A cool breeze swept over the bridge as a young woman walked alongside her bicycle, her gaze drawn to the endless horizon where the sun dipped into the ocean. She inhaled deeply, as if the air could carry away all her worries, dissolving them into the evening sky.
Her name was Joon-He—a girl with long brown hair, golden eyes, and lips the color of ripe cherries. She wore a long-sleeved green shirt and faded blue jeans, her black bag slung over her shoulder. Though dirt covered its fabric, its dark color masked the stains.
"What a life," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
As darkness crept across the sky, she climbed onto her bicycle and pedaled toward home.
Home.
A place that should bring warmth and comfort, yet for Joon-He, it was nothing more than an abandoned apartment complex—one that had long since been reduced to a dumping ground.
As she neared the entrance, a skinny brown dog sprinted toward her, a pack of hotdogs clamped tightly in his mouth.
"Tini!" she called out in hushed excitement.
The dog eagerly jumped onto her lap, his tail wagging in anticipation of affection. She crouched, rubbing his ears, before her eyes landed on the food in his mouth.
"Where did you get this?" she asked, gently tugging the package from his grip.
Tini padded over to a corner and pointed his nose toward a nearby restaurant.
Her eyes widened. "You stole it?!"
The dog quickly shook his head.
"They just gave it to you?" she asked in disbelief.
Tini nodded enthusiastically.
"Awesome!!" She scooped him up, spinning him in the air.
But then, she paused.
"Wait… Who in their right mind gives a dog a full pack of hotdogs for free?"
She examined the package, only to discover something even more bizarre.
"And there are twenty-four hotdogs instead of twelve?! Tini, are you absolutely sure you didn't steal this?"
The dog nodded once more.
"Then this must be the work of God!" She grinned and patted his head. "This will last us at least a week! For your hard work, I'll give you two hotdogs!"
Tini rolled onto his back, scratching the door with his paw before coughing.
"You're right," she said, sighing. "Let's head inside. I'm exhausted."
She pushed the door open, kicking off her worn-out shoes. Walking around in her black socks, she took in the familiar sight of her so-called home—blinking lights, torn furniture, rusted windows, and a floor littered with discarded junk.
Joon-He made her way to the kitchen, pulling open a peeling cupboard door. Empty bottles clattered inside.
"Oh! Almost forgot!"
She set her bag down and unzipped it, revealing an assortment of scavenged items—half-eaten food, leftover drinks, and random odds and ends.
Grinning, she pulled out a half-empty bottle of Coke.
"Some idiot threw this out, so I snatched it before she noticed," she chuckled. "Now we can have hotdogs with a drink!"
As she laughed, Tini let out a small howl.
She rummaged through the cupboard again and gasped in excitement.
"Ha! Look, Tini! Empty oil bottles! If we pour them all together, we might have just enough to fry the hotdogs!"
The dog simply stared at her before coughing again.
She flicked on her small electric cooker—it was her only option, considering a gas stove was a luxury she couldn't afford.
After managing to fry the hotdogs with barely enough oil, they shared their meal, washing it down with the Coke. As they ate, they talked—not to each other exactly, but rather to themselves, as if filling the silence of their desolate home.
As night fell, Joon-He laid down a thick blanket, curling up under another.
"Tini, come here," she whispered, tapping the space beside her.
The dog wagged his tail and trotted over, settling in beside her and licking her jaw affectionately.
She stroked his fur. "Don't worry."
Then, she closed her eyes.
---
"He's dead. Killed."
"No! He can't be!!!"
Darkness surrounded her, thick and suffocating. Familiar voices echoed in the void.
"He couldn't pay them back."
"No… he wouldn't… leave me here…"
Joon-He jolted awake, tears brimming in her eyes. She wiped them away and sat up.
Without a word, she moved to an empty room, kneeling before a small wooden table. A black-and-white photograph rested atop it—an image of a boy, frozen in time.
"Good morning again," she whispered. "I still haven't gotten rich."
She sniffled, trying to hold back her emotions, but ended up coughing instead.
A soft rustling came from the doorway. She turned to see Tini watching her, one ear perked up.
"Come here, Tini." She patted the floor beside her.
The dog obediently sat, and she ran her fingers through his fur.
"Don't worry, Brother," she murmured, staring at the photograph. "I won't be poor forever. The sacrifices you and Father made won't be in vain."
Her eyes drifted to another frame—her father's picture.
"I promise, Dad, I'll find a good job, get rich, and—" she took a deep breath, forcing a smile— "I'll even marry a rich and handsome husband. Don't worry, okay?"
She turned to Tini.
"We'll make it out alive."
A heavy sigh escaped her lips.
"Father, Brother… Today's my birthday." She let out a small laugh. "I'm turning twenty-four... Please, pray that something shocking happens—something that changes my life forever."
She pushed herself up and headed to the bathroom. As soon as she opened the door, cockroaches scurried out.
"EEK!!"
She jumped back, clutching her towel to her chest.
After ensuring she still had enough water and a bit of dish soap left, she took a quick shower.
