Signature.
Just one inscription on paper, and yet it can change so much.
For a moment, her hand froze over the document as she hesitated. What if...? No. One glance at it, and memories flooded back like a wave: all those years, conversations, silences, and insults. It became clear that this was exactly what she had wanted for a long time.
SoMi quickly but carefully signed the divorce agreement. She put down the pen. Her heart pounded like a drum at a parade, and a barely noticeable smile trembled on her face. The lawyer gathered the documents, stood up, and extended his hand.
"Congratulations on your divorce, Ms. Jeong SoMi," he said, shaking her hand with both of his. "Mr. Hwang," he said to the man on the other side of the table, "Good luck."
He left, leaving them in the spacious, sun-filled office.
"So, the day has come," her now ex-husband finally said. "I see you're happy."
"Yes, you're right. I am really happy. I wish you could feel at least a fraction of this happiness someday."
"Don't worry about me," he snorted. "Well, I'm leaving."
He stood up, put his hands in his pockets, and walked away without saying another word. He didn't even say goodbye. But that didn't surprise SoMi. He always did that when things didn't go according to his plan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~***************~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spring was in full bloom outside. April was generous with sunny days. Cherry trees bloomed along the roads and in the courtyards of bustling Seoul. SoMi stood on the steps of the courthouse, letting the warm rays of sunshine caress her face. She took deep breaths of the fresh, sweet air of freedom. The thoughts of everyday married life no longer buzzed in her head: "What should I cook?" "I need to clean up." "Will I have time to do everything?" "Damn, I forgot his favorite soup again..."
For the first time in a long while, she was happy to see a new day today. No more household chores! No more grumbling. No more arguments or tears. "No more" — a phrase that has taken on new meaning.
Now, it would only be "Me." I would decide what I want to do. It was time to live — not later, not sometime, but now. Otherwise, you lose yourself and your dreams. From now on, I come first. I am the most important person in my life. Me...
"Congratulations, SoMi!" a voice suddenly rang out from the phone.
"Thank you," she smiled, hearing Lee Hyun's cheerful voice.
"Hey, aren't you happy?" she asked indignantly.
"No, it's just..."
"Just what? Are you sorry or something? Come on..." she drawled. "Don't be like that, SoMi. You haven't been together that long. You did the right thing."
"I'm not sorry," SoMi replied quietly yet confidently.
"Then why are you acting like this? If I were you, I'd be screaming with happiness."
"I am happy. It's just that now I have a lot of free time, and I don't know what to do with it. No cooking, no cleaning, no putting up with anything—I don't have to do any of that anymore."
"Oh, that's what I'm here for! We both have a lot of free time. Where are you now? I'll come over, and we'll figure something out."
"I'm still at the courthouse." I'm in the park across the street.
"Sit and wait. I'll be there in a minute."
Half an hour later, Lee Hyun was standing in the parking lot near the courthouse. First, she hugged her friend, congratulated her again, and cheered her up. Then, they went to a cozy café for coffee and desserts and to brainstorm. "What should we do with this new day?"
"I haven't been to places like this in a long time..." SoMi said sadly, inhaling the aroma of coffee.
"Because you were married. All you saw were walls, dishes, and his perpetually dirty socks. Only work distracted you a little from everyday life."
"You're wrong. Even there, all I could think about was home and his hungry, dissatisfied face."
"Poor thing. That's why I'm not getting married." Lee Hyun took a big bite of cake. "God, it's delicious."
"So, what are our plans?" SoMi reminded her.
"Right! Plans!" She licked her lips. "I'm busy tonight in evening, but now is the perfect time. Let's go shopping! You haven't updated your wardrobe in a long time. Just look at yourself: a blouse from the last century, a geometric mystery of a skirt, and boots. They're crying from exhaustion. And that handbag? It should be burned or donated to a museum.
"I bought things that are comfortable to work in..."
"That's why no one pays any attention to you. You look ten years older! It's time for you to finally be noticed. You're an editor; everyone reads your books, yet no one knows you. We need to change it!"
"By the way," she smiled, "I have a gift for you."
"What is it?" SoMi asked, surprised, as she took the wrapped item from her hands.
"Open it."
SoMi removed the wrapping paper and froze. A book. Her book. It was the one she had once written at night and then hidden in a drawer. A dream swallowed up by marriage.
