As I sat alone in my living room, the memories began to flood back, unbidden and relentless. One date in particular stood out, a day when Jin Ah and I had been truly happy.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
It was a crisp autumn day, the kind where the air is cool and the leaves crunch beneath your feet. Jin Ah and I had spent the day wandering through a sprawling park, laughing and joking like carefree teenagers. We had rented bikes and cycled along the trails, her laughter ringing out as she sped ahead of me, taunting me to catch up. When I finally did, we collapsed onto the grass, breathless and grinning.
Later, we found a small café nestled in the corner of the park. We sat outside, sipping hot chocolate and sharing a slice of cake. She had gotten whipped cream on her nose, and I had leaned over to wipe it off, our faces so close that I could feel her breath on my skin. I had wanted to kiss her then, but I had held back, savoring the moment instead. It was perfect, just being there with her.
But those perfect days seemed like a lifetime ago. The memory shifted, darkening as I recalled the day my mother.......
---
I had been having lunch with my mother in the grand dining room of our family estate. The table was long, covered with an immaculate white cloth and adorned with silverware that gleamed under the chandelier’s light. My mother, always strict and unyielding, sat at the head of the table, her posture rigid and her expression stern.
“Taehyung,” she began, her voice cold and commanding. “We need to talk about Jin Ah.”
I had looked up from my plate, a feeling of dread settling in my stomach. “What about her?”
“She is not suitable for you,” she said bluntly, cutting into her steak with precision. “You need to end it.”
I clenched my fork, trying to keep my voice steady. “No, I won’t. I love her, Mother.”
She had set down her knife and fork with a deliberate, almost menacing calm. “You will do as I say. That girl is beneath you, and she is holding you back. I will not allow you to throw your life away for some... nobody.”
“I refuse,” I said, my voice rising. “I won’t break up with her.”
For days after that lunch, I had avoided my mother, refusing to speak to her. I had thought that maybe, just maybe, she would relent. But my mother was not one to be disobeyed.
---
One evening, she called me into her office. The room was dark, lit only by the dim glow of a single lamp. She sat behind her massive mahogany desk, a formidable figure in the shadows. I had walked in, my heart pounding, knowing that this confrontation was inevitable.
“Sit down, Taehyung,” she commanded. I obeyed, sitting stiffly in the chair across from her.
“You will break up with Jin Ah,” she said, her voice icy. “Or I will erase her and her family’s existence.”
