Healed by Him

Class A-2

March 25, 2023

Groggily, Park Seo-Jun opened his tired eyes and was met with an unfamiliar view. A graying, low hanging ceiling stared back at the confused teenager, instead of the poster-clad one he was expecting to wake up to. It took a couple more heavy blinks for Seo-Jun's senses to flood back to him, even after a week.

Right. This was my home now. Seo-Jun thought to himself sleepily.

The new place couldn't be any more different from the Parks' old home. Where their previous house was a three bedroom, welcoming structure brimming with warmth and character, their apartment was a plain and modern two bedroom flat that was lacking in color and personality.

Pushing up from his squeaky mattress, Seo-Jun stumbled into the pristine marbled bathroom for a morning piss. Upon entering, he caught his reflection in the silver-rimmed mirror, making him pause. 

Staring back at the boy was an artful blend of Park Seo-Jun's parents. His father's sparkling green eyes paired with his mother's soft features gave Seo-Jun a kind, warm look that had attracted many friendships over his seventeen years. Seo-Jun looked at the yellow mess of waves on his head, another trait inherited from his mother's side. Her hair had always reminded him of sunshine. 

Seo-Jun used to like looking like the amalgamation of his two parents. It was like a beautiful reminder of home that he could take everywhere with him. Now, however, Seo-Jun could see the sadness it sparked in his father's weary eyes if Seo-Jun looked at him for too long with his late wife's features.

Park Seo-Jun deemed to leave his contemplative morning thoughts in the bathroom, reemerging into his not yet unpacked bedroom. He forced himself to take a deep breath, releasing the tension Seo-Jun didn't even realize had built up. He turned to survey the room, his eyes catching on his closet. 

Hanging on the teen's shining wooden door was the pristine, freshly ironed uniform of Whimoon Boys' High School; a reminder of the daunting day that lay before him. The red trim on the blazer jumped out at Seo-Jun against the deep navy, almost like a warning. Seo-Jun reached for the Boys' School's uniform.

Emerging from his bedroom clad in his new uniform, Seo-Jun found his father already sitting at the round, polished marble table in the center of their kitchen. The warm light of the apartment softly illuminated Park Dong-Won, giving him a comforting presence amongst Seo-Jun's sea of nerves. 

Upon hearing the sound of his son's house slippers approaching, Dong-Won folded the daily paper in his wrinkled hands and looked up at him.

"Well, look at you!" his dad remarked with a grin, making Seo-Jun feel self conscious. He half expected his father to get sappy, or to tease the boy to lighten the stress of the day he faced. Instead, his father surprised Seo-Jun by falling into a contemplative silence.

Park Dong-won took a long look at Seo-Jun. His late wife's gentle aura radiated from him, enhancing Seo-Jun's fair features and light hair. Small freckles delicately dotted his son's nose, a reminder of the rural life they left behind in Busan. Dong-Won also noticed, not without a little light-hearted irritation, that his son had already surpassed him in height. However, Seo-Jun did not mirror his father's slightly bulging waistline and muscular upper body. Instead, he was a slender, slightly-less-than-athletic build thanks to his seventeen year old metabolism.

"Dad?" His son's soft voice penetrated Dong-Won's mind.

Under his father's scrutiny, Seo-Jun had started to feel even more uneasy about the day ahead of him.

"Sorry," Dong-Won said. "It's just-" A pause. 

"Never mind. I packed money for lunch in your outside backpack pocket, and put a little extra for class fees. If it's not enough, let me know and I can-"