"Lee Hyun..."
"Just one copy. But I think it's a good start. And it will be a reminder: It's not too late to make your dreams come true."
"This...this is the best gift ever." SoMi burst into tears and hugged her friend tightly. "What would I do without you?"
"Come on, come on. Let's go. Before you start crying again."
"But...coffee..."
"We'll order some somewhere else. Let's go! We have to get everything done by six o'clock."
"What's happening tonight?"
"Um...nothing. I have plans." She glanced at her watch. "I have to be somewhere else by six. So don't slow me down."
Lee Hyun grabbed her friend's hand, and they left the café with new attitudes and plans. For the first time, they left without the shadow of the past behind them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~**************~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One hour, two hours, three hours—already ten hours—in endless boutiques of fashionable clothing. SoMi had long lost count of how many stores she had been in. In each one, it was the same story. She gravitated toward modest items: long skirts, knee-high socks, and high-waisted pants. Lee Hyun would snatch them out of her hands, exclaiming,
"What is this monastic longing?!" before slipping something more "sparkly" into her hands.
Suits with skirts above the knee. Blouses with open shoulders. Pants that beautifully outlined her curves. High-heeled shoes that made SoMi stand like a newborn foal.
But she agrees. Today is like a second birth. A new life. New dreams that won't be hidden in a drawer anymore. New heights are ready to be conquered.
"Lee Hyun, I'm tired," she moaned, collapsing onto the sofa in yet another boutique. She was surrounded by an army of bags containing new clothes, shoes, and accessories. "Maybe we should go home?"
"Hmm, I think that's enough for today," Lee Hyun nodded thoughtfully.
"Oh, thank the gods!" She picked up her bags with relief and had almost reached the exit when she heard:
"Hey, where are you going?"
"Where do you mean? You said enough."
"We updated your wardrobe. Now it's time for your hairstyle."
"What?!" SoMi almost fell onto the bag of shoes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~***************~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SoMi sat in a soft chair in front of a large mirror while Lee Hyun and the stylist behind her discussed her future look. She tried not to look at her reflection. Mirrors had always been her enemies — they showed her an image she didn't want to see: Just like now, she saw an exhausted face with bruises under her eyes and dull, grayish-tinted skin. She wasn't wearing any makeup. Her hair was haphazardly pulled back into a ponytail. Her bangs definitely didn't suit her, but they served as a shield at work, hiding her gaze from the world.
Finally, Lee Hyun and the stylist came to an agreement. He nodded briefly and began preparing for the transformation.
"SoMi, I have to run. But don't worry—you're in the best hands. I trust him," she said with a smile, grabbed her purse and left the salon with a light step, leaving his friend alone with a new chapter in her life.
"Are you ready for the transformation?" a low, calm voice asked from behind her. SoMi looked up to find a tall, charismatic man in a stylish black suit and black gloves before her. There was something magnetic about him.
"Yes... I'm ready," she replied, although something trembled inside her.
"Then look at yourself in the mirror one last time. You won't see her again," he said with a mysterious smile.
SoMi looked at herself again. She looked exhausted and worn out, but no longer despised. Something was awakening inside her—light, tremulous, and exciting. Change was always scary. But change was the beginning.
Yes, this was it. A new beginning.
A new me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~***************~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's already dark outside. Although spring has fully arrived, the city is still enveloped in a blue-purple haze in the evening. Seoul sparkles with millions of lights—streetlamps, neon signs, and car headlights. People stroll through the evening streets, breathing in the spring air. Cherry trees shower the sidewalks with white petals, and the warm April wind carries the sweet scent of fresh blossoms. Like SoMi, the city is finally breathing out.
She has just left the salon, weighed down with purchases but feeling lighthearted. She is tired but smiling. She looks at couples walking hand in hand, flirting and laughing. She involuntarily remembers when she used to walk like that, too. Ten years ago. Back then, it seemed that happiness would last forever.
Now, she is here—divorced, but calm. Beautiful. Different. Alive again. Capable of anything again.
These thoughts were interrupted by the sharp ring of the phone.
"SoMi, where are you?" MinJi's familiar voice rang out.
"Oh, Minji, I'm almost home. Did something happen?"
"SoMi, can you pick me up? It's late, and I don't want to be alone in a taxi. Please..."
