As Kim entered the cramped apartment, the familiar hum of the evening settled over him. The soft clatter of utensils in the kitchen, the faint murmur of his younger siblings talking quietly in the next room—these sounds were the soundtrack of his life. But tonight, something felt different. It wasn’t just another ordinary evening. It was the calm before the storm, the moment before everything changed. And Kim knew that change was coming.


    He walked through the door and felt the weight of his bags drop to the floor. His body ached from the long day, but it wasn’t the physical fatigue that made his bones feel heavy. It was the emotional toll, the endless pressure of carrying the hopes and dreams of his family on his shoulders. His mother had always been the anchor, the one who kept them grounded. But now, it was his turn to steer the ship, to take them to calmer waters.


    "Ji-hoon, you’re back,” his mother said, her voice soft and welcoming. She was standing at the stove, stirring a pot of soup. Her face glowed with the kind of quiet determination Kim had always admired. Despite their struggles, she had always managed to put a warm meal on the table, to make sure they never went to bed hungry. Kim had watched her do it all his life, and now, it was his turn to give her something better.


    “Yeah, I’m back,” Kim replied, smiling as he dropped into a chair at the small wooden table. His mother served him a bowl of soup, and Kim lifted his spoon, the warmth of the meal comforting him for a moment. But as he sat there, his mind wandered.


    The image of the mall from earlier that day, with the wealthy students and their parents, still lingered in his thoughts. The luxury, the ease, the effortless comfort—they were worlds apart from his reality. Kim couldn’t shake the feeling that no matter how hard he tried, he would always be an outsider in that world.


    But something in him resisted the notion. That’s not the life he would have. He refused to accept it. He couldn’t go through life watching others have what he couldn’t. He would rise. He would climb higher than anyone expected, higher than the people who looked down on him. He had to. For his family. For himself.


    "Mom, Dad," he said after a long silence, his voice steady but filled with an unspoken promise. "I’m going to make it. I’m going to make sure we don’t live like this anymore. I’ll do whatever it takes."


    His mother paused in her movements, her hands resting on the counter as she turned to look at him. Her eyes were soft, but they held something deeper—something akin to understanding, perhaps even resignation. She had always believed in him, had always supported his dreams, but she knew the weight of their reality better than anyone. Kim saw the flicker of worry in her gaze.


    “You don’t have to do it all at once, Ji-hoon,” she said gently, her voice full of quiet wisdom. “Take it step by step. Don’t let the weight of it all crush you.”You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Kim met her gaze, a fire igniting in his chest. “I know, Mom. But I can’t wait anymore. I can’t keep living like this. I’ve spent too much of my life watching other people live the way they want. It’s my turn now.”


    His father, who had been sitting quietly at the table, looking over the newspaper, lowered it and looked up. His father’s expression was always steady, calm—never showing much emotion. But Kim could see the pride in his eyes, the unspoken acknowledgment that his son was becoming a man, a leader.


    “We believe in you, Ji-hoon,” his father said quietly. “Just... don’t forget where you came from. Don’t forget that we’re all in this together.”


    Kim nodded, his heart swelling with a mixture of determination and guilt. He couldn’t forget. He wouldn’t forget. But he couldn’t stay here forever either. His father’s words were a reminder that, no matter how far he rose, the past would always be a part of him, grounding him.


    As they ate dinner together, Kim’s thoughts raced. Tomorrow, he would start college. Tomorrow, he would step into a world of opportunity—of wealth and power—but also one filled with its own dangers. The students there wouldn’t care about where he came from. To them, he was just another scholarship kid. He would have to fight every step of the way to prove that he belonged.


    Tomorrow, he would no longer be the quiet boy from the poor family. Tomorrow, he would begin to build his empire.


    But there was something even more pressing on his mind—something deeper. College wasn’t just about getting a degree or even rising to the top. It was about revenge. The people who had mocked him, belittled him, who had laughed at his dreams—those people were still out there. And he had an undeniable hunger for retribution.


    Kim had learned early on that the world didn’t care about the dreams of those who had no power. No one would give him anything. He had to take it. Everything he wanted, he would have to seize. And once he had the power, no one would be able to stand in his way.


    After dinner, Kim retreated to his room, where the dim light of a single desk lamp illuminated his small space. He sat down at his desk, looking out the window at the darkened skyline of Seoul. It was a city that seemed so distant, so unreachable. But that night, as he stared out into the distance, it no longer seemed out of his reach.


    Tomorrow was the beginning. Tomorrow, he would step into a world where he would no longer be invisible. Tomorrow, he would start the journey to take everything that had once been denied to him. The thought consumed him, filling him with an energy he had never felt before.


    “Tomorrow,” he whispered to himself, a quiet promise to the boy he used to be and the man he was about to become. “Tomorrow, everything changes.”


    As Kim lay down to sleep, his mind was alive with plans and strategies, visions of the future taking shape in his mind. He wasn’t just going to survive this world. He was going to dominate it. And he would do it for his family—for Ji-sung, for his parents, for the life they deserved.


    When sleep finally claimed him, Kim knew one thing for sure: the road ahead would be long, but he would never stop fighting. Tomorrow, he would take the first step toward his destiny, and nothing—nothing—could stop him.