JIYEON POV

"Hey," my friend tapped my shoulders and gave me a half hearted smile. "I think I'm okay now and I'll live... I think." She told me though by the looks of it she's about to cry. Well, at least it's not as bad as her reaction 2 weeks ago when I told her that I was going back to Seoul to pursue a different choice of course in college. My civil engineering course isn't really what I want and so I decided to drop everything I've been working really hard on for about a year and just chase after my real dreams, not anyone else's.  

I want to become a photographer.  Yeah, it might sound really stupid and careless for someone to drop a civil engineering course for something like digital media and photography, but for me it made perfect sense. My previous course is what did not make sense to me, I do not get why I just let myself get stuck with what my parents wanted when I could've said no and went back to Korea. I should've done this a long time ago.

Sure, they are mad at me right now, but they can't stay mad at me forever. I'm their only daughter after all. So whether they like it or not they're gonna have to accept the fact one day that I am so doing this: going back to Korea after 2 years and leaving everything behind with no assurance whether my life there would work out just fine. It's like leaving your comfort zone and finally stepping out of that box even though you are well aware that what lies ahead is a minefield. Still better than suffocating in a box though. So yes, Seoul here I come!

"Call me, okay? If anyone in there, like, bothers you or treats you indifferently just call me! I'll be sure to take the next flight to Seoul and beat the crap out of anyone who hurts my best friend!" she hugged me tightly and I was pretty sure she had no plans of letting go. She was the only one who drove me to the airport today 'cause my parents are still furious about this sudden decision of mine. "Okay, fine... You don't have to worry about me, Luna. I'm a big girl." I told her as I tried my hardest to escape her suffocating hug.

"But... But what if that creepy ex-boyfriend of yours comes back and bothers you again?" she asked looking really worried. Jong In. I almost forgot about him, not just him but everything that I was, the things I did, all that happened, I left them all in the past. It has been 2 years after all. It's not because I have a really poor memory, but because I chose to forget and be a better person and now going back to Seoul, there' s a really high chance that I might bump into him again and I have no idea what I'll do or feel.

Jong In was not a bad boyfriend at all, for 3 years our relationship was going smoothly. We did not fight a lot nor were there situations where we did not get along. The only problem with him is he was the jealous type, but he would never talk to me about it. He would take it out on whoever was going near me and then he would keep it from me. Telling the other boy that if he did not shut his mouth about it, he'll beat him to pulp again. So I never really knew a thing about what he was doing behind my back for 3 years until one day I found out everything.

My lab partner, Jay, just dropped out of school and ended up in the emergency room for a month. He had broken ribs and some internal bleeding, it was a damn miracle how he even managed to live after that severe beating he got from the whole basketball team! Her sister was so furious at both Jong In and I. So one day she decided to barge into class and slap Jong In and I in the face. Of course Jong In's loyal disciples tried to stop her but she kept shouting that they could have killed her brother. When I asked Jong In what was happening he did not answer me, though I've heard rumors before that he was the reason why Jay left. I was beginning to suspect him but I did not want to judge him without hearing him admit it. After the school security arrived and escorted the lady out of our room everything went back to normal as if nothing happened. But not for me, I kept on asking Jong In what happened back there but he kept on changing the topic. Only after I visited Jay in the hospital did I found out from his parents what happened. 

Looking at Jay's condition from outside the emergency room was one hell of a horrifying scene for me. I was even crying, not that I had any feelings for him but I was really sorry for him. No matter how much of a I was, I still had that very little part of me that triggers guilt, something that keeps me from being a completely soulless human being walking down the Earth. As for Jong In, I think he lost it the moment we started dating. I did not know that he was so obsessed with me to the point where he can actually do such a thing. 

That's where I realized that I have to end everything. I have to break up with Jong In. This thing, it's not healthy for both of us or for anyone that is around us. If this goes on, we'll both end up miserable and more innocent people will be involved and hurt. So I ended up everything with him, but he did not wanna hear any of what I had to say. Instead he spent the first few weeks of the break up pretending like we were still a happy couple. No matter how many times I told him to leave me alone he kept following me on my way home. "I have to make sure my pretty girlfriend gets to go home safe." he says, though in my head he was what was terrifying me. He made life hard for me, from those constant stalking to non-stop texting and calling.

One time he even forced me to ride his motorbike with him, I almost died that day. He kept the speed up the whole time we were in the highway, saying things like I shouldn't have left him. I really thought that time that he was going to kill both of us. Thank God he stopped at the park where we first dated and there he cried at my shoulders the whole night. Begging me to take him back but I can no longer do that... For our own good. When I told my parents about everything he's been doing they immediately transferred me to another school, but he still found me. So I had to go abroad. And that's where I realized how pathetic my life was. How stupid I was for thinking that being popular and pretty was everything. So I promised to myself that I would change for the better... And so I did...

"This flight will be arriving to Incheon International Airport in Incheon, Seoul. The temperature is 72 degrees and the time is 2: 42 P.M. Please fasten your seatbelts and turn off all electronics for the landing of the plane. Thank you for choosing Korean Airlines. We hope you have a good day!"  the flight attendant announced over the PA. 

This is it. Hello, Seoul! I'm back!