Chapter Text
A/N: Never done any Y/N geared stories, so I hope you guys enjoy my first attempt at it!
"Good morning Ms. Kim." I greeted the older lady, as I walked in the hair store. I needed some more supplies. The shop always got so busy this time of year. With proms and graduations coming up, we were staying busy.
I didn't mind though, it kept my mind occupied.
I needed that, especially lately.
Grabbing a shopping basket, I perused down the aisles. I loved Ms. Kim's hair supply. She always carried what I needed for the shop and those sheet mask I love.
"So good to see you this morning y/n!" Exclaimed Ms. Kim.
Quickly, I got all the items on my list. Heading for the register, I noticed Ms. Kim had 3CE lip tints on deck. So, I grabbed a couple cute shades. Thanks to her, I no longer had to order my favorite Korean beauty products online.
I swear, I love Ms. Kim.
Murmuring, off to my left drew my attention. Turning my head, I saw it was two women. One, I recognized. We graduated from the same high school. The other girl, who was pushing a stroller, I didn't.
"Yep, that's her." I heard one say.
I already knew where this was going. So, I tried to ignore them and placed my items on the counter. This is what I hate about my city. It's so small that everybody knows your business.
"I can't believe he really played her like that." Whisper shouted, the one with the stroller.
"Oh, I know and for that bummy ass becky too. He ain't ein have to do her like that." Laughed the other.
I just shook my head and sighed. It's been like this since the draft. That was the day my entire world changed.
I thought Keyshawn and I were going to get married and have beautiful brown babies. I mean, we had been together since we were 13. We had just bought a house and everything.
He was the number 1 draft pick for the NFL this year. He even got a 20-million-dollar contract with Nike. I thought this was it, we had made it. I was so happy to see his dreams come true and I just knew our next step was going to be planning a wedding.
So, imagine my surprise when the very next day he makes the announcement that he's getting married. Yep, married. He even posted on his Instagram, "she said yes", with a picture of a ring on a very pale hand.
Turns out, the white girl who was supposed to be his "tutor" was now about to be his wife and I'm the laughing stock of the town.
So much for all his talk about black love.
"Y/N, don't pay those bitches any attention. The one with the stroller steals braiding hair, when she thinks I'm not looking, and the other girl peaked in high school." Consoled Ms. Kim.
She placed my items in a bag and handed them to me. I reached for my wallet, but she told me no charge.
"Listen to your ajumma. Get the fuck out of this town. There's nothing left for you here. Your 22, see the world and make new friends. Don't waste your talent in a place like this." Advised the older lady.
Leaning her body over the counter, she whispered. "You know I have a sister in Hongdae, who owns a salon. She could really use someone who specializes in black hair. If you're interested."
It sounded nice and all, but I just couldn't. I had a house here, my families here and my job is here. Everything I know is here. Sure, I was going to move where ever Keyshawn got drafted but that was different. I wouldn't have been alone, I would've had him.
I didn't even have to answer. She saw it written all on my face.
Sighing, she reached into her pocket and handed me a card. "I want you to take this. I talked to my sister already, about you. So, if you change your mind, give her a call. You know, destiny has a funny way of happening regardless of if you are ready for it."
"Thanks Ms. Kim" I say politely, taking my bag and leaving the store.
The whole drive back to my house, I couldn't get that last thing Ms. Kim had said out of my head.
Pulling into my driveway, my attention was immediately drawn to the big ass U-Haul parked in front of my house.
I'm guessing Keyshawn must have come to pack his shit. Which is fine by me but, I didn't think he needed a moving truck for a few boxes and a couple pieces of furniture.
It was probably all for show. Looking around, I could see my nosy neighbors had all decided to "water their grass."
Getting out the car, I walked across the grass towards the front door and that's when I saw it.
A for sale sign. He was going to sale my house!
I had thought he would just leave and I could continue to live here until I found another place. I should've known he'd be this cruel.
It hadn't even been a week since he made his engagement announcement!
I placed my bags back in my car and stormed towards the house.
I didn't even reach the door before it was yanked open by the last person I wanted to see.
There she stood. Dressed in fashion nova jeans, a shirt 2 sizes too small and a shitload of makeup. Her dirty blonde hair, hanging limply over her shoulders. She looked me up and down, a condescending smirk etched on her face.
This is the woman who stole my dreams, my man and now my house.
She's not even cute!
I would still be mad but would have at least understood a little bit better if she was strikingly beautiful. However, she was not.
She literally looked like a foot and not a cute dainty foot either. Nope. She looked like a homeless person who had gangrene in his baby toe, foot.
Keyshawn seriously left me for this ugly bitch?
I wanted to smack the shit out of her.
I wanted to take the power and fury from all my ancestors, ball my fist and beat this white bitch.
