What is the mystery of life?

It is something that cannot possibly be unraveled by many.

Even as Moonbyul finds the s of reality choking endlessly to the point of breathing, it becomes a challenge in itself. It came down relentlessly to a series of poorly made decisions.

A decision to quit school.

A decision to spite her father for eternity. Especially after finding out a massive loan that has been accumulated for years, and apparently her father decided that the moment they found out is the best moment to leave all of it behind.

“Byulyi, you have the potential. The school can help you find alternatives. So many scholarships can be found anywhere, you just have to look.”

She's a principal that can sometimes be too kind for her own good. But in the end everything is just too much. Staying in the same place, staying in the same bubble, words can only travel so far before everyone knew her as the product of a broken home. She can’t possibly look them in the eye with that kind of recognition, with that kind of fact. When she can’t even stand that fact, asking others to bear with it seems to be too cruel and imposing.

So she packed her bags and left.

The debt collectors, naturally, were hot on the trail. Fitting her entire body in a ditch at midnight, changing living places from one birdcage to another birdcage, the hardened demeanor and tenacity seemed to win themselves a spot for fondness of the ringleader for the skinny girl. Working three to four jobs a day, she barely spends an hour on brunch and leaning more towards treats given from admirers (mostly giggling high schoolers, a smile a day never hurts) or when push comes to a shove, scraps from the restaurant’s kitchen or lounging around the convenience store some nights, asking for any remains of an almost-expired lunchbox.

That was her first meeting with Kim Yongsun.

The journey to pay off her debt isn’t always a road filled with thorns. A tempting offer from the ringleader once came to the door, questioning her stubborn attitude in keeping this cat-and-mouse game, when all she has to do is just join into the club and poof! Debts cleared and chased her father for the sake of giving him the world of pain.

When a woman loses everything, she only has her dignity intact, and it is something that one must hold on to to the very end.

Her mother’s words to live by. The words of someone who lives in anguish for the sake of love, and ultimately meets her demise in it.

So despite working so many jobs with poor working and living conditions alike, she rejected the proposition and didn’t budge. Years passed, and lights can finally be seen at the end of the tunnel until she received news that her father had been robbed silly by his previous lover, and now left penniless. There have been times when he would reach out to Moonbyul, asking for extra cash to cover living costs and a few holes. Yes, he ground himself in another round of debt.

But that is of no concern to her. Instead, she will try to come into focus. Work lesser jobs, better flat in a more appropriate neighborhood and finally, save up for college. Hopefully her brain hasn’t turn into a mush.

She won’t live her life foolishly.

Without realizing it, the world she only knows as it is, the world where the higher your walls are, the better are your chances of survival.
 

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It was again another sunny day, the exact temperature that Moonbyul isn’t too fond of, as she walked along the pavement amidst the throng of people walking in brisk steps. Her mind went back to what transpired before.

There is still not enough money.

It is of no exaggeration that her entire body is growing numb at that thought. More jobs…? Yeah, and more bills for meds, she thought bitterly. Perhaps she’ll just have to ask Yongsun-unnie for additional shifts…