I'm probably the only person in the entire South Korea to prefer New Year's Day celebration over Seollal. The reason is pretty simple. I usually spend New Year's with only my close family—my parents, my brother and, at most, my grandparents.

The same can't be said about Seollal. Every year, up to fifty people show up at my parents', including relatives I've barely heard of and I couldn't care less about, and my unbearable neighbors. The idea of having to share even one dance with them makes me uneasy. I even have to pretend I have no ill feelings towards them, which is far from the truth.

Anyway, this isn't the time to wallow over people I shouldn't waste my energy on. It's time to celebrate! I have a lot of catching up to do with Mom and Dad. A lot has happened since we last saw each other only three months ago.

I check my bag for the seventh time, to make sure I didn't forget anything. Since I'm early and my train won't leave until 3pm, I sit on the couch and turn the TV on to tune in the news. Oh, no, what I see is definitely not it...

The train line in the entire province is paralyzed. All because of a fire at a gallery that spread so quickly that two trains that were supposed to pass by are blocked there. This creates a domino effects of trains being delayed or cancelled. I'm sure this will affect my plans.

Okay, there must be an alternative. I can't just give up. New Year's is too important for me to miss it. My parents would be heartbroken if I didn't show up. I don't think they'd bear staying apart from me more than they expect.

With no trains, I consider other options. Maybe I could take a taxi, but it's too expensive and I can't guarantee it'll take me to destination. So, I scrap it from my list. I can always go by car, but there's a detail I almost forgot: mine is still at the garage and I won't have it back until Tuesday. Oh shit.

It's time to call my brother, then. He does have a car, after all. I'm sure he won't have any issues if we travel together. Not only we save money, but also time—and we can catch up a little bit separately, before rejoining our parents.

I shake as I dial his number. The last time I asked him for a favor, it didn't end so well. It took me two months to return it, which is why I fear he might reject my offer.

Great. He doesn't answer the phone. Calm down, he'll pick up later. Maybe he's just busy preparing his own stuff. Or, maybe, he has to reassure his ump-teenth girlfriend that he's just going to spend New Year's festivities with family and no-one else.

After he fails to pick up for the third time, I decide to just leave him a message. 'Hyunjin-ah, you leaving already? Can you pick me up, please? My car is still at the fucking garage and all trains have been cancelled. You've read the news, haven't you?'

I put my phone in my jacket's pocket and sit on the couch. The TV is still on, so I decide to watch some more. Oh, good, the weather forecast. Let's see if it's at least good in the coming hours. After the train disaster, I'm not ready for more bad news.

I guess things can't go any worse. It's set to rain in the entire country within the next two hours. This means that I need to bring an umbrella with me. I go to my room and open a drawer in my wardrobe. There is a small pink umbrella inside, along with a lot of other stuff I should've reorganized earlier.

I pick the umbrella, close the wardrobe and go back to the living room, where my bags are. That's not much, actually: I don't bring a lot of luggage when I travel, unless I plan to stay somewhere for a very long time.

I hear something vibrate in my pocket. I go through it and pick my phone. I notice two messages: one from the garage owner, and the other from Hyunjin. I read the former first and, as predicted, it says what I already know; I won't see my car until Tuesday.

Hoping to read at least some good news from Hyunjin, I quickly open his message. However, what he wrote is anything but. 'Sorry, noona, but I can't. My car now belongs to the junkyard. It's gone. I myself won't be able to join Mom and Dad because of that. And, yeah, I read about the trains.'

'Have you got at least a backup plan? I've also heard it's raining later.' As I dial, I lose hope. I don't have anyone to celebrate New Year's with, apart from my family. I need to find a way to reach out to them, or I'll have to stay here, on my own.

'Oh, I just called some friends over, and my girlfriend too. Do you remember Boeun?' What? Boeun? I don't even know a girl with that name.

'Boeun? What happened to Siyeon, though?'

'Oh, God, we have a lot of catching up to do, noona. By the way, I hope you can find a way to go there. Again, I'm sorry that I can't join you. We'll talk later, okay?'

'I guess we'll talk later. Bye.' That is, if I can go to Mom and Dad's. This will be the very first time I celebrate without them if Fate decides we have to stay apart. But, hey, who said Fate is already written? I can change things.

I call Mom directly for some advice. It's what I need the most, since this day has taken an ugly turn. To my surprise, she picks up immediately. She's the type who usually takes her time before answering the phone, which I once called her out for.

"Hwayoung, darling, how are you? I can't wait to see you-"

I cut her off, only to regret it. "Mom, the point is... I..."

"Oh, you can't come? Oh, fuck those trains! You can come by bus, if you want. Dad will pick you up at the station... Now, let me tell him..." She disappears for a few minutes, leaving me hanging. After what happened with the trains, and Hyunjin's car fiasco, I can't let this other option slip from my hands.

Mom comes back to line with a more serious tone. "I've just talked to your father, and I realized that the last bus departed ten minutes ago. There won't be any until Monday, but it'll be late."

I reassure her. "Mom, it's not your fault, but mine. I should've come up with a backup plan earlier." I feel the urge to shed tears, but just retain them. If I cry, Mom will, and Dad will follow suit. They don't deserve to have their festivities ruined because of a number of mishaps.

She cries on the other line. "Oh, Hwayoung, you're going to be all alone over there." I overhear a voice, perhaps Dad, telling her to stop weeping. It should be a happy day, not a sad one. At least for them.

"We'll talk later, Mom. I promise. Take care. And tell Dad I'm sorry for not being with you all." That said, I hang up before this conversation turns into a valley of tears.

I'm stuck at home. I can't do much apart from unpacking my bags and watching TV. There goes my perfect New Year's Eve.