you've changed - cho sang-woo x reader

chapter one

i need to put a disclaimer before starting this story! so in this fanfiction, you will be 35-years-old, since cho sang-woo's actor is 39. therefore, the year you were born will be 1986. that's the only thing i'll alter, everything else can be completely up to you, such as your appearance, height, name, the month and day you were born, etc. thanks for reading!

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"You need to get a job, y/n," your mother scolded you for the fourth time this week, and you couldn't help but sigh very loudly at how persistent she was. Especially since she knew what happened at the last job: you were laid off with no warning. She assumed it was because you were a lazy worker, maybe showed up to work late too many times. You wanted to tell her about your boss. How he tried to make several advances on you, but you denied him, most likely leading to your termination. However, you decided to stay silent, not wanting to cause a bigger problem when you knew you could suck it up and handle it yourself. So, you just let your mother think whatever she wanted.

"I'm serious. You're obviously not doing well financially if you had to move back home." She continued, oblivious to how blatantly uncomfortable you looked. Staring down at your bowl of food, you suddenly didn't feel hungry anymore as you thought about how close your boss would get to you, trying to pin you against a wall in his office while the door was closed, or snuck his cold, calloused hand on your thigh under the table any chance he was sitting next to you. Your fork scraped against the bowl, toying with your food as you zoned out, trying to ignore your mother's burning gaze.

"Hello? We need to talk about this!" Her lips pursed, voice sounding exasperated and annoyed. You nodded, getting up from the table to wrap your food up for later since you couldn't eat anymore of it. The loud clatter of your mother's utensils against her ceramic bowl filled the silence of the room as you debated on what to say next.

"I was going to wait to tell you this until after I got a response and knew for sure that I could start, but I have an interview tomorrow. I've been trying, mom... it's just hard to start from scratch again," you wrap the bowl tightly with foil, opening the fridge and stuffing it inside. Truthfully, you enjoyed your last job and actually looked forward to going to work. It's a shame how that can all be ruined by one person.

"Hey, also... sorry to do this, but may I borrow some money for the subway?" You awkwardly scratched the back of your neck, ashamed of having to ask for any amount of money. Finally meeting your mother's eyes, you expected a disapproving look and a disappointed head shake. Instead, your mom smiled, her eyes glistening with some tears. How is it possible for her mood to change this quickly?

"I'm so proud of you, dear. I knew you could land another job." Digging into her purse, she handed you 10,000 won, practically grinning from ear to ear. "Here. Please tell me how it goes."

You take the money from her, stuffing it into your pocket. "I haven't gotten the job yet, don't jinx me." You teased, a smile spreading across your face. She scoffed, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair.

"We both know you'll get the job, have more confidence in yourself." Your mom was right. You haven't had much confidence in yourself in a long time, and you always wondered what happened since you used to be so carefree and self-assured. Now it's as if you can't do anything without worrying about what someone thinks, or worrying that you look stupid doing it.

"Alright mom, thank you. For everything." The corners of your mouth twitched a bit, and you felt a sudden rush of emotions all at once. You were so appreciative of your mom and everything she has done for you. Letting you move back home, sparing you some money from time to time, and always understanding when you were struggling, but still pushing you to work hard and never give up. However, you couldn't help but feel guilty since you still have not told her that you were thousands of dollars in student loan debt. You knew she would offer to help pay some off, but you wanted to take care of it yourself. She could never find out about this.