1. COUNTRY ROADS, TAKE ME HOME...

”No, no, no, no…” muttered the studio's main script reader behind his grand desk, while going through some handwritten pages that I had personally brought him just a few minutes ago.

I straightened my skirt and changed my position, so that the high heels on my swollen feet wouldn’t press against the blisters I had already managed to get on my heels. I tucked my shirt in better and wiped my hair behind my ear. The ponytail I had quickly decided to pull off, felt too loose and I desperately wanted to tighten it or roll it into a bun, but I didn’t want to seem unorganized in front of the reader. ”You don’t like them?”

I had been working on the scripts for a few weeks now, and to me they were the best ones I had written in months. I had really spent a lot of time coming up with the ideas. The numerous hours in front of my laptop - binge watching my favourite dramas and TV series - were (in my opinion) paying off.

”They’re terrible! How did you even come up with these?”

My heart shattered along with my confidence. Everyone else had praised the scripts; some had said that this would’ve been my breakthrough in the business. It was like I’d handed him my heart in pieces and he had thrown it off the table and stomped it to the ground. I looked down and straightened yet another crinkle on my skirt. ”I’ll do them again-”

”Yes you will. And you’ll do them for next week.”

I shot my eyes up at the man sitting behind the desk. His swollen face and soulless eyes, that spoke for his awful sense of empathy, stared straight through me, like I had been a glass window. There was no remorse in his expression. Sure Mr. Choi was known for being extremely unscrupulous, but this was new, even for me. I had always been the one who delivered her assignments on time, and usually whatever I did was polished to perfection, so I had never had a problem with Mr. Choi. This time though, it seemed like my fortune was taking a bumpy downhill.

”Sir, I’m sorry but it’ll take at least a few weeks…”, I insisted, bending slightly forward to show my respect. ”Give me three weeks-”

”Two”, Mr. Choi murmured. ”That’s all you need. We have new projects ahead Jennie, there’s no room for failure here.” The room’s atmosphere sent shivers through my spine, as I felt Mr. Choi’s stare on my face. ”Can you do it?”

I couldn’t possibly do it in two weeks. Even three weeks would’ve put me through agony. Fourteen days wouldn’t be enough for the project I needed to do. Plus I had to find time to finish my first novel that I had advertised for months now. The publishers were already bombarding me with pleads and requests.

”Of course.” The words poured out of my mouth.

Mr. Choi’s lips curved into something that distantly reminded me of a smile, but not quite. It was more of a delicate grimace. ”Great. I’ll see you in two weeks then.” And with that, the man lifted his hand and gave his secretary a sign to walk me out of his office. A young girl with a slightly too tight black dress walked in through the glass door and bowed at us respectfully.

”I’ll show you out Ms. Kim.”

***

”He gave me two weeks!” I let out my frustration by venting at my friend and roommate Chaeyoung. We lived together in a tiny apartment next to the famous Han river - had lived for a year now, ever since graduating from college. That's where we met; Chaeyoung had been the only transfer student on my class, so I had turned to her in hopes to learn some english. Turned out she wasn't a a teacher type. But I did learn some phrases, the most essential ones; curse words. In australian accent. Despite the whole english learning thing, we had clicked. It had been a match made in heaven actually; we backed up each others’ bad traits perfectly. I was extremely radical and punctual to the point where it sometimes made everyone else around me slightly pissed off. Chaeyoung in the other hand liked to let life lead her, not the other way around. She wasn't fully raised in the korean culture, which made her a little more laid back. Whenever Chaeyoung needed a kick on her or someone to pep talk her into getting things done, she had me to do it. So to even it all out, whenever I needed to let off some steam, I had Chaeyoung to turn to.

”Why are you even working for that uptight old man?” Chaeyoung groaned, smashing her head to a pile of pillows behind her. She was laying on my bed, going through the late night readings on my nightstand. She picked up one of my Agatha Christies and absent-mindedly riffled through the pages. ”Just quit.”

”I can’t quit.” I grabbed a piece of cloth that I figured to be one of my night tees and crammed it into a red suitcase I’d gotten from my mom as a Christmas present. ”It’s not an option.”

