Summer Holidays 2023 solo finished

Blue in English, Red in Korean, Violet Father in Korean

The following two days were surprisingly uneventful. Eun-ji still avoided her mom like a plague but otherwise things were pleasantly quiet. Perhaps even too quiet…like the calm before the storm. Charles went to visit Kim for couple days. He missed his best friend terribly and Eun-ji guessed Kim could use some support these days too. He didn't look well the last time she saw him. Besides, she was preparing for her summer ballet seminar so she wouldn’t have time to hang out anyway. It was a perfect solution. Well at least for her. She was not surprised when Mrs. Hunt showed up at her door wearing a rather displeased expression. After all, Anemone didn’t like it when she wasn’t in a complete control of her granddaughter’s life.

“Seems like I have been too lenient with you as of late. If you have time to waste on useless things, you should have come to me instead.” The Ravenclaw frowned. She was used to this kind of treatment; it was just that her father was home at the moment and she didn’t want him to witness the scene. “What do you mean? We had a deal. If I join the duelling club, you will let me do ballet in my free time.” She reminded the other woman carefully. Of course, in this family the deals were often very one sided. “Sure…” Her grandmother replied calmly as she approached the kitchen to get herself some water. Yeah okay…she is not leaving anytime soon. Eun-ji noted bitterly. “However, it meant you can attend your classes here from time to time. I didn’t say you could disappear to another city for who knows how long. You already went to summer camp without telling me and now you want to bail on us again? I think not.”

At this time, Edward Lee finally left his study and joined them in the kitchen. He was getting ready for work but immediately stopped upon seeing his mother-in-law there. “Stop pestering my daughter. She does not need your permission to do anything. If she wants to stay for the summer camp, she can. If she wants to attend a ballet seminar during her time off, she can do that too. As long as we agree, which we did, it’s perfectly okay.” To be fair, Eun-ji didn’t ask for permission to attend the summer camp from her parents either. She didn’t want the letter to end up in her grandparents’ hands and she knew her father would agree anyway so she didn’t write home. Still, it was a wise choice not to let Mrs. Hunt know. Talking back to her on the other hand…definitely not wise. The young witch was grateful of course but her dad was no match for the venomous snake. “Did I ask for your opinion?” She spat out, sounding almost disgusted. As if his mere presence offended her. Well to be fair…it probably did. Unfortunately, Edward was obviously not willing to give up today. Since his partner failed to stand up for their daughter, he most likely felt like he needed to do so in her stead. “I wasn’t telling you my opinion. I’m merely stating facts. What right do you have to “educate” my daughter when you clearly failed to do so with all of your own children?” Oh no… Eun-ji’s froze at his words. He was right of course. Eleanor ran away from home, Annabelle was a spoiled brat that only caused problems and their favourite child Alexander was missing. However, it was precisely because he was right that his statement should have never left his lips. This was a taboo topic among the Hunts. Especially when it came to Alexander.

As expected, Anemone immediately went into rage mode. She had splashed her water into Edward’s face and smashed the glass on the ground. Eun-ji was still frozen in fear but her father’s instincts to protect her came just in time to shield her from the shards. Only a small cut appeared on her face but that was something that could be taken care of within a day.

“You will regret this, mudblood. Mark my words.” Mrs. Hunt's warning was chilling. The Ravenclaw knew the statement was not just empty words and it terrified her. She only let out the breath she was holding once her grandmother stormed out of the house. “You shouldn’t have said that.” She whispered weakly. At first, it seemed like her father wanted to protest but he was smart and knew she was right. “Yeah…” He ended up giving in. This put him in a dangerous position.

