Summer Holidays 2024 Solo Finished

Summer holiday 2024 - Blue in English, Red in Korean

Unsurprisingly, the very next day her ‘welcoming committee’ arrived in all their glory. While Mr. Hunt remained standing menacingly by the door, his wife and daughter didn’t intend to keep quiet. “So, I assume Charles told you about the ball we’ll be holding?” Her grandmother asked, looking around Eun-ji’s practice room with visibly displeased expression. As if you weren’t here a thousand times already. The young witch rolled her eyes at the unnecessary attitude. Then again, what else did she expect? “Yes, he did.” She confirmed curtly, doing her best to keep their exchange as short as possible. “Good, because I expect you to be on your best behavior. There will be a lot of important guests so you better make a good impression.” As usual, there was a hidden threat beneath her warning but Eun-ji did her best to keep her expression calm and unbothered. Her grandmother took great delight in seeing her angry or scared and she wasn’t going to give her such satisfaction today. She was mere minutes away from leaving to her ballet seminar. There was no way she would let the Hunts ruin this for her as well. “Sure…I’ll do my best.”

Anemone frowned, clearly unhappy with her lack of reaction. “I swear…you are the most frustrating child ever. Just why the hell did we have to get stuck with you as our granddaughter?” She could not really scold Eun-ji since she did not oppose her but clearly, that didn’t mean she'd leave without putting her down…just for a good measure. It was a common occurrence yet Eun-ji still didn’t grow numb to it. She desperately wanted to say that the feeling was mutual but stopped herself just in time. It was probably exactly what her grandmother wanted to hear. “Well…if there is nothing else, I’ll have to leave soon.” She said instead. Thankfully, for once her grandparents didn’t fight her on this. Probably because they were too busy preparing for their grand ball. I guess these gruesome events have some merit to them after all. The witch thought as she watched the older couple leave without as much as a simple goodbye.

“You think you are so special, don’t you?” Ah…it appeared for some reason her aunt was not as eager to leave as her parents were. Eun-ji raised her eyebrows at her biting words. “I’m curious as to what makes you think so.” Honestly, did she even listen to the whole conversation? It was impossible not to understand her niece was constantly belittled even in her own home so how the hell did she reach that conclusion? “You think just because my parents made you their heir and keep putting you at the center of attention, you can now just do whatever you want now. Telling us to leave as you wish.” Right. Now it was getting a bit clearer. Annabelle was jealous. An emotion that seemed to be ever present with her. One of her many irritating qualities. “Well, quite frankly I don’t give a damn what your parents think and I did not ask to be their heir. It’s not my fault they think you are not good enough…which says a lot, considering their opinion of me couldn’t be any lower.” The Ravenclaw was playing with fire but she didn’t care. It wasn’t her who started this and it’s not like it wasn’t true. Besides, it did give her a little bit of satisfaction to see her aunt go all red in the face. “You little, pest! You think you can talk to me like this?! Wait until I tell my parents how you speak of them!”

Had she heard such proclamation in the past, Eun-ji might have started shivering in fear but now it just made her laugh. It was genuinely funny that the other woman thought she still had any power over her. She twirled on her feet as if she didn't have a single care in the world and casually walked closer. The blonde looked at her as if she had grown a second head. At last, she was speechless. “You see, you think you still have a power over me but you are wrong. Everything I held dear, your family took away from me. My grandma is dead, my grandpa does not remember me…might even hate me in fact. My dog is missing and, knowing your father’s ways, most likely dead and my dad had to leave all the way to France because of you. All the chains you were so eager to yank me by in the past, had been broken. I have nothing to lose anymore.” It was gut-wrenching admission but somehow, it also made the witch feel a bit relieved to admit it aloud. Sure, she’d never say the same to her grandparents, but her aunt was like a child in her eyes. A helpless child throwing a tantrum. Unlike her parents, she was all bark and no bite.

“Bullshit! I know you are still terrified of my father. I see the way your hands shake whenever he as much as looks at you.” That much was true but it was not exactly a winning argument. On the contrary, her aunt dug her own grave by bringing Mr. Hunt into their fight. “And so do you. Fine, go tell him what I said but what do you think will happen? Sure, he’ll punish me but I’ll still be his heir. On the other hand, I think he’ll be far more interested in his precious daughter’s love affair. Tell me, what do you think will be his reaction to that?” It was apparent the other woman was shocked, Eun-ji would dare to use that against her. It was not all that surprising. She had been an innocent young girl once upon a time. Those times were long gone however. Now she was a drowning young woman, clawing at the pool of her misery just doing her best not to sink too deep…by whatever means necessary. No matter how much she hated that part of herself. “You are going to regret treating me like this one day!” Her thoughts were once again interrupted by the blonde. Thankfully, there was no need to come up with another retort because immediately after saying so, her aunt proceeded to storm out of the house. Good…run away. I’ve had enough… Eun-ji thought bitterly before finally leaving the house herself. Hopefully the ballet seminar would make her forget all this.

