The Beginning
A soft moan escaped Alexandra’s lips as her name drifted faintly through her dreams. The sound tugged at her, pulling her closer to wakefulness. She chewed on her lower lip and groaned when the voice grew sharper, closer, insistent.
“Let me sleep…” she muttered, squeezing her eyes shut as though sheer will could hold back the morning.
“ALEXANDRA!”
The voice snapped like a whip, jerking her upright in bed.
“MOM!” Alexandra croaked, her voice thick with sleep. Her blonde hair spilled around her face in wild tangles, and the sight of her room, a battlefield of clothes, books, and empty coffee mugs, deepened her mother’s scowl.
“Your flight leaves in an hour!” Ms. Johnson’s voice cut through the air, sharp with urgency.
“Oh my God!” Alexandra bolted out of bed, stumbling into the bathroom.
“Why didn’t you wake me up earlier!?” she cried, turning the shower knob with frantic hands.
Ms. Johnson, a woman carved by responsibility and tempered by loss, shook her head as she began pulling items together.
Ever since her husband abandoned them for another woman, she had lived in a delicate balance, holding down her job, raising two daughters alone, and playing mother and father to them. She carried herself with a composed strength, but beneath it was an ache that never fully healed.
She slipped Alexandra’s headphones and notebooks into her backpack, her eyes darting to the bathroom door. “Did you even get any sleep last night? I told you to turn the lights out by eleven. You need rest if you’re going to handle this trip.”
The shower cut off. Alexandra dashed back into the room, toweling her face, her jeans half on. “I think I slept,” she said between hurried breaths, yanking at the stubborn fabric of her new skinny jeans, the pair she’d been saving for this day.
Ms. Johnson sighed and pulled her daughter’s suitcase toward the door. “Lord, just hurry.”
Within minutes, Alexandra was dressed and bounding down the stairs, her excitement only half-disguised beneath the frenzy of preparation. She slid into the car beside her mother, her pulse quickening as though her heart were running ahead of her.
“The important school files?” Ms. Johnson asked, her tone edged with caution. She knew how easily her daughter’s mind scattered when excitement overtook her.
“All in the bag,” Alexandra said with a proud little smile. She checked her wristwatch. “Twenty minutes left. Come on, Mom, step on it!”
Her voice carried more thrill than worry, though her hands trembled slightly as she brushed her hair back into a ponytail. The reality of what was coming, the distance, the independence, the new beginning—pressed on her chest like a weight she both longed for and feared.
Her thoughts flickered to Justina, her only best friend in Houston. She pictured her laughing face, the nights they’d stayed up sharing secrets, the promise they’d made to keep in touch no matter what. A sigh slipped from her lips. Leaving meant loss as much as it meant opportunity.
Beside her, Ms. Johnson glanced over. Alexandra’s blonde hair caught in the light, and for a moment she saw her ex-husband’s features in her daughter, the nose especially, sharp and familiar. It stung, but she swallowed it.
“This month will be exciting for me,” Alexandra whispered, as if convincing herself. Her 21st birthday was just around the corner, and she had earned admission into Hanyang University, her dream. Seoul was not just a destination, it was a new chapter.
When they arrived at the airport, Ms. Johnson parked and helped Alexandra unload her bags. The stream of passengers hurrying past carried a charge of anticipation that set Alexandra’s heart racing.
“We’re right on time,” Ms. Johnson said, her voice breaking slightly with relief. She studied her daughter as though memorizing her face.
“Okay this is it,” she said at last, blinking back the sting in her eyes. “I’ll let Kate know you’re on your way. She will be waiting for you at the airport”.
At the mention of her sister, Alexandra’s expression softened. Kate—the older sister who had left for Korea years ago—was more than just family; she was a mentor, a friend, a glimpse of what Alexandra hoped to become.
“Mom, I’ll be fine,” Alexandra said, wrapping her arms tightly around her mother. “I love you.”
