In life, sometimes you have to make sacrifices to move forward and get the things you want, whether they are opportunities, dreams, superficial desires, changes or personal achievements. Not everyone is willing to take the risks, but some are brave enough to take the step that will lead them to progress and success, staying strong in the difficult process that this implies. It's never easy, but there are certainly those who are willing to endure and continue to insist, to fight, no matter how much time or effort it takes, to finally achieve their goals.

Lee Siyeon was part of this percentage of courageous people who dare to sacrifice themselves for a better life. She didn't have such a bad life, but she wasn't happy either. She didn't want to be a conformist, she aspired to do great things; to be an important person, to freely express her ideals, to fulfill her dreams and, in essence, to live to the fullest.

For that, her family was an obstacle. She loved her family, her parents brought her into the world, they had taken good care of her, from her diets to her education, and other more superficial things. However, they were controlling and not very affectionate; they wanted to manage every single aspect of her life, her friendships, her manner, her work, her ideology, her beliefs... even her ual orientation. They wanted to have absolute control over her and what she would do. And that was something Siyeon couldn't allow.

She tried many times to dialogue with them, but their closed minds prevented them from listening to her and understanding her, they firmly believed they were right. If she didn't share the same opinion as them, then Siyeon was wrong, that's how they saw it. So, she had to make a decision; she had two choices, live as her parents demanded or go away. She chose the second option and left home. Of course, they tried to stop her, but they were not willing to change.

She would be lying if she said it was easy, it was not. At first, she had no place to go, her uncles were not an option, they being equal or even worse than her parents. She had no real friends either, only interested chatterboxes with whom she didn't have a shred of trust —courtesy of her parents as well— and the only person she could really count on was her friend Yoohyeon, but she lived in Seoul with her parents, so it was out of the question. It was difficult to move on, she had to work hard to pay for a roof over her head to shelter under and hopefully she could have one or two meals a day. She made sure to convince herself that everything would make her stronger, even though she cried every night.

The changes can hurt much more than expected.

However, she made it through. She was able to survive and, indeed, became stronger. Once her emotional health was restored, she began to enjoy her newfound freedom. She worked to have her own things and was able to do what she wanted without having to get in trouble for it (sometimes). She met people who helped to heal her wounds and who motivated her to keep getting to know the world. She made good friends and found a kind of happiness she never thought she would know, so she had no regrets about her choices.

Months later she wanted to move up a level, she wanted to leave Daegu behind (completely overcome her past) and move out (start from scratch). Paying for an apartment in Seoul would be complicated, so Yoohyeon was very helpful. A friend of Yoohyeon's needed a roommate to be able to pay for the apartment she wanted, so Siyeon had her problem solved; together they could pay for the apartment rent and utilities. And that's how she ended up moving in.

However, not everything could be perfect, right?

"Listen, I don't want to fight, I really don't, but.... Why do you have to be so messy?"

The constant complaining from Bora, her roommate, was something she didn't expect to have to deal with. Yoohyeon never mentioned that Bora was obsessive compulsive about cleanliness or that she was really delicate. It seemed like everything she did annoyed that girl.

Oh, here we go... Damn.

"Are you sure you don't want to fight? It seems the opposite" replied Siyeon distractedly, from her spot on the couch.

"I've taken this magazine away from here five times and five times you've left it back in the same place. For God's sake!"

"So what? Why does that bother you so much?" she replied with her eyes focused on the screen. "It doesn't hurt anyone".

"Oh, no. Of course it does. It hurts my peace of mind. We have a shelf over there! It doesn't cost you anything to put it there when you're done reading it".

Siyeon was paying more attention to whatever she was watching on TV than to Bora's words. She didn't answer and Bora thought that maybe she hadn't even heard her. So, the shorter girl walked over until she stood right in front, between her and the TV, obstructing her view.

"Can you move out of the way?" she said, finally looking up. "I'm trying to watch a movie here".

"I am seriously wondering when you're going to get it. The kitchen counter is no place to leave your stuff lying around. Neither is the couch, nor is the bathroom".

Siyeon did nothing but sigh, placing her hands on her face. Bora never tired of arguing and there was no way to ignore her.

She knew that living with someone else would represent one or the other displeasure. After all, Bora was a few years older, but the age difference wasn't much, so she figured it wouldn't be a big thing. Obviously, she now realized she had been wrong. At this rate, they could end up burning down the apartment before they learned to get along. And it wasn't that Siyeon wasn't doing her part, she was, but the older girl was so exaggerated.

What a temper.

"Okay..." she smiled reluctantly, giving in to the older girl's tantrums. "I'm sorry".

"Sorry? No way! Promise you won't give me headaches again. You're poison to my mental health. I don't understand how you can be so..."

She knew Bora wouldn't shut up until she got it completely off her chest, but she still tried to calm her down.

"Bora-"

"It's always the same. I tell you things a thousand times, but you don't listen. Talk to you it's like talking to the wall".

"Bora, listen to me-"

"No more stuff lying around, no more mess. I'll do the cooking, the cleaning, it doesn't matter if you don't even wash your dishes, but keep the space we both share away from messes. Can you do that?"

All this for a magazine? Really?

She threw her head back, accepting the hopeless defeat, and sketched a resigned smile. Arguing with Bora was more exhausting than arguing with her mother, and the worst thing was that she was always right (even if she really wasn't). Why did she get angry over such silly things?

Why?

Of all people...

Why me?

"Yes, I can do that" Bora didn't seem convinced of her answer. To stop her from starting her lecture again, Siyeon answered more confidently. "I will. I promise to be neater with my stuff, okay?"

"Thank you!"

With a sigh of relief, she watched her walk away towards the hallway of the rooms. She refocused her gaze on the screen, but her mind was absolutely elsewhere.

Siyeon was a headache for the older girl, but Bora surely didn't know that she was also a headache for Siyeon. However, living with her wasn't so bad, her food was delicious and she didn't know how she managed to make the apartment look so bright and elegant. Also, she couldn't deny that, despite her bad temper, she had her charm. Besides, with someone like her around no day could ever be boring, Bora always had something to discuss with her.

Was that temper worth putting up with for her good qualities? It was something she wondered more often than she liked to admit.

Siyeon was sure that when that woman married, she would completely dominate her husband. It was fun to think about sometimes, but uncomfortable too, so she shook her head to stop thinking about it and went to her room.

She heard the older girl growl her name minutes later and remembered that she had left a can of soda on the table next to the couch and left the TV on as well. Nothing a pillow over her head couldn't fix. She smiled victoriously once Bora left her room believing she was asleep, saving herself an annoying argument.

And the count was updated.

Siyeon 1 - Bora 100

One point is better than nothing.

...

Every day was the same.

Bora would argue with her in the morning for whatever reason before she