The Titanic Incident » xiuhan

Chapter 1

Today was the day. It was 7 AM, but Minseok had basically trembled in his bed all night due to being overly excited. Really, he couldn't believe it. A trip to New York with the largest ship in existence? It would be leaving at around 10 AM and that was all he knew besides his happiness and small amount of fear, or maybe it was sadness. He dragged himself out from the warmth of the covers of his bed and opened the bag in which he would be carrying in all of his possessions. It sure was an old one, but it worked well enough. His briefcase.

"Alright," he told himself. A passport, a notebook and almost all of his clothes fit in the briefcase. Toothbrush, obviously, and everything else he could possibly need. Of course, the ticket was there too, on top of his carefully folded clothes. There it was, a real ticket. It took a lot of convincing to make himself believe that it was actually there. Grinning to himself he took off to get ready; he lived remotely close to the harbour but was too overpowered by excitement to wait any longer. Maybe he would just go around the harbour for that extra amount of time? It'd be better to be early, anyways - he didn't want to miss the chance of his life.

After getting ready he folded his pyjamas and folded them neatly into the open briefcase, closing it carefully. He took a deep breath, suddenly embracing the room in which he had lived in for so many years. It was as tidy as ever, ready to be left perhaps forever. There was a slight sense of grief, inching closer to the feeling like he had lost a companion. He sniffed, trying to take his thoughts off the negative sides of this change in his life. It felt like a step he needed to take. He stepped closer to his old bed, the wooden frame looking so familiar, the dark red walls calling him back, as he lowered his hand to his bed, smoothing a wrinkle that he hadn't noticed earlier. The sheets felt so soft. Would he ever feel them again?

He backed away and put on his old suit jacket, walked to the door, turning around to take one last look and then, feeling the cold door handle, closed it.

He walked down the stairs and lowered his briefcase on the floor, the inviting sight of his mum having made breakfast calling him to the kitchen. She turned around, smiling at his son with glistening eyes. There was so much joy in her eyes. "Come to eat, Minseok. There are toast and eggs, and tea, too," she said with a sweet smile. Minseok smiled back at her and sat down, in front of a full plate of buttered toast and eggs, accompanied by a glass of orange juice. They didn't always even have breakfast. This was a rare occasion. It was quiet as Minseok ate, a comfortable one.

Soon he was done eating and helped wash the dishes, avoiding dirtying his fancy clothing. There was indeed a sense of almost sadness in the house. "What are you going to do in New York, son?" asked his mum, letting her shoulder lean onto the wall, watching Minseok making sure there wasn't anything filthy on his clothing. He looked up. "I'll find a job," he said with a smile. "And I will send you money. It's my turn to care for you now. You've given me everything." he said with a quiet, yet promising voice. It was the least he could do.

His mother's eyes filled with tears. "Oh dear," she sniffed, taking her round eyeglasses off to wipe her eyes, and as soon as she was done with that, pulled Minseok into a rib-crushing hug, and he wrapped his arms around her, feeling how she was trying to hold in sobs. It felt too sad, could he really go? Should he stay with her so she wouldn't be all alone? Would he ever see her again?

A teardrop escaped Minseok's eye and he tried his best to ignore it, wiping it off as soon as they let go of their last hug. She smiled at him, proudly, fixing his tie quickly and then backed away a little to see him. She seemed content with his looks. Minseok went to fetch a trench coat from a hanger near the front door and put on the old coat, worn out and smelling like his father's perfume. It felt like he was being hugged by his beloved father once more and tears were quickly menacingly close. He shook his head, attempting to throw those thoughts away and picked up his briefcase, making his way to the door, making sure he looked somewhat presentable in his clothing.