A Broken Home and Hyeon’s Restlessness

In a small house, a man and a woman were arguing loudly. The room was in complete disarray, with things scattered everywhere. In front of them, a six-year-old child stood crying, pleading with his parents to stop fighting.

“I don’t want to live with you for even a moment more! You have ruined my life!” the woman shouted in anger, her face red with frustration.

The man’s jaw clenched as he threw a glass onto the floor, shattering it. “Then who’s stopping you? I have no desire to live with a woman like you either!”

The woman scoffed, crossing her arms. “Who would even want to live with you in this filthy house? You’re a failure! You can’t even provide for your own family properly! You should consider yourself lucky that you got a girl like me! Otherwise, you would have died alone!”

The man’s fists tightened. “Oh, and you think you’re some kind of saint? You do nothing but complain! You sit around all day whining about how miserable your life is, but you never lift a finger to change anything!”

The woman let out a bitter laugh. “Change? What am I supposed to change? My biggest mistake was marrying a pathetic excuse of a man like you! I should have left years ago!”

The child flinched at his mother’s words, his small hands clutching the hem of his shirt. His tiny frame trembled as he watched his parents’ anger boil over.

The man took a threatening step forward. “If you hate it here so much, then leave! Get out!”

The woman sneered. “Don’t worry. I will. I should have done this a long time ago.”

She turned and stormed into the bedroom, yanking open the closet and throwing clothes into a suitcase. The child ran after her, tugging at her dress. “Mommy, please don’t go! Don’t leave me!”

She didn’t look at him. “Move, Hyeon.”

The boy sobbed harder, his tiny hands shaking as he clung to her. “Please! I’ll be good! I promise! I won’t make noise! Just don’t go!”

His cries only seemed to fuel her anger. She forcefully pried his hands off her dress and threw the suitcase shut. Without another word, she walked past him, past the broken glass and the shouting man, and out of the door. She didn’t even turn back.

The man stood frozen, his fists trembling. He looked at the door for a long moment, then down at his son, whose tiny body was shaking with silent sobs. He let out a heavy sigh and sank onto the couch, running a hand through his hair, muttering to himself.

Suddenly, the loud ringing of Hyeon’s alarm woke him up. He jolted upright, realizing his cheeks were wet with tears.

For a few moments, he sat still, his heart pounding. He quickly wiped his face, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down.

He walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. The cold water ran over him, slowly washing away the turmoil inside his mind. Droplets traced paths down his face, merging with the last remnants of his tears. After a few moments, he took another deep breath, stepped out, and began getting ready for school.

His routine went on as usual—going to school, attending classes, heading to his part-time job. But something inside him still felt unsettled, like an unshakable weight pressing on his chest.

Around 7 PM, his phone rang.

"Hello?" he answered.

The moment he heard the voice on the other end, his breath hitched. Without hesitation, he dropped everything and ran out of the store…

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