Seok

I woke up, my consciousness floating to the surface. Slowly, the reality of my world began to return.

Here I am...

The faint buzzing of my phone's vibration on the couch cushions close by made me blink. Rising to a sitting position, I grabbed my phone, glancing at the time and caller ID.

5:03 a.m. and of course, Granny Ruth is calling.

"Morning greetings to you, Granny," I said as I took the call.

"Don't give me sass, boy!" Granny scolded me half-heartedly. "How're things? Is that Arnold woman feeding you enough? You're a big young man..."

"Mackenzie has yet to be introduced to my appetite, Granny. I consumed nine of the power bars out of the twenty I packed half an hour before arriving here last night."

"Your stomach terrifies me sometimes, Seok," Granny murmured worriedly. "You aren't causing them any trouble now, are you?"

"No. I am sleeping on a pull-out section of the living room couch."

"You don't got a bed?!" she gasped. "Boy! You know better than to shame others!"

I blinked, trying to understand what she was talking about, my thoughts taking only one second to speed past.

Shaming others. Making them feel ashamed...What have I done?

I've slept on the couch. By doing so, this somehow causes shame to the Arnolds. Why?

"You think you're too good for a poor folks bed?" Selena's words from last night floated by.

Perhaps I did not take into account that they feel I still give a care for money? Yes, it seems most humans are very preoccupied with money. By sleeping on the couch perhaps I've reminded them that they cannot afford another bed? Is that the issue with this ridiculous shame?

"Yes, I know, Granny. I will try not to do so again. It was thoughtless of me." I agreed for the sake of getting the elderly woman off my back.

"Good, good. At least you know and acknowledge you done wrong. You gotta work on that, Seok," she told me for the seven hundred and forty-second time since meeting me at the age of seven. "So...give me the details, boy. How's this Selena girl your father promised you to?"

"She despises me, Granny," I reported calmly. "I'm not sure if it's because when I first met her after all this time, I was almost naked and just out of a shower or not."

I could just imagine the elderly woman's light blue eyes bugging out in shock as she let out a choking gasp. "What?!" she managed to force out. "Seok, you move quick!"

"I did not do it on purpose. I forgot a change of clothing. Besides, I was set up by Mackenzie," I explained.

"You tell this Mackenzie that I approve. Hopefully, a young wife will be able to knock some sense into that thick head of yours." Again, I could imagine her standing by the old black phone hanging up on the wall, nodding her head in satisfaction. "You get yourself a wife and a baby and you won't have time for any of that nonsense you spout."

I closed my eyes, feeling a pang of pain in my upper chest. "A gook like me has no reason to 'start a respectable family', Granny," I reminded her.

Silence hung on the line for five seconds, one filled with rage.

"You listen here, boy. Frank's a good man. He's just...He never got over when Mathew abandoned the ranch to go to the big city. Then, when the prodigal son finally came back home a decade later, he came with a girl neither of us had ever even heard about, already married. Ji-Su McGuire was a wonderful little woman. I loved her to bits instantly because I could see how much she loved my boy. But Frank...Your grandfather's always been bull-headed. I'm afraid it's a trait all the men of this family seem to have, you included, Seok."

"I am not stubborn," I interrupted.

"You be quiet, your elder is talking!" she snapped. I instantly shut my mouth, knowing when to retreat. She cleared her throat, continuing. "Even so, that doesn't excuse Frank from calling you such mean names. It isn't right that he treats you how he has. I've never been able to understand it myself, but I want you to know I'm sorry."

"You are not the one at fault, Granny," I reminded her. "Franklin McGuire is. Still, he's right. I do not have any business starting a family. This is not the late forties, like when you two were married at the age of seventeen. Modern times and societal norms now say it is better to wait until at least the age of eighteen, though preferably after one has graduated college. Also, a baby, Granny? What makes you think it would ever be a good idea for me to have a child? What if that child was born as I? Is this not a curse? I, for one, see it as normal, but I know my views are not shared by the rest of the world. What if my child ended up like me? Would that not be a horrible thing for them?"