Dressed in a long-sleeved black shirt and a short skirt, she grabbed her bag.
"Tini, today, I'm going all black." She kissed the tip of his nose before heading out.
She mounted her bicycle, only to realize her mistake.
"Ugh. Perfect."
With an exasperated sigh, she changed into black jeans, then rode off.
The bridge stretched before her once again, bathed in the golden hues of sunset.
'Father, Brother… Today is my birthday. Please, let something shocking happen—something that changes my life forever.'
The thought echoed in her mind as she spotted a small blue shop.
She stopped, stepped inside, and greeted the elderly man behind the counter.
"Hello, Mr.! I brought more empty bottles for you."
"Ah, Joon-He. Thank you."
She smiled. "How much today?"
"Hmm… Nine thousand won."
Her eyes widened. "Nine thousand?!"
"Yes, sorry—"
"Are you kidding?! That's amazing!"
The old man chuckled. "I also added a little bonus. Happy birthday."
Her breath caught. "You… remembered?"
"Of course. You wouldn't stop talking about how something had to change for you on January 29th, 2024."
She bit her lip, fighting back tears.
"Thank you, Mr. Thank you so much." She said with a bow.
She rises, takes her bag, and heads out. Upon arriving at her destination—a tall, orange-colored building that serves as a restaurant—she parks her bicycle and steps inside.
"Good morning, sir," she greets a man as she passes by.
She makes her way to the counter, where various ingredients and cooking utensils are laid out. Slipping on a pair of gloves, she gets to work—not cooking, but packing up garbage. She clears away leftover ingredients, wipes down the counter, and takes out the trash.
As the day stretches on, the hours slip away. By the time six p.m. rolls around,
Got it! Here's the rewritten version while keeping your original intent intact:
---
She rises, takes her bag, and heads out. Upon arriving at her destination—a tall, orange-colored building that serves as a restaurant—she parks her bicycle and steps inside.
"Good morning, sir," she greets a man as she passes by.
She makes her way to the counter, where various ingredients and cooking utensils are laid out. Slipping on a pair of gloves, she gets to work—not cooking, but packing up garbage. She clears away leftover ingredients, wipes down the counter, and takes out the trash.
As the day stretches on, the hours slip away. By the time six p.m. rolls around, she steps outside for a breath of fresh air, stretching her arms to ease her aching muscles.
"You're done for today," a voice says from behind her.
She turns to see a man in a suit.
"Oh, thank you, sir," she responds politely.
He hesitates before continuing. "Oh… um, Joon-He…"
"Yes, sir?"
"I can't give you your pay today."
"What? Why?"
"I don't have any cash on me right now. And the amount is too small to transfer."
"You'll give it to me tomorrow, right?"
"Sorry, I won't be here tomorrow. I have… other places to be."
He smiles, his eyes lingering on her. "Unless, of course, you'd like to come to my house, and we can go get the money… together." He reaches out, trying to touch her arm.
She steps back immediately. "Never mind. I'll wait until you can pay me properly. Just make sure you have cash next time."
With that, she rips off her gloves and walks away.
"Hey! What's with the attitude? I can fire you, you know! Hey!" he calls after her, but she doesn't turn back.
"What a jerk!" She retorted.
She begins coughing, realizing how dry her throat is.
"I'm so thirsty…" she mutters.
Behind the restaurant, she notices a fresh and clean looking trash can, of course trash is trash, but in her state, what's the difference between her and trash. She glances around, making sure no one is watching, then rushes over, she begins scavenging through it, a d to her luck, she see a bottle of liquid inside. She grabs the discarded drink, and chugs it down.
"Wait… was that alcohol?"
She squinted at the bottle in her hand. 67% alcohol.
---
Later that evening, as she walked her bicycle across the bridge, she felt strangely lightheaded.
"Just great… My head already feels—"
Her vision blurred, but regained itself.
"This sun..reminds me of a donut!" She said in her drunken state. "I think Tini would like to have some.." She burps. "I'll grab it for both of us."
She climbs on her bicycle, putting her toes on the place meant for sitting.
A boy in a hoodie can be seen walking closer. His figure is of a nice feature, but his face being obscured with nothing but darkness.
While trying to grab the sun like donut, she looses balance, readying to fall to her doom.
At this moment everything was happening in slow motion, although the fall was so high, it would lead to a lot of pain and probably dislocation of the shoulder or ankle.
But luckily for her.
Before she could fall, a strong hand caught her wrist, pulling her against a firm chest.
The wind blows in with silent whispers following it's steps. The breeze howled, and sang with voices of fairies as pink petals from flowers came washing over them.
The force of the wind pulled the boys hoodie back revealing the true master piece of Gods creation.
The boy had dark eyes, so dark that when looking in, you could simply get lost, lips pinker than that of the colour pink itself.
He had black hair with a dull expression on his face.
At this moment when their eyes had locked, the yellow eyes of Joon-He began to glow.
Upon gazing on Joon-He, he's eyes widened slightly, then his lips parted. A low voice whispered—
"Will you marry me?"