The First Step

Distance makes everything seem small. Maybe that's why people leave.
To break themselves free from the illusion, and realise that whatever was smothering them, wasn't as big as they perceived it.

A difference of perspective could alter lives, after all. But it didn't seem to have worked with you. As always nothing worked for you.

Pausing a problem, never guaranteed that it would disappear.

"Y/N! Hurry up!" The voice of one of your co-workers made you tear your eyes away from the water fountain that was illuminated on the first floor. Which looked slightly different from the up view you were observing it from.

" We need to get everything set before the guests start coming. Don't waste time, looking around." Your co-worker rushed towards you and pushed some tablecloths onto your arms then rushed away like the wind, clearly looking like he barely had time to breath.

I guess oxygen is getting extinct for all people alike.

You thought as you inhaled a deep breath then you rushed downstairs, eyes darting around this villa as you rushed by.

Even though, you and the rest of the catering staff had reached there since early afternoon, none had had a second to spare to look properly at all the luxury around, and admire it. For whom would have the chance to be in such a place again, unless they were there to serve others.

Your body went on almost mechanically, placing the table clothes on each table and setting the decorations that were needed on top. In the proper way.

It was a job you had been doing for months now, so it didn't require you to think much. It had become like second nature, rearranging, serving, spending nights among rich looking people with a tray in your hands and your eyes on the floor. Your body present while your mind travelled to places unknown.

" Guests will start coming from moment to moment" The voice of the general manager of the catering company you were working for, echoed in the distance as you swiped your palm against the last table cloth, setting it into a flawless state.

Your posture was sharp and straight and a smile was forced on your face as a habit, every time you were to hear footsteps, coming your way. Hence you turned and looked his way, looking as polite and friendly as ever.

" Miss Mun. Please get to your tray and position yourself near the entrance." Your smile widened at the request, hiding your displeasure well and your feet went on , bringing you to stand near another coworker. Trays at hand all in a perfect row. Looking neat and clean in your proper outfits. Not even a single name tag, tilted.

The faint classical music that had been in the atmosphere for a while now, increased its volume as the owner of the villa along with his trusted tail of people, started observing the preparation, to ensure everything was how he wanted it, for his guests.

His voice, demanding few changes here and there as he passed by , reached to your ears again and again but your mind took its time to click and make you realise that you recognise the voice.

Your head snapped at the direction, only to truly witness one of your old classmates, dressed in a flawless expensive looking grey suit, bossing people around.

Can he please not recognise me at least?

His eyes met your unexpectedly and you turned around cursing under your breath.

I guess it was too much to ask for.

"Y/N? " He tilted his head in confused as he rushed towards you and you rolled your eyes and pursed your lips before turning around to face him again. Head low.

" It's really you! Wow!" His face lit up in excitement as he came by your side and started laughing " We haven't seen each other since high school. What a small word"

His loud words drew the attention of the staff that were around as he patted your shoulder once and twice, then he proceeded to look at his secretary and went on. " Y/N was the top student of our class back then. Like unbearable I tell you. The smartest kid of the whole school"

You lifted your head to look at him and forced a smile on your face, knowing well that he wasn't someone that would compliment you. Just like he never was someone that was kind to you, in the past.

I should have declined coming to this event from the moment they told me the host's name. What was I even thinking?

"Are you working here?As Catering staff? What happened? Didn't you pass to a big university?"

" Yes, I did." You gave a monotonous reply, having him raise an eyebrow at you before he burst out laughing.

" And you still ended up being a waitress? Life must have been harsh on you,huh?" He let his hand rest on your shoulder in supposed simpathy but as you made eye contact with him, he didn't hide how much he was enjoying this.

This asshole, pretending to be sympathetic as if I would believe that.

" What about your little writing dream? Did you fail at that too?" Your gaze hardened at the mentioning of your dream and he just laughed more, before he proceeded to point at you with his fingers while telling other people around you about it.

" She used to say that she would die if she doesn't become an author. She thought she was so good at writing, she used to think she could make it and get famous" His laughter prompted others to laugh too, leaving you staring at them with dead eyes, for it didn't matter to you much, his attempt to ridicule you.

Maybe in the past, it could have hurt you but now that you had accepted reality and you had left that dream die, nothing could affect you. You were already just a walking corpse anyway.

There existed no feelings that anyone could bruise. All had died along with your passion.

