Serendipity Springs

PROLOGUE

“Sometimes, when one door closes, we must remember that another is opening; though it may feel like a heart breaking, it is actually making room for new love.”

Friday, July 28th, 2023
Hongdae, Seoul.
7:00 pm

Lee An had read those words on her wall a hundred times by now, each time hoping they’d spark some sort of comfort in her broken heart. But a month had passed since Ji Hoon walked out of her life, and still, she couldn’t get out of bed. Her room was a disaster—clothes scattered everywhere, empty food containers piled up, books and papers thrown across the floor.

It was as if the chaos in her room mirrored the chaos in her soul. Lee An was a mess. She stared up at the ceiling, her eyes swollen from days of crying, replaying that heartbreaking moment over and over in her mind.

"이안아, 나 다른 사람을 사랑하고 있어. 우리 헤어져야 해. Lee An, I love someone else. We need to break up." Ji Hoon had said it so calmly, so effortlessly.

"왜 이제서야 말해? 내가 뭘 잘못했어? Why are you telling me this now? What did I do wrong?" Lee An had begged, her voice trembling with disbelief and pain.

"나도 모르겠어... 그냥 너무 힘들어졌어. I don’t know. It just feels too difficult."

그럼 나는 어때? 내가 쉽게 받아들일 수 있을 거 같아?" Lee An says, with tears all over her face, anger and sadness mixing. Then what about me? Do you think it's easy for me to accept?

And that was it. No proper explanation. No closure. He just walked away, leaving her with nothing but questions.

"Maybe if we’d spent less time talking about the future and more time living in the present..." she muttered to herself, recalling all the moments they’d talked about marriage, kids, and building a life together. But it was all gone now—like sand slipping through her fingers.

She had tried to keep going. Even as a subtitle translator working from home, she couldn’t focus. Every romantic scene in the movies she was translating felt like a cruel reminder of what she lost. Whenever a cheating scene popped up, she’d scream at the screen, throwing her pillow across the room.

A soft knock on the door interrupted her spiral of self-pity.

"이안아, 아빠야. 언제까지 이렇게 할 거니? Lee An, it’s Dad. How long are you going to keep doing this? Open the door, please." Mr. Lee’s voice was gentle, but there was sadness in it.

"그만 좀 해. 쟤 미쳤어. Goodness, leave her alone. She’s acting crazy." Mrs. Chu’s voice, however, was sharp and fed up. "문 부수고 머리 다 뽑아버릴 거야. I’ll break down that door and pull out all her hair if I have to. Maybe then she’ll come back to her senses."

Just then, the door unlocked with a soft click, and Lee Jun, her older brother, walked in with the spare keys in hand. Their parents exchanged looks, surprised they hadn’t thought of that earlier.

"야, 나와. Hey, come out." Lee Jun’s voice was firm but not harsh.

"나가. 내버려 둬. Get out. Leave me alone." Lee An’s voice was flat, drained of all emotion.

"빨리 안 나올래? Come out now." Lee Jun didn’t wait for an answer. He grabbed her by the wrist and gently but firmly pulled her up from the bed.