Spring has came. 

Yongguk grunted as he slipped out of his bed. The colourful flowers sang a melody of spring outside the window, dew drops glistening in the sunlight. With a grumble, he ran a tired hand over his weather beaten face. He brushed his teeth, not minding the frayed bristles of his toothbrush and spit the white foam into the sink. When he washed his face, the water was ice cold since he stubbornly chose not to on the heater. He had always made sure not to let the tap run, use a fan instead of an air-conditioner, everything he could do to stop his utility bills from soaring any higher.  After all, every second was worth at least 3 cents. 

If each second was worth 3 cents, how much was his life worth? 

The vibrant lights illuminated the urbanized city, blanketing nameless citizens with their warm glow. 

A chubby man with a recherché coat impatiently glancing at his authentic watch every now and then, a skimpily dressed woman stumbling out of the bar and a child desperately crying for candy. They disappeared into a sea of people. Jolly laughter, sorrowful cries and angry shrieks were all drowned out by the vehicles whooshing past. 

Yongguk slithered into the crowd and blended in with them. The phantasmagorical lights and pulchritudinous booms entirely unnoticed by the tired citizens going home from work. Him, being one of them, unable to escape the machinesque cycle of home and work. 

A puppet controlled by duty and greed, he yearned to break free. 

_______________________________________________________________________

Birds were chirping extra merrily when Yongguk opened his windows, winds fluttering in excitement. (Even birds liked weekends.) It was like a Disney movie, a scene where the princess sang with her animal friends. Except life was not a movie, he had no animal friends and he definitely was not a princess. The piercing rays of the sun hurt his eyes and the cool breeze more or less slapped his face, leaving an uncomfortable stinging feeling. Stretching his tensed muscles, Yongguk staggered into the kitchen unceremoniously, wearing nothing but bunny-print pajama bottoms. Then, he downed the milk, right out of the carton and headed straight for the television. Flipping through various channels, he concentrated on every single one. A report of a missing rich man on the news, a woman water slapping another woman in a sappy soap opera and some reality show where everyone rushed to bake the perfect cake. Humans, always full of unnecessary drama. Fixing the channel on Nat Geo, he put aside the remote and balanced a bag of chips  on his lap. This, was bliss. 

Yongguk cursed and sweared as he vacuumed his unreasonably large home. The only reason he had yet to sell it and move to a livable-sixed apartment that he can afford was because it was his parents'. Despite them passing away 2 years ago, the scent of them still lingered in the house. He said it was a stupid reason but he preferred to think otherwise. Holding onto things that were no longer there, digging out buried memories and torturing himself with them. They proved that he was only human. The emptiness of the big house, eye-popping meter bills and the fact that he did not need even half of the facilities bugged him probingly to sell the house. However, he was never one to think rationally. So, he shoved the idea down the toilet and flushed it away. 

____________________________________________________________________

On Sunday night, Yongguk fell asleep, dreaming about the goals he never achieved, his limitations and his fears. He was a coward in actual fact. Yearning desperately for something but not having the courage to fight for it. He would probably wake up at 6 am the next day like every other working days. Complete his morning ritual, go to work and come back home. Repeat. On one hand, he wanted a drastic change to his routine but on the other hand, he was afraid of something new. 

However, change was not a choice but the inevitable. 

The leaves turn different shades as seasons roll by. 

We grow an inch taller, a centimeter wider, a bit more wiser with each passing year. 

People lust for change yet run away when it finally comes to stay. 

You can't run forever. 

So, why not turn around and face your fears. 

Inevitable is change.