the summer of 1993 ── dohwa baek - Chapter 1: Chapter 1
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"Hello!"
Dohwa squinted at the device in his hands, unable to recognise the foreign voice that had just greeted him.
"...Hi? Who's this?"
"Kai!" An excited squeal, piercing deep inside the boy's eardrums. "You sound more like a man now. I can't believe you're all grown up already." A wistful exhale. Very melancholic. "Anyway. When will you come back to Seoul?"
There was a girl on the other end. Perhaps, it was someone who had dug through her connections to get his number. That had happened on multiple occasions, as much as he hated to admit it.
"I'm not Kai. This is the wrong number."
A pause evolved. "Oh come on. Do you take me for an idiot, you brat?"
"...Excuse me? Do you even know who you're speaking to?"
"The same old 157 cm tall Kai Hwang. The pipsqueak who left the city saying he'd stay in touch. Who else? I'm only sixteen, asshole! My memory is still intact!"
"Asshole? How unladylike." Dohwa scrunched up his nose. "Go with something better— like an abominable piece of shit."
"Thanks." The girl muttered. "You abominable piece of shit."
"Hey! All your insults are being transferred to the wrong person, y'know? I'm not Kai."
"Drop the act already."
"Seems like I'm not getting through your thick skull, miss. Let me change the topic. Who are you?"
Another wave of silence washed over them. Dohwa almost thought that she had hung up.
"...Did you really forget me? Are you being serious?"
"I asked you a question. Who are you?"
"Y/N! God, what's—"
"Y/N. Such a pretty name for someone so rash."
"What do you mean by 'rash'? You shit worm. I'll find you and dunk your head down the toilet."
Dohwa laughed, little crinkles forming around his hazel eyes. "You're quite creative. And... tell me more about this Kai person. I'm intrigued."
"I swear if it's actually you, Kai...."
"How do I prove to you that I'm not him?"
"Dunno. I'll just have to trust you on this, I guess."
Beneath the blanket of the night sky, insects chirped, and their noise was the sole sound echoing in Dohwa's surroundings. He let a smile spill on his face as he adjusted himself on the floor, right beneath his window.
"You're naive, do you know that?"
Y/N sighed. "Stranger. If you're going to make fun of me, I'll end the call here. Do you know how expensive telephone booths are? And now I got connected to the wrong person too! It sucks!"
"Telephone booth? They're still around?" He scoffed, more confused than amused. "Why don't you use your own phone?"
"Are you taunting me right now? Is this funny to you? What kind of parents gift their teenage children a separate phone? That's so costly..."
"Um? I... I mean I know plenty of other kids who have one. It's normal."
"So you're from a rich neighbourhood, huh?"
"Eh... switching back to your Kai. Is he your boyfriend?"
"Shut up. I'd rather die than endure this horrible accusation." Y/N clicked her tongue, evidently infuriated.
"Ouch. I feel bad for him."
"Enough about me. Who are you? I'm curious now."
"Is it because of my voice? Is it attr—"
"Ugh. All boys are the same. I'm leaving."
"Do you want to waste that money? We should talk until you run out of time— I'm bored. It's tough being a student and a trainee."
"A trainee? Like an idol? Woah!"
"Well... not officially..."
"Still. You're lucky. Becoming an idol is a very rare thing, because it needs so much money and hard w— actually, scratch that. You should definitely collaborate with Seo Taiji and Boys! I'll wait for your debut!"
Dohwa coughed. "What? That's such an old group."
"Old? They debuted last year, though? Is it considered old in the industry? I'm not sure."
"Hah... you're funny, Y/N. Last year? Hell, it's been more than two decades since they disbanded. You're slow, really."
Y/N gasped. "Disbanded? No way! I just listened to their new song at the st— damn."
There was messy shuffling, loud clanks, and the roars of engines revving somewhere in the distance. A string of curses followed until the girl finally drew in a breath.
"I forgot I was supposed to go to the store! I'm sor... never mind. Why am I even apologising? Whatever, I need to go. Bye."
Before Dohwa could muster up a sentence, a beep rang, causing his brows to furrow. She yapped endlessly, not even pausing to invite some air for her overworked lungs, and then just... popped out?
"What a weird girl..." He whispered quietly, putting his phone on the nightstand.
The distraction was nice while it lasted. He was back to worrying about the fresh zero he'd received on his Maths test. It was a bit comforting to have Su-ae around him in the remedial classes, but attending them was slightly humiliating nonetheless.
Listless and exhausted, he whistled a tune, the back of his head plopped against his soft pillow.
Seo Taiji and Boys, huh?
