written like this = korean
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Two months later:
On the TV in front of me, one of the most iconic scenes just played out before my eyes. Johnny Castle was lifting the beautiful Baby Houseman elegantly by her hips in the air, while "The time of my life" was playing in the background and the crowd was cheering like crazy. Guess right! While I was sitting on the sofa with a bag of chips on my stomach, wrapped in a blanket, we were watching the absolute cult movie "Dirty Dancing".
It was already pitch black outside. And relatively cold for the end of September. A hand next to me suddenly moved into my field of vision and grabbed the bag from my stomach. "Hey!" I complained.
"What hey? You already had half of it by yourself.". Kathy climbed back onto her couch chair. "Besides, you're going to get fat if you don't stop.".
"I don't care," I grumbled and got up. "Then I'll get another one for myself.".
"Why are you leaving now!!!", my friend threw me from behind with a pillow that hit me in the neck. You're missing the best scene.
"I've seen this movie a hundred times," I blurted out as I struggled to reach the top shelf on my tiptoes. There was only an annoyed groan from the living room.
I had been sharing an apartment with my friend Kathy from Vancouver for a little over two months. Even though she was two years older than me, our relationship was like one heart and soul from the very beginning. During my stay abroad, I had met her through my host sister at a hockey game. She later went to my high school and we have been very good friends ever since. She didn't even think about it for a second when I told her about my plan to go move to America and offered me her apartment.
"Hyeo! Your phone's ringing!". She yelled through the whole living room and kitchen. "Can I pick up? I wanna talk to him so bad!", Kathy pouted and looked at me with puppy dog eyes.
"Definitely not!", I quickly grabbed the cell phone from the sofa edge.
"Oh, come on. You are so mean. I've never talked to your booboo.", She followed me closely in the direction of our room. "You hide in our room every time. Is he that ugly or what?".
I stopped in the middle of the room and turned around with a sigh and held the cell phone right in front of Kathy's nose.
"Hyeo?", Heeseung's voice sounded puzzled after I answered the call and instead of me, an oversized head appeared on the screen.
Kathy took the phone from me in surprise, moved it further away from her head, and blinked in surprise at the camera. "Hello?". He asked again, as my friend's jaw almost dropped. I quickly snatched the phone out of her hand.
"It's me, Kathy just wanted to check if you're ugly.", I explained to him with a giggle and threw myself on my bed.
"You two are weirdos."
âHoly shit.", My friend mumbled and stood up behind me to take another look at the display. "He's hot!". I indignantly turned my head toward her.
âLike for real! Where the heck did you found him?".
I suddenly heard a laugh from my phone, causing Kathy to gasp in shock. âWAIT YOU CAN UNDERSTAND US?".
âYes", answered Heeseung, which finally made me burst out in laughing. Even though he couldn't speak fluent English, it was already at that level that he understood more than basics.
I was quite surprised how Kathy's expression changed immediately. She moved out of view of the video chat, kind of embarrassed.
âI'm not talking like this usually. Don't get me wrong.", she yelled from the side, and tried to push himself back into the frame. However, I made short process, put my phone annoyed on the mattress. "Come on Kathy. Get the hell out of here.". I pushed my friend toward the door, when finally reluctantly left the room myself.
"Sorry. I'm here now.". I quickly reached for my cell phone again and fixed my hair. "We're just having a movie, and I wasn't on my cell phone when you called," I apologized. "It was just...pretty messy.". Laughing, I rolled over onto my stomach and rested my chin on top of a pillow.
"I really didn't mean to interrupt your movie session. Would you rather I call back later?" he asked.
"Shut up, of course not. It's 11 o'clock, like every Friday. My stupid head just forgot.".
Heeseung and I set up fixed times on the first phone call where we would video call each other twice a week. Every Friday and Tuesday at 11 o'clock in the evening. Of course, if something came up with one of us, we quickly agreed on another day. But on the whole, it worked almost perfectly for the last two months.
So, how's life going?" he laughed. "Since Tuesday.".
"Oh, really a lot, actually.". Excitedly, I shifted my position. "The interview I had on Wednesday, you know. I start work next Monday.".
Since I wanted to help Kathy financially in addition to school, I had decided to start a small temporary job on weekends and Mondays. At the cinema box office in the city center to be exact. Selling people popcorn and nachos was not really demanding, and one earned good money. The only downside was that my weekends off were canceled for the next three months.
"Oh really? That's great!" he couldn't help but grin at my excited voice. " How's that going to go down then? Do we have to reschedule our Friday meeting?".
"Ah no. I'm only on duty on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. So no reschedule.".
Heeseung nodded and suddenly jumped up from his spot. "By the way. You know what happened?
I could only make out a blurry image as he began rummaging in his closet. I waited patiently until he pulled out a jersey and held it up to the camera.
A grin settled on my face. "I knew Coach regretted that decision.". In large letters, an 01 could be seen on the back of the blue and white shirt.
"We won the second leg and the coach reversed his decision and apologized to me. So we can still be group winners if we win the last game in two weeks.".
After the shocking defeat a few months ago, the coach had withdrawn the captain's title from Heeseung. He said that he was not capable of leading a team that was so unbalanced and tense. I was all the happier that his trademark now adorned his back on the field again.
"Your birthday is in two weeks as well.", I stated, and he nodded. "The game is exactly one day before," he explained. "Kinda good, because no matter how it turns out, there's still a reason to party.
"So, what should I call you from now on? Leader Hee? Captain? The untimely ace?". I laughed out loud. "All joking aside. I knew you can do it.". A proud grin settled on my lips. I knew exactly it was Heeseung's big goal to become captain again. "You're not the best for no reason.".
"I'm not the best. Jay and your brother are actually much better.".
"Shut up, okay. For me, you are the best.".
My compliment made him laugh in intimidation. "Gosh, you can't imagine how much I wanna cuddle you right now.
"I miss you so much." I confessed. "I would love nothing more right now than to step in a plane, fly back to hug you.".
"It's hard, I know," he agreed. "But we'll get through it!".
Our conversation continued for some time. In between, I disappeared into the bathroom, where I brushed my teeth and in the meantime was again harassed by Kathy. Since my friend literally begged me, I finally gave in, and she could talk to Heeseung in the time I was getting ready for bed.
Kathy, however, was the complete opposite of me. While I preferred to spend my weekends alone at home, she stumbled from one party to the next with her group of friends. Don't get the wrong idea. I felt really comfortable with her friends and had grown fond of them, but for some reason I didn't feel as much as I belonged as I did half a year ago in America.
I used to go to all kinds of parties, had the time of my life and got drunk almost every weekend. And even if I got drugs or something like that poured into my drinks once or twice, it didn't take the fun out of it. But currently, I just felt empty. Just like a shell that lived in the outside world, but whose inner self just wanted to go back home.
To be honest, I didn't know anymore if it was the right decision to leave Korea. My short time there was not characterized by very many positive things. However, it was exciting and thrilling. It really felt like the turbulent summer of a teenager. That was probably the reason I longed to go back home. Because here, every day was so the same. Getting up, school, learning, sleeping. Without a break for 1.5 months now.
At home in Korea, the school year had just started and Jungwon could enjoy the last few weeks quite relaxed, while I bummed around here. But I knew that it was impossible to go back before the end of the school year and my final exams and graduation.
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