Prologue: Screw Love

Some people are just meant to be alone.

Those are the words my boyfriend, Jun-seo Kim, said to me the day we broke up. The crazy thing was that I had thought the very same thing, deep down in my heart. I never saw myself falling for someone, let alone someone falling for me. I thought that was a fairy tale...something that someone like me would never achieve.

You see, I, Asher Daylon, am twenty-five years old. My father died when I was young, and because of the debt he left behind, I had always had to work to care for my mother and I. At first, they were grunt jobs, such a cleaning bathrooms and picking up trash, but because of my work ethic, and a few favors, I ended up graduating to becoming a clerk at a local conveniece store. There I found out I was good at fixing things, especially computers, and thus I landed a job at a local computer-repair store. The money was good, but still not great enough to eliminate our debt.

To make matters worse, my mother became ill. She developed hypertension, had arthritis from the multiple jobs she herself worked, and some days she struggled to get out of bed. The cost to take her to the doctor, without insurance, added on another burden. So, me being a dutiful son, decided to work days at the computer store and nights a tthe convenience store. Even better, my manager gave me a promotion, as the assistant manager, because of my hard work.

So, overall, not too bad for a guy who didn't go to college.

However, in the mix of all this, I was dating my high-school sweetheart, Jun-seo. He, unlike me, ended up going to college and obtained a business degree and worked at a corporate office downtown making great money. However, I never took a cent from him, even though he asked multiple times. I guess I just didn't want my problem becoming his. Hell, even though I had loved him for a long time, I was always afraid he'd leave me for someone better. Having a boyfriend who worked in a convenience store wasn't sexy, by any means, but we were in love. So much so, that we talked about getting married and moving into a house...Jun-seo was even ok with my mom staying with us...

It all seemed perfect...too perfect on the outside.

What ended up ruining us was when I had to work more hours to pay for my mother's added medical bills. I'd come over to our, now his, apartment late to see the cold food sitting on his in-table. The burnt out candle, the bent-over rose in the vase, and a note saying how long he had waited...until he couldn't wait anymore and ended up going to bed. I had run late or forgot about many dates with Jun-seo, like his corporate get-togethers, movie nights, dinner with his family...it just got to the point where he didn't want to wait on me anymore. No "I'm sorry" was going to fix the fact that I was busier than he liked, that I wouldn't take his money to be rid of the debt...it all just started crumbling a part.

So, he left.

At first, I took it like a champ...by working even more hours at work. However, that didn't help my sorrow. I was lost without him. We had dated so long...that it felt like a piece of me walked away with him. So, after spending too many nights crying, I decided to go get drunk!

You heard me, DRUNK!

I went to a local bar and, honestly, just did one shot of soju. Then it became two...three...add in a glass full of beer, and I was LIT! I mean, so LIT, that I'm pretty sure I got kicked out of the bar. I dunno why, though, maybe because of my singing. I mean...I'm not a bad singer, heck, when I was eight years old, I wanted to be an idol.

You see, I really loved this group, called Traverse. They were a popular boy-band until they disbanded, but their lead singer, Jet, was my inspiration. As a mere teenager, he's step onto the stage, smile, and with one note command your heart. His melodies brought me to tears, made me want to dance...his songs made me feel like I could conquer any of the obstacles that life threw at me.

So, I auditioned for a scout that had come to our local town. He found me first, honestly...maybe because it was different seeing a black kid with purple hair in South Korea. Yea, you heard me right, I'm a transplant! However, I was overjoyed! My mother was extremely supportive, and a prior singing coach, I was ready to belt out my favorite song, "I Dig It" by, of course, Traverse. However, when I stepped on the stage...when I saw all those people staring, what felt like into my soul, I got nervous. So nervous that my hands became clammy, my heart began to race...and my mouth dried up.

Without a word, I ran of the stage.

You guessed it right...I had stage fright, and I never again tried to audition. Singing, now, was my shower hobby. Hell, I didn't even do karaoke...well unless the day is today and I'm singing drunk!

So, I leave the bar, sang my drunken-self all the way to my mother's apartment, because obviously I was no longer staying with my boyfriend, and plopped my cute butt down on my bed. My brilliant idea, instead of sleeping and calling it a night, was to take out my phone and go to Itzagram. Why? Because the whole world needed to know just how I felt! The world needed to realize that love sucks, heart break is the worst...but that doesn't mean there aren't better days on the horizon. Because why?! You're more than a last goodbye, you're the S**T!

So, I took out my phone, turned on my live feed, and did something that would alter the rest of my life.

Has anyone ever told you that you’re not good enough?

Has anyone ever said that you’re destined to be alone?

Well I got news for you...

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