“Exactly like that.” Cahya chuckled.
“I don’t have time for a relationship I don’t even desire one in any way shape or form. I’m a ballerina married to my point shoes.” I cleared my throat.
“You’ve been saying that since you were like twelve, doesn’t it ever get…I don’t know…lonely?” Cahya pondered.
“I wouldn’t even have time for someone else in my life, it’s just not feasible,” I assured them. “Can’t remember the last time I had a crush.”
“I can.” Sydney smiled warmly then placed a comforting hand on my knee. “Yesoh, my sweet girl, you deserve more than that, and it doesn’t define your future romantic pursuits.”
“I won’t do it again, Syd,” I huffed.
“What in particular?” She questioned.
“Fall in love alone,” I explicated. “I cannot and will not do it. This time if I’m going to dive into the sea, I’ll make sure I stay afloat.”
“Does anyone wanna try Bintang beer?” Cahya asked Sydney, coming back to the table with two chilled glass bottles and an opener. “Yesoh, you can have a milkshake, I don’t know.”
“You don’t have to ask me twice,” Sydney mused, cracking the bottle open with her hundred-thousand-dollar teeth and Cahya chuckled.
For the first time in weeks, I felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders, like the ache of homesickness had quieted down, at least for now.
As we left the restaurant, my heart felt a little fuller. They hadn’t just taken me out to dinner; they’d given me a reminder of who I was and where I came from. And in that small, glowing restaurant in New York, surrounded by two of the most important people in my life, I felt a little bit of Jakarta, a little bit of home, right there with me. And add a time which I felt I knew nothing, I knew this: that I had been loved and greatly so.
14
One Of The Boys
Flashback summer ‘14
“I don’t want to wear this!” Bae whined tugging at her gown. “It’s itchy.”
“You say this about everything that isn’t pyjamas ,Bae-by,” I reminded her from my place on the couch, watching Mr Kwon and Beck try to fit her into her beautifully ornamented hanbok.
The Kwon mansion exuded warmth and tradition, combining modern comfort with Chuseok's rich cultural legacy. The living room, where the family frequently convened, was ornamentedwith gentle, golden lights that flickered like small stars, giving a peaceful glow over the area.
Chuseok, which is Korea’s harvest festival where families honor their ancestors, share traditional foods like songpyeon, and celebrate with rituals and games. It’s a time of gratitude and togetherness, but clearly the youngest Kwon sibling was neither.
Jiwon was sulking on the porch after being told by Mr Kwon that she couldn’t go ice skating on the frozen lake.
It’s far too dangerous,-he warned. She wasn’t one to heed warnings.
“Please stay still, otherwise the ropes will come undone,” Beck insisted, fumbling with the gown.
“You look really pretty, Bae,” I told her, trying my best to help ease the situation.
“Why can’t I just wear my normal clothes!” Bae huffed, and Mr Kwon looked visibly hurt by her words.
“Bae!” Beck scolded, swatting her shoulder. “Mal-eul sinjung-hi haseyo.”Be careful with your words.
“I will go check on the songpyeon.” Mr Kwon excused himself, but not before bending down to speak to his daughter. “You don’t have to wear the hanbok if that isn’t what you want. I want this to be a happy day for you.”
At that, Wynter made his way inside from the open veranda where he, Jiwon, and Cahya were setting up the decorations. He looked unbelievably beautiful in a lilac and blue hanbok with lace flowery embroidery. His hair was braided at the sides, compliments of Beck and her meticulous planning of her sibling's attire that day.
“What’s going on?” Wynter asked me as if I were some all-knowing force.
“Bae doesn’t want to wear her hanbok today because it’s apparently too itchy and she wishes she could wear her ‘normalclothes’ instead,” I explained to him, and he nodded, glancing back at his baby sister tugging uncomfortably at the hem.
He approached her calmly and crouched down so he could meet her gaze directly. “You wish you could wear your normal clothes, did you say that to Appa?”
