Chapter 2 Another Day - Hyewon (1)

Today felt like a new day, well, that's because it was. It was also partially due to the newfound hope I had built up from last night.

Another thing, I suppose, is waking up to Hyerin jumping up and down on my bed excitedly. That kid has no limits to her energy, I swear. Seeing her genuinely happy is enough to put me in a good mood.

Feeling a little sore, I sit up, propping myself on my bed headboard to hug Hyerin. After all, it's not every day I get to.

"You need to wake up to find a job." She said somewhat cheerfully with a hint of confidence in her voice.

"Of course, now I need to get changed and I'll be right back down." I say, trying to match her level of enthusiasm.

Getting out of bed, I make my way to a small folded pile of clothes and start to change. I guess I have to wear something nicer today if I am going to be applying for a job. I want to show that I'm more well-put-together than I actually am - just like every applicant from the Kanen ghetto.

I reach for the small stack and pull out a layer from it, unravelling the piece to reveal a flow summer dress. I hastily unlace the back to slide it onto me. It's a fitted dandelion-yellow coloured garment that I usually never wear. I've been saving it for an appropriate occasion as it's the only nice thing I have. It doesn't seem like something I'd wear and yet, today, I feel rather confident wearing it.

Walking past the mirror, I catch a glimpse of myself. It's a beat-up mirror, but it does just fine. I admire myself in the mirror for a bit. My long, wavy black hair and my shiny hazel eyes complemented the dress quite nicely, I thought. If I had to be honest, I didn't look much like myself while wearing something so different than usual.

With a new skip in my step, I head to the main room to grab my bag. Maybe once we've hit rock bottom, there really is no way to go but up.

I turn to my right and see my parents and Hyerin snacking on berries. A clay bowl lied in the center of the table filled with blackberries. I eye Hyerin as she reaches over to the bowl and grabs a handful, scoffing them down her throat. Taking my bag, I make my way to the table to grab a few.

"Where'd you get these?" I manage to say in between mouthfuls

"Hyerin picked them from berry bushes by the Triarians" My dad saw an odd look on my face and proceeded to explain, "The Triarians didn't even care apparently, they saw her and left her be."

My mom did a few 'tsks' under her breath. It was true that they were wasting perfectly good food, not that the Triarians even cared since they had plenty of food while we're left with the crumbs.

"Well, I'll be on my way now. I got a long day of job searching ahead of me." I say as I walk to the door, waving back at Hyerin and Mom.

My mom and Hyerin give approving nods while munching on berries. Meanwhile, my dad, on the other hand, was fast asleep on the chair. He couldn't exactly be bothered, but that's okay.

I take a deep breath as I try to calm myself. I can be sure that there's nothing wrong with me trying to find a job so why do I even feel this way? I felt so confident in myself too just a few minutes ago. What happened? Well, everything happened, obviously, but I wanted to believe that I have shown to the other side.

As I raise my hand to open the rusted doorknob, I can see it quivering and shaking with my hand sinking a bit. Defiantly, I force my hand to open the door as I take a step out of the house.