Lady Spring

It didn’t take long for Saeun to quit her job. The people who worked with her seemed a little sad to see her go, but no one stopped her. Breaking the lease on her home wasn’t hard either. Her landlord was able to find another tenant very quickly, so Saeun was able to get the majority of her deposit back after paying a small penalty. Overall, everything worked out quickly and smoothly. 

When Junghoo received the 30 million won, he grinned. 

“See?! I knew it! I knew you had the money all along, so why didn’t you just give it to me earlier? Things would’ve been so much easier for all of us. Why do you have to be so stupid? Anyway, you did the right thing. When my business becomes a huge success, I’ll give you your money back, so don’t worry. When I become rich, I’ll take care of my whole family.”

Saeun didn’t say a single word. She didn’t have the energy to say anything. All she wanted was for her brother to just shut up and leave her alone. 

Finally noticing that she hadn’t said a word, Junghoo argued, 

“What the hell is wrong with you? You don’t want to give me the money, do you? Look at you, pouting like a pig.”

He looked up and down at her in displeasure as he put the envelope in his pocket. With a dry cough, he added, 

“Shouldn’t you eat something? You look really thin. Going on a diet and getting thinner is not gonna make you any more attractive. Just eat and get fat like you usually do. You look even worse looking skinny like that. You must have lots of money left, right? So go get something to eat. Got it?”

Thankfully, Junghoo didn’t look back as he left. When he was finally out of sight, Saeun grabbed the luggage she packed earlier and left her home. After leaving the key with the apartment manager, she walked to the bus stop. She purchased a ticket to Daejun where her parents lived. 

When she arrived at her parent’s tiny apartment, it was empty. Saeun didn’t have the key, so she sat on the stairs and waited with a blank face. When the sun was beginning to set, it was then her elderly parents arrived. 

“Is that you, Saeun?”

She looked up at them without a word. Her parents looked much older than the last time she saw him. 

“Why are you here? What’s with the luggage? We don’t even have a spare room for you…”

Saeun’s mother looked at her daughter unhappily. Saeun’s father just looked away without a word. Her body frozen from the cold weather, Saeun barely managed to stand up. She was vaguely surprised that she didn’t faint. 

***

The spring that year was filled with the memories of you.

When I wake up alone at night, I dream of you.

The only thing I have left is the memories…

Only the memories…

I like the gentle autumn wind.

The first kiss tasted of the spring sun.

I fell in love when I was 17.

Thinking of you, who isn’t by my side anymore…

I wonder why I didn’t know then.

Why didn’t I hold on to you?

The thought of you used to brighten my day.

You were 17. A girl that reminded me of flowers.

I was 17. I was an immature boy.  

I like the gentle autumn wind.

The first kiss tasted of the spring sun.

Saeun heard the same song over and over again on a loop. Her CD player was old, but it still worked fine. The statistics from it were annoying sometimes, but Wooyoung’s voice still sounded so smooth and beautiful.

No one bothered Saeun. She heard children playing outside sometimes, but other than that, it was quiet. Her parents were out working some small jobs, and the spare room in her parent’s home was apparently being rented out to a local university student. This student went to school or her part time job during the day, and only returned at night to sleep. When her mother told Saeun how impressed she was by this female student for working and studying at the same time, all Saeun could do was smirk. She herself worked two jobs while attending university, yet it seemed her parents never thought to be proud of her.

It was all useless and meaningless. She studied so hard and worked even harder, yet now, she was back in her parents’ home. What was the point of all of her effort? If she knew this was how her life was going to turn out, Saeun wouldn’t have worked so hard. Perhaps it would’ve been easier to just quit school and enjoy her life like her brother did. 

Saeun had been working with one goal in her life. She wanted to escape her burdensome parents and her bastard brother, but now… She had nothing left. She didn’t even have much savings and she was homeless. 

Saeun was just thankful that she wasn’t pregnant. If she was, what would she have done? 

Yet why was it that she couldn’t stop crying…?