Diamond nation

33. Trust me but most importantly trust yourself

5 years ago

(2 year after Chaerin left Korea)

"You are late on rent", the lady spoke. "Again. I cannot keep up with this anymore. Either you pay in full this time around or you empty the place. If you cannot afford to even pay the minimal price I am charging, then leave. There are so many people who make so much more and would be happy to take over"

"Miss Hong, I will have the money soon. I have a new teaching job. Please just two weeks, I'll have the rent ready"

"Its either by end of next week or you empty the place on Sunday", the woman sternly said and walked out.

Chaerin closed the door as she went back inside. Her eyes watered as she wondered how she was going to arrange the money for the house. She opened her account details and saw a $189.68 staring back at her. The rent was $600 and she had no way she was going to be able to gather money.

Dejected and tired she sat down. This money wasn't even enough to last for grocery for the month. Maybe this time around she would have to rely on the food that a nearby charity gave as well.

Tears pooled up in her eyes at the loss of hope. She didn't know how she had reached a point in life where she was struggling to even keep herself afloat. Employment was hard to find and even if she did, her depression made her a terrible worker who often ended up getting fired or removed.

It felt like an endless vortex which she couldn't escape. She laid down as she looked at the empty space around her. She lived out of her luggage and didn't even have money to buy basic furniture. A cheap mattress lay on the ground which she used to sleep. Her clothes were old and ragged and she did not have the money to buy decent stuff.

Beside her luggage, lay empty bottles of depression medicines. The first thing Chaerin had done after coming to the US was seek treatment. But once money started running out, she couldn't afford it anymore and so the meds stopped and she spiraled back into the darkness.

She had to get her act together. She had to do something to get back on her feet. She could not give up this easily. As she sat back up, her eyes fell on the picture of her and her parents. It was clicked when she was 3 and they were briefly living in the US. Behind them was their home.

This home.

A thought went in her mind which she instantly brushed off. What if she sold it? Would that give her money to start over fresh? Its not like she could bear to stay there anyways with all her parents memories anyways. Hesitantly she opened the web and searched up listing agents. Pressing on one source that looked reliable, she called the person whose name was available.

"Hi my name is Shin Chaerin and I am looking to sell a house"

———•••———

Chaerin was going to have a breakdown. She sat in the old house which belonged to her parents as the listing agent prepared it for an open show where people could come and take a look. She tightly held the glass of water to stop herself from going into an state of extreme nervousness or anxiety.

She could barely remember this house. Maybe a faint detail here and there. But her parents always talked about their memories living as an young couple here before they had her. And from those stories, it felt like she knew everything about the place.