Kim Chaewon was definitely a momma’s girl. Wherever her mother went, she followed. Whatever her mother did, she did too. That also meant that whatever her mother liked to do, Chaewon also liked to do. That one fact never changed despite the years that passed as Chaewon got older.

As a child, Chaewon’s mother would sing her lullabies to help her drift to sleep and she would tell stories about how she came to love singing. Enchanted by the tales her mother told, Chaewon began to fall in love with music and singing too.

Every few days after school, Chaewon would help her mother out in the kitchen as they prepared dinner for the family. The two bonded through their singing and her mother would occasionally give her tips on how to improve her voice.

“Mama! Mama! I’m home!” a young, five-year-old Chaewon exclaimed upon entering the household.

“Welcome home, love. Wanna help me get started on dinner?” her mother answered her with a chuckle as she watched Chaewon throw her bag onto the couch.

“What are we making today, Mama?” Chaewon asked excitedly, jumping onto her stool as she tied knots into her apron.

“I’ve decided to try something new.” her mother answered with a smirk, coming over to help her untie the knots in her apron and tie it properly. “You know that new application where you watch videos? YouTube? I found out there’s a couple of recipes on there.”

“Mama, YouTube is for fun! You watch people do funny things and listen to their music too!” Chaewon told her, clicking through their computer onto the website that had just launched that year. “You can’t keep trying to keep up with trends, Mama. It’s kids time now!”

“Are you calling me old?” her mother scowled jokingly. “You little scoundrel!”

Chaewon squealed as she jumped off of her stool trying to run away from her mom who was about to tickle her to death.

“Mama, no! We have to cook, Mama!” Chaewon exclaimed between her giggles as she ran around the kitchen. “We have to practice singing too, Mama!”

It felt like the perfect life a girl like Chaewon could ever have.

That is, until her mother was diagnosed with leukaemia. Chaewon had only been five years old when her parents came home from the hospital, sat her down, and tried to explain to her what was going on. However, such a young child would never understand the complicated terminologies of biology.

She was seven when her mother left her. Of course, not intentionally, but as a momma’s girl, it had a very big impact on her.

Chaewon’s days of happily singing in the kitchen had come to an end. But that didn't mean she stopped singing altogether.

The stories her mother used to tell her were engraved in her mind and were one of the few clear memories she had of her before she died. She remembered how her mother yearned to be able to stand on stage again and showcase her voice to an audience, and, over time, she began to wish for the same thing too.

Instead of moping around and giving up, she persuaded herself to go after her and her mother’s dream. She tra