SUMMER SOLO PART 2

Summer holiday 2024 - Blue in English, Red in Korean

This routine repeated for the following couple days as well. The Hunts came in the morning to ruin her day just for the hell of it, then left her to travel to her seminar with a bitter feeling in her heart. Luckily, ballet was still her biggest safe heaven and even now, it always managed to cheer her up.

Here, in the dance studio, surrounded by a group of like minded individuals, Eun-ji finally felt at home. The little girls took liking to her quickly and seemed to look up to her. Possibly, because she wasn't as scary a Mrs. Zaichenko but she was still incredibly skilled in their eyes. The witch honoured their trust placed in her and taught each one of them with utmost diligence. She may have not been crazy about kids but these were her fellow ballerinas. She wanted them to have better opportunities than she ever did. To live without regrets. A luxury she could not afford herself.

“Listen, Eun-ji....I know I said it's too late for you to become a professional ballerina but I'm not sure I'm ready to give up on you just yet.” Her teacher's voice brought the Ravenclaw back from her musings. She blinked in surprise not quite sure what to say to that. The woman probably recognised her confusion because she chose to continue her speech without waiting for any sort of reply. “I mean, you only practice with me during summers but you are still one of my best students. It feels like a terrible waste for the world to lose such talent entirely.” It was the first time in many years someone told her not to give up rather than the opposite. Eun-ji suddenly felt it was a bit unfair. She respected her teacher greatly but she was one of the many voices, who kept telling her over and over that since she didn't go study ballet at school conservatory, she'd missed her chance. It was a harsh reality to accept and it took her many years to get at least somewhat acquainted with the notion so why was Mrs. Zaichenko suddenly placing a different ideas in her head?

“Why are you saying this? You were the one who kept telling me to be realistic. What exactly do you expect me to do now?” Eun-ji was usually very polite with her teacher but this was a hard pill to swallow. She’s been working so hard on giving up. What was the point of rekindling her hope now? It was most likely a false hope anyway. “I know, Lastochka - affectionate nickname meaning Swallow (the bird) in Russian…we adults can be very cruel at times, isn’t that right? Still, think about it while you are angry with me. If anyone can find a way, it would be you.” The woman patted her shoulder encouragingly before turning away and leaving her to her own jumbled thoughts.

“Miss Lee! Miss Lee! Is the class already over?” One of the little girls tugged at her skirt. The witch looked down at her and then the other girls as well. “Yes…let’s bow to the teacher and finish here. Tomorrow's a break so I’ll see you again next weekend.” She instructed calmly, her inner raging storm entirely hidden…at least to the children’s’ gaze. Her uncle on the other hand… “Actually, we are going to a swimming pool tomorrow if you wanna come with. From what you keep telling me, you didn’t really get to enjoy summer properly yet. You should totally come with us.” The offer didn’t come out of nowhere. The young ballerinas were already trying to convince her to come with them before the lecture started but Eun-ji said no pretty much immediately. She had a feeling, she didn’t even know how to have such simple fun anymore.She was about to refuse again when the man jumped in as if he could read her thoughts. “Oh come on…clearly your head is full of things you need to figure out. Sometimes you need to let your brain rest for it to be productive again.”

The witch looked around, suddenly realising how exhausted she really was. When was the last time she allowed herself to be a regular teenager? She honestly couldn’t remember. “Well…it does feel like my brain needs a reboot.” She admitted hesitantly, receiving a round of excited cheers in return. To be fair, this was not exactly her idea of fun but whatever would get her away from Hunts was good enough for her. “Alright…alright. I’ll see you all tomorrow. Now go. Your mothers are probably already waiting for you.” She still remembered the times her grandpa would wait for her after practice. Even though she loved dancing, she was always eager to leave the classroom and tell him all about it. He was her biggest fan. Now, he didn't even remember she existed. Eun-ji truly hoped none of these girls would ever experience something even remotely similar. It was perhaps worse than loosing the person entirely...

