so far back in the closet you found narnia // stephen & eun soo

Guest

Someone was waiting for Stephen at the Three Broomsticks pub. His friend hadn’t told him who it was, only that it was important, and that he had to be at the pub as soon as possible. At first, the news had confused Stephen. He didn’t know who would want to meet him at the Three Broomsticks without sending him a proper note, and why it was ‘important’ in the first place. It was only when he mulled over the latter that the worry began to creep in—as he walked from Honeyduke’s to the pub, he began to wonder if it was someone from Korea bringing him bad news. His heart beating fast, he practically ran to the pub, unable to bear the thought that something terrible must have happened to his family. Not again, not when he was just beginning to accept his parents’ fate.

Hogsmeade was particularly crowded this weekend. The exams were over, and the students coped with their anxiety about their grades by walking and shopping around the little village. It made running and not bumping into anyone difficult for Stephen, but eventually, he made it to the pub, which had no empty tables due to the amount of students wanting to enjoy their post-exams Butterbeer. Stephen quickly looked around, searching for the person waiting for him. It was only when his gaze landed on a corner table that he began to feel better, for it was occupied by the person he had missed the most ever since he left South Korea. The person was his cousin Eun Soo. Upon seeing the slight smirk on her face as she watched the other students in the pub, Stephen knew that she hadn’t come bearing bad news.

‘Eun Soo-noona!’ He called out before he even got to her table. He practically tackled her as he rushed to hug her, happy to be reunited after almost a year. ‘I’m so glad to see you here!’

Guest

When Eun Soo moved to London, she had decided not to contact Se Hun. She had thought that it would probably be best to surprise him at the end of his school year, especially since she knew that Se Hun was busy studying for his exams. Or so she hoped he was—though her younger cousin was bright and artistic, he didn’t strike her as the sort of person who studied for his exams.

She supposed it was alright if he wasn’t, as long as he was happy and doing well in Hogwarts. Though she sometimes worried about him, she knew that Se Hun could make it through anything. He was still a Han, after all, and Hans were nothing if not resilient. After all, that was how they managed to maintain their elite status ever since their clan was founded back in the Silla Dynasty.

Eun Soo immediately went to Hogsmeade after hearing from a colleague that the Hogwarts exams were over. She then asked some Hogwarts students if they knew a ‘Stephen Han’, and when someone finally said yes, she asked the young girl to direct him to Three Broomsticks without telling him who exactly was looking for him. When the young girl asked her what she wanted from Stephen, Eun Soo couldn’t help but chuckle. She appreciated the cautiousness. After all, such an attitude would make the girl a good Auror. Besides, she was happy to know that Stephen didn’t surround himself with gullible idiots. Eun Soo then told the girl that, if it wasn’t obvious due to her physical appearance, she was Stephen’s cousin and probably his favourite one. Just as he was hers.

It was how she knew that he was fond of sweets, and why she had ordered for two pints of Butterbeer.

Her poor cousin had looked so worried and out of breath upon entering Three Broomsticks, and for a moment, she felt bad for probably triggering some memories in him. However, the feeling of guilt was immediately replaced by happiness when her cousin rushed to hug her. She hugged him back tightly, glad to see that he was looking well.

‘I’ve missed you too, Se Hun-ah,’ she replied in Korean, surprised by how Se Hun had addressed her in English. She supposed it was just him getting used to the language, but somehow, it made her a bit sadder. It was as if he was becoming more western. As if he was growing up so far away from her, even if she now lived in England. Using an English name to fit in was one thing, but to speak English with a Korean cousin was another.

‘Don’t talk to me in English,’ she scolded playfully. ‘Look at you, though, you’re looking good! How many girlfriends have you collected?’ She mussed his hair as she teased him, unable to contain her giddiness due to how adorable her cousin was. He hadn’t even asked her what she was doing in the UK. Typical Se Hun.

Guest

Stephen was glad to know that even after all this time, Eun Soo was still the same. Though he had seen her a few times the summer before his third year in Hogwarts, it was during the formal clan gatherings, so they did not have much opportunities to talk, hug and tease each other. Besides, around their family, Eun Soo liked to keep the appearance of being unemotional and dignified. Even after her choice to work as an Auror, Stephen never saw his cousin lose her cool. She only acted playful around him and Eun Jae, her older brother, and even then she was still so cool and collected.

‘You know if I had a girlfriend, I wouldn’t have bothered to come here,’ he replied in Korean, the words sounding strange from his mouth since he had gotten so used to speaking in English. ‘Why didn’t you write to me about you visiting? I was worried that you’d forgotten about me.’ The last time they had exchanged letters was in December, and when the letters from his cousin stopped, Stephen assumed that Eun Soo was merely busy with Auror work. However, it didn’t stop him from feeling a bit neglected, especially since she was the only cousin he regularly exchanged letters with.

He was about to excuse himself and get them something to drink when he realised that there were two pints of Butterbeer on the table.

‘Omo*, noona remembers that I like sweets,’ he said, his smile widening in gratitude and fondness. ‘If you were half as nice to everyone else, you wouldn’t have such a hard time finding a boyfriend.’ Stephen’s eyes sparkled with mischief as he bantered with his cousin, his usual shyness gone as he began to feel as if he were home.

* A Korean expression of shock, similar to ‘Oh, my!’ or ‘Merlin!’

» You Can Stop Staring, You Know? (Stephen & Christopher)
» Taste of Home (Stephen and Finley)
» Where there's a quill, there's a way (Stephen)
» The Follow Up (Christopher & Stephen)
» Always Be Found, Not Alone, Home (Jake, Veronika + Ivan)