“My baby,” Ms. Johnson whispered, clinging to her as though letting go meant losing her forever. “I love you too and if you don’t like it there, you know… you can always come back home, okay?”.
The embrace was quick but heavy, filled with unspoken fears and unshaken love.
Inside the plane, Alexandra buckled in and pressed her forehead against the window. A deep sigh rattled her chest. The hum of the engines did little to quiet the ache of leaving her mother behind.
“You’re a big girl now, Alex. You’ll be fine,” she whispered.
Then louder, without meaning to: “I’m not going to be fine.”
The words tumbled out, raw and childish, followed by a groan of frustration. She had never been apart from her mother for this long. The thought twisted in her gut.
“Get hold of yourself, Alex. You’ll be fine,” she muttered again, unaware of the elderly woman beside her watching with mild amusement. When Alexandra caught her gaze, her cheeks flushed crimson. She looked away quickly, mortified at the realization she’d been speaking aloud.
***********
Hours later, the announcement jolted her awake.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Incheon International Airport. The local time is 10:20 p.m., and the temperature is sixteen degrees Celsius.”
Alexandra’s stomach flipped. She was really here.
Gripping her bag, she stepped off the plane and into the gleaming expanse of Incheon International. The ceilings soared, glass and steel stretching like a palace of light. Her lips curved into a smile.
She reached for her phone, eager to call her sister—
“Boo!”
Alexandra nearly stumbled, her phone slipping from her fingers as a figure launched at her. Arms wrapped around her in a fierce hug.
“Oh my God—Kate!” Alexandra cried, squeezing her sister back with all the strength of years missed.
When they pulled apart, Kate’s grin widened. She was the same and yet different, her black hair falling in sleek waves, her features matured, but her eyes alight with the same mischievous warmth Alexandra remembered.
“You’re as tall as me now!” Kate teased, half laughing, half panting from her playful ambush.
“It’s me,” Alexandra said breathlessly, jumping into her arms again. “I missed you so much.”
For a moment, time stood still as the sisters clung to each other, years of distance bridged in an embrace.
“Come on, let’s get your bags,” Kate said at last, taking one handle while Alexandra grabbed the other.
The drive from the airport felt like stepping into a dream. Neon lights streaked across Alexandra’s window, the foreign skyline glittering in colors she had only ever seen on a screen. Her voice tumbled over itself with questions.
“Is this your car? A Toyota Corolla?” Alexandra had asked, running her hand along the frame.
“Yes,” Kate said with a small laugh.
“What!!! My sister’s a big woman now,” Alexandra chuckled.
“Excuse you,” Kate shot back, flipping her hair. “I’m a young lady. A very pretty one.”
The sound of their laughter braided together, seamless despite the years apart.
When they entered Kate’s neighborhood, Alexandra’s eyes drank in every detail—the neat rows of apartments, the glow of porch lights, the faint chatter of families unwinding for the night.
“Everything looks so different. And beautiful,” she breathed.
A man and his young son stepped out of the apartment next door. Without hesitation, Alexandra waved. “Anyoung!” she said brightly, her first attempt at Korean.
The man smiled. Kate quickly explained in fluent Korean, “This is my sister from the States, the one I told you about.”
“Oh, welcome to Korea,” the man replied warmly.
Alexandra’s jaw dropped. “Kate! Your Korean sounds so good! That was amazing. You have to teach me everything.”
The man nudged his son gently. “Yeppeun agassiege insa,” he encouraged—Say hello to the pretty lady.
“Hello,” the boy said shyly, waving.
“Cute!” Alexandra gushed, waving back before following Kate inside.
The apartment lights flicked on, chasing away the shadows. Alexandra set down her bag and turned to speak—
“JESUS CHRIST!” Kate’s voice cracked through the air, sharp with shock. She stood frozen, staring into the living room, at the figure standing there.
“What are you doing here?!”
