Chapter Three: Pain

In the dim room, the strange guy advanced, and Yuri, desperate, closed her eyes, pushing him away. Her father unexpectedly entered, witnessing her torn clothes and the menacing presence of the guy. A fleeting sense of relief filled Yuri as her father confronted the intruder, unleashing a rare display of protective anger. However, the moment shattered when, instead of comfort, her father turned on her.

He slapped her to the floor, disowning her with words that cut deeper than any physical pain. "I don't have any daughter," he declared, leaving Yuri bewildered. She pleaded, "I didn't do anything," but her father silenced her, accusing her of betrayal. As he locked her in, he shattered not only her trust but also the illusion of a loving family, leaving Yuri alone in the darkness.

Yuri felt a pain worse than anything she'd experienced in her 19 years. Her body hurt, and fear gripped her as the threatening guy approached. Not knowing what to do, Yuri clung to the hope that her father would step in.

Amidst this chaos, her stepmother entered, cruel laughter in her words. Yuri, voice trembling, said, "I didn't do anything to you." The stepmother heartlessly declared Yuri as nothing, unworthy of life. Desperate to avoid a forced marriage, Yuri pleaded, "Please, please." The stepmother, scornful, gave a chilling choice: marry or face death.

In desperation, Yuri begged her stepmother not to let her father force this union. "Please talk to my father; I'll do anything," Yuri pleaded. Ignoring her, the stepmother heartlessly pushed Yuri with her shoes, leaving her shattered and alone, facing a devastating choice.

Yuri spent the whole day in tears, and her stepmother denied her any food. Hungry, she searched her room and found cookies, eating them to survive the night. Clutching her magical book, she read it to escape the pain.

As she read, a line caught her eye: "Open the secret door; there is everything I dreamed and lived for." To her amazement, the bookshelf in her room transformed into a door. Speechless, she covered her face, exclaiming, "What is that?"

Approaching the door, she realized it led to the tree she always sat under. Questioning herself, she wondered, "Is this my favorite place I always go to?" Suddenly, someone touched her shoulder

Yuri jumped in her place when she turned her head and saw the old woman who had touched her shoulders.

Yuri: "You?!"

Old Woman: "Today is your day to escape."

Yuri: "Where?"

Old Woman: "But you need to choose between two things – either you solve your problems, or..."

Yuri: "Or what?"

Old Woman: "Escape the world!"

Yuri laughed and said, "Aunty, are you okay? Which world are you talking about? There is only one."

Old Woman: "Choose.".

With a snap of her fingers, the book in Yuri's hand started floating and opened. Yuri was surprised and asked, "What is that?"

Old Woman: "What did you choose?"

Yuri, already wanting to escape her miserable life with her father and stepmother, didn't want to stay any longer. She closed her eyes and said...