Perhaps Love / Yug

Expectations

[Seoul, South Korea,
Gangdong District, 강동구
6.03am]

In the morning, barely awake, the dim light filtered by the curtains, with the smell of the city piping furtively through the shut window, people aren't expected to be thinking about irrelevant stuff.
In fact, with that exact atmosphere, living in a whole new country and feeling more alone than ever, at the edge of your job interview that will low-key decide for your future, you're supposed to be thinking what is the precise meaning of life, why it happened that the human species is living this Earth and why aren't we already in touch with all the other species in this Universe.

But in this story, the exception was made - of course - for our main character, Nad.
This girl, this caucasian woman - transferred right from South Italy to South Korea - was deeply thinking about her dogs at home.
How were they holding up, were having fun during the daily walks her sister was now in charge to do, were they still howling their guts out every time they heard loud noises from the neighbor?
Did Kj, her 60 pounds golden retriever, still be the crackhead he was towards Potty, a cute, cute, German shepherd spitz?

She sighed.

It had been only four hours since she heard from her mother, but she couldn't help feeling like calling her again; listen to her voice, having an Italian conversation, hearing the loud tv always synced on crime channels, or her sister in the background laughing at whatever she was watching on YouTube. She missed that, a bit out of nowhere.

She wasn't used to miss Italian stuff.
Not because she transferred to the other side of the world to escape from home, not at all.
Sure, she wasn't happy with her government - was somebody ever? - but since foreign languages and asian culture were her major studies appliances she thought that moving to Korea would've been a win-win.
Plus, Ms. Tygko, her Mentor in Italy, was so positive at Nad's idea of moving, that she not only sent her references to a couple of industries that would've used her studies and abilities to let her work, but the woman literally hosted she and her family in her house in the city for three months during the last spring to let them come in touch with the country.

"Ugh, screw me" the girl said, shrugging; her back laid on the mattress, incredibly different from the one she so dumbly kept in her room in Italy. She had to sleep on the couch for at least three weeks before starting falling asleep on her new bed. "If here's barely morning then there'll be late night but not bed time yet, so yeah, why not?"

Yeah, why not?

Because Nad, our young protagonist, fought with her independence for a long time, trying to be less asocial and more loud mouthed as it was possible for her to be; but now that she was living in Korea, almost on her own, she kinda had to be as more heart-opened as humanely known.

The things was... that now, crawled in bed, in the cold morning, warming herself under the soft sheets (for out there were -3º) - at the only thought of calling her mother before her only third job interview, she felt scared.

It was like if she wanted to find reassurance; but reassurances would've leaned her to high hopes and that only meant that she would've been more than shuttered if she wasn't a mach for the job.

She, for sure, didn't need that.
In addiction to that thought, she remembered dealing with her mom she would've called after the interview, just so she wouldn't had to hear her daughter too nervous.

Nad sighed again and got up from the warm, warm mattress. She sat on the edge of the bed.
"It's time" she whispered to herself.
Luckily, her back wasn't hurting as usual.
Still, her head was giving her an hallucinating pain. Her left temple was hurting so bad she thought someone knocked her out without her knowing.

But after trying (and desperately failing) to give herself a massage on the shoulders, she glanced around the house.
Nad felt heart-warmed: the place she was living in was a medium sized apartment bought half the prize from a nice young woman who lived just in front of the street.
At this thought she smirked.
"I not only own an apartment in Korea, but I'm literally getting prepared to attend a job interview for one of the biggest entertainment corporations in the industry..." she said slowly.
At first she tried to smile, but she couldn't keep that positive vibe she felt for so short.

The girl got up from her bed to reach the bathroom. Her reflection in the mirror was freaking screaming for sleep, but that was one of the most insomniac nights in her life. And she was literally chronically insomniac.

It's just that the fact she could've been so easily rejected, for innumerable reasons, was incredibly scary.

First of all: she was too young, only nineteen years old. They could've easily dropped her appliance for someone more experienced.

While thinking, she let the water of the shower run, so it could turn lukewarm and then lava-hot. She left the light on in the bathroom and went to make some strong, strong coffee. With her Italian machine, or the morning wouldn't have started for real.
Again, she sighed deeply.
Thinking of her Italian coffee machine...

She was a foreigner.
Of course she was applying for an international spot in the Staff, where she would've kept the international statistics registers and re-organized almost the entire history of their industry, but who knew what could've gone wrong.

And what about being fired?!?!?!
Even tho the corporation she was aiming to was a very international one, surprisingly open minded, and every day more "english-ish"... were the staff as well?
Would've they been friendly or racist? Would've they getting her fired or helped her introducing her soul to the world?
Would've she fired herself cause she was a weak lower back if they were too mean?

Well, that last one was definitely a no.

That job was too important and she wanted to do it for a very long time, until she could've reach her final goal: MD.
The only thought made her heart racing.

But she knew that out of all those questions, she would've found out the answers only staying alive and living the day.

Well, wasn't that the exact last thing she wanted to do?

~~~~~~

AAAAAAAfhiksisos
hi!
and if you read through all that: THANKS!! I seriously hope you liked it and you'll scroll to the following chapter TwT <3