When All The Lights Go Out

Chapter 1

The sun rises in Seoul, sending its beautiful rays through the room's window. Emma forces herself to wake up as the light hits her face. She gets up to stare at the beautiful sunrise outside. Her room in the shelter is small but it makes her feel safe. After her parents death, Emma had no other choice but to leave her house and go live in the shelter nearby since she didn't want to remember the tragic event. She slowly starts to get ready and then goes downstairs to the dining room. Living in the shelter isn't as bad as many people think, or at least that's what she thinks since she's been living there for a long time.

"Good morning mrs Lee" she greets the caretaker with a smile. "Good morning my dear. May I have a word with you when you come back?" mrs Lee says with a smile yet a serious expression on her face. "Sure, I'll be back at noon" Emma says as she greets her and leaves. On her way to the nearby coffe shop, she can't help but think about mrs Lee's words. Have a word with her? What happened? Did she do something wrong? She tries to push away the negative thoughts and just enjoy her morning. After she places her order she goes to sit on a nearby table scrolling down her phone as she waits for it to get ready. Ten minutes later, the waiter brings her the coffee as she pays him, thanking him with a smile. As she takes a sip, she looks at the newspaper she had taken this morning from her room for part-time jobs but she can't find anything that fits with her everyday schedule or is nearby the shelter. Suddenly, she notices a small advert about a rich man, looking for a maid with good salary and an offer to live at the house. Emma keeps that in mind as she marks it with a red marker and then she leaves the shop.

On her way back she can't help but think about the advert. It might be a good chance to take but she isn't so sure about it. She shakes the thought off her mind as she arrives back at the shelter but she isn't ready for the surprise waiting for her there. As she is about to go to her room, she remebers that mrs Lee wanted to talk to her this morning so she goes straight to her office. She knocks on the door as she hears a "come in" and opens it walking to mrs Lee. "You wanted to see me?" Emma asks as mrs Lee raises her head from her office to look at her. "Emma yes, please have a sit" she says as she motions her to sit down. "Is everything ok?" Emma asks with curiosity, since she has no idea what mrs Lee wants to talk about. "I'm afraid not, my dear" she says with a sad expression. "You see, due to some economic reasons the shelter is shutting down. I got an email this morning and we have until next week to leave. I cannot afford the money they ask in order to keep it open. So, I am afraid you have to find another place, I am so sorry" mrs Lee says as she takes Emma's hand who's left speechless.

Emma feels like someone just slapped her statight in the face. She doesn't believe in her ears. "Are you kicking me out?" she says as she struggles to keep her voice stable, her eyes already filling up with tears. "I am so sorry my dear" mrs Lee says she takes her hands into hers. "We really don't have another choice. I hate doing this to you, I know how much you've struggled the past years. But unfortunately there is nothing I can do" she says as she feels her own eyes watering. Emma tries her best to control herself from breaking down but she manages it. "I understand. Thank you for telling me mrs Lee and thank you for offering me a place to live all these years. I will never forget what you did for me" Emma says as she goes to hug the caretaker. Mrs Lee hugs her as she pats her back. "I wish you the best of luck my child. I really hope you find what you are looking for and finally be able to stand on your feet. I know you can do it, you are strong and you'll find a way." She says as she takes Emma's hands into hers. "I apprieciate that" Emma says as she gives her a nod and then exits her office.

She runs upstairs to her room and locks the door as she falls onto the bed crying her eyes out. "Why is everything going against me? What did I do?" she keeps replaying this inside her head as she lets the tears fall down her cheeks. She continues to cry as she lays down trying to calm down, preventing herself from losing her mind when suddenly she shots her eyes open. She gets up and grabs the newspaper she had taken with her this morning as she frantically starts searching for the advert she had marked. After a little while, she finds it and her eyes immidiately goes to the name of the person who wrote it.

Lee Heeseung.

WELCOME TO MY NEW BOOK! So, I already have some chapters ready but for this book, chapters are gonna be uploaded randomly because I am still writing it whenever I have time. I hope you like it!! ❤️