After family gatherings, I start late
When a family gathering ends, I put away the things I meant to do, too. This time, the day passed before I even sat down at my desk.
After something she hears at a family gathering, Soyeon keeps putting off the start of studying until the very end of the night.
After Mother explains Soyeon's exam preparation for her at a family gathering, Soyeon keeps delaying the start of studying when she gets home. After the same thing happens again and again, she sits down with a counselor, but the story stops at a moment when she still hasn't decided what to change.
When the start is delayed after a family gathering
Rather than only asking whether the gathering was difficult, notice where your first action changes after you get home.
What is the first thing you put off after a family gathering ends?
The scene stays with me: after Mother answered for her at a family gathering, Soyeon came home and delayed starting her studies, too. It seemed that she hadn't only put off studying; behind someone else's explanation, she had also lost the first beat of her own day. If a single remark has ever changed the rhythm of your day in a similar way, I'd be glad to hear that story, too.
Scenes
- 01 · An Answer Given for Her An Answer Given for Her — Aunt asked Soyeon how her exam preparation was going. Before Soyeon could speak, Mother answered first. Aunt: How's your preparation going these days? Mother: She'll do fine this time—she's been starting in the morning. Soyeon: …Yeah.
- 02 · A Delayed Start A Delayed Start — When Soyeon got home, the alarm for starting her studies rang on her phone. She turned it off and changed the start time in her notebook to eleven at night.
- 03 · Another Night Put Off Another Night Put Off — Ahead of the next family gathering, Mother said over the phone that she would bring up the exam again. As she answered, Soyeon pushed the notebook on her desk into a drawer. Mother: When we see your aunts next time, I should bring up your exam, too. Soyeon: Yeah, Mom. I'm a little busy right now.
- 04 · Finding Where It Broke Finding Where It Broke — Soyeon said she couldn't start studying after every family gathering. Pointing to the erased start time, the counselor looked with her not at the end of the gathering, but at the moment she put the notebook away. Saebyeok: On the days you came back from a gathering, when did you open your notebook? Soyeon: I couldn't even start. When I got home, I just… put it off until the next day.
Stories by Saebyeok
- Saebyeok
- Before bed, I write down only how much I studied today.
- While I wait for the results, I’m already worried about who I’ll be compared with.
- After washing up, I stand before the mirror and see the choice I left behind again.
- On rainy days, I’d open just one page.
- When I say I’m taking a break, the dinner table falls quiet.
- I sat at my desk waiting for a reply.
- After an interview, every little thing I could’ve done better comes to mind at once.
- I opened a book while folding laundry, but keep rereading the same line.