At the office - 9:30 PM -
Location: South Korea -
Nerisa walks towards her father's desk, her usually calm features contorted with anger.
She slams her hand on the desk.
Her father puts down his pen and silently looks up at her.
Nerisa voice is sharp: "Are you trying to give me a panic attack again?"
Kaylan - Profile -
47, Nerisa father. He appears tough on the outside but is fragile on the inside.
He goes to great lengths to protect Nerisa after her mother's death. He owns RE, a company that offers side hustle consulting services that aren't in high demand or particularly important.
Kaylan takes his words: "Can you sit down and talk calmly?"
Nerisa squeezes her eyes shut: "Dad, please just answer me. Did you do this on purpose? Do you want me to die?" I'm nothing but a shattered shell of myself after my mother's death. Why do you want to make me lose control of myself?
(Nerisa): Fine, don't answer me. Remain silent now, tomorrow, and for the rest of your life.
Then she left, leaving only her shadow.
(Fayon) - Kaylan's close assistant: Why didn't you answer her?
(Kaylan): I don't want her to drag this out and then faint like she did before.
(Fayon): It's clear she's in a lot of pain this time. Try talking to her about it.
(Kaylan): Where's the fifth support? We're going to dismiss those who haven't been putting in their best effort lately.
(Kaylan): ...Before that, did Elric call today?
(Fayon): No, he didn't. I think he's very busy with his work.
(Kaylan): Okay, summon the last seven employees.
(Fayon): Yes, sir.
___
- Yura house, Nerisa childhood friend -
- Specifically, the living room -
Nerisa usual upside-down position: her legs are on top of the sofa and her head is down, then she crosses both arms.
As for Yura, she's sitting on the floor wearing a green face mask - containing green tea - her hair is up and she's in front of her mirror.
(Yura): What's wrong? You seem so lost in thought. Heh, I wouldn't be surprised because I'll hear the same answer.
(Nerisa): ...Yura, am I being rude?
(Yura frowns and looks surprised.) Yura: Who told you that?
(Nerisa): No one ever told me that, but I'm asking you, am I being difficult?
(Yura): Uh... well, sometimes you're forced to be that way because of your mood swings, but you're the complete opposite.
(Nerisa): Is that just your opinion or everyone else's?
(Yura): Everyone else's, definitely, but you're exceptional to me.
(Nerisa): My father has put up with a lot, including how I treat him, but unlike me, he treats me like I'm his only child, his world, something precious he doesn't want to lose. It's as if he's keeping Elric out of his sight and only making an exception for me.
(Yura): Speaking of Elric, he's just like your father in how he treats you. They all treat you kindly and shower you with love. You know you've worked hard to get to where you are now, so hold on to it.
(Nerisa): This was the worst period of my life. It wasn't easy at all; it was like climbing a mountain and breaking through its rocks. But whenever those thoughts overwhelmed me, I remembered my mother's words when she used to tell me, "Life is like a train that never stops, so we have to run with it." Do you know that her words changed so much about my complicated personality? I used to accept and listen to negative thoughts, and they still haunt me whenever she sees me carefree. Oh, how awful they are!
(Yura): My father hit me with his shoe because I woke up late. What kind of indirect violence is this?
- As a way to lighten the mood -
(Yura): And it didn't end there. After he hit me, my mother hit me because I didn't put her lipstick back in its place! What kind of blatant violence is this?! And on top of that, the color is too bright for my lovely taste.
(Nerisa): I'm going to tell her that so she'll hit you again.
(Yura): I will consider that direct abuse...
_
"Life is like a train, it runs without stopping, so we must run with it."
The train doesn't exert effort, but it does exert speed. Sometimes it slows down to stop at its stations, and then it resumes its speed.
Life is not a train; we are the train. We are the ones who exert our utmost effort.
We endure life's hardships, the weariness of years, we struggle internally and externally.
But there is a common point between the train and us: we both face obstacles. Sudden obstacles. The train does stop, but it continues and does not give up or turn back. We stop, some of us give up, and some of us continue our journey to meet what awaits us in the future. Opportunities are plentiful, so we shouldn't avoid them or pass them by carelessly. Seize your precious opportunities, for they will not be repeated.
To be continued... endlessly.