A medium size boat was traveling in Atlantic ocean.

Journey started from Miami and heading towards Bermuda island.

 

3rd Day of journey.

4:30pm

Five people were sitting on the deck under huge shade covering over them.

 

"Jason, I didn't know that this journey would be so boring. I would not have listened to you." - A tall black girl said irritably.

Jason smiled, "It is much better then to be locked up in rooms."

Another white girl said "Yeah, totally agree and I think that this corona thing is just a conspiracy. Politicians are just trying to take away our freedom."

Everybody got silent.

"WHAT?? , You don't believe me!!" White girl asked in raised voice.

 

Finally, a white man sighed and said, "Ok guys, lets change the topic. We have had enough of this type of talk."

"Yeah, lets talk about documentary we are going to shoot."- black girl said.

Jason said to his korean friend, "Jin Hee, call Akash... let me show him the script. I made some changes last night."

 

Jin Hee got up and started looking for Akash.

She shouted after some time, "AKASH!! where are you?"

"OVER HERE" Akash said.

Jin Hee went to other side of deck. She sat down beside him and said "Honey, What are you doing here alone?"

Akash raised his eyebrows.

Jin Hee said "What? - You know, we have been in relationship for 6 years although not exclusively but it is longer then many marriage lasts."

Akash sighed "Okay, but don't call honey in front of others. They will think that we are getting serious."

 

** jin hee conversation is italic**

Jin Hee probed "So? what are you doing here?"

Akash replied after few seconds "Nothing.... after this corona when I finally had the time to rest and think, I started to wonder about my life choices."

"I feel that i made too many mistakes."

"Why? what's the problem?"

"I am 40 and still in debt."

"So, what's the problem? I also have debt as well many other models and our colleagues."

Akash turned around and looked into Jin Hee's brown eyes. He said seriously "May be that's the problem. So everybody thinks it is okay."

 

"I am old now. I am thinking of settling down."

"You know, Jin Hee. My father earned less then 1/3 of me but he was always debt free. Before retirement he already saved good amount of money. I remember that my childhood wasn't rich but there was no financial fear."

 

"Problem is, shouldn't i atleast save enough money so that i can live for 1 or 2 years without job. What if this corona gets extended?"

"If i had family to provide, then can I still live this recklessly?"

 

"Sorry, did i make the atmosphere depressing?"

Jin Hee looked into distance as if remembering something.

She said "No, you are right. It's just nobody talks about it so whenever we confront it, it becomes depressing."

 

"Lets talk something else."

Akash opened new beer can and handed to Jin Hee.

Both took few sips while watching sun set.

" So Jin hee, you were good in studies. I remember that you went to Seoul University. I think it is best in Korea."

"Why didn't you pursue further or get a normal job?"

She smiled, "you know, I come from Busan. At that time korea wasn't developed much."

"People who lived outside Seoul considered like country bumpkin. I also had slight inferiority when i started living in Seoul."

"I was prettiest girl in my class if not in whole university. A country bumpkin who is more beautiful then local girl, you could imagine the scenario. I got bullied."

"So, when I got selected in idol girls group, I did everything to remove village girl tag from me. I didn't want my fans and others to think of me any less than city girls."

"I practiced much harder not just for idol group but still continued my study to let people feel that I have beauty as well as brain. I learned English because back then people thought that you are more cultured and knowledgeable if you know english."

"After six months of success and my first pay check, I bought a house in Seoul to lessen my inferiority or show others that i have become successful."

"And that was the starting point of my suffering."

"I didn't know that art industry is a business not a job. Pay check are not constant. You cannot predict future just based on your past performance."

"I continued to spurge money for whole year on maintenance and filling my house with expensive things.

"It finally happened to me also. For 2 months i didn't get any more gigs."

"And these 2 months become 6,8 then whole year I didn't get paid decently."

 

"Debt was building up. I wasn't even able to pay my interests."

"You know, Korea is the worst place to take debt. There is no personal bankruptcy code. Creditors have too much power. Harassment started to happen. They started to threaten me in many ways. I was alone in whole city. I didn't know whether their threat was real or not."

"I was constantly in fear."

"I calculated that even if i complete my degree, and job after that wouldn't be sufficient to pay interest."

"I started to get very obscene roles and even some porn directors started to approach me."

"I was so close to brake my lower limit and accept those dirty jobs. But suddenly i got an offer in American tv series as extra. Although, this role I got was because of my better english rather than acting."

"Then i came here and took loan to repay loan in korea."

"Although my life wasn't a successful but atleast i don't have to live in fear."

 

Jin Hee was slumped in her chair and started watching calm see and setting orange sun.

Suddenly, Akash started laughing.

"What happened?"

"Here, I thought of changing topic but your topic went back to importance of personal finance."

"How?"

"Your life choices were also because of wrong financial decisions at the beginning."

"Yeah, but i don't regret much. If this didn't happen then may be i would be living a normal korean life by getting paid high from some MNC."

"That's because you were lucky otherwise you would be working in some clubs and part-time softcore actress....(chuckles)"

Both started laughing looking at drowning sun in endless ocean.

 

After some time Akash stood up and reached his hand out to Jin Hee to lift her up.

"Jin Hee, I have decided that in future i would teach my kids knowledge of personal finance. It doesn't matter what they want to do in life but they should know how this money works."

"Thank god, It will lessen my responsibility." She said jokingly.

"I am not going to marry people in art industry." Because akash wasn't looking in her direction so he didn't know if it was a joke. So his reply was serious.

"We will see. Hehe.. (chuckles).." It just fun to tease him. Jin Hee thought.

 

 

Next day 3:00 A.m

Suddenly, clouds started to form.

Ripple started to form in space but nobody could see from naked eye then it went silent.

Nobody realized that there was one less person on the boat.