When my mother told me I wouldn't amount to anything, I believed her. I was in the 7th grade when she first said it. She yelled at me and hit me for wanting to join the dance team at school. Even though I knew we wouldn't be able to pay for the dance outfits, I still begged her to let me join. I remember I kept asking her over and over again and before I knew it, I was slapped to the ground, "You're not joining that!" She yelled over me as I cried. "You are nothing. You will never amount to anything, so give up." I was left alone on the floor, crying silently.

Her words echoed in my mind every day and continued to control my life. High School came and still the words she spoke made me question every move I made. No matter how hard I tried, her words weighed on me every day since. I gave up on my dreams, and I stopped trying.

Years passed and I moved out as soon as I could. Across the country wasn't enough to separate my childhood and my adult life. I worked hard every day but still ended up feeling empty.

When I got the call that my mother had passed, I felt nothing for her. For me, it was a relief to hear she was no longer here on this earth to control me. The police informed me she passed in her home and as the next living relative, I was responsible for everything that she left for me. Everything she left for me. 

I waited a couple months before booking the flight back home. Mentally, I wasn't prepared to deal with whatever was waiting for me. My life never stopped just because she was dead. I remember the feeling I got when I was stuck in that house with her, and I wanted to stay far away.

The day finally came when I was boarding a flight back to Nowhere, MN to start the process of obtaining the will. The phone calls every day was enough to make me go crazy. As much as I tried to ignore what was happening, life has a funny way of making you face the things you're running from.

 As soon as the plane landed, my skin started to crawl. It was colder here than I remember, which didn't help my nerves one bit. I was closer than ever to the house I left long ago, and I didn't know how I was supposed to feel about all of this.

The house was exactly as I remembered. The weathered siding and faded yellow doors were enough to send me back in time. The fear I felt walking up the driveway was worse than I expected. Inside, the ugly pink wallpaper was now faded and torn in places and the brown carpet was now worn down with time. Stacks of newspapers and magazines lined the walls and piles of dirty dishes filled the kitchen. The smell was overwhelming enough. I sighed as I took it all in.

The house wasn't this bad when I lived here, but I was the only one who ever cleaned. For a moment I wondered how my mother lived her last couple years. I never visited or called, so she must have been lonely. 

I made my way up the stairs and down the hall to her bedroom. My body was on autopilot as I reached for the doorknob. I watched as my hand hesitated and shook. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door, and I looked around the messy room. It was just as I remember. The piles of clothes and other junk looked just like it did in my childhood. Glancing over to the full-sized mirror in the corner, I saw myself looking as if I had seen a ghost. I couldn't bring myself to go in. 

I quickly left the house and headed to the hotel to check in and figure out what the next move was.

The next day, I met the attorney coffee shop in town, the gravity of what was happening was starting to set it. His suit was clean, and he had an old money smile. We greeted each other and he sat down to get into the will. I listened carefully as he spoke. My mother had left me everything; the house, the car, and $300,000.

When the words left his mouth, my body tensed, and I went cold. I watched as the attorney continued to speak to me, but I never heard a word after that. Nodding was the only response I could come up with. He passed a piece of paper over to me along with a pen. My hand shook as I signed my name on the line. He smiled as he got up from the table, leaving me with my copy of the will. 

A million questions ran through my mind as I sat in shock. Why did she live like that if she had all this money? Where did she even get all this money? And why is she leaving it all to me? Too many questions ran through my head. Making a quick plan, I decided what was best for me was to get this situation sorted as fast as possible.

I decided to hire some cleaners with the new money I had acquired. The next day I arrived bright and early to unlock the house for them. I couldn't bring myself to go back in the house, so instead I decided to watch them from outside.

I sat in lawn chair as workers moved junk from inside the house to a giant dumpster in the driveway. Still, as they cleaned out the house, I didn't feel anything for the stuff they were throwing out.

 Suddenly, something caught my eye, and an idea popped in my head. "Hey! Wait!" I yell, getting up from the chair. The workers froze as I approached. "Can I see that?" I pointed to the yellow-stained globe in one of the workers hands. He nodded as I took it from him. 

Walking back over to my chair, I sat down and studied the world in my hands. Sitting it down on the grass, I closed my eyes, and spun it around, pointing my finger at the center of it. Once I felt it stop, I opened my eyes to see where I landed. There was no way....

South Korea.