Flashback  

One month earlier 

7:04 pm 

Tuesday 

"Kyungmi, Kyungmi-ah, come downstairs please," I heard my mom shout from outside my bedroom door. 

I quickly wrapped the camera strap around my Nikon camera, and shoved it in my desk draw before fixing the ribbon in my hair and leaving my room. 

I walked across the hall and went down the stairs one at a time before going into the dining room where umma was sitting at the table with a file of papers around her and the maid, Seyoon, was bustling around in the kitchen. 

"Yes umma?" 

She looked over her shoulder for a split second before motioning me over with a wave of her hand at the table. 

"Sit, sit quickly. I have something I want to discuss with you," she said. 

I moved over to the table and sat down on her side, crossing my ankles underneath the table and staring at her curiously when she finally looked up after a minute. Umma's hair was pulled back in a neat bun, not a hair out of place with her diamond pin holding her hair. Her pearls rested against her neck and the smell of Chanel was strong as it drifted across the table and around my nose. She was wearing one of her fine light pink dresses that hugged her petite frame and small waist. Her heels scraped against the hardwood when she shifted slightly and when she brought her hand to caress the side of my cheek, I gulped nervously and gripped the edge of my chair. 

"Kyungmi-ah, so pretty. Have you not been checking your mail at all?" She asked me. 

Oh I was checking it alright, it's just every time I got a letter I either shredded it or balled it up and threw it in the trash. 

I glanced out of the corner of my eye cautiously and saw a letter marked Cambridge, next to one that said John Hopkins and Princeton. 

, how could I have missed that?! 

"What mail umma?" I said innocently. 

She chuckled softly before patting my cheek and grasping at the mail and spreading it out on the table in front of me. I looked at the letters across the table and unclenched and clenched my fingers before putting together a smile and directing it towards my umma. 

"Mianhae, I must have forgot about this somehow or got it mixed up with my homework," I lied smoothly. 

"Aish, when are you going to get more organized, hm? Luckily I found them before Seyoon threw them out isn't that great?" she smiled sweetly. 

"N-Ne," I nodded. 

Umma grinned and pointed a manicured nail at the John Hopkins letter where the university's logo mockingly stared at my face. "Now, I really like this one but it's your choice of course. Their medical school, is one of the best and their academic credentials are amazing. It would be really promising here," she nodded. 

"Must I decide now umma?" 

Of course none of these schools were anywhere near what I had in mind, and while their was no doubt that my father would do everything in his ability to get me in; this is not what I wanted. 

"Not right now, no. But getting in is very competitive and I want you to have a shot. These ivy league colleges fill up so fast," 

I lifted my hand up to scratch the back of my neck and uncrossed my ankles at the table. 

"I want to wait until Appa comes home. Then we can all talk about it, okay?" 

Umma took a moment to answer but just sighed and nodded anyways. "Okay okay, but we'll talk about it at dinner. You have to decide what you want to do," 

"Yes umma," I said and excused myself from the table before leaving the dining room and running back upstairs to my bedroom quickly. 

I slammed the door shut, locking it before I sighed and ran my hands down my face. How could I be so stupid and let those letters slip?! And more importantly I really really didn't want to have to talk about this later or definitely with my Appa. I didn't want to go to America and study at some big name university and have to study for a degree I didn't want. It was bad enough I had wasted all four years at high school, taking advanced classes and killing myself over exams to get the best marks; when really none of this phased me! All I wanted to do was be a photographer, that was my true passion, not a doctor. 

I shuffled across my room and pulled my camera out of the drawer that I had stuffed it in earlier. I unraveled the straps and put it around my neck before going to my window and opening it up. The view from my bedroom had a wonderful outlook over the city, buildings and streets that always made me smile. From here I could capture any angle, every person, every detail, the ones that always stood out to me. I snapped a few quick photos that were to my liking then shut the window close again and moved over to my laptop to upload them. I had so many albums of all the different places I had visited, all the different people that I was able to capture; that I now had a photo book. I had started to make a lot and stacked them in my book shelf behind the medical journals. 

When the photos finished uploading, I saved them to a file dated for today then plugged out my camera and put it back in its place. 

Two hours later...

I stirred awake from my nap when there was slight knocking at the door. 

"Ms. Lee, your father is home and dinner is on the table. Your parents are waiting," Seyoon said through the door. 

"Okay," I called back and sat up in my bed as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and threw my legs over the side. 

The bathroom was connected to my room so I went inside and freshened myself up; combing my hair out and slipping a ribbon back on the top before changing into new clothes. A simple black dress and a pair of white flats with my earrings. I took a look at myself one more time before deciding it was good enough and left the bathroom to rush downstairs for dinner. My father was sitting at the head of the table, his jacket already hung up and his briefcase on the counter. He looked up when he saw me come in and smiled widely while beckoning me over.