"Okay, I'll be right there," she sighed, hanging up the phone.
"Well, at least someone got drunk today," she muttered with a smile as she picked up her bags and set off through the spring glow of the night city.
~~~~~~~~~~~~************~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SoMi arrived at the address indicated in the message, but her friend, who was supposed to be waiting on the street, was nowhere to be seen. The sounds of music, women's laughter, and cheerful shouts came from behind the doors of the nearest café. That's where SoMi headed.
As soon as she opened the door, firecrackers exploded and confetti filled the air. Right in front of her were the familiar faces of Minji and Lee Hyun, who shouted joyfully.
"SoMi~ya, welcome!" The girls rushed to hug her.
"Yahh!" Lee Hyun exclaimed, taking a step back. "SoMi, is it really you?" She couldn't take her eyes off her friend. "My stylist has outdone himself today!"
"Wow, SoMi... You look incredible! I missed this you!" Minji looked her up and down.
"What's going on here?" SoMi asked, looking around at the decorated café.
"It's your divorce day!" Minji winked. "So why don't we celebrate like in the good old days?"
"Well, not like on my birthday..." Lee Hyun reminded them, and all three burst out laughing. "But we have to drink!" Minji led everyone to the table.
"Allow me to make the first toast," Lee Hyun said solemnly, picking up her glass.
Everyone raised their glasses, their faces lit up with light and joy.
"SoMi, congratulations again on your divorce. It's a celebration of your newfound freedom. You deserve a better life—not one where you're always cooking, cleaning, and neglecting yourself. I wish for you, and for all of us, to always remember that we deserve the best: the most luxurious clothes, the most delicious food, the sunniest beaches in Spain, and the hottest men who will lay the world at our feet. From today on, may our lives be filled only with what we truly want. To the 'Club of the Free and Divorced'!" —she solemnly declared.
"To us!" The girls exclaimed in unison, clinking their glasses to the cheerful music.
~~~~~~~~~~~~***************~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That same evening, SoMi sat at home and cried. She watched the drama "Mr. Plankton" and ate ice cream by the spoonful. She wasn't crying because of the plot, but because of herself. She was sitting alone within four walls again. She was completely confused about what to do next and how to live now. She had so many plans! Now, she was lying in bed, crying just like she did in school when her heart was broken for the first time.
As soon as she calmed down a bit, she fell out of bed and hit herself hard. Again, tears came. This time, it was from pain, self-pity, and everything at once. She lay on the floor until sobs shook her body and she had no strength or tears left.
Finally, she just stared at the ceiling. Thought. No, not about her ex. About herself. What should she do next? Her gaze fell on an old stack of magazines from which a familiar notebook peeked out. She pulled it out along with some waste paper. She dusted it off and read it: "Diary of My Dreams." She opened it. Turned the pages one by one.
1. Join a gym.
2. Do yoga.
3. Eat delicious food.
4. Learn to dance.
5. Learn a foreign language.
6. Write and publish a book.
7. Attend a concert by my favorite band and visit a fan site.
8. Find true love.
9.Travel.
10. Live life to the fullest!
She read and cried again. Almost ten years had passed, and none of that had come true. She had buried these dreams under a pile of laundry, cooking, and other people's expectations.
Then she remembered her friend's words:
"I wish for you, and for all of us, to never forget that we deserve the best. May everything in our lives be just as we want it to be from now on, and may our dreams come true."
"Yes, I want my dreams to come true. They're not silly, as you thought, Hwang," she muttered through clenched teeth. "You were the fool. And I... I still have time."
She opened her laptop. She logged into her bank account. The balance was a pleasant surprise—a tidy sum. It was enough to finally start fulfilling her forgotten dreams.
Without hesitation, she signed up for English classes. She immediately signed up for a subscription to a dance school. When an advertisement for a fitness club popped up, she signed up too. SoMi signed up for a trial yoga class. Each click felt like a breath of freedom.
"Enough crying. It's time to act," she whispered and looked at her list of dreams.
The sixth point glowed like a light bulb in her chest: 6. Write a book and publish it. This made the flame inside her burn even brighter.
Her fingers flew across the keyboard. She began to write. A word. A sentence. A paragraph. One. Two. More. And more.
That's how SoMi began a new chapter in her writing and her life.