Few moments had passed before Eun-ji sighed, looking at the mess on the floor. “You should go for the exchange program in France.” Clearly, the surgeon didn’t expect her to come up with this solution. He looked stumped and it took a hot minute for him to react. “What? No. I already told your mother I’m not going. If I leave then what about you?” The selfish part of the witch was happy to hear those words but the sensible one understood they didn’t matter at all. At this point, there was nothing he could do for her here. “Truth be told, I don’t know if I still like my home. Right now it feels like I’m merely suffering this place but I still care about you. Suffering together… it’s not that wonderful. You can’t help me here and since that’s the case, I’d rather you be safe someplace else.”

It was pretty clear her father understood her thought process, yet he was still reluctant to agree. He was an adult. He was supposed to take care of her, not the other way round. At least that’s what he always said in the past. Back then, it sounded as a matter of fact but today it suddenly became an impossible task. “At least think about it? After all, they need me but you are just a nuisance to them. I would only be worried if you stayed and it’s not like you are leaving forever.” She reminded the man as she walked him towards the door. No matter the circumstances, Doctor Lee couldn’t be late for work. That was simply out of question.

PART 2
Briefly mentioning: @Kim Sato

Blue in English, Red in Korean

At last, the day has come when she would be free of the Hunts' constant surveillance. She wanted nothing more than focus on her ballet skills and forget everything else. However, even today, it was simply not meant to be and when Eun-ji arrived to the theatre, the ballet-teaching seminar was supposed to take place, she froze on the spot. An especially eye-catching man was standing in the entrance hall, pulling out what she assumed was an employee card out of his bag. Are you kidding me? Eun-ji thought as she watched the man from afar. Surely…surely she was wrong but the man looked identical to the one she saw in the picture hanging on the wall in the Hunts manor. Why would he be here though? Among muggles…in the THEATER of all things. If his mother knew how he spent his time, her brain would probably explode. What game was this man playing? Oh well…it’s not like he knows me. I should be able to figure something out. It was definitely worth a shot. The way she was fighting her grandmother didn’t seem to be very effective so far, perhaps it was time she used her own tactics against the her.

Walking towards the black haired man, Eun-ji bumped into him lightly, pretending to be distracted by reading the leaflet in her hand. “Oh God, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” She asked, her voice filled with concern. The man she assumed to be Alexander Hunt looked surprised but his face softened once he saw her. “Oh do not worry young lady, I’m fine. You look lost though. Are you looking for something?” He asked in return. Strangely pleasant for a Hunt. “Oh yes, I’m looking for the ballet teaching seminar. Do you know where I might find it? I’m Eun-ji by the way. Lee Eun-ji.” She omitted the Hunt part on purpose. Not that she ever enjoyed using her full name ever since her maternal grandparents showed up but right now, it was especially important not to mention it. “Are you a teacher here by any chance?”

Usually, she wouldn’t introduce herself to a stranger like this but if the Ravenclaw wanted to get some information out of the man, she needed to give him a little nudge. “Oh no…I’m just an assistant and a pianist. My name is John Doe.” John Doe? The witch tilted her head in confusion. “Is it weird? They told me to change my name but I was hoping perhaps someone is still looking for me and they’ll tell me my real name eventually. It’s been far too long though. I should probably just chose something myself and get it over with.” The man suddenly paused and shook his head. “Sorry…you didn’t need to know all that. My boyfriend says I tend to ramble because the lost memories left far too much space for nonsense in my brain,” he chuckled fondly as he mentioned the man. “He sounds like a lovely guy.” Eun-ji noted with a smile, finding the conversation surprisingly easy. It was a bizarre experience to say the least. From what she heard, Alexander Hunt was exactly like his father. Cold, quick to anger and extremely violent. “He is.” Alexander, no John, smiled kindly.

“Come, I’m actually an accompanying pianist for that seminar. I’ll take you there…although aren’t you a bit young to attend?” Well, he was not wrong about that one. This was a seminar for aspiring teachers after all but hers situation was a bit special. “I am but Ms. Zaichenko has been my teacher for several years now and while I unfortunately can’t follow my dream to become a prima ballerina right now, she said I’m allowed to join the seminar. If I work hard enough, I may at least be able to teach children when I’m older and if not…well it will still be a good experience for me.”