SUMMER SOLO PART 3

Summer holiday 2024 - Blue in English, Red in Korean

It was the last day of her ballet seminar. Eun-ji bid goodbye to her teacher and the little ballerinas before making her way outside the heater, when her uncle unexpectedly ran after her. “Hey, little swan! I know you usually catch the eight o’clock train but do you think you could catch the next one today?” Eun-ji was slightly caught off guard by his question. She had no idea where he was going with it but decided to hear him out. After all, he has been nothing but kind to her so far. “The thing is, I have been talking about you a lot and my boyfriend said I should invite you for dinner today. He says I keep talking about you as if you were my niece or something. I usually have trouble connecting with other people so he really wants to meet you. He got especially curious when I said both of your parents work in a medical field.” The Ravenclaw’s throat suddenly constricted and for a moment, she felt like she could hardly breathe. I am your niece though…the worst one you could wish for. She thought bitterly.

Only now did Eun-ji realise how crooked she had become. Was she really any different from her grandparents at this point? “Umm…I’m sorry. That’s really nice of you but…perhaps next time? Today, I really have to catch my train. We have a family dinner.” She barely managed to keep her voice steady before quickly turning around and starting to walk away. As she did so, she caught a glimpse of the man’s disappointed expression and it pierced her heart like a needle. “Are you sure? Should I at least walk you to the train station? It’s getting dark!” Her uncle still called after her, completely oblivious to Eun-ji’s internal struggle. Why are you so nice to me? I have become such a despicable person…why do you still worry about me? Her mind was a mess. The guilt and self-hatred were eating her alive. She didn’t even notice when she started crying. “No thank you! I’ll be fine. See you next summer!” She faked a cheerful goodbye and waved at him without turning around. Swallowing a sob, the witch quickened her pace, trying to get away from her uncle as soon as possible. She could still feel his presence behind her, watching her from afar, clearly genuinely worried for her safety. A concern she did not deserve.

Suddenly, a message notification popped up on her phone. It was her mother asking whether she was on her way home. Eun-ji didn’t care to reply. Or perhaps she didn’t dare. She wondered what would her mother think if she found out Eun-ji met her older brother and elected not to tell her about it. Would she be angry? Or perhaps disappointed? Whatever it was, the Ravenclaw knew she wouldn’t understand. Nowadays, even Eun-ji couldn’t understand herself.

Eventually, the young ballerina stopped her unsteady march and sat down on a sidewalk curb, feeling helpless and empty. When was the last time she felt truly carefree? When was the last time it didn’t feel like she was drowning inside her own head? Hana. The name flashed in front of her eyes as if it was the most obvious answer. And wasn’t it just? Even now, staring at her mobile screen, she wished it was his name on the display. He always kept her on her toes but it made her feel alive. The boy was so different yet, in many ways, strangely similar to her. She felt comfortable around him even with all his unexpected behaviour and the butterflies in her stomach every time he smiled her way.

And so it finally hit her. She liked him. As inconceivable as it sounded, she really did. It was not just a simple crush either. Eun-ji truly, deeply cared for the unruly Slytherin. In a way, she probably knew for a long time now but simply refused to admit it. It was impossible to deny those feelings now however. Here, when she was at one of her lowest points, he was the first person to come to her mind. Her heart ached and she was filled with an unbearable longing to hear his voice. She had his number. Eun-ji could just push a button and call him.

No. No, you can’t! The girl reprimanded herself. She already sent him couple of messages over the summer. They were innocent playful exchanges but even that was more than she usually allowed herself. Having so many traces of him in her home was dangerous. Even if it was just a record in her call history. Not that it mattered… Eun-ji was too much of a coward to call him anyway. What would she even say? I miss you? I like you? Please, help me. I keep screaming but no one seems to hear me... “Nonsense…” she muttered under her breath bitterly. As if she could say any of that. She did not deserve his help. She brought this upon herself. And yet…as she clutched her phone in her hand she couldn’t help but sob anew. That person’s name was in there, she wanted to hear his voice. She wanted him to tell her she was pretty like he always did. Because he couldn’t see her ugly soul. Hana thought way too highly of her but even if it wasn’t true, even if it was just the perfect image crafted by her, she wanted him to see her that way. Even if it was only him and nobody else, it would be enough.

In reality however, all of those feelings were just her own. Eun-ji was not a naive love-struck girl and knew she was not special to Hana....although he made her feel that way sometimes. To him, she was likely one of many. She knew what he was like and how he liked to flirt around. He made it clear from the start that the two of them were simply having fun. In the past, that did not bother her in the slightest as it was precisely what she needed but now, she wasn’t so sure anymore. Careful, Lee Eun-ji. You are getting greedy.