" You haven't changed much." You disturbed his joy and he let his laugh subside as he looked at you, slowly his face morphing into a slight disdain.

" Are you kidding me? I became successful. Look at all this. It's all mine!" He boasted and you smiled at him.

" Congratulations. I am happy for you" The luck of reaction from you, seemed to have ruined his mood as his excitement washed off his face and he decided to walk past you, only to halt two steps behind your back, noticing your phone set on the nearby counter.

" Ah, you still are delusional I guess" He reached out for it and grabbed it, showing you the back of your phone case as you turned around to see him.

" Isn't this the book cover of that book you published? You know the one that flopped" He looked at the small card print you had of the book cover you had designed, from your debut novel.

It was a self published book and it was one of the reasons you were left working odd jobs now, to cover up the money you borrowed to prepare that book for publication.

Bad investment for sure. Stupidly thinking that you could succeed in the first try. And even getting yourself on debt to bet on it. But whoever gambles has nothing certain. Hence you were living the consequences of that.

" It's just a picture. Give me back my phone" You demand of him as you reach your hand out to him and he proceeded to remove the card from your phone case and return only the phone.

" It's not good for you to have attachments Y/N. It won't do you any good to keep something around that reminds you of your failure. Don't you think so too?" He smiled as he walked towards the water fountain and threw the card print with the book cover in the water, making you grip your fist tightly by your side.

" Don't be too thankful that I am looking out for you. We are old classmates after all. It's a given." He uttered in a soft voice before he proceeded to walk away and his tail of people followed after him, leaving you feeling like you wanted to disappear.

Not because of the amount of eyes that were on you, or the humiliation, but because you had accepted to go work for this event despite knowing who's house it was.

It felt bitter, being in a state that forced you to not be able to make choices based on your self respect, but on the fact that you needed money. No matter what, nothing could be more important than getting money. You couldn't afford to put anything above that.

You walked to the fountain and looked at the floating picture, that was flipped and only the back side was showing so it looked like a blank piece of paper.

I haven't updated in so long. The 3rd book is literally left on only one chapter. At this point, my book might as well be as black as this paper.

You thought as you let a sigh escape your lips then returned back to your post, not having time to retrieve it.

The night went by working, among people that would take things from your tray and place others and pauses in your head as you drifted in thoughts of your readers and your books. Your characters.

You imagined them frozen in place. Waiting for you to continue their story. To rewrite them anew. To bring them to life.

How would the new professor Park be? How would their story unfold this time? You had to make it completely different from Hush and Uproar, since those were supposedly fictional creations of the main female character.

And that's where you were stuck. It just feels so hard to top that plot. To rearrange the characters in something entirely new and not having readers comparing it to the past, felt almost impossible.

A part of you regretted starting the third book. You could have just left it at Uproar. No one would care. But people kept requesting for more and you as always were weak when it comes to your readers.

Adding problems on my head. When will I ever learn?

You scolded yourself and threw your eyes up to the sky. Few clouds were in few but the full moon was too bright to let anyone notice anything else but her. It looked like it had a halo around it.

If only the moon could just solve my problems. Can't you just bring me an idea about how to move this plot?

You talking to the moon inwardly then looked down again, reminding yourself to go back on the second floor and refill your tray cause it was about to run out.

As you walked by people, the filled glasses of champagne you were carrying started getting switched with empty ones and you found yourself walking up the stairs with a lighter tray than before. Exchanging glasses with some of your other coworkers that were already coming down. Seemingly in a rush over something.

I don't think I am asking for too much. Ideas used to come all the time. Just do it once more. Why would the new Jimin use her by blackmailing her about the emails she sent him by mistake with her books instead of the subject project? What does he want to use her for? I opened so many questions and I can't even respond to them. The writer is supposed to know, damn in! How do I -

Your trail of thoughts was disturbed as you felt your heel slip in something wet once you had reached on the second floor and were passing by the glass balcony, only then snapping back to reality and realising that half of the balcony was now broken and glass pieces were shattered everywhere, along with spilled drinks and thrown trays.

The loss of your balance made your tray have the same fate as the rest for it slipped from your hand and crashed onto the floor, while you struggled to balance yourself by taking some extra steps ,in search of stability but your body weight had already tilted backwards and the only thing you could see before feeling yourself falling backwards from the second floor, was the terrified faces of your co-workers. And one trying to reach out to you to catch you.

