Chapter Text
Spring, Year 1
Inaudible conversations. The hustles of busy traffic. The hiss of the buses' doors. Trains rumbling from the subway. A stereo blasting from a nearby shop.
The city is filled with multiple upsetting noises that have become inured to almost everyone's ears. They are sounds that follow you as you walk through the crowded crossing, and only ever stop when you lie down in bed at the dead of night.
For some, they don't ever stop.
For someone who lives in a cramped apartment in the middle of a city that never sleeps, it doesn't stop. For someone who lives in a gated, guarded village, the moment they step into the house is the start of a fulfilling peace for the rest of their day.
The contrast of privilege is the reality of the city that's painful to see, but it's almost always only painful to the other side of the spectrum.
"Serin, we have been having this conversation for a long time!"
What if I'm on the side where I'm expected to live in peace?
"You cannot force me to live on a damn farm, Dad!"
Except it's not built that way.
He lets out a frustrated sigh. The housekeepers, who were wiping—or at least pretending to do so—the huge antique vases in their vast living room, awkwardly looked away upon her sudden sharp tone.
"You wanted me to prove myself to you, so you forced me to look for a random job out there even though you promised to give me a position in the company after I graduate. I did it, and now I'm doing just what you said, 'to get some experience out there'. Isn't that enough?"
"Seriously, Serin? You are calling your position at Joja a random job? Do you know how many people would kill to get in as easily as you did?" He pointed at her assertively.
Her chest heaved as a sharp exhale came out of her. I do admit that I got in out of familial influence, but this still isn't what it is supposed to be.
"Exactly. I have stopped complaining, and now you've just started pushing me to move out and live on a farm that's hours away? For what, Dad? For what else?! What will I gain in a stupid farm that you're this desperate?!"
"You do not disrespect the farm like that, Serin!" His voice was full of authority, but she tried her best not to be shaken up. "That farm you keep on belittling gave you the life that you have right now. You would not be able to buy all these unnecessary luxuries that you have if your grandfather hadn't been as successful."
"So you're expecting me to do the same?"
"Yes," The quick answer from him, all with a blank face, almost cracked her in her spot. It sounded like a conclusion. "That's my last straw for you. I told you that if only you studied harder, got better grades, and chose a good path like your brother did, then there would be more opportunities for you."
He turns his back, leaving her slowly crumbling. Of course. Of course, he's smart and he chose a good career path. Of course, he has a bright future ahead of him. Of course, for them, all I do is be the dumb kid and mess everything up.
"Dad, Dad, please!" She decided to lower her walls and chase after him, clinging to his arm. "I-I won't survive that kind of life! I'll do anything you want, just—just don't take me there!"
He aggressively pulls his arm off her. "Then you'll have to find a way to. You're an adult, Serin, and you should learn how to figure out life by yourself, without the help of Shawn or anyone."
He walks away and goes up to the staircase, leaving her to fall onto the couch, both palms on her face, defeated as she listens to his angry footsteps fade.
They want her to live on a farm after growing up in an exclusive village in the city, living in an exquisite house, being served by maids, and studying in a prestigious school, and it sounds like a total nightmare. She's just a business graduate who's now a corporate slave and still living under her parents' roof, while her brother is still going through medical school and is about to get his medical degree in a year.
Of course, he's always so much better than she is. He's always so much smarter than she is, so now her parents think all that's left for her to do is take over a farm that hasn't been touched for the past ten years while she has never even held a shovel all her life.
"Serin!" Hearing her mother's voice sounded like a sharp screech to her ears. "Did you upset your Dad again? I told you to just do as he says!"
"Mom, please!" She stood up, looking at her with pure distress. "Stop adding up to everything. I'm not going anywhere!"
"Serin! Stop being this rebellious, will you?!" She tightly grabbed her shoulders, shaking her a little and her hold was tight enough that it was almost hurting her.
"Mom! What's happening?!"
Shawn comes from their front door, their house guard opening half of the tall, hardwood-carved double door for him. He's still in his blue hospital scrubs, carrying a backpack, and a white coat hanging by his forearm, which he all threw to the couch as he ran to take his sister away.
