Chapter 2 - My New Home

----------

It was early in the morning and the sun has not risen yet. Yeonhee sighed as she wandered aimlessly around town. She had finally gathered her courage to leave her house. But she had never thought of where she would go if she did. I can’t go back now.. She bit her lip and continued walking around the empty neighborhood. Suddenly, her stomach growled. She searched through her duffel bag and took out her wallet. To her disappointment, there wasn’t a single cent left as Minki took all her money the day before. She shook and tilted her wallet desperately for any hidden coins or notes. Unfortunately, nothing dropped out. Yeonhee frowned and kept the now empty wallet which was pretty much useless. Looking up at the night sky, she thought about her home. All her emotions suddenly came rushing in, but it was mostly anger.

 

No. I refuse to go back to that house. Appa would probably beat me to death anyway, Yeonhee thought and shook her head slightly. Slinging the bag over her shoulder, she continued walking.

 

Before she knew it, Yeonhee had wandered to a new neighborhood. But it was also as quiet, since it was still early and everyone was asleep. She heard a rustle. Her eyes widened and she started to be aware of her surroundings. Seeing as nothing appeared, she continued to walk quickly. Every little sound made her jump and she became more and more paranoid.

 

What if.. It’s a ? Or a murderer? Her footsteps quickened and she found herself in a dark alley. She saw a cardboard box that was larger than her and quickly hid herself in it, afraid that something would pop out. Many things were going through Yeonhee’s mind and her heart would jump whenever she heard something. Eventually, she grew weary and fell asleep in the cardboard box. Although she was very tired, nightmares haunted her and she couldn’t sleep well.

--------

 

Morning came and Yeonhee opened her eyes slowly as the sunlight hit her face. It turns out that she was imagining things after all, and nothing came to harm her. Feeling slightly relieved, she crawled out of the cardboard box and looked around. It wasn’t as scary anymore since it was bright. But the area was still pretty much empty. Yeonhee grabbed her duffel bag and walked out of the alley.

 

For the next few days, Yeonhee lived out on the streets. As she had no money, she went to convenience stores to ask for leftovers. Some were nice enough to give her some food, others just shooed her away. Walking out of the store empty-handed, she continued to search for food in other stores. Unfortunately, her luck doesn’t seem to be very good and she was continuously chased out of the stores she went to.

 

“Get out!” The shop keeper shouted and pushed her out of the door. With a sigh, Yeonhee slung the duffel bag over her shoulder and left. Before she knew it, she had wandered to a bridge. Setting her bag down, she sat on the edge of the bridge and let her legs swing freely. She was beginning to think that there wasn’t any hope left for her anymore. She couldn’t live on the scraps of food that she begged for at the convenience stores any longer. Standing up, she stared at the deep waters below her feet. There were several sharp rocks as well. Jumping off would definitely kill her.

 

So.. It has finally come to this, huh? I wonder what it feels like to die.. Yeonhee continued staring at the rocks. She stood there for a full five minutes before making up her mind. No one cares anyway. Appa and umma won’t come to find me. Nobody will. And I would eventually have to die. Better get it done and over with, She shut her eyes for a minute and opened them again. It wasn’t a dream. She was finally going to die. And to make it worse, it was suicide. Here goes nothing. Good bye, world. It was nice knowing you.. Before she could hurl herself off the bridge, someone grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She opened her eyes in shock and turned around to see who had bothered to save her.

 

It was an old man with kind eyes. He looked at Yeonhee worriedly.

 

“Are you alright, miss?” He asked her, genuinely concerned. Yeonhee didn’t know what to do and just stared at the old man who had just saved her. Or rather, caused her to be unable to end her life. “Are you hurt anywhere?” The old man spoke again, making Yeonhee snap out of her daze.

 

“I-I’m fine.. I was just being reckless.” She looked down and bit her lip. Although it was just a complete stranger, she was ashamed that she had even thought of doing such a thing. However, the old man just smiled at her.

 

“Where are your parents?” At the mention of the word ‘parents’, Yeonhee looked away. She couldn’t just tell her life story to a stranger. Besides, would he even be willing to listen to her?

 

When she didn’t answer, the old man patted her shoulder.

 

“You can tell me. I won’t judge.” He assured. Yeonhee contemplated it for a while before looking up at the old man. Then, she started to pour out the entire story to him. How her parents abused her, how she was bullied at school. And most of all, how she hated her life. The old man didn’t interrupt her once. He simply nodded as she spoke. Realising that she had spoken a tad too much, she stopped.

