Lee Yeon - The light of my future

I felt my stomach constrict in a hungry spasm, and, paying no attention to anyone present, I began to eat, enjoying every portion that I ate.

«Have you not been fed for a week?» Cho Hee asked me through laughter, and out of the corner of my eye I noticed Sung Joon poking his little brother in the side with his elbow.

«Why are you speaking informally? Min Hee is older than you,» he grumbled.

«It’s okay. We’re already, you might say, friends,» I tried to defuse the situation, hastily chewing everything that managed to put in my mouth.

«When did you two become friends?» Sung Joon asked indignantly and, for the first time today, looked at me point-blank.

I was slightly taken aback by surprise and could not immediately find an answer, with difficulty swallowing what I had already chewed.

«We have common interests, and we have already met three times in the last week in the most unexpected places. What is this, if not fate?» With a dreamy look, Cho Hee answered instead of me, after which there was an awkward pause.

My father was watching us with interest all this time. It seems that he was pleased with everything that happened in his house.

«Have you been to training?» Dad asked me when the silence dragged on.

«Uh-huh. First time in a week I went to the gym,» I replied and smiled with satisfaction.

«What sport do you do?» unexpectedly for all present, Sung Joon asked me.

«Boxing. Since the age of five,» I answered too quickly.

«Why Boxing?» he voiced his next question.

«Mom says that I should be able to stand up for myself in any situation. It was the choice of her and dad, which I willingly accepted. Now this sport is an integral part of my life,» I said thoughtfully and drank the rest of the wine in my glass, while I got a notification on my phone, «sorry, I have to look. This might be important.»

I looked apologetically at everyone present and picked up my smartphone, which received a message from Alex:

«I congratulate you! The customer is delighted! Your work is a real masterpiece. Can’t wait to see what you have in store for my exhibition!»

I quickly type out a reply thanking my best friend for the words of encouragement. And I note with satisfaction that a couple of thousand dollars have replenished my bank account.

«Did something good happen?» Cho Hee asked, carefully watching my face.

«I’m one step closer to my dream and have successfully completed the work I’ve been working on for the last few weeks,» I proudly replied.

«Are you moonlighting somewhere else? It’s forbidden in the company!» The young man looked at me in fear, «although… your father is the owner, so…»

«…so it doesn’t change anything,» my father announced and looked straight at me. And I saw determination in his eyes.

«It’s not really a job. It’s my hobby,» I said defensively.

«Min Hee, you must abide by the terms of the standard contract,» the father stated peremptorily.

«So you’re suggesting that I give up my favorite thing?» I asked indignantly, ignoring the guests present in our house.

«If you care about your future, you must sacrifice something in the present,» the father replied with a sage air.

«Dad!» I exclaimed, not finding worthy arguments in my defense.

«Any work or training you have must be consistent with the company. You had to read the contract. In fact, you do not belong to yourself. All your actions, decisions, thoughts and feelings are directly dependent on the company. Your movements, even on weekends, cannot be extended to the territory beyond outside of Seoul, unless your immediate duties require it.»

«In other words, you found a way to keep me on a short leash!» I blurted out angrily.

«Think about it how you want,» the father calmly replied with a look of Buddha, «adult life is full of hardships, humiliations and partings. As with people, so with things.»

«Will you give me back my ’horse’?» I demanded, raising my chin proudly.

«No, your mom and I have decided not to return it to you just yet. Consider yourself on probation,» he replied in a reasonable tone.

«It belongs entirely to me! I bought it with hard earned money,» I protested stubbornly.

«That still needs to be checked. Whether they were honestly earned,» my father continued to reason, testing my patience.

«Is that so? Is that what you really think of me?» breathing heavily with indignation, I asked in a voice breaking from an overabundance of emotions.

«No need to make a scene in front of guests,» Dad tried to shame me, but I was not going to calm down, because my life’s work was at stake.

«I won’t say anything else. As for the job… you might have asked me earlier how I’ve been making my living all this time!» Barely holding back tears, I opened a program in which I was working on various commercials, music videos and other videos for customers, after which I placed the phone in front of my father and hurried to hide in my room, not paying attention to the fact that there were strangers in the house, and my behavior could not be called the behavior of an accomplished adult.

But I was angry, offended and did not understand why everything in my life turned upside down in an instant. Overnight, I lost my freedom and took on obligations that did not concern me directly. I have to deal with Sung Joon’s contract quickly, otherwise my future will not be as bright as I imagined it to be.

If you think that a rich person has no worries or troubles, then you are mistaken. The more money you have, the more opportunities you have, the more opportunities, the less free time. The less free time, the less you take care of yourself, which in turn is fraught with irritability, nervousness, problems and the development of phobias. In addition, you have fewer real friends and those you love. After all, it will seem to you that everyone sees in you only a wallet that can solve any problem.

In addition to my parents’ money, everyone saw me as a Russian girl who, quite unexpectedly, acquired a Korean passport, a name, and a not very rich but promising father who was able to build his own empire.

I certainly stood out from the rest of the students at the school. Someone perceived me as something special, while someone, on the contrary, considered me an outcast. I changed several schools and, finally, in the last school I realized that I am an individual, and not because I differ from the main mass of students, but because, regardless of the opinions of others, I was able to make decisions and fight for my place. So I finished school among the best students with the highest scores in mathematics and English. Now I was going to follow my dream, only on the way to it I ran into a wall called Sung Joon, and I could not conquer it.

On Saturday morning, I could hardly bring myself to get out of bed at four in the morning. I cleaned myself up, in accordance with the agency’s rules for assistants. My body was supposed to be free of unnecessarily exposed areas (so I opted for simple denim pants and a hoodie), shoes should be comfortable, and make-up should be moderate. I put my long blond hair in a bun, and put on only sunscreen on my face, noting in the mirror how faded my eyes look, which today have taken on a gray-blue tint. I had fair skin, which often caused the envy of others, but right now my appearance was far from enviable.

After a short preparation, I went down to the parking lot of the house, where the driver was waiting for Sung Joon and me. Our «star» was late, and I felt like I was ready to fall asleep, because all last night I tried to come up with a plan by which I could get Sung Joon to eat, drink and not interfere with my work, but also persuade him to stay at the agency.