"Shawn, here you go again. I told you not to meddle in this, didn't I?"
"You're on it again, Mom?" He caged her around his arms and against his chest. "I told you not to force her about it."
While there's an obvious competition between them, Serin just can't hate him. He has always been nice to her and showed her so much love that their parents ever did to her. He has always been willing to help her with a lot of things as she has learned. They're just not really on the same level in any aspect.
"Shawn, you have no position to decide what we want for your sister. She's grown and she's not a little kid anymore."
The difference in tone whenever their parents talk to them will always be something she would never fail to notice. They always seem to be calmer with him, while she forgot the last time she was able to talk to them without raising their voice.
"Can we not fight over this, Mom, please?" He pleaded calmly.
"Madam Valentina? You've got a call," A maid called her attention, holding up a phone.
Serin immediately loosened up as their mother left with the phone, and he let go of his hold of her as he felt her relax.
"Are you alright?" He gently asked her. "I'm sorry. I'm trying to talk them out of it."
She pursed her lips and couldn't even look him in the eye. Sometimes, I have the urge to just give up trying to fight them and just do what they want. It wouldn't be the first time I'd be doing something they want against my will, in fact, it would probably be the thousandth time.
This time, it's just something that might wreck my life completely.
"I'll be fine," She forces a smile. "I'll just go up and get some rest."
She thought of spending the night locking herself in her room, but her chest felt too heavy so she craved for anything that would distract her even just for a short period. During times like this, she would normally start texting a couple of friends and spend the whole night in a club until the sun starts to rise from the horizon.
But that night, she found herself in an unusual place.
It was the last train of the day, and it got people hurrying as near as possible to the tracks as they prepared for the arrival of the final train. It's a weekend, and everyone is rushing and almost bumping into one another. It was hot, cramped, and loud.
"Attention, passengers. Train number 74 bound for Stardew Valley is approaching on Platform 3. Please make sure to stand behind the yellow line and prepare to board."
The robotic voice echoed throughout the station, and more people walked closer to the edge of the platform. When the train finally came, the doors immediately swung open. Everyone was moving, except her, frozen in her spot and clutching her rail pass tightly as people walked past her on both sides.
As the train's gusts of wind blew her hair, she stood still in the same spot, now alone in the middle of a station that was just alive a second ago.
"The last train has departed. The next intercity train will be arriving tomorrow at exactly 9 AM."
Why am I here?
Maybe I wanted to see how ready I am in case I end up resorting to that decision.
But I don't think there will be such a thing as being 'ready' when you're about to go into a journey you never wanted to take.
She ended up going back home and spent the rest of the night twisting and turning. Although one of the maids came to knock on her door to inform her that her father had wanted to relay the message to start packing her things now, she just couldn't. After a few hours of staring at the dark ceiling, she leaned over her end table to grab her laptop and plopped a pillow on her lap.
The bright laptop screen lit up her entire face as she flipped it open. She starts typing aggressively, the keys blending in with the white noise of her air conditioner.
Subject: Notice of Resignation
to: [email protected]
To whom it may concern,
I am writing to formally inform the company that I will be resigning from my position at Joja Corporation, effective immediately. While I appreciate the opportunities I had during my time here, I have now decided to pursue a different path.
Sincerely,
Serin Vittoria Montserrat
It wasn't so hard for her to compose and send a letter of resignation. Her job at Joja was shitty anyway, and if she had a choice, she would've chosen a different company, but in every place she applied at, Joja was the only one that looked at her familial background which pretty much became an automatic hire for her. It paid right, enough to sustain an average living in the city, but with the kind of lifestyle she grew up with, it wouldn't be possible, so she's still thankful for the allowance her parents are providing.
She is below average at best in almost everything. Her and Shawn's individual standing in life is already enough for their parents' favoritism to seem valid so she felt like she had no right to even mention it to anyone. Besides, their parents provide her a monthly allowance almost the same amount as her salary, so who would complain?
