fake it 'till you make it | jjk

prologue

How do I describe my miserable yet vibrant life in one chapter? Chew on this. As soon as you were out of your mother's womb, the first thing you grasped onto was your father's fingers or a relative's. But I did not. The doctor who delivered me must've been a literature fanatic because the first thing my tiny hands held on to was the hard cover copy of Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift.

My parents were both doctors. In fact, the man who delivered me was my own father. Yes, my father was the literature fanatic I was talking about. After me came two others, twin boys, who would officially complete the Yoon family. Love, affection, nurturing, my parents gave it all. They were doctors after all, they knew what was necessary for a child to turn out healthy. But one thing they didn't give me was my future. Or at least, my mom didn't.

My future, my college list, my career, it was all in my mother's hands. When I was 12 she enrolled me into a long-term volunteering gig at the hospital her and dad worked at.

My dad always told her, "Young-mi, she is her own person. We chose our own paths let her choose hers."

My mom always replied, "Woo-young, I'm not forcing her into anything. This is just so she could explore her choices."

By the time I was 15 I realized those "choices" were what field in medicine I wanted to specialize in. While my mother was adamant on making me carry out the family's legacy, my father educated me on the wonderful world of literature.

"Literature carries life's every answer. You just have to dig deep and find them."

My first book, Gulliver's Travels, was a bit too mature and unsettling for a 12 year old to digest. The evil portrayal of humankind was definitely way different than the simple 30-page books we read in grade school. Mom always reprimanded him from making me read books that I was too young for. But dad insisted that they helped me understand the abstract world we lived in.

He was right. Every book, every page held a collection of life and its essence. It was unmistakably bitter-sweet. My love for literature grew, so much that I would spend my 30-minute breaks at the hospital reading about 75 pages of The Scarlet Letter; while hiding from my mother of course.

Mom always said that you can only love something until it doesn't get out of hand or doesn't become an obsession. Until it doesn't become the only thing you think and talk about. Her warnings might have gone over my head because my love for literature channeled through me and I came to my parents with the cold hard truth.

Mom had just returned from her shift. We were all seated on the dining table. My twin brothers Yeri and Mino picked at their food. It annoyed me that despite them being seven years old, they had zero table manners. However, this wasn't about them because my heart was pounding against my chest, forcing me to just hurl out what was in my mind.

"Darling," I looked at my father who seemed concerned about me spacing out. "is anything wrong?"

The attention was on me. I gulped, looking around at the four people whose eyes were boring into mine. It was time.

"I-I actually have something to say." I cleared my throat, my lips parted, and my palms sweat.

"I don't want to be a doctor."

And it was out.
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hi!! it's san here! i know this story might seem a little slow in the beginning but please trust the process and leave your comments down and vote! i would really appreciate it💗

have a nice day!