The University of Seoul…it was the lifelong dream of many young Koreans to walk the hallways of this prestigious institution as a student. Of course, it was difficult to get in but staying in was even more of a challenge. Students were known to stay up in the campus hostels until the early hours of the morning, studying endlessly to achieve their various dreams.
Kim Taeyeon, a young girl from the humble but hardworking province of Jeonju, knew that she was extremely lucky to have earned a place at USeo. Taeyeon was to be on an engineering scholarship with Samsung. She had signed an agreement stating that if she kept her grades up over her 4 years of studying, her family would not have to pay for her education and she was guaranteed a job as soon as she completed her degree.
Taeyeon knew this scholarship meant so much to her family and was also saving them money that they honestly couldn't even afford to spend. Taeyeon had come from a humble home where her father had dedicated his life to his shoe sales business and her mother had stayed at home to take care of Taeyeon and her siblings. The pressure was on because Taeyeon was the first person from her family to set foot in a university and honestly…it scared her.
Taeyeon was a perfectionist and an extremely serious person, she never saw the need to waste time on things that she wasn't passionate about. Everything she did in her life was intense; if she studied, she studied intensely, if she loved, she loved intensely. Walking into USeo, Taeyeon knew that she had to sacrifice any potential form of social life and get stuck into her books. She couldn't afford any distractions right now because her entire family was counting on her.
"Dad, I don't care if you don't support me. I'm going…this is something I have to do! It's a good opportunity for me, can't you see that!" Tiffany explained with tears in her eyes as she tried to explain to her stubborn father why she wanted to move to Korea. "Well don't expect us to spend money we don't have on supporting or visiting you Tiffany, this is not something me or your siblings agree with!" her father retorted, refusing to convince his daughter to stay.
The fight continued as Tiffany packed the last of her things and angrily got into the yellow taxi-cab waiting outside their home in Los Angeles. She left home crying and she arrived in Seoul crying. Tiffany was frustrated that her new life had begun on such a sad note but being the optimistic person she is, she decided to forget about it and begin her new life as a student of the arts at the prestigious University of Seoul. It was now or never, Tiffany thought as she set herself up in a small apartment near the university campus.
Tiffany was somewhat lost when it came to her career, she loved art, design, architecture, fashion and drama. She figured that after a few months of attending lectures, she would have a vague idea of what she wanted to do with her life. Tiffany had always been a dreamer but deep down she knew that she had the passion and the talent to make her dreams a reality. She didn't know what she wanted to do but she knew that whatever it was, she had to be the best at it. That passion is what kept her going despite being all alone in a huge city very far from home.
She studied during the day and worked at a quaint café near the university campus as a waitress at night. She didn't hate her job but she just felt creatively stifled and stuck while doing it. Yes, she met interesting people and of course got hit on by many guys, but Tiffany was always too busy dreaming about her future to pay attention. She knew she was destined for greater things than this….
It was a breezy fall evening sometime in September and Taeyeon was knee deep in electromagnetics for an upcoming test. She sighed and looked at the clock…11:16…she was exhausted, her head felt heavy and her body ached from the intense studying. She blinked and her gaze shifted to the photograph of her family on her bedside table. They were so proud of her and every day she felt the pressure of not failing and letting them down building up in her heart. It was frustrating her and scaring her all at the same time.
