Huh Yunjin was socially inept, and one could easily pin the blame on her parents for that. They had sidelined their friends shortly after Yunjin was born. Initially, they maintained their social circle, but everything changed on a vacation day when Yunjin was barely two months old. A couple who were friends of her parents decided to feed her spam, and her parents abruptly cut ties with them and everyone else in their circle (or that's what they told her when she was little).
Thus, her parents took refuge at home, shielding their daughter from perceived dangers. Yunjin had always possessed a fragile constitution, though she was perfectly healthy. Her cousin Kazuha, the only person her age with whom she actually exchanged words, often remarked that she resembled a Victorian child on the brink of death. Yunjin was simply a lonely girl with no friends, spending all her days watching movies.
Consequently, Yunjin was never one to venture outside. When she cried, her parents put on a movie; when she grew bored, they put on a movie. When they wanted some alone time, they put on a movie. As a result, Yunjin arrived at university without a single friendship to her name. Freshly turned nineteen, as she had decided to take a gap year before starting university, Yunjin had never touched a social network beyond Letterboxd, which her cousin Kazuha recommended last year during the gap year she spent in Tokyo.
On the seventh of September, Yunjin had already watched an astonishing amount of 737 movies so far this year, averaging nearly three films per day. Glancing at the digital clock on her laptop, currently playing 'The Uninvited', a 1944 film directed by Lewis Allen, it's a quarter to three in the morning, and tomorrow marks her first day of university. With this information, it's not hard to deduce that Yunjin is pursuing a degree in film.
As the film draws to a close, Yunjin awards it a solid three and a half stars and proceeds to write a detailed review before adding it to her list titled 'Old Movies with Gay Subtext'. She then picks up her phone and scrolls through the group chat for her major, which she joined this summer (thanks to Kazuha), finding an endless stream of messages she knows she'll never read or respond to. With a sigh, Yunjin rises from her bed and heads to the bathroom to brush her teeth before finally turning in for the night.
—
At quarter to seven in the morning, her alarm clock rings, and she springs out of bed promptly. Yunjin decides to dress in baggy denim shorts and a black t-shirt adorned with a Shrek print, topped with a hoodie Kazuha forgot to take back home a few days ago. She ties her short hair into a low ponytail and heads downstairs for breakfast.
"Are you excited about starting uni?" Yunjin's mother inquires as she prepares breakfast, her voice laden with anticipation.
"Nervous, actually. I doubt I'll even be able to eat," Yunjin replies, her face revealing a grimace of apprehension.
Despite Yunjin's protests, her mother insists she drink a cup of coffee and take a cereal bar to nibble on when her stomach allows it.
The coffee warms her body, despite the cold sweat trickling down her spine. By the third sip, the doorbell rings.
Yunjin's mother hurries to greet the visitor, revealing Kazuha with her unmistakable voice echoing through the hallway. Kazuha's distinctive cry fills the space as she stumbles through the doorway.
"I always forget about that step," Kazuha chuckles, greeting Yunjin with a sideways hug.
Kazuha sits and turns to her cousin, concern etched in her features. "How are you handling the nerves?" she inquires softly.
Yunjin offers a faint smile in response, her voice trembling slightly. "M-Maybe we should have a movie night tonight... watch Shrek 1 and 2..." she suggests, a feeble attempt to lighten the heavy atmosphere.
