The next day, Kim found himself standing at the entrance of a bustling mall. It was a Saturday afternoon, and the place was teeming with people. Families, students, and tourists were all caught up in their own worlds, absorbed in the excitement of shopping and spending. Kim adjusted the strap of his worn-out backpack, the familiar weight comforting in its own way, as he made his way toward the escalators.
His purpose was simple: to buy the necessary supplies for college. It felt surreal to even think about—his first time shopping for school supplies at a store that wasn’t the local convenience shop. But as he moved through the mall, it didn’t take long for him to realize just how much he stood out.
Kim had never been one to feel self-conscious about his clothes. After all, his family didn’t have the luxury of affording new outfits every season. But today, as he walked through the shiny mall lined with high-end stores, he couldn’t help but feel the sting of his own poverty.
He glanced at the well-dressed students walking past him, their designer clothes and expensive shoes almost mocking him. They moved with an ease that Kim could never afford. The most striking contrast was a young boy, probably about his age, walking alongside his parents. The boy was holding a brand new laptop, the kind that Kim could only dream of owning. The family was happily picking out an array of high-end stationery, chatting excitedly as they added more and more items to their cart.
Kim stood frozen for a moment, watching them. He felt a knot form in his stomach as the boy’s father turned to him and smiled. “Make sure you don’t forget the charger, alright? We need everything to be perfect for your first day.”
Kim swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry. The disparity between their world and his own felt overwhelming. Here he was, holding a cheap calculator in his hands, eyeing the marked-down notebooks and pens. He quickly shoved the calculator back onto the shelf, trying to ignore the tightness in his chest.
The boy’s life seemed so effortless, so far removed from his own struggles. Kim couldn’t help but compare their family to his. His father had been reading the newspaper in the cramped apartment, not talking about college supplies or the future. It was just another day, just another dollar earned to scrape by. Kim’s mother, though proud of him, had always carried a quiet burden of worry about how they would make ends meet.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
His thoughts drifted as he moved past the rows of college supplies, his eyes landing on another display of fancy backpacks. There was a sleek, black leather one, the kind that screamed “success” to anyone who looked at it. Kim’s fingers brushed against the soft fabric, imagining how different his life could be if he didn’t have to think about the price of everything.
But then, the thought of his family hit him hard. His mother had sacrificed so much for him to have this chance. They didn’t have the luxury of spending on things they didn’t need. Kim’s stomach twisted at the thought of his younger brother, Ji-sung, who had begged him not to buy anything that wasn’t essential.
“I can get cheaper supplies,” Kim muttered to himself, turning away from the backpack display. “If I buy better food for Mom and Ji-sung, maybe we can make it another week without worrying.”
The weight of his thoughts bore down on him as he grabbed a notebook and a set of pens that were well below the price of the designer sets. It wasn’t much, but it was something he could afford. His mind raced as he walked through the aisles, comparing the prices of every item, wondering if he should settle for even cheaper alternatives. He could feel the familiar pressure of the weight of responsibility settling over him, the need to provide for his family even as he was trying to create a future for himself.
Kim finally settled on the cheapest calculator, trying not to feel ashamed as he grabbed the simplest supplies. But his mind couldn’t let go of the image of the boy with the shiny new laptop, and the family’s easy smile. That was the world he could never reach.
He felt a sudden pang of frustration—a frustration that came from years of struggling to make ends meet, to prove his worth. But it was fleeting. He shoved it aside, replacing it with something stronger: resolve.
“No,” he whispered to himself, standing in the middle of the store. “This is only temporary. I will make it. I will rise above all of this.”
With his supplies in hand, Kim headed for the checkout, passing through the store’s sleek, polished aisles. His heart sank with each step as he walked past students who barely glanced at him, lost in their own worlds. The world that would soon be his to conquer.
As he paid for his items, the cashier smiled at him, and he forced a smile back, feeling a sense of alienation he couldn’t shake. It wasn’t that anyone had treated him poorly—it was just the overwhelming realization that he wasn’t part of this world yet. Not yet.
As Kim walked out of the store, bags in hand, the stark contrast between his life and the lives of the wealthy students at the mall only seemed to grow. He had no idea what it would take to rise above this, but he knew one thing for sure—this was just the beginning. He would prove that he didn’t belong to the life he was born into. He would create his own destiny.
The world was full of divides, but Kim was ready to tear them down, one step at a time.