In Hearts in the Hallway Kang Haerin Senior year at Hanlim Multi Arts High School begins like any other: filled with the usual stress of grades, friendships, and the ever-present tension with Marsh Danielle, her longtime rival. Danielle is the golde...
The city had always been buzzing with energy—the constant hum of life, the cacophony of voices, and the familiar rhythm of routine. But for Haerin and Danielle, the more they settled into their new life together, the more they realized it wasn't the noise that was missing from their lives; it was the quiet.
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They both loved the city, loved its pulse and promise. But the truth was, neither of them wanted to be 'just' another face in the crowd anymore. They had been through so much—together and apart—and now, the weight of that history made the idea of anonymity feel like the next chapter. They didn't need to hide, but they needed space. Space to breathe. Space to build something without the shadow of their past constantly looming over them.
So, they started saving.
---- It wasn't an easy decision. They both knew that the move to the countryside, away from their friends and the city they'd known, would change everything. But they were ready for the change. Ready for a life that was simpler, quieter, one that wasn't defined by the fast pace of city living.
They started small—putting a little aside from each paycheck, sacrificing things they used to take for granted. No more eating out every weekend or spontaneous shopping sprees. Their shared apartment, cozy as it was, became a home base for their dreams of something more. Danielle even took on a side gig delivering for a local courier service, working late into the night when Haerin was already asleep, and Haerin, with her quiet determination, picked up freelance work that had her at the kitchen table most nights, her laptop always open, her focus absolute.
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"Just think of it as an investment," Haerin would say, her fingers tapping the keyboard. "We're building something that's ours. We'll have the quiet we want. A house we can call our own. The kind of place where we don't have to worry about being crowded."
Danielle would nod, exhausted but always with a grin. "It's worth it. This is for us, love. You know that, right?"
The more they sacrificed, the more the idea began to feel real. Slowly, they watched their savings grow—safely stashed away in a separate account, untouched. And though it wasn't much, the amount was steadily climbing toward the down payment they needed for the dream they were building together.