”Why not? It’s not like you actually like the job”, Chaeyoung argued.

I dropped everything I was doing and glared at my friend’s face. She still browsed the pages of the novel as if she had actually read the print. Chaeyoung didn’t seem to understand what this job really meant to me. It was my leap to the top. I needed to succeed in this to get where I wanted. If I got through this, I’d get better assignments in better circles. I'd probably get my first proven hit through.

”Listen, I have to do this. It’s not whether I like it or not, It’s whether I do it or fail.” I picked up a white bikini top and stuffed it in the suitcase.

Chaeyoung nodded and eventually shrugged. ”I suppose you do it then.”

I snorted. ”Great pep talk.”

”You’re the one who gives pep talks.”

”You could try giving one.”

Chaeyoung sat up from the bed and gently placed the book back on the nightstand. Her hair was sticking out and her face was a little sweaty because of the current tropical temperatures in South-Korea. I couldn’t even remember the last time it would have been this hot in June. ”Go Jennie?”

I couldn’t suppress the little giggle coming out of my mouth. ”Wow. You’re a natural talent.”

”I’ve learned from the best”, Chaeyoung proudly stated.

I smiled.

”When does your train leave tomorrow? You have to give me a call when you get there. And send lots of pictures”, Chaeyoung insisted.

I had decided to go visit my aunt in the south for the following few weeks in order to find some inspiration from the countryside. The last time I’d visited her and her husband, I had just gotten into college. Now I was a twenty-three, an adult with a college degree and a job with a decent pay. My dream of becoming a successful writer was slowly becoming reachable. I just needed to keep my eyes on the price.

”Six in the morning. And I haven’t even finished packing yet.”

”What does one need in the countryside?” Chaeyoung pondered out loud.

I shrugged. ”I don’t know. That’s why I’m taking pretty much everything with me.”

”You do realize that you have to carry those with you?”

”I can handle it”, I assured. Although looking at the suitcases made me question my decision a little. ”I’ll just have to get them in the train and then from there to the bus.”

”When does the bus leave?”

I tapped my fingers against my thighs. Usually I could tell my day’s schedule just like that, but tomorrow’s events were something I hadn’t done in a very long time. ”I’ll have to double-check that.”

”Just make sure you text me when you get there. I don’t want you roaming around with two gigantic suitcases.”

”They’re not that big”, I tried to assure her. ”I’ll give you a call when I’m safely in the destination, don’t you worry.”

Chaeyoung jumped down from the bed and helped me pack my stuff in the bags. ”I know you can do it”, she said, sounding a bit more compassionate this time. Her hands were quick to stuff my clothes into the bags. She didn’t fold any of the clothes. ”I’m sure you’ll find your inspiration.”

”I sure hope so”, I said. This was my time to show that I had it in me. This was the opportunity I had been craving for. ”I hope there aren't too many insects though. I hate insects.”

***

On the next day I succeeded in catching the train on time, even with my gigantic suitcases and one rather large backpack. It had been perfectly sunny in Seoul, but once I stepped out of the train in Mokpo-station, it started pouring. I quickly grabbed all my belongings and hurried to find some shelter from the rain. Next I needed to get from Sagnak-Dong to Sanggang-ri, which wasn’t exactly near by. I would need to take a bus.

”!” I cursed when I realized that I hadn’t double-checked the time for the bus. The whole station echoed when I dropped my suitcases and reached for my phone. The time-tables said that the last bus to Sanggang-ri would leave in about eight minutes.

How the hell was I supposed to make it in eight minutes? Hell, I didn’t even know where the platform for the bus was. I didn’t even know where I was. I gathered all my bags again and started to look for the bus stop.

Thank god I had decided to wear sneakers.

It had most definitely gone past eight minutes when I finally found the bus stop. The whole street was empty, and not a soul was trying to catch the last going bus. I was on my own, in a completely strange town with three unbelievably heavy bags.

I sat down on the pavement and took my time looking through the paper maps I’d picked up from the market earlier when running aimlessly through the streets. From what I could tell, it would have taken at least three hours to get to my destination from where