Weekend mornings were usually quiet for Yerin.
The city outside her apartment window was calm, the sunlight spilling gently across the small living room. Eunseo had gone out earlier for her shift, leaving Yerin alone with a cup of warm tea and a half-finished sketchbook spread across the coffee table.
She liked mornings like this.
Peaceful.
No meetings, no cameras, no deadlines from the collaboration project. Just the sound of pencil scratching softly against paper as she sketched a new design idea that had been lingering in her mind since the last photoshoot.
But the calm shattered when someone knocked on the door.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Yerin frowned.
Eunseo already had her keys, and no one else usually came here.
She walked to the door slowly and opened it.
The moment she saw the person standing there, her expression stiffened.
"Miss Yerin."
It was her parents' driver.
The middle-aged man bowed slightly, looking as polite and awkward as ever.
"I was asked to come pick you up."
Yerin immediately sighed, leaning against the doorframe.
"No."
Her answer came out flat.
"I already told them. I'm not stepping into that house again."
The driver looked helpless.
"Your mother insisted, Miss Yerin. She said it's important."
Yerin crossed her arms.
She had made a promise to herself years ago.
She wouldn't return to that house.
Not until her parents accepted the life she had chosen.
And so far…
They hadn't.
The Fight That Changed Everything
When Yerin finished high school, her parents had already planned her future.
It was never a question.
She would study medicine.
She was their only child.
And the heir to their family legacy.
Her parents owned three large hospitals in three different cities. Her father was the CEO of the entire hospital group, while her mother worked as one of the senior doctors.
To them, the path was obvious.
Yerin would study medicine.
Graduate.
And eventually take over the hospital.
But Yerin had never wanted that life.
Her dream had always been design.
Fashion.
Creativity.
Something that allowed her to express herself instead of living inside sterile white hospital walls.
So when university admission came…
Yerin did something bold.
She lied.
She told her parents she had enrolled in medical school.
But in reality…
She registered in the design department.
For months, the lie worked.
Her parents believed she was studying medicine and proudly told relatives about their daughter who would one day inherit their hospital empire.
But the truth didn't stay hidden forever.
Less than a year later, they found out.
And when they did…
Everything exploded.
Her father demanded she withdraw immediately.
Her mother cried and begged.
They threatened to pull her out of the university.
Yerin refused.
The argument became worse and worse until her father finally gave her a final ultimatum.
"If you won't study medicine, then we won't support you."
"No tuition."
"No home."
"And don't come back here."
It was supposed to scare her.
Make her give up.
Instead…
Yerin simply packed her things and left.
Life Without Them
Those first months were the hardest.
She had no financial support.
No family help.
Only stubborn pride and a dream she refused to abandon.
That was when she started working part-time.
Late shifts.
Long hours.
Trying to survive while studying.
And that was where she met Eunseo.
Eunseo was an orphan who had been living independently since high school. She worked the same part-time job and understood struggle better than anyone.
They quickly became close.
Helping each other.
Studying together.
Saving money for tuition.
Slowly, their friendship turned into something deeper—like family.
Even though Yerin's parents secretly sent people to watch over her from time to time to make sure she wasn't suffering too badly…
Yerin ignored it.
If they wouldn't accept her dream, then she didn't need their protection.
Back to the Present
Standing at her apartment door now, Yerin looked at the driver with tired eyes.
"They suddenly remember I exist?"
The driver smiled awkwardly.
"Your mother asked many times for you to visit."
Yerin hesitated.
For a long moment, she said nothing.
Then she sighed.
"Fine."
Maybe it was curiosity.
Maybe it was exhaustion from years of arguing.
Either way, she grabbed her jacket and followed him downstairs.
The Mansion
The drive took nearly forty minutes.
Eventually, the car passed through large iron gates and rolled into the driveway of a massive mansion surrounded by gardens.
Yerin had grown up here.
But stepping out of the car now felt strange.
Like visiting a place that no longer belonged to her.
The front door opened before she could knock.
Her mother rushed out.
"Yerin!"
She pulled Yerin into a tight hug.
"You've gotten thinner."
Yerin stiffened.
"I'm doing fine."
Her mother stepped back, eyes slightly wet.
"Are you eating well? Are you sleeping enough?"
"I told you," Yerin replied calmly.
"I'm doing well without you."
Her mother flinched at the words but said nothing.
Inside the living room, her father was waiting.
He looked exactly the same as always.
Serious.
Composed.
Authoritative.
"Sit down," he said.
Yerin remained standing.
"What do you want?"
Her father sighed.
"You're still young, Yerin."
She already knew where this was going.
"You can still change your mind."
"There is still time to study medicine."
"One day someone must take over the hospitals."
The words ignited anger inside her chest.
"Stop."
Her voice turned cold.
"I told you years ago."
"I don't want your hospital."
Her father's expression hardened.
"You're throwing away your future."
"No," Yerin snapped.
"I'm building my own."
Silence filled the room.
Her father tried again.
"You're being stubborn."
"And you're being controlling."
Yerin grabbed her bag.
"I didn't come here to fight."
Her mother quickly stepped forward.
"Yerin please—"
But Yerin shook her head.
"Stop sending people to check on me."
"Stop trying to drag me back."
"Just leave me alone."
Her mother's voice trembled.
"I miss you…"
Yerin paused.
Just for a moment.
But she didn't turn back.
Instead she walked toward the door.
The argument with her father remained unfinished.
Still burning in the air behind her.
A Mother's Love
When Yerin reached the car, the driver was already waiting.
But before she could enter, her mother hurried outside carrying a small bag.
"I packed some side dishes."
Yerin looked at the container quietly.
"You didn't have to."
Her mother gently placed it in her hands.
"Even if you're angry… you're still my daughter."
Yerin said nothing.
She simply got into the car.
As the gates closed behind them, she stared out the window, the mansion slowly disappearing from view.
Her chest felt heavy.
But she refused to cry.
Some things between parents and children…
Were harder to fix than broken dreams.
And Yerin still wasn't ready to forgive them.
Not yet.