The pair entered a beautiful practice room just as she finished her explanation. “You sound very mature for your age. I wish I had a daughter or a niece like you.” Of all the things he could have said…Eun-ji almost wondered if he wasn’t simply pretending but such thing didn’t make sense. It even sounded like he was living a simple muggle life. Did he forget he was a magic user as well? However even if that was the case, he’d probably remember eventually. From what she knew, there was no case of a wizard losing their magic for good so her uncle most likely didn’t either. I guess I should use the time I have left before that happens wisely then. This is probably not going to end well…

PART 3

Blue in English, Red in Korean

The rest of the summer was chaotic as always. While Eun-ji did enjoy her ballet teaching classes, seeing her uncle there brought a persistent sense of unease. She also constantly waged a war with herself, wondering if she should reveal his origins to him or remain silent. The young witch tried to convince herself that he looked happy and she didn’t want to burst his safe little bubble but in reality, she was just scared. It was not her place to decide whether he wanted to remember the past or not, she was just being selfish. Thinking he might remember and return to his original place among the Hunts, sounded daunting. Eun-ji heard what he was like back then. Cruel like his father and crafty like his mother. What if that personality of his came back with the memories? What if he returned and joined his parents and sister in torturing her. Even the mere thought of it made the Ravenclaw shiver. Most of the time however, she didn’t think about any of this. It was easier to argue she was doing it for his sake. That way, she could still pretend to be a good person.

Now, the other problem was her father. Ever since the argument he had with Mrs. Hunt, everybody was on high alert. No matter how hard Eun-ji’s parents pretended the things were going to be okay on the outside, inside they all knew better. The Hunts were clearly planning something and they were extra harsh on their granddaughter these days. The Ravenclaw believed if that wasn’t the case, her father would continue insisting on staying but when he overheard how many times his wife had to heal their precious daughter due to glasses and plates flying everywhere whenever they argued, he most likely decided to put an end to it the only way he could. He didn’t really say anything aloud but Eun-ji could tell. They were far too similar for her not to notice. Neither of them talked about it though. It was as if they made a silent pact not to.

It was the day before she was supposed to return to Hogwarts. As usual, the young witch was starting to prepare ingredients for a family dinner. No matter how broken they were, a family dinner before her leaving to school was a must. Unlike other days though, Edward didn’t leave for work early in the morning, claiming he had an urgent patient visit. An unavoidable house call. It was a good excuse, so Eun-ji pretended to believe it and her father pretended to think she believed it as she walked him towards the car. She knew, the trunk was filled with suitcases the night before, but it was locked safely right now and the inside of the car only contained Edward’s house call bag with medical supplies. A perfect disguise for a less smart kid.

“You better come back fast. If the dinner gets cold, I will be very angry.” Eun-ji said with fake strictness. Her dad chuckled in response. “Of course. I would hate to disappoint you.” The sentence had a playful tone to it, but the young witch understood his underlying message. The man was feeling guilty and was expressing it in his own way. “I know. Now go or you’ll be late. I’d hate to ruin your reputation.” Her dad nodded and only hesitated for the briefest of moments before finally getting into the car and leaving their driveway.

Eun-ji stayed outside, watching the familiar vehicle disappear behind the trees with a heavy heart. She wondered if her father felt the same as he watched her grow smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror. They hardly ever showed their feelings but she knew deep down, he was a soft hearted man so this 'not quite' goodbye must have been just as painful for him as it was for her. Eun-ji didn’t cry though. She just felt…empty. The only person that truly had her back was gone now. It just seemed surreal. Her grandparents finally robbed her of everything but it was a mistake to do so. Her father was their last leverage over her. If they thought she’d remain as cooperative as she used to be, they were terribly wrong. Next summer, she would be the one to make things difficult for them.

PART 4 - END