Rent [Yeonji]

Chapter 001

[This photo is not mine and credits to the owner for this photo🥺]

>>>Problem<<<

"Mr. Choi, I swear, I'll-"

"I don't want your empty excuses, Ms. Hwang. You pay, you stay. You don't, eviction.
I'll give you 2 weeks. Figure it out."

>>>

Yeji pulled her silky red strands as she screamed in frustration. She couldn't care less about society eye-boggling at her. She was going to be homeless if she doesn't figure this out. "The fuck he wants from a broke university student." Yeji sighed, bitter. She pulled the thin cardigan closer to her body as the wind picked up speed. 

She racked her brains as she walked through the park, staring aimlessly at the sky. Slowly, the regret after running away from home 3 years ago seeped in as she stopped in her tracks. She stared at her scuffed-up shoes, eyes becoming glossy as she envisions her family. She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. "Never regret your choices, Hwang Yeji." Yeji reminded herself sternly before she continued walking around the park. Yeji ran her slender fingers through her bold red hair, attracting stares. Yeji's been used to it ever since she chanced upon hair dye.

Broken but beautiful.

That's been Yeji's motto forever. Behind the killer smiles and colorful hair dyes lay a broken girl. Brought up with discriminating parents, Yeji's been stuck with depression at the young age of 9 years old. She's learned to deal with it, even trying to keep it a secret from her twin brother.

However, there was never a time when she was poor. Her parents were successful founders of a high school for brainiacs. It scarred Yeji when her own parents rejected her from their school, telling her grades were never good enough in the first place. Do you know what's funny though? Hyunjin made it in.

Yeji shook her head, hitting her cheeks lightly as she reprimanded herself for bringing the past up. But the past is part of you. And Yeji hated it. She wanted to erase it, remove it. Because no matter how hard she tries, she'll never be good enough. For her parents. For her stupid landlord. For herself.

Yeji stopped walking when she recognized the bench she sat on an hour ago. She's made about 5 rounds in the park and yet, it's just her and her depressive thoughts.

Yeji shook her head, disappointed. "In the end, I'm always the fool." Yeji picked up her speed seeing the sky slowly darkening as people made their way home.

>>>

Yeji stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. Her head tilted as she studied her wet, bare face. "Is this really what I've become? I choose to be independent and I can't even pay my own rent." Yeji screamed, her emotions overwhelming as she pushed the glass bottles of perfume off the counter. The sound of glass shattering was met with silence, Yeji staring at the broken glass as the perfume started to go all over the floor.

Psychotic? Maybe.
Depressed? Definitely.

The tears streamed down her face silently as she picked up the glass pieces one by one carelessly. Yeji hissed in pain, dropping the broken piece of glass as she stared helplessly at her injured palm. "Stupid Yeji, Stupid Yeji..." Yeji couldn't help but mumble under her breath as she ran her palm under the sink water, the water tinted red with her blood.

Yeji turned off the tap before walking back to the bathroom to clean up her mess, warier of the glass pieces.

She threw away the plastic bag of glass into the bin before entering the tiny living room. "Might as well pack up already..." Yeji sighed dejectedly as she pulled out the cardboard boxes she had received that morning.

Yeji grabs the items off the shelf mindlessly before dumping them into the cardboard box. A photo frame coated in dust caught her eye before she timidly reached out for it.

Slowly, she blew away the dust and soon regretted her decision. She chuckled sadly as the tears streamed down her face. "Oh, Hyunjin... It's been so long." she sniffed as she caressed the handsome face in the frame.

She placed the photo frame close to her heart, bawling her eyes out. Her loud, pathetic sobs were pitiful, but no one heard her. No one heard the depressed girl's plea for help. She was on the brink of losing herself.

Her phone ringing brought her out of her breakdown. She carefully placed the frame on the floor before taking the phone, answering it with a hoarse voice. Her swollen, red eyes widened as she heard the words spoken by the man.

"If you tutor my 12-year-old daughter, I'll reconsider your eviction. Tomorrow, 6 pm. Don't be late."

>>>