these were trying times. economy's bad and everything is expensive. it was such bad timing to you and your boyfriend, jaehyun. after dating for 2 years, you both thought it was a good idea to rent an apartment together. notice how that was past tense.

you weren't even fully moved in when the economy crashed again. along with food and gas, rent went up tremendously. the apartment wasn't even that big. to make matters worse, jaehyun got laid off by his workplace because of it shutting down.

so now, you carried the weight of everything: bills, groceries, insurance, car, all of it. while jaehyun job searched, you were scraping for every penny you could. whether it was working more hours or pawning your valuables, you tried to provide for the two of you. you were lucky you were even able to have 2 meals a day.

tonight was an average night. a night you got so used to. it's 3am. you trudge into your apartment after an 18 hour shift at the hospital. shutting the door behind you, you throw your stuff on a hook by the door and slip off your shoes. you walk down the hall to your bedroom and quietly open the door, finding your boyfriend passed out on the shared bed. you close the bedroom door and go to the kitchen. you grab an apple from the bowl and take a seat at the dining table, flipping through the amount of bills you have to pay this week like it was a magazine.

an overwhelming feeling of frustration washes over you. you silently begin to cry, running your hands through your hair in exhaustion. suddenly, a pair of arms warmly wrap around you from behind.