CHAPTER ONE

"That's Why"

You scrubbed the dishes in the sink until your hands were raw. They were piled over on the side, a few hundred of them still waiting to be washed, with more coming through. People threw them at you, but you couldn’t throw them back. Washing dishes was your job. What could you do?

Sighing, you picked up another sauce-stained plate, scrubbing it under the heavy stream of water.

This was your routine every evening after school. Stuck in a hot, humid room in the back of a restaurant, scrubbing dishes until your hands were dry, cracked, and blistered. You didn’t have pretty hands, but there was no use for them in a place like this.

Better continue working.

:::::♥ ♥:::::

When your shift was finally over, you changed into your normal clothes and left the restaurant with an envelope clutched tightly in your hands. Even though today was payday, you didn’t get nearly enough money from working here. Not enough to support yourself and your mother, as well as your little brother in the hospital.

Your father had passed away from heart problems when you were a child. The health issues were a hereditary disease, and your little brother, Joowon, had to stay in the hospital because of his poor health. You were lucky enough to not show any signs of inheriting the disease, however.

After walking for a while, you reached your home, a shabby looking apartment in a complex. The corners of the walls on the outside were almost crumbling, but you didn’t have the money to fix them.

A surprise met you when you returned to your home. Typically, your mother worked late into the night, leaving you to cook dinner for yourself and her. But today, your mother was standing in the kitchen, humming as she grilled meat on the stovetop.

“Omma!” You grinned, “Did your boss let you leave early today?”

Your mother turned to you, shaking her head but still smiling. “No.”

“Then why are you home early?”

“I asked him to let me leave early so that I could cook you a dinner. Is there anything wrong with that?”

“Alright then. I’ll be studying in my room then.” You placed the envelope of money at the dinner table, then slipped into your bedroom. Usually, you could only study and do homework for high school after cooking dinner and cleaning what needed to be cleaned in the house. There wasn’t much time for that so you would study until you fell asleep. You weren’t the