The holidays had come and gone in a blur, each day blending into the next as Kim found himself working tirelessly to save every possible penny. The promise of a brighter future loomed on the horizon, and it was tied directly to the prestigious university he had been accepted to. But that dream, as tantalizing as it was, had a heavy price tag, one that no scholarship could fully cover. Kim’s mind was consumed with thoughts of how he would manage the financial strain, balancing both his academic responsibilities and the harsh reality of his situation.
For weeks, he had been juggling odd jobs—delivering food during the late hours of the night, waiting tables at a local restaurant, and taking on menial tasks at various places in the city. Every moment he wasn’t studying was spent earning, and it was exhausting. His body ached from long hours, but Kim had learned early on that no one would hand him success. He had to earn it. The sense of pride that came with each dollar he earned was a small comfort, but it was a comfort nonetheless.
His family’s modest living situation only added to the pressure. His parents, despite their best efforts, could barely scrape by. His younger siblings looked up to him with hopeful eyes, trusting him to set a better example, to pave the way for a future where they wouldn’t have to struggle the way their parents had. Kim couldn’t afford to disappoint them. His scholarship had been hard-won, but it wasn’t enough to shield him from the reality of the costs—books, tuition, living expenses—everything added up quickly. But Kim was determined. He couldn’t let his dreams fade away because of money.
The warnings from people around him echoed in his mind. "Students from backgrounds like yours never last in places like that," they had said. "It’s too hard to fit in, too difficult to keep up." Those words stung, but they also fueled his resolve. Kim wasn’t like the others. He wasn’t going to give up. He would prove them wrong, just like he had proven everyone wrong in the past.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
There were nights when the exhaustion nearly broke him. The weight of balancing work and study, the uncertainty of what awaited him at the university, the fear that he might not belong—those thoughts gnawed at him constantly. But every time he felt his resolve falter, he thought about his family, about the sacrifices they’d made so that he could have this chance. It wasn’t just his future at stake—it was theirs, too.
On the last night of the holiday break, Kim sat at the small kitchen table, sorting through his earnings for the week. The dim light from the lamp above cast long shadows, making the task seem even more daunting. As he counted the money, he couldn’t help but feel the weight of it all—the pressure, the responsibility. But as he folded the bills and tucked them into his wallet, he felt something else stir within him—a sense of purpose. No matter how hard the journey would be, he wasn’t backing down. He couldn’t.
Tomorrow would mark the first step into his new life. The university was just a bus ride away, but it might as well have been a world away. The rich, the powerful—they all walked those halls with an air of entitlement, while Kim had to fight for everything. But he was prepared. He had come too far to let anything stop him now. He had a plan, a vision for what he would become, and he wouldn’t let anything get in his way.
As he sat back in his chair, staring at the ceiling, Kim reminded himself that this was just the beginning. He wasn’t going to let fear or doubt hold him back. He would walk into that university with his head held high, knowing that every ounce of effort he had put into getting there was worth it.
Tomorrow would be the first day of the rest of his life, and Kim was ready. The journey ahead wouldn’t be easy, but he knew one thing for sure: he would make it.