 

“I’m sorry for.. ranting so much.” She bowed, embarrassed. The old man chuckled. “It’s no problem at all. Seems like you’re having a hard time. I understand.” Yeonhee looked up and saw the old man smiling warmly at her. Somehow, it makes her feel better.

 

“But that doesn’t mean you should end your life. You’re still young, you have a whole life ahead of you.” The old man spoke. Now Yeonhee felt stupid. He was right. Why was she even thinking of ending her life anyways? Giving up so easily, was so unlike her. She finally smiled and nodded. “Thank you for listening to me, ahjusshi. I know what to do now.”

 

Before she could leave, the old man called. “Wait!” She spun around and looked at him curiously, wondering what could the matter be. He took out a piece of paper and a pen and started scribbling something. Then he handed the piece of paper to Yeonhee.

 

“Here. This is my address. You’re welcome to come over if you’re looking for a place to stay.” With that, he smiled and left. Yeonhee looked at the piece of paper in her hand and blinked. She had never thought that something like this would happen. Someone stopped her from committing suicide and even offered her a place to stay. It was too good to be true. Still, she didn’t want to bother the old man since he had already heard her ramble on about her life. She folded the paper neatly and put it in her bag. Then, she continued wandering around town.

 

Soon, it was night time and Yeonhee was getting tired of finding food and a place to sleep. Her mind wandered back to the old man and she took out the piece of paper he had given her once more. Staring at it, she sighed.

 

I guess it won’t hurt. I’d probably get a job, then I could pay my rent fees. I can’t be free loading there, She thought and started to walk. Turns out the old man’s house wasn’t very far and before long, she was right in front of it.

 

Gathering all her courage, she knocked on the door. Nobody answered. She knocked again. The same thing. Just when she was about to give up, the door opened and there stood a handsome guy. The same guy she bumped into at the mart. Yeonhee couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She could only stare at him with open.

 

The guy tilted his head and looked at her curiously, “Hello. Who are you looking for?” He asked. Yeonhee realised that she was staring at him for too long and looked away, blushing furiously. It’s him! The same guy at the mart! What a coincidence. Who is he anyway? Isn’t this the old man’s house..? Many questions ran through her mind. At that moment, she could hear the old man’s voice.

 

“Who is it?” The guy moved away to let his father see whom the visitor was. “Oh, it’s you. Finally made up your mind, eh?” He smiled at her. Yeonhee nodded. “I’m sorry to intrude. Do you mind if I stay here for a few days?”

 

The old man chuckled. “Of course! Stay here for as long as you want. Oh and welcome in.” Yeonhee smiled and thanked the old man. Then, she entered the house warily. It wasn’t a huge house, but it was clean and tidy. Whoa.. This place is nice, Yeonhee thought. She spun around and came face to face with the handsome guy. Shocked, she gave a little squeal and backed away a little too fast till she fell.

 

“Hey, be careful. Am I that scary? Are you alright?” The guy helped her up. Concern was written on his face. Yeonhee nodded slowly and stood up, embarrassed that she actually did that. “I haven’t introduced myself, right? My name is Lee Minhyuk and this is my father.” He smiled and held out his hand. Yeonhee hesitated for a while before shaking his hand.

 

“I’m Yeonhee.. Lee Yeonhee.” She introduced. Minhyuk nodded.

 

“My father told me about you. You’re welcomed to stay here.” He grinned. Yeonhee nodded and thanked him. Then, she stayed rooted to her spot as she didn’t know what to do in that situation. Just then, Minhyuk’s father called from the kitchen.

 

“Minhyuk-ah! Show Yeonhee to her room and help her unpack her things. Dinner would be ready soon.”

 

“Yes dad!” Minhyuk replied and helped Yeonhee carry her duffel bag up the stairs. “This is your room.” He pushed open the door of an empty room and gently put the bag down. “Do you need any help unpacking?” Yeonhee shook her head.

 

“It’s alright. And thank you, Minhyuk-ssi.” Minhyuk laughed. “Drop the formalities. We’re all friends, right? Come down after you’ve finished unpacking, okay? Dad made dinner.” With that, he exited the room and closed the door quietly to let Yeonhee pack in peace. ping her bag, Yeonhee thought, He’s pretty nice. But I feel bad for intruding on their family so suddenly..

 

Shaking the thoughts out of her head, she continued unpacking.