With this newfound knowledge, it would be probably wise to put some distance between them. It made sense and Eun-ji had done it before but this time, she didn’t think she could let go even if she wanted to. Somehow, when she was not paying attention, the boy managed to worm his way inside her heart and she didn’t know how to get him out without having to claw her chest out. Eun-ji would just just have to keep accepting him as he was no matter how it chipped away at her heart. Little by little, piece by piece. If that was what it took to stay by his side for just a little bit longer... Hana was not hers to keep and she didn’t dare to wish for him to be. Her life was a mess. There was no way the Ravenclaw was going to drag him down with her. He looked much more handsome with a smile on his face…She could just secretly give him her damaged heart without asking anything in return. Yes, that would do nicely. She was good at that.

SUMMER SOLO PART 4
Mentioning: @Hanako Tone

Summer holiday 2024 - Blue in English, Red in Korean

Summer was nearly over and the day of the Hunt’s party came. The Ravenclaw still hated those but she also found that she was slowly becoming somewhat numb to them at this point. It was not much but it was something. She couldn’t stress over every little thing otherwise she might actually drive herself insane.

“You ready?” Charles asked as he handed her a familiar golden ring. Her grandparents always insisted they’d wear couple rings to their evens to make extra clear that they were engaged. It was annoying and sometimes Eun-ji felt like it was not just a mere piece of jewelry but rather yet another shackle the Hunts bestowed on her. Strangely enough, Charles didn’t seem to mind though. It unnerved her. “You look oddly at ease,” she remarked eventually. Perhaps she was just overthinking again but the witch was also aware of her good intuition and her skill to read people. Somehow, she felt it would be unwise to ignore that feeling tonight.

The boy in front of her paused, he looked uncomfortable after registering her question. “I...” The Ravenclaw raised her eyebrows at his inability to answer. This was not the Charles she knew. The Charles she knew was always levelheaded and confident. “It’s just…is it so bad that I don’t mind?” He eventually answered with a question of his own. Eun-ji was at loss for words. He was right, it shouldn’t have been a bad thing yet she couldn’t help but frown at the meaning behind it. They were both supposed to be annoyed. This game of pretense was simply a necessary evil for them to be left alone. She couldn’t afford for it to be more than that. “What do you mean?” Eun-ji never liked to assume things even when the answer seemed obvious. She needed to make sure and also hoped she was wrong.

The wizard sighed and shifted uncomfortably. He was never someone to avoid things although today, Eun-ji wished that was not the case. “I mean…I like you. I like you enough not to mind being engaged to you…” The witch gritted her teeth. “Fake engaged…” she corrected him immediately. “Yeah…but my point still stands.” Charles didn’t back down this time. Usually, he let her win and never put any pressure on her, possibly because he knew she already had more of that in her life than she should try to withstand at her age. It was strange watching him stand his ground all of a sudden but she couldn’t give in either. “You can’t like me.” Well done Lee Eun-ji. That sounded really mature. She scolded herself immediately. Luckily, Charles was a decent person and didn’t mock her choice of words. “I can. You don’t have to be happy about it but my feelings are my own. You can’t prevent me from liking you.” He said instead. He was really not making this easy for her. “Alright alright. Stop saying it!” She finally snapped. This was an entirely new situation for her. No one ever confessed their feelings for her and she hated that she didn’t know what to do. One thing she was sure of however, was that she needed to put an end to this.

“I want you to announce at today’s party that you are breaking the engagement. Tell them you feel that we are not compatible or whatever else comes to mind. I don’t really care.” At last, Eun-ji gathered herself enough to come up with a solution. A solution, Charles was obviously very unhappy with. “What? You can’t be serious! Don’t you understand the consequences that will follow?” Oh but she did. The Ravenclaw knew her grandparents would be livid but she didn’t care. Charles has broken the rules of the game so she no longer felt like playing. Especially since she recently realized her feelings for Hana. They weren’t dating and probably never would but it still felt somehow wrong to keep up with the engagement charade under these circumstances.

