𝗽𝗼𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻. jeonghan

chp. 03

OVER AN HOUR

May, 3rd.

The day that Hwayoung was going to move out the only house that she had ever lived in - it was a treasure to her.

Hwayoung and her family lived on the outer part of Seoul, near the mountains and its hilly landscape. Soon, she was going to travel over an hour towards the heart of the city, where her dream university was located.

The Song was not able to afford the dormitory that was connected to the university, however, she was able to find a nearby apartment that was sold at a lower price. Nonetheless, she found the place to be a bit sketchy but she had to deal with it before she could find part-time jobs.

She wore a basic pair of blue jeans that bagged at the top of her white sneakers, a beige tank top and a ruffling track jacket that covered her up.

Her body in the middle of the wooden frame, her eyes raking over the small echo-ing and empty room that used to be filled with her furniture and personal belongings. Her room was about the size of her bathroom; small but cozy. She deeply inhaled, unknowingly smiling at her surroundings before moving on to the living room.

The living room were where her parent were, ringed with all of their daughter's suitcases and bags.

"I'll make sure to visit whenever I can." She reassured, embracing her parents into a tight, lasting hug. After pulling away, she noticed her father pulling out a chunky envelope from his pocket.

"Don't waste your money on KTX fees, instead, use it to buy delicious foods." He smiled endearingly, handing over the envelope.

Hwayoung tilted her head in confusion, taking the envelope. As she opened it, she immediately closed it and handed it back to her father. "I cannot accept this, you guys should use it. I'll find a job."

"Young-ah, do a favour for me. Take it." Her father grabbed her two hands into his, shoving the envelope of money into her hands.

"You know, we have technology now." Her mother joked, breaking the touching atmosphere.

The Song knew how difficult it was for her parents to earn money, and receiving money from them was rare - but she didn't mind it. Accepting her father's favour, she took the cash, grasping her parents into another hug.

▬

Hwayoung silently sat by herself in the KTX train that didn't seem to be filled with that many travellers. Her bags stacked on top of her suitcases, next to her.

She stared out the clear, glass panel, viewing the moving trees and landscapes of Seoul. It had been a while since she visited the city as she was too busy studying for free time. This was the day that marked the beginning of her independent life - separating her from her parents.

The Song listened to music through her wired ear phones, humming to the tunes quietly. She enjoyed the mood that she was feeling right now, enjoying the loneliness.

After over an hour, she finally arrived at her destination.

With the two suitcases being held by each hand, she walked out the station, inhaling the spring air of Seoul's heart. Compared to her usual, peaceful and quiet town, there was already many people in broad daylight, the streets busy and packed.

Her long black hair flowing with the breeze, she called for a taxi and headed over to her new accomodation.

While sitting in the back seat of the taxi, she observed the assortment of tall buildings and apartments that she passed by, noticing the contrast between her old place and her new one. It took around 30 minutes to reach to reach the apartment - the driver assisted her in taking her belongings out of the trunk.

The apartment was definitely bigger than she expected, luckily, it was clean. It was lightened up brightly and had functioning elevators along with emergency stairs. The ground floor was the lobby, empty and supported by one large chandelier and a few other lights.

Her sneakers brushed passed the concrete slabs as she collected her keys from the collective mail boxes on the side of the lobby, pressing in the numeric code that the landlord provided her online.

The Song felt her heart beat apprehensively as she entered the elevator with all her luggages and bags, pressing the button that was labelled with '1'.

Examining the signs above each door, she strolled pass a few before reaching the door that was tagged with '1004'. As she unlocked the door with the steel key, she was introduced with a vast opening.

Walking through the wooden frames, she observed the light-coloured timber that was spread out across the wall, drifting her eyes to the plain white walls.

It was indeed larger than she assumed, but she believed that once she decorated it, it would appear smaller.

As she locked the door behind her, taking off her shoes at the lower platform in the entrance, her socks sliding against the ground. A smell of a fresh paint and wood filled her nose - she was never able to experience this feeling because this was the first time she moved.

Hwayoung rolled her suitcases over to the side, passing by the clean, small kitchen and through the broad living room until she noticed that there were two bed rooms. She wasn't informed on how there may be two residents at this place, which distracted her.

Naturally shrugging off the worry, she visited the bath room that was hygienic and appeared tidy. Walking over to one of the rooms, was a bed frame and an exposed mattress on the floor. The size of the room was quite appropriate for her liking - moving onto the other room, it was basically the same as the other.

Hwayoung and her family 🥹💔