I slipped on my shoes, occasionally glancing at my phone for a new text from my lab partner. I heard a familiar ping and unlocked my phone.

‘ok, so we'll meet at the park? In front of the main entrance ^^)/’ I typed a quick ‘k’ and left the house. I narrowed my eyes at the sun that had shone in my eyes. It's bright for 3:00… My phone pinged again in my pocket. I pulled out my phone and checked the message.

‘I'll meet you there in 15 mins, is that alright?? O3O’ 15 minutes… The park is at least 30 minutes away. I took off down the street.

    I heaved for a fresh breath of air. Wow, I’m really out of shape… I looked for the girl that called me over here. She sat on a bench under a huge oak tree. A baby pink tote bag laid next to her. She swung her legs back and forth, since they didn’t touch the floor, and stared at her phone. As I walked closer to her, I saw her scrunched up face, like she was worried about something.

“Hey,” I said as I stopped in front of her. She looked up and beamed at me.

“Hi! I was just about to text you,” she replied and hopped off the bench. “I was worried that you got lost or something.” I shook my head.

“I live by this park. There’s no way I would get lost,” I informed her. She laughed.

“Wanna take a walk before getting started? It’s not very often we get this type of weather in the fall,” she asked. I shrugged and stuffed my hands into my jacket pockets.

“Sure, I don’t mind.”

“Great! Let’s go,” she exclaimed, grabbing her tote and practically skipped down the dirt path. I lightly chuckled and followed after her.

    She looked around at the scenery. I kick at a pebble that laid harmlessly on the path.

“So, Jimin…” she said while turning her head towards me. I stopped kicking the rock.

“Yeah?” A small smile appeared on her face.

“Do you have any plans for the future yet?” I drew my lips into a thin line. Future plans, huh? I shook my head.

“Not really. I’ve been more focused on my dancing and studies,” I droned out. “To be entirely honest, I don’t like thinking too much into the future. I feel like I’d disappoint myself if I don’t end up doing what I want to do.” Sera nodded in understanding.

“What about you?” I cautiously asked.

“Ah, me? Well… I want to graduate high school and continue onto college,” she said with determination. “You see… my parents never went to college. They were first generation immigrants from Korea. My dad never finished high school and my mom has a middle school education. They’ve done so much for me, so I want to give it all back to them. I want to be the first person in my immediate family to go to college.” She spoke with a clear voice and a strong expression on her face. Wow. For some reason, I feel inspired. She grinned widely at me.

“I want to be able to support them as well as myself. So when I’m older, I want a job that can allow me to do that. But I also want to enjoy myself. So, I want to be in a design field.” A sad smile replaced the expression on her face.

“But… my parents think otherwise… In their eyes, any job in the medical field is the better choice. Since there’s always jobs open in that field,” she sighe