Blue Summer

Chapter 3: A friend

Misao stood amazed at the sight of her brother. She was overwhelmed with joy. He had been away for so long that Misao couldn't even recall the last time they had talked. Rui smiled at her. He was a young and handsome man with a cheerful look. He had black, shiny hair and thin eyebrows. He had a tall stature and looked very similar to Misao. Misao rushed to embrace her brother.

"I missed you so much! So much!" Misao hugged her brother tight.

Rui patted her back, "I missed you too."

Seo-Yun was preparing dinner, and Hee-Chul was sitting on a chair. The two saw their kids come together after such a long time. They were happy that their family felt complete at that moment.

Misao began accounting for her daily routine to her brother after he left for Africa. He was on a trip there with his colleagues. It was a mental awareness drive for the young on the continent. Since it involved going through all the countries of Africa, it took Rui at least three years to complete it. Then, six additional months were taken to establish the foundation of mental health camps. But now he was done and had returned home to his family. He had missed them, especially his sister.

Misao had the most loving family: caring parents and a loving brother. Contrastingly, Ibuki, despite having a mother who loved him and a sister who looked up to him, didn't have the same experience as Misao. His mother would be working or resting, so Ibuki never got the time to tell her his feelings and his sister was too young to understand what he was going through. He was alone, even in his family. He would spend hours alone in his room, staring through the window. Sometimes, he would lay in his bed looking at the ceiling and counting seconds, trying to fall asleep. Unlike Misao, Ibuki did not even have friends. He was bullied at school, and his peers would make fun of his economic condition. All of this had broken him from the inside. He was left with no clear ambition in his life. All he wanted to do was find a job to help his sister and mother. What he wanted to become or what his interest was he never bothered about it.

The school Ibuki studied in was undergoing renovation. The sports building had been renovated, and now it was the turn for the academic building. It meant the school had to find an alternative to keep the classes going. When Ibuki arrived at his school, he found many students around the notice board. Ibuki pushed his way in to take a peep. The notice read:

"Due to renovation in the academic building, the classes will be held in Incheon High for the time being. Please report to the campus of Incheon High from tomorrow until further notice."

Ibuki wasn't very fascinated with the news. He had to now travel a different route for the coming days, a route he wasn't used to. And going there wouldn't change anything. His peers would still bully him.

On the side of Misao, her school, Incheon High, had issued a notice to inform their students about the arrival of students from a different school and asked them to be accommodating. Youra and Misao stood staring at the noticeboard.

"Wow! I can't believe they are doing it." Youra pouted.

"Come on. This is called being generous," Misao replied.

"No, not that. I meant the closing of the art club. There, up on the left corner." Youra pointed at a small, nearly invisible notice on the corner of the board that said the art club would be closing within a week.

"What?!" Misao was startled. She stormed into the principal's office to question the decision. She greeted the principal and said, "Ma'am, please reconsider the closure of the art club."

The principal smiled and answered, "Misao, the art club has only two members. I don't think the school would benefit from funding two people. You can basically do it on your own."