Even though it would feel good, it would also land me in jail and I just couldn't allow her to gain that victory.
So, instead I readied myself to push passed her. I was just going to go and pack my stuff and leave.
There was no point trying to fight for a house not in my name. My money went into it, but his name was on the deed and that was all that mattered to the courts.
Scoffing, she spoke. "I wouldn't if I were you. Besides your shit is already packed. The boxes are in the garage if you want them." She lifted her hand and gestured in the garages direction.
It took every ounce of strength I possessed to keep myself from swinging on her. It was fleeting but I saw it anyway, for a second she looked afraid.
Good.
She should've been. Placing a satisfied smile on my face I walked to the garage and loaded my things into my car.
At least the movers had been nice enough to place most of my things in space saver bags. It cut down on the boxes and made it, so all my stuff could fit without me having to come back here.
I was just about to drive away when there was a knock on my window. Turning, I saw that it was HER again.
"I need the keys." She stated contritely.
I swear this girl had either a lot of nerve or a serious death wish.
'Does she have not even an iota of self-preservation?'
Could she not see how close she was to getting her ass dragged up and down this little ass street?
Leaving my car running, I took the house key off my alumni lanyard. Rolling down my window I launched the key as hard as I could at her.
Satisfied, when it hit her square in the nose.
Laughing, I sped off watching in my review mirror as she clutched her now bleeding nose.
It wasn't until I got to the light, that I realized one alarming thing.
I had nowhere to go.
I was already the laughing stock of y/h/t. I couldn't go to my mom, she would never let me live it down.
None of my friends lived here anymore. After graduation, they all moved to bigger cities for better opportunities.
Not that I blamed them.
I drove around for hours and soon it was starting to get dark.
I went to the only place I could and even then, I was too ashamed to get out of the car. Too in shock of all that had transpired.
I sat outside my mother's house and cried all night.
Because in that moment, that was all I could do.
I woke up to someone knocking on my window. Groggily, I lifted my head from where it had been resting on the steering wheel.
Rolling down the window, I took in my mom's angry expression.
"Y/N, girl have you lost your mind? What in god's name are you doing passed out in front of my house at 5 am?" She lectured.
I don't know what it was but something in her voice broke me. A fresh new crop of tears began to fall.
I couldn't stop them.
My mom's face began to soften, opening my door she gave me a hug. It took a while, but she had been able to calm me down enough to get us in the house.
I spent the next hour telling her what happened. By the time I had finished, her whole face reflected nothing but calm. I knew that look all too well, it meant only one thing, my mom was pissed.
I told her, I didn't want to fight over the house. Even though I'm the one that saved and scraped for it all those years.
Shaking her head, she agreed with me.
She was still angry though.
"He didn't have to do that. Was it not bad enough that you spent years with this fool, paid his way through college, all so he could run off into the sunset with that white bitch? Now, he just gonna decide to sale your house and let that hoe through you out?" Raged my mom.
I watched as my mother paced back and forth. Finally, she sank down next to me on the couch.
Looking me in eye, she said. "baby, I know it might not seem like it now, but trust me when I tell you this. All that he has done to hurt you, he will reap. Karma is real, baby. He has everything he think he wants now, but it won't last. I don't know what it is, but god got something planned for you baby." Prophesized my mom.
I put my head down, trying to stop myself from crying again, and whispered softly. "Mom, I don't wanna stay here anymore. Everywhere I go people talk and now with this, it will be worse. I need a fresh start, somewhere far from here."
"Why don't you go stay with y/b/f for a while, out in (insert a big city near you)? Clear your head and figure out what you want to do. It's time for you to start living your life for you, baby." She suggested.
She was right.
I did need to start living for myself. This whole time I had been living to help Keyshawn's dreams come true, but what about my own? At this point, I didn't even know if I had dreams that hadn't revolved around his.
I needed to find myself and what better place to do that, than in (insert big city)?
While I slept, my mom gave y/b/f a call and told her what had happened. I'm pretty sure my mom called my aunts and uncles too.
I know her.
When she's pissed off she vents to her brothers and sisters. It's just who she is and I loved her for it.
I thought by the time I got up that the house would be filled with my family. Some trying to give me advice and others just trying to be nosy, but that wasn't the case.
Instead, it was just me and my mom. She let me know that my bff was expecting me and that I needed to get on the road, if I wanted to beat the traffic.
I gave my mom a hug and prepared to leave, only to have her stop me.
"Come here for a minute baby." She urged. Together, we walked over to the hall closet. Walking inside she pulled out a very dusty safe. Unlocking it, she pulled out an envelope and handed it to me.
