On the first day of spring, my younger sister began the morning with loud cries and stomping around the room, getting ready for school. It was the first day of school after winter break, and she was late for class, as usual.
Mom ran after her, gathering textbooks and throwing them into her backpack. With all that noise, it was impossible to fall back asleep for at least another ten minutes. Sona sat on the bed with her eyes closed, half-asleep, trying to finish her dream, which had been interrupted by her sister.
The door closed. The house was finally filled with silence and peace. Sona smiled contentedly, fell heavily onto the still-warm pillow, and wrapped herself in the blanket. Sleep slowly began to overcome her again when her mother suddenly burst into the room.
- Get up, Sona! We have a lot of work to do today.
- Five more minutes. - she pleaded.
- Oh my God! Why did God give me such a lazy daughter? I must have betrayed my country in a past life to deserve such a punishment. - Her mother grabbed the blanket and threw it on the floor, forcing her daughter to get up and start working.
- Mom, just a little longer. I'm so tired. - Sona begged. But her mother wouldn't listen. She muttered under her breath as she gathered her younger daughter's scattered belongings from the floor.
- Get up! I don't want to hear that you're tired. Get up and hurry to the diner. There will be a lot of customers today because the school semester has started. - she said as she left the room. Finally, her voice faded away. Sona smiled contentedly, ready to fall asleep, when her mother burst into the room again. - Get up! - she shouted. The girl instantly jumped out of bed like a soldier and headed for the bathroom.
The diner was bustling with activity from the early morning hours on. Everyone wanted to try Mom's signature noodles, which were full of fragrant spices and soju. Sona spent the whole day on her feet preparing snacks because her mother wouldn't let her cook her signature dish, for fear that she would spoil the taste. She took orders, washed dishes, and cleaned the dining room.
This is how every day passed after she graduated from university. She sent her résumé to every company that was hiring, but she still hadn't received a response from any of them. She had to help her mother at her small snack bar, located at a busy intersection in a residential area where local drunks often gathered.
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Sona was the last to come home because her mother left early to prepare dinner for her younger daughter, on whom she had pinned all her hopes for a better future. Mina was watching TV with the volume turned up high so she could hear her favorite idols better. Sona took off her coat and glanced at the family photo hanging on the wall near the cupboard. She reminisced about when she, her younger sister, her mother, and her father were a happy family.
Everything changed in an instant, though, when her father died of an illness that had confined him to bed for two long years. After his death, everything changed. Her mother spent all her time at the diner to forget. Mina became completely different: unbearable and capricious. Only Sona remained the same, continuing her studies at the university and dreaming of the better future her father had told her about.
Mom wasn't in the kitchen, but there was a serving of warm rice and seaweed soup on the table. Suddenly, the TV got even louder. Mina turned the volume up all the way and squealed with joy when the Bangtan Boys appeared on the screen with their song "Run," which had become incredibly popular among young people.
Sona sat down at the table and began eating her mother's dishes while watching her younger sister awkwardly dance to the song. Her sister repeated the boys' movements and sang the hit song's lyrics in a squeaky voice. Sona had already memorized the words.
Dinner was hearty and delicious because her mother's rice was a family favorite. Sona was about to go to her room to rest after a busy day when she stopped at her mother's door. She quietly tiptoed through the slightly ajar door.
Her mother was sleeping on the bed, still wearing the clothes she had worn to work. She was tired and just wanted to rest her head on the pillow for a moment. She didn't notice when she fell asleep. Sona took a blanket out of the closet and carefully covered her mother so that she wouldn't wake up. Sona sat down next to her mother and began examining her tired face.
Wrinkles covered her forehead, and her gray hair was noticeable. Sona felt terrible pain and shame that she had not made her mother happy at all and had not brought her any joy. She wanted to give her mother pride in her daughters and the joy they bring her. A hot tear rolled down her cheek. Sona quickly wiped it away so her mother or Mina wouldn't see. She stroked her mother's head, sighing sadly.
