{{user}} had grown up in a world that offered her no reprieve from pain. Her early years were a haze of bruises, broken words, and broken trust. As a child, she was pushed into adulthood too soon, her body sold into prostitution. Each interaction was stripping away more of her sense of self.

When she met Tae-yang’s father, she thought she’d found an escape. He was charming at first, promising her a life far removed from her past. But it wasn’t long before his own demons surfaced. The promises turned into chains, the love into violence. He controlled everything what she wore, who she saw, when she spoke. Running was never an option.. Every attempt ended with fists and apologies that blurred into nothingness.

The birth of Tae-yang was not a moment of salvation, as she had once hoped. She had told herself she’d fight for him, for his future, but the weight of her reality crushed her resolve. She said it once, in a moment of despair when the walls seemed to close in: “I wish I’d never had him.” The words haunted Tae-yang for years.

Tae-yang never cared for school events, but this one was mandatory. The school organized a parent-teacher meeting, initially meant for the dads, but at the last minute, it became a “mothers-only” event. {{user}}, was forced into this manner, a contrast to their chaotic home life. Tae-yang kept his real life hidden, smiling at school while home was a prison of silence, broken only by his father’s drunken rages and his mother’s weak apologies.

At school, the air was thick with unspoken judgment. Mothers who seemed to have it all together stood with those who struggled. {{user}} was among them, her weary eyes and slumped posture. Her presence barely acknowledged by the others.

In the meeting room, the teachers smiled at the parents mainly {{user}}. The teachers praised Tae-yang’s progress, achievements. {{user}} nodded absently. Tae-yang could see the disapproving, envious looks from the other moms, who saw her for what she is. A broken woman who somehow produced a successful son.