This is an introduction to Ahrang's humble lifestyle. This isn't a mandatory chapter you must read, but it would clarify Ahrang's behavior and her disposition.

The real adventure begins to unravel in Chapter 2.

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Ahrang’s POV

I woke up to the piercing shrills of my alarm. It was 6:30 A.M., but being winter time, the sun had still not woken from its slumber.

“I beat you again, Mr. Sun!” I cried out cheerfully. I knew it would be yet another long day ahead of me and the only way to alleviate my stress was to melt my grogginess with optimism.  I slowly lifted myself from my mattress bed and dragged my numb body towards a small door leading to the restroom.  

I had been living in a small one room apartment all by myself at the young age of 17. My normal lifestyle had shifted to this unfortunate situation about 6 months ago…due to my father’s sudden car accident. His death drowned me in grief and the painful reality that I had no other family to console me left me desperate and devastated.  Despite the ridiculous pain and shock I was forced to swallow, my mind kept telling me to move forward…I had to. If I wanted to live, if I wanted to prove to my deceased father that he had raised his only daughter well, I would have to do something, instead of moping around.  

I accumulated several part time jobs, creating a not sufficient, but stable amount of money to support myself. I found an apartment room for rent on the outskirts of our school district, and because I had no other option, I made it my dwelling place. When I first moved here, the walls were encrusted with mold and the windows were shattered with cracks. The outside walls were tainted with graffiti stains and the floor panels were peeling. I still tried to take my perspective to a positive position.  After all that had happened, my enthusiasm was the only thing I had left to cling to. I planted a small garden next to my window sill and scrubbed the house until it was finally worthy of being a human’s living space. With the aid of several Febreeze cans and my best friend Woohyun, I was able to slowly create my own lovely house.

Did anyone else know about my situation? No, only Woohyun knew…my classmates never found their reason to divert their attention towards me, so that left my privacy safe. It wasn’t as if I was the prettiest or bubbliest. I was just…me. I wasn’t extraordinary, but I wasn’t an outcast either. Most people seemed to simply disregard me, not in a mean way, but I just wasn’t that interesting.  I had many talents and I knew I could expose them further to rise above most of my peers, but my father always seemed to restrain me from being anything above normal. I recall my father always telling me, “A star doesn’t need to shine the brightest to be special. It’s beautiful already just by being a part of the entire system that helps light the night sky. Don’t try to be the biggest star, Ahrang. You’re playing your own part as the small star. Be content with this role.”

So I remained being the wallflower. My life didn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful. I had Woohyun, the fondness of my teachers, and my father watching me from heaven.

As I changed into my uniform and reached for my book bag, I bent down to kiss a photo frame that had been delicately placed on my bed dresser…a photo of my dear father.

“I’ll do my best today, Dad. Please guide me and watch over me from heaven, okay?”

I braced myself for yet another normal day. Little did I know that today would be FAR from normal.