Prince Pauper || KTH

42. Ghost of You

Three months later...

Welcome to Imuwa, population 2,000. The town is known for its rich agriculture from strawberries to corn. That's where the economy is coming from.

For the past decades, Imuwa has been slowly evolving into a more modern area. A decade ago, the town finally got telephone phones and computers in its library.

Imuwa is home to the thriving Imuwa University, where the Mighty Caribous live and strive for greatness with the colors Red and White.

The town has a small but close-knit community, but it can be an issue as word can spread. It also has the tendency to label each resident, marking them with that name forever in its history.

This is the town of Imuwa.

Imuwa is home to 22-year-old Lim Penny, the Face of Imuwa, but widely known as the poor girl.

Ah, yes. The poor girl. The label Penny once loathed. The label she thought would be the only purpose in her life. The label that ruined many relationships with others.

Yes, Lim Penny is the poor girl but guess what? She's proud of it.

Sure, she struggled in the past. She had no mom, her father was away, an aging grandmother taking care of her, and didn't have much money to pay for school. But it didn't stop her from pursuing what she wanted. She pushed through all these obstacles in her life, trying her best to not let her poor girl status get to her.

But alas, it did. However, only a few months ago did she go into a deep process of self-reflection and thought on what it truly meant to be Imuwa's poor girl.

They pitied her, they felt sorry for her, they knew more about her past than actually knowing who she was now. It caused her more grief and pain to be branded as poor girl. All of which sucked but she learned that being the poor girl was a part of her. A part of her identity.

A part of her identity that she used to strengthen herself. A part of her identity to enrich those who were worthy of her time and experience. She used it as her advantage for everyone to look at her so she could tell them that the poor girl is capable of doing anything she aimed for.

Imuwa's poor girl showed resilience, perseverance, and light in the darkness of problems. Poor girl isn't what she has come to be. Being the poor girl made her value every single thing she had in her life. She appreciated her little family, her best friends, her aspiring career, her education, her house, and her overall life that she was okay with.

Even the little things. Her bed, her plushies, her strawberries. She valued so much.

Yet she felt something missing in her. She couldn't depict what it was. It didn't feel physical, being able to grasp it. It was more a notion, one that was unknown to her. But maybe she'll uncover it sooner or later.

"Good morning, Halmeoni." Penny greeted her grandmother once she entered the kitchen.

"You're up early." Halmeoni Lim smiled as she placed a plate of breakfast in front of her granddaughter.

"I'm working at the store all day." The girl informed before she began eating. "It hasn't been open since Christmas so people probably ran out of fish sauce and rice."

Her grandmother nodded as she admired her beautiful granddaughter. "I know I've said it before but I really do like your hair short." The girl grinned while she ruffled her neck-length hair.

Penny needed some change in her life after her new self-discovery. She did enjoy her long raven hair, but she grew tired of it. It was fine, hair grew back.