Time passed slowly, every day blending into the next. The small apartment in Brooklyn had become Jae-Min’s entire world, and yet it still felt like a foreign place. A cold, sterile space filled with reminders of what he had left behind, and what he still had to rebuild. There were days when the weight of his transformation felt unbearable, and he would retreat into the comfort of silence. The phone in the drawer stayed off, a deliberate barrier between the past and the present.

His body had started to change before his mind fully did. The weeks of manual labor at the café had worked their magic. His soft, indulgent frame, the one that had once been hidden behind tailored suits and designer labels, slowly started to tighten. The mirror in his bathroom, cracked in several places from years of neglect, was a harsh reflection of his efforts. Every time he looked into it, he felt both a sense of pride and a searing contempt for the person staring back. The face that had once been so youthful and pampered was now more angular, more defined, though the emotional scars were still there. His jawline sharpened, his shoulders broadened, and his posture—once slouched from years of arrogance—grew straighter, stronger.

But it was the mental transformation that was far more excruciating. Every page he turned, every lesson he absorbed, seemed to peel away at the layers of who he had been. He had always been a man of instant gratification, of taking the easy route, of using his father’s influence to secure his place in the world. Harvard had been a joke—a name on a diploma, a golden ticket, granted without any real effort on his part. It made him sick to think of the easy pass he had been given. His father had paid for it, and he had squandered the opportunity.

Now, he spent hours every day with books, studying the intricacies of business strategy, psychology, manipulation, and the art of human behavior. He memorized concepts, practiced techniques, and dug deeper into the systems that had once felt so alien to him. The knowledge came slowly, like breaking through layers of thick stone. But with every lesson, every hour spent learning, Jae-Min could feel something changing inside him.

One late evening, after a particularly grueling shift at the café, he found himself sitting at the small kitchen table in his apartment. He opened his laptop, staring at the screen as if the decision in front of him could somehow unravel everything he had worked for. His application for an MBA at Harvard was due in a week. It would be the ultimate test—could he return to the place he had once barely tolerated, but this time, with the grit to prove he deserved to be there?

The thought of returning to Harvard made his stomach twist. The memory of how he had entered the prestigious institution on the back of his father’s donations, the feeling of being a fraud in a sea of accomplished students, flooded back. He remembered the empty lectures, the hollow friendships, the way he had coasted through everything without a care in the world. He hated that version of himself, the one who had squandered an opportunity many would have died for.

But then, a new resolve formed. This wasn’t about returning to the same place. It was about showing that he could do it on his own. That he could earn his place, not through his family’s influence, but through his own strength. It wasn’t going to be easy. It wasn’t supposed to be easy. The weight of the decision hung heavy on him, but Jae-Min knew that this was the moment when everything could change.

He clicked on the application link, filled out the form, and hesitated before submitting it. The memories of his old life loomed large in his mind—the lavish dinners, the parties, the empty satisfaction of having everything handed to him. It felt like a lifetime ago. But the thought of Soo-Ah and the words she had said to him—You’ll never change, you’re nothing—were the final push. If she couldn’t see the man he could become, then he would prove it to himself.

He clicked "Submit."

A week later, Jae-Min received the notification. His heart raced as he opened the email, reading the words: Congratulations. You have been accepted into the MBA program at Harvard University. For a moment, he simply stared at the screen. It felt surreal, almost as if he hadn’t truly earned it. But as the truth sank in, a slow, steady grin spread across his face. This was just the beginning.

He spent the next few weeks preparing for the move back to Cambridge. The thought of returning to the city, to the place that had once been a symbol of everything he hated, sent a strange mix of excitement and dread through him. This time, though, he wouldn’t be the lazy, spoiled heir. He would be someone else entirely. Someone who earned his way.

As the days passed, he found himself falling into a new rhythm. His part-time job had become second nature, and he no longer resented the hours spent working in the café. Every dollar earned felt like a hard-won victory. The transformation was no longer just physical; it had become a part of his soul. He spent his nights studying, refining his understanding of business, psychology, and human behavior. No longer distracted by the privileges that had once clouded his vision, Jae-Min now found clarity in the struggle.

The morning he packed his bags to leave Brooklyn, he glanced around the small apartment. It had been his prison, but it had also been his crucible. He had come here broken, lost, and unworthy of any future. And now, he was leaving with a sense of purpose, determination, and a quiet strength he had never known before.

Cambridge felt colder this time. Or perhaps, it was simply that Jae-Min was different. As he stood in front of the familiar gates of Harvard, he felt no sense of nostalgia, no longing for the comforts of his old life. This was no longer a place of privilege, but one of challenge and potential. The man who had once roamed its halls, hiding behind his last name and his family's wealth, was gone.

In his place stood someone who was determined to build a future on his own terms, someone who was finally ready to face the consequences of his past—and to make them count.

Soo-Ah’s words still echoed in his mind, but they didn’t sting anymore. She had given him the catalyst for change, whether she realized it or not.

Now, it was time to prove her wrong.