Seo Yerin was sixteen when she learned that pain did not always come loudly . Sometimes it came quietly - wrapped in routine , hidden in ordinary mornings,buried between silence .
The alarm beside her narrow bed rang at 5:00a.m. She turned it off immediately, afraid the sound might travel through the large house.Her room was small, pushed far away from the others,as if it has been added as an afterthought.The walls were bare.The air was cold .
She dressed quickly and slipped out of the room.
Downstairs, the choi family house looked beautiful in the early morning light -marble floors, expensive furniture ,tall windows.But yerin knew better, the house has never belonged to her .
She moved quietly into the kitchen and began preparing breakfast . Washing rice, heating soup.Laying out dishes exactly the way her stepmother likes them . Every movement was careful,practiced,learned through years of corrections and punishments.
She was still stirring the soup when a sharp voice cut through the air.
"Don't burn it again"
Choi minji has not even entered the kitchen yet her presence felt heavy . Yerin stiffened .
"Yes, stepmother", she replies softly.
By six o'clock , footsteps echoed down the stairs .
Choi Yuna appeared first .
At eighteen ,Yuna already carried herself with confidence and entitlement . She was pretty in the way that demanded attention , dressed neatly for school,her expression bored as she glanced at the table .
"This?" Yuna scoffed ."Is that all you made?"
Yerin lowered her gaze."I can make something else if you want".
Yuna rolled her eyes ." Don't bother talking.it ruins my appetite ".
Minji entered moment later , heels clicking against the floor . She inspected the table ,then Yerin,her eyes cold and calculating.
"Why are you still standing there?"Minji said.
"Go clean the living room and after that, wash Yuna's uniform . She has an important day."
"Yes" Yerin answered .
She cleaned while they ate.
When Yuna finished eating, she stood up and knocked her glass over on purpose .
Water spilled across the table and spilled on the floor .
"Oh," Yuna said lightly, smiling . "Clean it."
Yerin knelt immediately grabbing a cloth . Her fingers trembled slightly as she wiped the floor.
"You are really good at this" Yuna added,cruelly."Housework suits you .Acting? Don't be ridiculous."
Minji said nothing
She never intended to. Silence from her, was approval.
That night when the house was finally quiet ,Yerin returned to her room , She sat on the edge of her bed and pulled a small notebook from beneath her pillow . The pages were worn, filled with handwritten lines from the drama she loved.
She whispered the words softly, acting them out in the dark .
In those moments , she was not invisible, she was not unwanted , she was someone else, someone seen .
When she finally lay down, staring at the ceiling ,a single thought stayed with her .
This house was not her future.
And one day,no matter how long it took , she would leave it behind