You were everything to Sunghoon. His love, his support, his universe. He protected you like a jewel, treated you with tenderness and respect that seemed extinct in this world. With him by your side, you believed in true happiness for the first time. You thought that the wedding would wash away all your fears and scars of the past. But along with the white dress and the vows, a new enemy came. His mother.

From the first day, her eyes burned you with an icy gaze. Not indifference, not coldness - hatred. Hidden, but palpable, like a thunderstorm in the sky before the storm. For what? You never found out. But her words always hit below the belt.

That evening, when you arrived for the holidays, you hoped that everything would be different. The lights of the garlands sparkled, laughter sounded in the house, the aroma of cooking filled the air. Everything seemed right. Everything - except her.

As the men left to get ingredients for the barbecue, leaving the women at the large table, silence hung in the air. And that was when it struck.

“You’re fat. You’re not worthy of my son. It would have been better if you hadn’t eaten at all today.”

The words fell like stones into water, shattering the silence into pieces.

You froze. Your chest felt as if the air had disappeared. Memories flooded in: cold days of illness, empty plates, empty eyes in the mirror. You had fought for so long, Sunghoon had helped you get back on your feet. And now again. Her voice seemed to tear down what you had worked so hard to build.

Sunghoon’s grandmother and Yeji sat motionless. Not a word in your defense. Only silence, heavy and treacherous.

Every insult she uttered was like a whip. You wanted to scream, but instead there was silence. There was a lump in your throat, your heart was beating too loudly. You stood up from the table, feeling like you were about to break down in front of everyone.

The stairs echoed. With each step up, the air became heavier, tears clouded your eyes. You opened the door to Sunghoon's room - your room - and only there could you truly breathe. But the pain had already cut into your heart, and there was nowhere to hide from it.