Dohwa squinted at the device in his hands, unable to recognise the foreign voice that had just greeted him.
"...Hi? Who's this?"
"Kai!" An excited squeal, piercing deep inside the boy's eardrums. "You sound more like a man now. I can't believe you're all grown up already." A wistful exhale. Very melancholic. "Anyway. When will you come back to Seoul?"
There was a girl on the other end. Perhaps, it was someone who had dug through her connections to get his number. That had happened on multiple occasions, as much as he hated to admit it.
"I'm not Kai. This is the wrong number."
A pause evolved. "Oh come on. Do you take me for an idiot, you brat?"
"...Excuse me? Do you even know who you're speaking to?"
"The same old 157 cm tall Kai Hwang. The pipsqueak who left the city saying he'd stay in touch. Who else? I'm only sixteen, asshole! My memory is still intact!"
"Asshole? How unladylike." Dohwa scrunched up his nose. "Go with something better— like an abominable piece of shit."
"Thanks." The girl muttered. "You abominable piece of shit."
"Hey! All your insults are being transferred to the wrong person, y'know? I'm not Kai."
"Drop the act already."
"Seems like I'm not getting through your thick skull, miss. Let me change the topic. Who are you?"
Another wave of silence washed over them. Dohwa almost thought that she had hung up.
"...Did you really forget me? Are you being serious?"
"I asked you a question. Who are you?"
"Y/N! God, what's—"
"Y/N. Such a pretty name for someone so rash."
"What do you mean by 'rash'? You shit worm. I'll find you and dunk your head down the toilet."
Dohwa laughed, little crinkles forming around his hazel eyes. "You're quite creative. And... tell me more about this Kai person. I'm intrigued."
"I swear if it's actually you, Kai...."
"How do I prove to you that I'm not him?"
"Dunno. I'll just have to trust you on this, I guess."
Beneath the blanket of the night sky, insects chirped, and their noise was the sole sound echoing in Dohwa's surroundings. He let a smile spill on his face as he adjusted himself on the floor, right beneath his window.
"You're naive, do you know that?"
Y/N sighed. "Stranger. If you're going to make fun of me, I'll end the call here. Do you know how expensive telephone booths are? And now I got connected to the wrong person too! It sucks!"
"Telephone booth? They're still around?" He scoffed, more confused than amused. "Why don't you use your own phone?"
"Are you taunting me right now? Is this funny to you? What kind of parents gift their teenage children a separate phone? That's so costly..."
"Um? I... I mean I know plenty of other kids who have one. It's normal."
"So you're from a rich neighbourhood, huh?"
"Eh... switching back to your Kai. Is he your boyfriend?"
"Shut up. I'd rather die than endure this horrible accusation." Y/N clicked her tongue, evidently infuriated.
"Ouch. I feel bad for him."
"Enough about me. Who are you? I'm curious now."
"Is it because of my voice? Is it attr—"
"Ugh. All boys are the same. I'm leaving."
"Do you want to waste that money? We should talk until you run out of time— I'm bored. It's tough being a student and a trainee."
"A trainee? Like an idol? Woah!"
"Well... not officially..."
"Still. You're lucky. Becoming an idol is a very rare thing, because it needs so much money and hard w— actually, scratch that. You should definitely collaborate with Seo Taiji and Boys! I'll wait for your debut!"
Dohwa coughed. "What? That's such an old group."
"Old? They debuted last year, though? Is it considered old in the industry? I'm not sure."
"Hah... you're funny, Y/N. Last year? Hell, it's been more than two decades since they disbanded. You're slow, really."
Y/N gasped. "Disbanded? No way! I just listened to their new song at the st— damn."
There was messy shuffling, loud clanks, and the roars of engines revving somewhere in the distance. A string of curses followed until the girl finally drew in a breath.
"I forgot I was supposed to go to the store! I'm sor... never mind. Why am I even apologising? Whatever, I need to go. Bye."
Before Dohwa could muster up a sentence, a beep rang, causing his brows to furrow. She yapped endlessly, not even pausing to invite some air for her overworked lungs, and then just... popped out?
"What a weird girl..." He whispered quietly, putting his phone on the nightstand.
The distraction was nice while it lasted. He was back to worrying about the fresh zero he'd received on his Maths test. It was a bit comforting to have Su-ae around him in the remedial classes, but attending them was slightly humiliating nonetheless.
Listless and exhausted, he whistled a tune, the back of his head plopped against his soft pillow.
Seo Taiji and Boys, huh?
End of the summer of 1993 ── dohwa baek Chapter 1. Continue reading Chapter 2 or return to the summer of 1993 ── dohwa baek book page.