RemedyㅣJENLISA

Chapter 1

Lisa walked through the noisy streets of big modern Seoul, stepping over the misaligned tiles fixed on the ground, making sure to fit her foot in each of the small concrete squares.

Squished between the thick crowds flooding the streets, she nervously gripped the straps of her worn out black backpack that she slung over her shoulders before leaving her new apartment that she would soon be calling 'home'.

A sudden heatwave envelope her. Maybe a tight pair of black jeans and a leather jacket wasn't the best attire to choose in the blazing heat of the day, given the thin layer of sweat that she just brushed off with the back of her hand from her covered with bangs forehead that stood exposed to the warm September sun for already a third hour in a row.

Walking further ahead, she was left with a gaping mouth, amazed by all the things she has never seen back in the small town she just recently ran away from to seek comfort and a new beginning in the embrace of the big city.

Endless lines of cars jammed the busy roads, angry drivers thew vulgar words and profanities at one another through pushed down car windows before pressing the honk and filling the poluted thick air with their impatience. Enormous colorful advertisement screens aligned the high skyscrapers that tore apart the clouds with their peaks, surrounding her from everywhere, making her feel small and unimportant in the presence of the concrete jungle. A feeling she desperately wanted to run away from.

She pushed her brain to remember as much of it as she could - street names, random people, fancy buildings - especially the correct and shortest roads leading toward her destination for the day - Seoul University - which was also the main reason for her change in environment.

It would come in handy later, knowing the fastest way to get to class after she overslept in the mornings, or not getting lost in the unknown city when hanging out alone. This was going to be her new home for the next few years and any new and useful piece of information was going to be a total blessing for the young girl.

She knew it was already time to move out of the family house and start a new independant life, all by herself, in a totally new for her place. The thought alone made the hairs on her skin stand up. She was scared that she wouldn't be able to make it, that she would fail, be a disappointment to her own self. There were many doubts and fears in her head, but she had to make it work.

She couldn't go back to that hell, not after everything she was put through.

Back home, she made sure to work once she came to age of sixteen, to gain some knowledge about independence and help her own father in the process. She didn't want to be a financial burden to the already hard-working old man.

With that thought, she used her own collected savings to pay for the tuition and the small apartment she recently rented so the pressure of doing that would fall from her father's shoulders. A job would be needed, though, and she needed to take care of that as soon as possible. Those money were not going to last her for more than a few months.

She kept looking down at the map on her small smartphone, trying to find the right direction towards the university. It was not more than five minutes later when she finally saw the huge cobblestone stricture covered with streaks of green ivy that crawled upon its walls. Thick colony of trees grew from the green grassy spaces, throwing dark shade over the front part where the entrance stood, creating a chill and comfortable environment for the students to relax or study during the school brakes.

The place swarmed with life. It was extraordinary for Lisa to see so much people gathered around a school area, but that probably was to be expected from such populated city. Groups were rushing in and out of the building, holding thick pieces of papers in hand - their class schedule, Lisa guessed since that was the mere reason she was there before the school has even started.

Others just wandered around like lost puppies, making sure to get familiar with the brand new environment before it was too late. Probably it was a good idea for Lisa to do the same.

Another were hanging out in groups, probably friends for a long time, talking and laughing as if their miserable teenage lives depended in it. And then, there were the loners who occupied the lonely benches, headphones on or a book in hand. Lisa could easily see herself in them.

The difference was - they probably had someone to go to after that. Someone who they could share the events of their day with or the struggles they were going through. Someone who they could spend time and laugh along with. Someone they could count on.

And then there was Lisa, left completely to the will of her destiny, alone. Not that she would complain about it. The mere presence of another human being around was already enough to make her go insane. She liked her alone time.

After a minute of staring at the beautiful historic building, she finally made her way inside through the grand entrance. She walked through spacious and relatively cold hallways, under sky-reaching ceilings, over an expensive and shiny marbled floor, between red metal lockers aligning the beige walls, as her eyes darted over the amazing architecture. One could easily get lost in this palace.

And of course, Lisa did, a few times even, before she finally found the assigned room and grabbed her schedule. As much as she didn't want to be there, she walked around to familiarize herself with the place before the first day.

As Lisa walked back towards the exit, she caught a glimpse of a girl that shamelessly stared at her retreating form. They locked eyes for a very quick second, but it was more than enough for Lisa to notice the beautiful brown cat eyes that stared back at her own, long khaki hair cascaded down the shoulders of her tiny but slim and fit body. The encounter stirred something weird in Lisa's guts, but she quickly brushed it off and continued on the way, forgetting anything about it once she stepped out in the open.

For the rest of the day, Lisa walked on the streets of Seoul aimlessly, headphones plugging her ears, making sure to fill her time as much as she can and explore the unknown to her parts of the huge city. She walked through busy boulevards, crowded parks, enormous malls, fancy restaurants, filling her eyes with the beauty of the place until the sun descended under the broad horizon.