" 𝐈𝐍𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐒

𝟎𝟏 : 𝐄𝐗𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐃

𝐂𝐄𝐀𝐙𝐈𝐀'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐕:
As I approached my best friend Wooyoung, I couldn't help but notice the exhaustion on his face. "Hey Wooyoung, how was school?" I asked as I took a seat in front of him. We had both just finished school, but Wooyoung seemed to be in a more downtrodden state of mind. "It gets worse every day," he sighed, his voice laced with frustration. "My classmates are so consumed with their wealth and status, that it's hard to connect with them on any level." I chuckled at his remark, knowing that Wooyoung attended one of the most prestigious high schools in Seoul, owned by the largest corporation in the city, Jeguk Group.

"If it's so bad, why do you keep going?" I asked him, taking a sip of my ice-cold drink. "To see Desire," he replied with a smile. "I miss her so much. When will she and the others come to visit me again?" I asked. He replied, "Maybe next week, they missed you too." My phone vibrated on the table, and I picked it up to check the message. It was from my mom, requesting me to come back home for dinner. The food was leftovers from Mrs. Kim's, and my smile vanished as soon as I read the text. Wooyoung, who was with me, noticed the change in my expression and looked puzzled.

"Did your mom text you?" he inquired. I nodded in response, not taking my eyes off the phone. "Leftovers again?" he questioned, knowing that this had happened frequently. I put my phone aside, letting out a sigh of disappointment. Wooyoung comforted me and said, "It's alright, Ceazia," looking at me with sympathy. I nodded and got up from my chair. "I'll keep you posted if something new happens. Goodbye," I informed him as I began to walk away.

...
Seated at the table, I looked over at my mom and spoke with frustration and annoyance. "Mom, I'm sick and tired of eating the food they give us. It makes us look like beggars," I expressed, unable to hide my feelings of embarrassment. "I understand that we're not doing well financially, but having to depend on leftover food from your workplace is just too much," I added, hoping to make my point clear.

With a sigh, my mom responded through sign language. "We don't have any other option, my child. This is all we can do to survive. Do you want us to starve?" Her words hit me hard, and I realized how privileged I had been to have never experienced the feeling of true hunger. I couldn't help but voice my frustration. "But still Mom.. when will we stop taking leftovers?" I asked, looking at the food with a mix of disappointment and longing. My mother, who was proficient in sign language, replied calmly, "When we have enough money to pay for dinner each day."

Although her response hit my heart, I tried my best not to show it and instead silently ate the food, lost in thought. As I chewed, I couldn't help but think back to all the times we had struggled to make ends meet.

As the sun set, my mother announced that she needed to go to the grocery store to purchase a large bottle of water. I watched as she headed out the door, leaving me alone in our small apartment. As I sat on my thin mattress, tears streamed down my face as I thought about the constant financial struggles that we faced. It felt like no matter how hard we worked, we could never get ahead. Despite my overwhelming emotions, I knew that I needed to try to sleep so that I would be able to focus on school the next day. With a heavy heart, I closed my eyes and tried to drift off into slumber.

𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐖𝐎𝐎'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐕:
"Hey, Sunwoo!" My American friend Turner exclaimed as he entered my penthouse. "We going to the beach or what? I invited these two hot girls; one is a stunning brunette with long wavy hair, and the other is a gorgeous blonde with sparkling blue eyes." Sitting on the couch in my living room, I thought for a moment and replied, "Nah, it's fine. You can go without me." Turner's face fell. "Man, that's wack. You're missing out, my friend. These girls are something else. But hey, I'll see you tomorrow then, maybe even the day after." He gave me a playful smirk before leaving my apartment. I scoffed, putting on a smile.

I turned on the television, wanting to watch my favorite show 'Friends'. I was hoping that it would help me forget about the problems that had been weighing on my mind lately. However, just a few minutes into the episode, my phone rang. It was my mom calling me from Seoul, but I felt a sense of dread and didn't want to answer. I let the call go to voicemail.

Despite my best efforts to immerse myself in the show, my thoughts kept wandering back to my family in Seoul. I sighed as I thought about how much I missed them. However, the reason why I couldn't go back came flooding back to me, and I felt a pang of sadness. I had been exiled by my brother, and it was a wound that had yet to fully heal.

𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 (𝟑 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐨)
Taehyung, my older brother, entered my room and broke the news to me that Father still wanted to give me shares of the family company, despite my repeated refusal.

"It's not my fault," I said, frustration evident in my voice. "I keep telling him not to, but he still insists on it."

I looked at my brother, unsure of what to do. Taehyung scoffed, ruffling his hair. "There is only one way that he'll stop," he said, his voice cold and emotionless.

"What is it?" I asked, already dreading the answer.

"Go to America. Forget about your mom, forget about father, and forget about me. Don't connect with any of us," he said.

Tears started to well up in my eyes, but I knew that I had to obey my brother. I nodded in agreement, unable to say anything.

Taehyung left my room, leaving me alone to cry and contemplate my uncertain future.

𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓
Feeling overwhelmed by my thoughts, I let out a deep sigh and reached for the remote to increase the volume of the television. The sound of the program became louder and more distracting, providing a temporary escape from the constant chatter in my mind. My phone buzzed, interrupting my thoughts. I reached for it and saw that Rachel, my so-called fiancée from Seoul, had sent me a message. The words on the screen read, "I am going to take a flight to visit you in two days." A wave of annoyance swept over me, and I couldn't help but suck my teeth in frustration. The idea of Rachel coming to visit me was not something I was looking forward to.

I slowly reached for my phone and opened her message, but decided not to reply just yet. With a sigh, I turned off the TV and made my way up the stairs to my room. The silence enveloped me as I settled onto my bed.
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𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘆𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀! 😍