The photograph

Yonseo was seventeen years old, but sometimes she felt much older.

Every day was the same. She woke up, went to school, came home, and listened to her parents argue. Their voices filled the house almost every night. Sometimes it was about money. Sometimes it was about responsibilities. Sometimes it was about things that had happened years ago.

Yonseo had grown used to it, but that didn't mean it hurt any less.

She loved her mother more than anything. Her mother worked hard every day and always tried to smile even when she was exhausted. But Yonseo could see the sadness hidden behind those smiles.

As for her father, things were complicated.

There had been a time when she admired him. But as the years passed, she began to resent him. He rarely seemed to understand how much pain he caused the family.

Many nights, Yonseo found herself wondering the same thing.

What if they had never met?

What if they had never married?

Would her mother have been happier?

The thought always made her feel guilty.

After all, if her parents had never married, she would never have been born.

Yet she couldn't stop thinking about it.

One evening, dark clouds gathered outside the house. Soon, heavy rain began to pour from the sky. Thunder echoed in the distance.

Yonseo sat alone in her room while the rain tapped against her window.

She had no homework left to do and no desire to scroll through her phone.

Her eyes wandered around the room until they landed on an old wooden shelf.

There sat several dusty photo albums.

Curious, she stood up and grabbed one.

The cover was worn with age.

She carried it back to her bed and slowly opened it.

The first pages were filled with childhood memories.

Pictures of birthdays.

Family trips.

School events.

For a moment, Yonseo smiled.

The people in those photographs looked happy.

Almost too happy.

As she continued turning the pages, the photographs became older and older.

Then she found one that caught her attention.

It was a picture of her mother.

The photograph looked like it had been taken around the year 2000.

Her mother looked young and beautiful.

Twenty-four years old.

Her eyes were bright with hope.

She looked like someone whose future was full of possibilities.

Yonseo stared at the photograph for a long time.

It felt strange.

The woman in the picture looked so different from the tired woman she saw every day.

"You look happy," Yonseo whispered softly.

The rain outside grew heavier.

A flash of lightning illuminated the room.

As Yonseo carefully lifted the photograph, something slipped from between the pages of the album.

A folded piece of paper.

Confused, she picked it up.

The paper was yellow with age.

Its edges were slightly torn.

Someone had hidden it inside the album years ago.

Yonseo unfolded it.

Inside was a short handwritten message.

The ink had faded, but she could still read the words.

"Every choice creates a different future."

"What does that mean?" Yonseo muttered.

Suddenly, the photograph in her hand began to glow.

Her eyes widened.

A soft golden light spread across the room.

The photo album trembled.

The paper in her hands became warm.

Then warmer.

Then almost too hot to hold.

"W-what's happening?"

The golden light became brighter.

The room started spinning.

Yonseo quickly stood up, but she lost her balance.

The photo album fell onto the floor.

Pictures scattered everywhere.

The rain outside disappeared beneath a strange humming sound.

The light surrounded her completely.

She tried to scream, but no sound came out.

Everything became white.

For a few seconds, Yonseo felt as if she were floating.

Then suddenly—

Silence.

Complete silence.

Yonseo slowly opened her eyes.

The first thing she noticed was that the rain was gone.

The second thing she noticed was that she was no longer in her room.

She was standing outside.

Confused, she looked around.

The street looked unfamiliar.

The buildings were different.

The shops looked older.

Even the cars seemed strange.

People walked past her wearing clothes she had only seen in old photographs.

Her heartbeat quickened.

"What is this place?"

A newspaper stand stood nearby.

Yonseo rushed toward it.

She grabbed the nearest newspaper and looked at the date.

Her hands immediately began to shake.

Her eyes widened.

"No..."

She looked at the date again.

It was impossible.

It couldn't be real.

But the numbers didn't change.

She had somehow traveled twenty years into the past.

Before she could process what was happening, a familiar voice reached her ears.

Yonseo froze.

Slowly, she turned around.

Standing across the street was a young woman.

She was laughing with her friends.

Her long hair moved gently in the wind.

For a moment, Yonseo forgot how to breathe.

The young woman looked exactly like her mother.

Only younger.

Much younger.

Twenty-four years old.

The same woman from the photograph.

Her mother.

Yonseo stared in complete shock.

"Mom...?"

To Be Continued...

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