Liberation

 Park Ah Kum born in a family of intellects in various fields like biology, physics, and engineering, thought she would continue the lineage. Every family member seemed like a hero to her; they bustled in and out of their estate to solve problems in the world. Her family lived in one estate to stay closer and work together. Ah Kum’s siblings and cousins all seemed satisfied with their lives that had been predetermined by their parents. Herself was to choose from the choices set for her.

Ah Kum had never even once wondered about the world outside the one with her family. She even thought that outside the walls of her home, there was war and probably her parents wore capes and fles to help those in need. She was homeschooled from birth, she wasn’t allowed to have any device, there were always people around her monitoring her every move. She had been taught a lot of things; painting, playing the piano, history, maths, and so on. She liked her life nonetheless.

Every bubble bursts at one time. A forbidden fruit found its way into Ah Kum’s life. Her sister, Yihan, came back from Havard. The two sisters had been close since childhood though it had been years since last talked. Yihan told her about life in college and the world beyond. It was not what Ah Kum had expected. She envied the sparkle in Yihan’s eyes as she described her past few years at Havard. She wanted to have it that she proposed to her to take her outside and travel. It wouldn’t be a problem with my sister, right? She thought to herself with a smirk. A seed had been planted.

The world beyond was too beautiful. Ah Kum didn’t want to go back. To leave the gates, Ah Kum had to complete her high school education to be able to enjoy the wonders of the world with ease. College would be the excuse. She didn’t want her parents to suspect anything or else she would be stuck in the estate for the rest of her life. 

The further she moved from her home, the more she was convinced she wasn’t going to turn back. It was almost as if she had been bewitched. Ah Kum had no problem with her family but the more of the new world she enjoyed she saw the problem with the life she and her family lived. Everything about her family was almost like a code. The capes she had imagined they wore to save the world were just their shields to the stress and programmed lives they lived; they were trapped and didn’t know. This made her sympathise with the ones who joined her family; they were to only live lives filled with high expectations. Ah Kum smiled that she had found the solution to her problems. 

Ah Kum felt alive for the first time in her life. There were so many choices to make from clothes to food, and that made her happy. She did see that life wasn’t as easy as before in her new studio apartment but the happiness she had was beyond imagination. The only worry she had was if her parents showed up to her door to take her back. She was disquiet that she got a new identity and did her best to cut ties with her family. 

Ah Kum sought the skies and travelled the world to wherever her mind could think of. Yihan kept her secret and made sure her family couldn’t find Ah Kum at least before she had enjoyed her life enough.