Yu jin's POV
"You got the call?" Woo Min's voice came from the kitchen.
I balanced Rin on my hip, phone pressed to my ear do I could wear his nighty. "Yeah. First round. They called me this morning."
He whistled low. "First round, huh. So you're actually doing this?"
"I have to," I said. "It's the first step."
He laughed dry. "Have to? Or want to? Don't tell me it's about proving something again."
"It's… a mission," I said, shrugging. Rin batted at the air, grabbing at the phone cord like he knew I was lying. "I have to go."
Woo Min groaned. "You really are impossible. First the city, now this conglomerate nonsense. And here I am stuck with Rin and your mom is stuck too. I'm basically running your life while you chase… what? Some revenge dream?"
"You're dramatic," I said, smirking. "But yes, revenge… mission… call it whatever you want. I can't stay here doing nothing. I need to move."
"You need to move?" he repeated, voice sharp. "Or you want to move because you can't let go of the past?"
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Maybe both. But it's not about me. It's about Rin. I want to give him a life that isn't… stuck in this town."
"You're leaving him behind," he said, voice tighter. "You don't even think about what it does to him, to us."
"I do," I said. "That's why I'm doing it. I need a better plan for us, for him. Staying here isn't a plan. It's waiting for scraps."
Another long pause. I could hear him thinking. "You're really going to risk everything for this? For… for a plan you haven't even tested?"
"Yes," I said, firm. "I've survived worse. I can survive this too. And I'm careful. I plan every step."
He muttered something under his breath, pacing the living room floor. "You're insane. Absolutely insane. And if something goes wrong…"
"I'll be fine," I interrupted, sharper than I intended. "I lived there before, remember?."
He stopped pacing, fists clenching. "You don't get it, Jin. You don't get what it's like here. Raising Rin, keeping things together while you run off chasing ghosts… I could take him, you know. I could leave with him."
I froze, gripping the phone tighter. "You wouldn't."
"I would," he said, flat. "Because I can't watch you throw yourself into this mess. Not when he's all we've got. Not when your mom is barely keeping her patience."
I let out a breath. "Woo Min… don't. I need you here. I need all of you here."
"I know," he said, softer now. "But don't make me regret it. Don't make me choose between him and your… whatever this is."
"I won't," I said. "I promise. But I can't stop."
He groaned. "You suck."
"Yeah. That's my brand."
The next morning, I was on the first bus to the city, folder under my arm, Rin asleep at home with my mom and Woo Min standing guard. My stomach was a knot. Every stop brought more nerves. Every thought of Woo Min's glare made me tighten my grip on the folder. He didn't know what I was planning.
At X Conglomerate, the receptionist barely glanced up. "First round interview?" she asked.
"Yes," I said, forcing a calm tone.
I waited, pretending to review my folder while my brain scrambled through every possible mistake I could make. And then someone plopped down beside me.
"Seo Yu jin?"
I blinked. Ji-hoon. Middle school and my Seoul buster friend, we came here together and worked at the club but he left me to go continue school. That kid who made mathematics seem thrilling. His eyes widened, like he couldn't believe it.
"Ji-hoon?" I said. "It's… been a while."
He laughed, awkward and tight cuz it's been long but gave me a big hug. "Yeah. You're really here too?"
"Apparently," I said. "Small world, or cruel joke. Haven't decided yet."
The lobby was a silent battlefield of suits and nerves, but seeing him… it was like a tiny spark. Familiarity. Something that wasn't chaos.
They called my name. I gave Ji-hoon a thumbs-up. He tried not to look nervous. My chest clenched as I walked to the room, the folder pressed to my chest.
The interview was brutal and boring at the same time. "Tell me about a problem you solved no one else could." I told them honestly. "What would you do if a client demanded the impossible?" I answered honestly, with a pinch of sarcasm because all I had left was humor.
At one point, one of the panelists actually smiled. I left the building exhausted. Legs weak. Throat sore. The receptionist handed me a letter.
"You've passed the first round. Second round next week."
I wanted to really cry so hard. Step one survived. Three more to go.
Back home, Woo Min was waiting like a hawk. My baby–Rin asleep on the bed. Mom dozing on the couch.
"You made it back alive," he said, in a tight voice.
"I did," I said.
"And?"
I handed him the letter. He read it, scowled, threw it onto the table like it was hot.
"You're insane," he muttered. "First round, second round, and now what? You think this ends well?"
"It ends well if I make it end well," I said. "I'm not doing this blindly. I've got a plan. I've got reasons. And I'm not stopping."
He stared, jaw tight. "You're putting yourself in danger. You're leaving Rin behind. I don't know why I'm even helping anymore."
"Because you care," I said.
He snorted. "I care because I don't want him to grow up thinking his dad gave up. But don't push it. Don't make me regret this."
I smiled, bitter. "I already made my choice. Comfort and safety are gone. Not for me, not for Rin."
He shook his head, muttering something I couldn't hear but he was definitely cussing.
A week later, I got the call. Second round? Passed. They wanted me back.
I looked at Rin sleeping in on the bed and felt the weight of my choice. I chose the path that hurt the most. Mission over comfort. Safety over revenge. No, revenge over safety.
The next interview? I didn't know what would happen. I didn't know if I'd survive. But I knew one thing: I wasn't backing down.
I packed my bag. Checked the city map. Tried to imagine what the next week would throw at me. The real
test wasn't the interviews. It was keeping Rin safe while I faced the world that had ignored me for too long.