"Seok..." she let out a weary sigh. "Child, there's nothing wrong with you."

"You've said."

"Don't you sass me, boy! I'll say it again, as many times as it takes to get into that thick skull of yours! You aren't wrong. You're just different. Not everyone can understand or recognize those differences, but they are there," her creaky voice softened a little.

Ah, Granny Ruth. The one person in the world who's ever shown me any sort of kindness. Truly, she's an amazing woman, especially for the age of seventy-five...But I fear she really is delusional.

"Granny, thank you for holding amicable feelings for me. I would like you to know that if I could return your feelings, you would be the first person I would feel so for. You are an amazing person and I do appreciate the lengths you go for me. But I fear you are wrong in this instance."

She let out a long, shaky breath. I could hear the tears in her voice, in the tightness of her words and the patterns of her breathing. "Seok...Son, please just live a life filled with happiness. It's all I want."

"I thought you wanted a great-grandbaby," I said seriously.

"...Y-yeah, that too," she let out a short laugh. The strength was returning to her voice and I felt it was much better. Granny Ruth wasn't right when she sounded close to tears; when she sounded weak. Granny Ruth was strong, fierce, cunning, and as protective as a wolverine guarding her young. "Well, I'll be giving you a ring a few times a week, just to make sure you're still alive. But if you run into any problems, you call me straight then, you hear?" she ordered sternly. "Whether it be needing help with schoolwork or figuring out the workings of a girl's heart, you give your granny a call."

"I promise I will be sure to get a hold of you if such an issue arises, Granny," I promised.

"I love you, Seok," she murmured warmly.

"I wish you well, Granny," I responded. "Until next time." I pulled the phone from my ear, hitting the End button. Taking a deep breath, I glanced around.

The house was still quiet. It was only 5:19 a.m.

I looked back down at the bed, debating. I could go back to sleep, but if I did, who knew when I'd wake up again? Probably when the rest of the household did...

Old habits die hard, huh? I have no reason to get up at four or five in the morning anymore. At least not for while I am living here with the Arnolds. Does not public schooling start at eight in the morning? If so, that leaves me a waking time of six thirty or even seven, depending on distance and transportation, as well as travel time.

Exhaling, I rose to my feet, stretching out tight muscles. Glancing around, I pulled my T-shirt off over my head. Looking down, I studied the shape of my own body.

Who knew working as a ranch hand from the age of seven would build a body this much?

I'd never really paid any attention to my own physical appearance or even my level of attractiveness toward the opposite sex. Women, as well as men, held very little of my interest. People, in general, were tiring. I'd hit puberty at 14, but I saw the spikes in my hormones as just another hassle. 97.6% of the time, I ignored such things. For the other 2.4% of the time, I merely pulled up the faces and bodies of what few women I found sexually attractive in my mind and let go in privacy.

Still, the way the Arnold females had acted...

There had been a flare of heat in Selena's eyes, right before her face had grown the reddest I had yet to see it.

Turning my head, I eyed the bookcase. From here, I could catch some of the titles. Still shirtless, I padded over, the wood flooring slightly chilly under my bare feet. Standing in front of the bookcase, I quickly read all the titles. Most were suspense and mystery novels, but there was also a large portion of romance novels. Reaching out, I picked up one called "His Prisoner". Turning it over, I saw the cover had a tall, muscled Viking, blond hair and blue eyes as well. He was holding a dark-haired, half-dressed woman in his arms. She was half pressed against him, her head turned up for his kiss.

I blinked. "Is this romantic? To me, this just seems uncomfortable. He's at least five inches taller than her and it must be straining her neck to look up at him from so close. Is that why she seems in pain?" Shaking my head, I opened up the book, reading through the pages. It took me thirty-five and a half minutes to read the entire ridiculous book.