"Hi Appa," I smiled and hugged him as he wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead. 

"Hello sweetie, did you have a good day?" 

"Ne," I nodded and took a seat at the table when my umma finally came back in and took a seat across from me. 

Seyoon came into the dining room, carrying plates that she sat before my parents before coming back with mine and filling our glasses. After we said our prayers, we ate in silence like we mostly did during every dinner. I moved the kimchi around with my chopsticks and grabbed some beef before shoving it in my mouth along with some rice and chewed quickly. Umma kicked me under the table when she said I was slouching again and I frowned before sitting up straight and casting my appa a glance. He chewed slowly before putting his chopsticks down and taking a sip of his water, then turning his attention to me. 

"Did you read your letters that your umma found today?" He asked. 

"Yes appa, they're all really great schools but I just don't know," I shrugged. 

The thing about my father was that, he was always over analyzing and putting himself five steps in front of everyone else, whether it was his place or not. He worked for one of the largest finance and energy firms in Korea and I learned early on that I would follow in his footsteps and build a name for myself, not in the energy field but medical. As obsessed with reputation as umma was, my appa made sure our name was known and he expected me to live up to that more than once. 

His gray hairs that adorned his head were concealed by the jet black curls and he pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose before intertwining his fingers. 

"Well we must decide one, I've already gotten into contact with most of the Admissions Office at the schools." 

"I told her John Hopkins was the best and she should try that out," my umma added in. 

Appa nodded and thought for a moment and turned back to her. 

"That's a fine university but so is Harvard and Princeton. I just want her to have the best opportunities," 

I looked back at my parents as they went back and forth between each other, not even considering my take on all of this. I planted my hands in my lap and nervously waited for them to finish but it seemed this would be the discussion for the day. 

"Kyungmi," umma said. 

I looked at her and she smiled while gesturing carefully.

"You said you wanted to talk about this when appa was here right? Tell us what you think would be best,"

Appa looked at me curiously, finally turning his attention and I gulped while gripping onto the hem of my dress nervously.

What I wanted?

That was still allowed?

Oh wait, who was I kidding. What they wanted me to want from them.  

"I had a different option in mind actually," I said quietly. 

My parents looked at me confused and I took a sip of my water before starting again. 

"There is a university here, that I can take for visual media and marketing. It's a photography program," I muttered. 

My umma raised her eyebrow at me and looked at my appa who burst out into a fit of laughter and turned toward my mother. 

"Ah wow she's funny," he said between laughing. "What is she talking about? Photography program, that's a waste of time," he smiled and waved it off. 

"Why would you take a photography program or anything like that when you're trying to become a doctor?" 

I looked down at my lap and when I lifted my head up she was still looking at me. 

" I don't want to be a doctor, I don't want to go to medical school or some university in America," 

My parents were both quiet and didn't say a word, my umma who seemed to be in shock, just stared at me with wide eyes while my appa froze completely. 

I took a moment and swallowed before starting again. 

"I'm a really good photographer, I can take pictures and I've already submitted my portfolio to them and I'm waiting to hear back. I could work for a magazine of a publishing company or even around the world. I already--" 

"YAH!" My appa yelled and and slammed his fists on the table. 

I jumped up startled and my umma sighed before appa turned to look at me. 

"How could you even consider something like that?! How could you go forward and do something like that without our knowledge?! Taking photos is a hobby not a career choice and certainly not yours! Do you want to be homeless and have no job?! Don't ever speak about doing something like that!" He shouted. 

I flinched at my fathers tone and my umma touched his arm as he shook his head. 

"What does this girl think she's saying?!" 

My mother helplessly shrugged and I looked at her when she turned away. 

"But appa, please this is something I want to do," 

"You dare go against my orders?!" He directed a stern look at me. 

"There is no more discussion on this matter and I will tell the Admissions Office at John Hopkins to put you through!" 

 I shook my head as tears started streaming down my face and I used the heel of my hand to push them away quickly.  

"No I will not! I don't want to go to that school and I don't want to be a doctor! You tell me how could I go through with that other stuff by myself but you have done all this without me! I won't go!" I shouted and wiped my tears. 

"Kyungmi-" my umma started. 

"Umma, I want to take pictures," I pleaded. 

"You won't!" My father said. 

"Yes I will, you can't tell me what to do!" I screamed

 "I'm your appa and I will!" 

And had no time to react when a smack was delivered to the left side of my face. 

I gasped as my head fell to the other side and I grabbed my cheek when my umma stood up and shrieked. 

"Hyun Jong!" 

A week later I was kicked out.

Wow that was intense guys, did you guys enjoy this? I was really hesitant about this chapter but I think it came out fine. I feel bad for Kyungmi but everything is going to work out soon . 

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