However everything happened too fast and you were looking at the bright full moon, before you even new it. Shining above your head as you plopped with a painful and loud thud in the fountain waters.

Everything went dark around you and your breath got cut sharp as you hit the concrete then you jolted up with a gasp, eyes wide and heart beating wildly in your ears.

Your vision was blurry for a moment and your ears were ringing strangely, while you remained in a sitting position, frozen in shock.

Your sight started getting steadier after a while and the view cleared out, leaving you confused and unable to trust your eyes.

The ringing in your ears died down softly as you looked down on yours with wide eyes, furrowed eyebrow and absolutely zero thoughts in your head, as your mind felt like it was unable to grasp reality.

The clothes that should have been soaked by the water fountain, were completely dry and you were seated on the floor of a room instead. Which made absolutely no sense.

Did I die? Did I got a concussion? Is this some kind of dream?

The first thoughts floaded your mind as you tried to stand up but ended up touching the carpet on the floor, and knocking on it to check if it was real.

Why does it feel so real?

You wondered as you blinked and blinked and even shook your head around but the surroundings didn't change.

The fact started getting terrified enough to have you snap on your feet instantly and look around in horror and panic, trying to grasp what had just happened. But as you swirled around yourself, lost in your own mess, patting your body for injuries and your head, and even trying to open your eyes with your hands more in case it was their fault. Nothing changed.

" What the hell?!!" You finally dared to utter, your voice reaching your ears and terrifying you more cause it sounded just like always, while nothing else seemed logical.

Until you finally noticed someone's presence at the corner of this weird room that you so suddenly had found yourself in.

Hidden in the shadows, away from the path the moon was illuminating which hugged your feet.

Your breath got caught in your throat as you froze in place, looking at him as if he was the most terrifying thing you had laid eyes on. Not even noticing the weird symbols that were written on the floor and were surrounding you all over.

" Who- Who is there?" you gulped harshly as your trembling hands took a grip of the fabric of your pants , while you questioned the figure. And he stepped forward, making you instantly take a step back.

He didn't stop approaching though, till his face finally got illuminated by the moon, leaving you more stunned than before.

" You sure are a hell of a problem, Miss Author" The main character of your own books, was standing before you, looking at you like he wanted to rip you apart, right then and there, as blood dripping from his palm and onto the floor.

"Professor Park?" You uttered as your mind was still raising in disbelief. Cause this was not possible. He was a fictional character you created. He doesn't exist anywhere in your reality. How could he be standing before you? It made no sense.

Have I gotten crazy? Did I finally really completely lost it?

He approached you and you instinctively kept stepping back till you hit the wall, eyes not leaving his figure not even for a second. Wondering still what kind of halusination was this.

But when his bleeding hand took hold of your throat and pressed you hard against the wall, the pain broke the thought that this was only an illusion.

" You better fix the mess you made out of my life, or else-" Jimin's eyes shone as he leaned closer to your face, looking determined and incredibly angry.

" I didn't bring you over to my universe just so you can stare at me" He added, as his grip grew tighter and you raised your hands to get a hold of his, trying to free yourself as the feeling of choking became more prominent.

" Bring me back what you erased!"

---To be continued---

Author note:

I have been struggling to come up with a decent plot but I think it finally clicked. It's too big of a twist, I don't know how you will take it. But it gives space for so much fun and so many new messages I want to share.

To clarify, even the chapter before this is fake. Aka y/n wrote it. I have taken direct inspiration from my life in this one chapter, writer wise,
but y/n isn't me. Just to clarify. She has her own personality, character and identity. I am just the writer of the writer 🤣🤣. Sounds funny.

Y/n isn't based on my character either.
She is based on Hush y/n. She is still her.

I don't know how much it may confuse people with this twist. But it's just a parallel universe travel plot. And yeah the story will make much more sense as it goes on. Can be read as a stand alone too.

I never thought I would write again, this book has been waiting for 1 year and a half published like this. It's ridiculous 🤣 but I am happy I finally decided what I want from it and the direction I want it to go.

I want Professor Park to become an iconic character.

I hope you will enjoy and trust me with the process.

With love , your author-nim
Liz💜

PS: I wrote on my phone like the old times. Me, my defective phone and a dream. So there will be many errors, typos and such. I will edit it later. Also my writing is rusty since it's been a while. Hope you don't mind.