“I can’t…I don’t want to.” The boy insisted, sounding strangely desperate. “Why can’t you? Didn’t you say you like me? Can’t you do at least this much for me then?” Eun-ji retorted, watching Charles freeze at her words. It was a dirty move. To wield his feelings like a weapon and expect him to stab his own heart for her benefit. “I know it’s not your fault but…ou…you can be very cruel sometimes.” He remarked quietly. It stung but Eun-ji didn’t waver. What he said was true and she had no right to defend herself nor did she want to. He’d be in pain for a while but it would be good for him in a long run. If he was the one to break the engagement, he’d get to save face and his broken heart would heal eventually. Perhaps Kim could help him through it. They were best friends after all. Although she selfishly wished Charles wouldn’t tell him. The young lion was her friend too…what would he think of her after finding out what she did? “Good..then you know I’m not worth loving. So can I count on you to do this for me?” The witch pressed again, trying to ignore how utterly defeated Charles looked at that very moment. “Yeah…I’ll do it for you. As if I could ever say no. I always hoped there would come a day when I could do something for you, I just never imagined it'd be something like this...”

SUMMER SOLO PART 5
Briefly mentioning: @Hanako Tone and @Kim Sato

Summer holiday 2024 - Blue in English, Red in Korean

The fight with her grandparents after the party was not one she’d forget anytime soon but Eun-ji expected as much. She hurt their pride in public and such thing was simply unforgivable. And yet, she did not regret her actions, at least she got to make her own decision for once. Take a little power back from them. It was a good feeling even for the price that had to be paid. It’s not like they didn’t argue all the time anyway. This one was just a bit longer and more intense.

Mordred came to her once the noise settled down and the Hunts finally left the house. Eun-ji couldn’t help but smile as he cuddled next to her, purring as if trying to comfort her. She wondered why so many people she cared for didn’t like cats. Flash was pretty much scared of them, Kim couldn’t even go near them due to his allergy, Sam seemed not to be fond of animals in general and as far as she knew, Hana actually hated them for some reason. Eun-ji found that the last one especially bothered her. She wanted the Slytherin to get along with her furry companion but it was not in her power to change that. “Their loss I suppose…” She whispered as she reached out to scratch her cat’s ears. It was nice to have someone to keep her company…even if it was just her pet. Mordred was always there when she needed him. She just wished other people could see how precious he was as well.

Her mother, workaholic as always, only showed up after midnight. Perhaps it would be better if they didn’t meet like this but Eun-ji couldn’t be bothered to move. Everything felt like too much effort right now...as if had just finished a marathon. The moment her mother laid eyes on her, sitting on a floor and leaning against the kitchen door frame, her whole body froze mid step. “Oh God! What have you done now? Why do you have to provoke them so much when you know how it will end?” Withdrawing her gaze, Eun-ji spoke calmly, “I see…” She had known from the start that no matter what she did, nobody in this house would try to understand her. Now that her dad was gone, she was just an unreasonable teenager throwing a temper tantrum…even in her mother’s eyes apparently. “I guess it’s my fault then.” To be fair, she did provoke her grandparents but she did nothing wrong. It was they, who were all twisted and unreasonable and her mother should have known that. She ran away from home when she was just a teenager herself precisely for that very reason.

Eleanor seemed to realise her mistake and tried to backpedal a little even though the damage was already done. “That’s not what I meant. I just…I'm your mother. If you came to me first, I could have helped you.” The witch chucked through the bone deep exhaustion and bitterness. “You could have helped me? You say so, but why haven’t I ever received your help before? You only show up whenever I’m in my most sorry state, jump out and wave your little family title as if it means anything.” She finally looked up to meet mother’s tearful gaze but she felt nothing. “Your motherly love is a bit too cheap, isn’t it? You said that you’ll always be on my side...Very well... Does the fact that you’re on my side affect me at all? Both your love and your mother title have become so insignificant. How can you be so shameless as to flaunt them in front of me now?” Oh God…what have become of their relationship? They used to be so close but now her mother pretty much avoided her and Eun-ji spat poison her way with little remorse. If her father could hear her now, he’d be so disappointed. Then again, he’d be disappointed with his partner as well. Both women he loved so deeply turned out to be this shameful. Eun-ji was glad he was not here to witness it.

Her outburst was followed by a beat of silence. Once again, Eleanor was forced to retreat by her own daughter. It was perhaps cruel but Eun-ji didn’t feel like she was being unfair and neither did the other woman apparently. If she did, she would have said something. “Alright…let’s not fight anymore. You probably did a plenty of that for one evening. Did any of my dishes survive tonight?” As always, it was a quick change of tone that settled the dark clouds between them. It was not going to fix the problem but there would be cease-fire at the very least. Eun-ji could work with that. “No…this time I threw a couple plates as well. You might wanna go and fix the mess.” She gave in finally. She was too tired to argue again and still had to go and pack her suitcase. It was a good thing that she was returning to Hogwarts tomorrow. Nothing was holding her back here anymore.

SUMMER SOLO PART 6 - END