Come out.]
“Dude, why karaoke at this hour…”
I was about to shoot back something like “Why are you even suggesting that?” when Jaehyun dropped the next line.
[The kids who are going to be in Class 2 of the first-year are meeting up at karaoke. The girls are coming too. So just come out.]
“…Wait, how many people are coming?”
[Including me, seven. With you, eight.]
Whoa, more than I thought. Or wait, if the class has about twenty people and less than half are showing up, maybe it’s actually not that many? Anyway, I glanced at the time and answered.
“Is the time set?”
[11:30. You coming?]
When I looked at the clock after hearing that, it was already 11:00. I didn’t know where the place was, but if I was going, I’d have to start getting ready right now to barely make it on time.
“What? There’s only thirty minutes left.”
[Your house is nearby anyway. It won’t even take ten minutes. You’re coming, right?]
“Wait, let me think for a second…”
[What is there to think about? You said you were just at home, so it doesn’t look like you have any other plans.]
“Who says I don’t have plans? Plans can pop up out of nowhere.”
[Whatever. Just come out. I’ll tell the others you’re coming. Hanging up—.]
“Hey, I didn’t say I was going ye—”
Click. The call ended.
I stared at the screen, dumbfounded by Jaehyun’s one-sided announcement. At that moment, the notification bar flashed and a KakaoTalk message arrived. When I checked, it was from Jaehyun. It simply said [Location is here] with a map attached showing where the soon-to-be first-year Class 2 was meeting.
This guy really doesn’t take no for an answer…
I hadn’t even said I would go, yet he sent the map like he’d been waiting to do it. A rebellious streak flared up and I almost replied [Nah, I’m not going. You guys have fun], but then I remembered what Jaehyun had said.
The kids who are going to be in Class 2 of the first-year are meeting up at karaoke. The girls are coming too.
“……”
Well… when I thought about it again, it did feel wrong to skip a get-together for the new class. It wasn’t that I was specifically curious about what kind of girls were coming to karaoke. Not at all.
Just… I was a little curious, that’s all. About what kind of friends would be in the same first-year Class 2 as me.
“…Where is this place?”
I slowly rose from my chair.