"I want you to take this. With the games that punk ass boy is playing, I doubt that your debt card from your joint account will even work anymore. If you're going to start over, you'll need money and I promised your daddy I would give this to you when you were ready." She quietly assessed.
Laughing, she added. "He never did like Keyshawn."
Shocked, I took it from her. Even though my dad had been dead for 5 years, he still found a way to look out for me. I opened the envelope slowly, almost afraid of what I'd find in there. Shocked, I ran my fingers over the still crisp hundred-dollar bills that sat inside preserved from the dust of the envelope.
20,000 dollars wasn't a lot, but it would be just enough to give me a new start. Once again, my daddy was the only man that had never failed me.
My mom made sure to give me all the numbers to the cousins that I had out there, though she admitted that most of them were probably in jail and after I promised to call her soon as I got to y/b/f's, I was on the highway.
The longer I drove and the farther I got away from y/h/t, the better and lighter I felt and for the first time since this whole debacle, I smiled.
I made it to y/b/f/c in only 3 ½ hours. Thanks to my mom, I didn't have to deal with traffic either. I had just missed rush hour.
I pulled up to y/b/f's house and snapped a picture of myself to send to my mom.
I had to let her know I made it safely. Otherwise, there'd be hell to pay.
Getting out, I started unloading my stuff from the backseat. I couldn't leave my things in there. That was just asking for someone to break into my car.
Setting each box in front of her door, I pressed the buzzer and waited.
Y/b/f/n had been my best friend for as long as I could remember. When we graduated, she hurried and got the hell out of y/h/t as fast as she could.
Before she left, she tried everything to get me to come with her, but I just had to say no. I had to stay there for Keyshawn. Now, I couldn't help but wonder where my life would be right now, if I had said yes instead.
Y/b/f/n had a job with VIP. It was this online academy that specialized in teaching children to speak English in places like China.
She had said that she needed to do something with her degree in linguistics. Slowly, the door began to open, and I held my breath in anticipation.
Smiling, y/b/f/n pulled me into a fierce hug and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to contain my sob of happiness. I had cried enough already and just didn't want to cry anymore. After we pulled apart I looked passed her to see that she had luggage neatly stacked by the door and the rest of her house was empty.
"Y/b/f/n, I'm so sorry I must've caught you at a bad time." I sighed.
Shaking her head, she smiled. "No, actually you caught me at the right time. See, my job needs me to teach at this hagwon and since you need a new start anyway, you're coming with me."
Pointing to my space saver bags, she shrugged. "It's not like you're not already packed and I know for a fact, that since high school, you keep your passport up to date and in your purse. So, don't even try to use the excuse that you don't have it. It'll be just what the doctor ordered. Who knows, maybe you'll meet Mr. Right."
Slowly, I nodded my head. I did want an adventurous new start and what was better than starting over in a new country? I had 20,000 dollars, my best friend and my mom in my corner, I could do this.
"So, where are we going, China?" I asked curiously.
"Nope." She giggled, as she patted my shoulder and held up two plane tickets. "We're going to South Korea, sweetheart. When your mom called yesterday I was booking my flight, so I took the liberty of booking yours too. My job already comes with housing for teachers, so we don't have to worry about that. As far as the rest, we'll figure that out when we get there."
Sighing, I placed my hands in my pocket and my fingers brushed against a card. Taking it out, I saw the business card that Ms. Kim had given me and remembered her wise words.
Maybe she was right. Maybe this was my destiny. Taking out my phone, I decided to take Ms. Kim's advice.
On the second ring, she answered. "Annyeong, this is Kim's salon. How may I help you?"
Clearing my throat and placing the phone on speaker, I spoke. "Hi, this is Y/N. I was calling because..."
She didn't let me finish, before she excitedly gushed. "Oh, Y/N! My sister told me you'd be calling soon. I can't wait to have you apart of my team. I've already paid the fee for your work visa and when you get here my son will take you down to finish filling out all the paper work. I can't wait to finally meet you! When does your flight arrive sweetheart?"
I looked to y/b/f/n for that answer and watched her mouth it to me. Nodding, I conveyed the answer to Ms. Kim's sister. "My flight leaves in 2 hours, so I should be there sometime tomorrow morning."
"Great! I will see you soon then. Oh, before I forget, the address to the salon should be on the card but it you have any problem you call, okay?" She beamed.
"Okay." I agreed. "I guess I'll see you in 17 hours." With that, I hung up. Things were already falling into place. I was getting a new start and already had a new job lined up that allowed me to do what I was good at.
And like y/b/f/n had said, maybe I could find a Mr. Right while I'm out there.
Smiling, I reach into my purse and pulled out my passport. My daddy always said it was good to always have it on you. That you never knew which direction life would take you and that we should always be prepared. Once again, like so many times before, daddy was right and looking out for me.
To be continued...