LILY

Chapter One

A Life of Their Own

The alarm rang at seven in the morning.

Han Seo-yun reached for her phone without opening her eyes. After several unsuccessful attempts, she finally managed to silence it and pulled her blanket over her head.

Five more minutes.

That was all she needed.

"Seo-yun!"

She ignored the voice.

"Han Seo-yun, if you don't get up right now, I'm eating your breakfast!"

Seo-yun opened one eye.

"Park Da-eun, you wouldn't dare."

"Try me!"

A pillow flew across the room.

Da-eun caught it against her chest, looking thoroughly offended.

"Violence this early in the morning? And between best friends, too? I'm hurt."

"Then be hurt quietly. I'm sleeping."

"You have a lecture at nine!"

Seo-yun froze.

Slowly, she lifted her head and looked at the clock on her bedside table.

7:08 a.m.

"Oh, no."

Da-eun burst out laughing.

"Good morning to you, too!"

Ten minutes later, Seo-yun was in the bathroom brushing her teeth while Da-eun stood outside the door, explaining-in unnecessary detail-why their lecturer had assigned far too many pages of reading for the week.

Seo-yun had stopped listening halfway through.

She had known Da-eun long enough to recognise the difference between a conversation that required an answer and one that simply required her presence.

This was the second kind.

And, strangely enough, Seo-yun liked it.

Their little house wasn't particularly impressive. The living room was small, the kitchen had barely enough space for two people to move around comfortably, and one of the windows refused to close properly whenever it rained.

But it was theirs.

After growing up in a foster home, Seo-yun had spent years imagining what having a place of her own might feel like. She hadn't imagined anything luxurious. She had wanted somewhere she could return to without having to ask permission to exist in someone else's space.

Somewhere she and Da-eun could leave books scattered across the table, argue about groceries, and eat instant noodles when they were too tired to cook.

Somewhere that felt like home.

Now, standing in their tiny kitchen while Da-eun complained about the price of eggs she had bought the previous evening, Seo-yun thought that perhaps happiness didn't always have to be something extraordinary.

Sometimes, it was simply having someone who would threaten to steal your breakfast and still save you the last piece of toast.

"Why are you smiling?" Da-eun asked.

"I'm not."

"You are."

"You're imagining things."

"Fine. Keep your secrets, Miss Literature Student."

Seo-yun shook her head and reached for her bag.

"Come on. We're going to be late."

"See? This is why I need you. Without you, I'd be a completely irresponsible person."

"You already are."

"And yet you love me."

Unfortunately, Seo-yun couldn't argue with that.

Scene 2 - Jiwon

The sound of a suitcase being dragged across the living room floor made his mother turn around.

She stared at the suitcase, then at her son, who was busy checking something on his phone.

"Jiwon. What's that?"

"My suitcase."

"I can see that. Why is it here?"

"Because I'm leaving tomorrow."

For a moment, the room fell silent.

His mother blinked at him as though she hadn't heard him correctly.

"Leaving where?"

"Seowon."

"Seowon? That little town? What on earth are you going to do there?"

"Live."

"Don't be ridiculous, Kim Jiwon!"

He finally looked up from his phone.

"Mom, I'm twenty-six. I think I'm old enough to decide where I want to live."

"Being twenty-six doesn't mean you know everything about the world!"

"And staying here isn't going to teach me anything either."

His mother's expression changed.

"Is that what you think? That living with your family is holding you back?"

"That's not what I said."

"Then what are you saying, Jiwon? You have a comfortable home here. You have food on the table, and you don't have to worry about anything. Why would you throw all of that away to live in some small town?"

"Because I want to build something of my own!"

His voice echoed through the living room.

Jiwon took a deep breath, trying to control his frustration.

"I have a career to think about, Mom. I can't keep waiting for the perfect opportunity to come to me. I need to go out there, meet people, work on my projects, and figure things out for myself."

"And you think you'll achieve all that in Seowon?"

"I think I have a better chance if I try."

His mother looked away, shaking her head.

"You're making a mistake."

"Maybe I am."

She turned back to him, surprised by his answer.

"But at least it'll be my mistake," he continued quietly. "And if I fail, I'll learn how to get back up without someone doing it for me."

For the first time that evening, his mother had nothing to say.

Jiwon picked up his suitcase.

"I'm not leaving because I don't love you, Mom. I'm leaving because I need to grow up. I can't spend my entire life being afraid of what might happen if I take a chance."

"And what about me?" she asked, her voice suddenly softer. "Have you even thought about how I'll feel when you're gone?"

His expression softened.

"Every day."

He walked closer to her.

"But if I stay just because I'm afraid of making you sad, one day I'll look back and wonder what I could have become if I'd just been brave enough to leave."

His mother swallowed the words she wanted to say.

"Jiwon..."

"I'm not asking you to like my decision." He gave her a small, tired smile. "I'm only asking you to trust me."

She looked at her son for a long moment.

Then she looked at the suitcase beside him.

"When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning."

She let out a quiet sigh.

"Have you found a place to stay?"

"Yes."

"Is it safe?"

"Mom."

"Answer me!"

A faint smile tugged at his lips.

"Yes. It's safe."

"Do you have enough money?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Mom, I checked everything three times."

She clicked her tongue, clearly unconvinced.

"And you'll call me every day."

"Every day?"

"Yes, every single day. And don't you dare ignore my calls just because you're busy with your precious career."

Jiwon laughed softly.

"Okay, Mom."

She turned away before he could see the tears gathering in her eyes.

"You'd better not regret this."

He watched her walk towards the kitchen, feeling a familiar ache in his chest.

He knew she wasn't angry because she hated his decision.

She was angry because she was afraid of losing the little boy she had spent twenty-six years protecting.

But Jiwon wasn't a little boy anymore.

Tomorrow, he would leave everything familiar behind and begin a new chapter of his life in Seowon.

A quiet little town where he hoped to find the inspiration he had been searching for.

A place where he could finally become the person he wanted to be.

And as far as Jiwon knew, it was just another small town.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

A Little Note from the Author ♡

Hello, everyone! 🫶🏻

Welcome to my little story! This is my first step into writing something new, and I hope you'll enjoy this journey with me.

The story might begin slowly, but I promise there's more waiting to unfold as the chapters go on. So, take your time, get comfortable, and enjoy the ride. 🤍

If you enjoy the story, comment, and add it to your reading list. Your support would mean so much to me!

Thank you for giving my story a chance. Happy reading, everyone! ♡

- Your Author Maya🌷