- I'll make you happy... I promise. - With that promise, she left her mother to rest, quietly closing the door behind her.
The night was long and sleepless. Sona couldn't fall asleep because of the thoughts racing through her mind. Mina slept next to her, sprawled across the bed. She mumbled something incoherently in her sleep. Meanwhile, the streetlights shone brighter than ever into the windows of their small apartment on the second floor of an old building.
After tossing and turning for a while, Sona had had enough. She crawled out from under the blanket, pushing her sister aside to clear a path to the exit. She put on her robe, grabbed her laptop, and headed to the kitchen. Without turning on the lights, she turned on her laptop. She began checking her email, hoping to find a response to her résumé. But it was in vain. Her inbox was empty, though the sent messages were marked as "read." What she saw made her throat tighten. Tears welled up in her eyes. She cried for a long time, until she fell asleep at the table. She didn't notice that a letter had been sent to her email.
The alarm clock hadn't rung yet, and everyone else was still sleeping soundly, except for Sona. Awoken by the spring sun shining through the kitchen window, she got up from the table, turned on the kettle, made strong tea, sat back down, and glanced at her laptop screen. She was about to rest her head on the table and go back to sleep when she suddenly realized she had an unread message. The girl hurriedly moved the mouse over the letter. She opened it:
"We are looking for young, active people for temporary part-time work at a well-known company in Seoul. Please contact us at: Seoul, Gangnam District, 135-812, 10-31 Honghyun-dong Street."
Sona froze in front of the monitor. Was she really being offered a job? Would she finally fulfill her dream and make her mother happy? Lost in thought, she didn't notice that the meeting was scheduled for ten in the morning.
Without even tasting her tea, Sona immediately began to get ready for the meeting that could change her life. Just then, her mother woke up. As she left her room, something flashed past her at incredible speed, leaving a windy trail behind it. She thought it must be Mina running late for school again, but it was only seven in the morning and It was still too early for her to get ready for school.
When she looked into her daughter's room, she was surprised to see Sona throwing all her things out of the closet in a hurry. She couldn't say a word. Mina woke up from the noise. She stood next to her mother. They glanced at each other, then continued to watch Sona.
Sona applied the final touches of makeup. Sona looked at herself in the mirror once more. She threw her coat over her shoulders, grabbed her phone from the table, and started to leave the house. Then, she noticed Mina and her mother standing in the middle of the room, mouths agape.
- Where are you going so early? - mother asked her.
- I'll be back soon! - said the girl, kissing her mother on the cheek. Mother just blinked in response.
- What about the diner? I can't manage on my own.
- I'm sorry, Mom. I'll help as soon as I get back. - Sona rushed out of the house.
- What was that? - Mina asked.
- I have no idea. She must be crazy. She needs a break.
Sona got on the bus to Seoul. She couldn't believe that it had finally happened and that she would have her dream job, albeit temporarily. She couldn't stop smiling.
Finally, the small houses ended, and the chic views of Seoul opened up: skyscrapers, expensive cars, and advertising banners with idols. Happiness overwhelmed her. At one of the stops, Sona got off in the big city. Not knowing where to go, she turned on her GPS and entered the address from the letter.
She walked along the set route for a long twenty minutes until the mirrored skyscrapers ended. The noisy streets fell silent and were left far behind. Only one or two cars passed by on the road, and there were hardly any people on the streets. Her joy instantly vanished when the navigator led her to narrow, deserted streets. She looked around and was about to turn back, but something told her to continue to her destination. Clenching her hands into fists, she walked a little further down the street. Suddenly, the navigator announced, "You have reached your destination."
Sona stood in front of the huge building that opened up before her, phone in hand. Her heart pounded with joy. The sign on the building meant nothing to her. She had never heard of the company, but she didn't care. The important thing was that she would have a job. Gathering her courage, Sona headed for the main entrance of the building with the "Big Hit" sign.