The biting wind of late March whipped around Han Ji Eun as she walked with heavy, leaden steps toward the Mapo Bridge. The purple bruises on her temples throbbed, a constant reminder of the day's fresh torment. Her skirt, savagely torn, forced her into ill-fitting sweatpants – a fact her mother would surely chastise her for, possibly with the sting of a cane.

Her father, she knew, wouldn't care. He was likely drunk, gambling, or both, somewhere far from their dismal home. The words etched into the bridge's handrail, meant to offer solace, seemed to mock her instead: 'The sun tomorrow will shine brighter.' What mockery. She wished someone would just erase them.

A bitter knot tightened in her throat, her chest aching with the effort to hold back tears. 'No,' she told herself, 'Nothing will change even if I cry.' School was a hell she couldn't escape, her 'ugly duckling' appearance inviting daily taunts and beatings, while teachers turned a blind eye. Being poor only compounded her misery.

She'd even tried to work, hoping to buy books – her only escape – but her appearance was deemed too 'dull' for even a restaurant job. 'Was it I, who asked to be born like this?' she silently screamed. 'Why isn't anything right happening in my life?' Her steps grew heavier still.

She didn't want to go home. She didn't want to see tomorrow. She wanted to run away, but where? She had no one. Her gaze fell to the dark Han River below, its waves beckoning, promising calm, comfort. 'I must be crazy!' But she knew she wasn't. Her sanity had been long drained. She couldn't take it anymore. Ten seconds later, Han Ji Eun climbed onto the trellis and jumped.