"Serin! You freaking resigned?!" A female coworker approached her as she arranged all her things in the office in a box. "Why? Did your dad finally get you?"
"I don't know," She answers with a sigh, checking a random document she saw which she ended up crumpling and tossing into a nearby bin. "Let's see if he would."
"And now we're understaffed again," Another coworker came, scoffing. Serin paused for a bit, gauging if it was a subtle blame on her.
"We've always been understaffed," She closed up the box and carried it via the holes on the sides, then paused at the doorway. "Tell the admins to raise the pay and maybe it wouldn't be too hard to find a qualified employee."
The two employees' jaws dropped as they watched her back as she walked out of the office.
"Wow, that girl is seriously talking when she got in thanks to her family who just threw her away?" She even heard their mumbled gossip, but she's already done—done enough not to care about whatever's coming out of anyone's mouth.
It was such a terrible exit, but she didn't expect any better at Joja. When she got to the ground floor, she decided to set the heavy box down on an empty table and planned to get something to drink from the building's café. She was rummaging through her purse looking for her wallet when someone approached her from behind.
"Hi. Sorry to ask, did you happen to know where the HR office is?" A man with a voice as if he didn't want anyone to hear him asked her.
"Sixth floor," She plainly answered without looking and finally found her wallet. She turned behind her to look at the person who asked her, but all she saw was his back already walking away from her.
Gray hoodie, boring pants, and headphones? Yeah, he's not going to get that job.
Upon getting home, she was surprised to see the door of her room open. As she approached, she hated to feel like she already knew what was going on. She rushes inside and sees two maids folding up her clothes and stacking them neatly in a huge suitcase. Her heart pounded and she started panicking inside.
"Miss Serin, your mother has ordered us to pack your things for you," One of the maids stood up and went to her, shaking in fear and already anticipating an aggressive blow from her.
She would yell at them, throw them out of her room, and howl at them to never touch any of her things, but at that moment, she couldn't bring herself to do anything but breathe heavily.
"Get out," With the coldest voice, she was finally able to pull a sound from her throat.
The maids hurriedly left her room and she slammed the door closed, then knelt on the floor and started to stow the folded clothes from the bed into the luggage.
Because I will do it myself.
It was late at night, but she was just on time for the final train. She was once again in the same spot where she was the other night, except that she is now carrying two luggage with her and a huge tote.
The same robotic announcement played again, and the train whirred as it slowly stopped in front of the platform. The doors swung open, and along with everyone else, she moved and entered the train.
Except that now, there is no turning back anymore.
—————
It wasn't long enough before she realized she was standing in front of a lone building with blue walls and accents, and the big, bright teal letters were enough to make her freeze in her spot with her mouth open.
JOJAMART
Life's better with JoJa
Join us. Thrive.
Great. Nothing says 'welcome' like corporate chains stalking you even in the countryside.
It wasn't until someone bumped into her and made her tumble to the side did she came back to her senses.
"Sorry—you're standing in the way, didn't notice you," She met eyes with a tall guy wearing a familiar bright blue uniform, his overly gelled blonde hair standing out. He had headphones that were almost the same color as his uniform which he pulled down to his neck as he spoke. He looked about the same age as her.
Wow, I didn't know Joja also has slaves even in the deepest outskirts.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry," Serin moved away from him. He flashes a lopsided grin.
Also, I haven't met this guy... and why is this my first time seeing someone look decent in an ugly Joja uniform? Seriously?
"Wait, you're the new farmer, right?" He tilted his head a little and took a step towards her with the grin never leaving his face. "Hey, I'm Sam. Good to meet you."
She gave him a subtle smile. "I'm Serin."
"Cool. See you around," He raised his eyebrows cockily, placed the headphones back to his ears, and walked into the building.
She has already bought some essentials from the General Store, so she didn't feel the need to go inside the mart. One of the reasons is that she also doesn't want to see anything Joja for the meantime, now that she's only been gone from the city for about a week. Today is quite literally the first time she has walked past the General Store, so it's just today that she found out that there's a whole JojaMart in this small town that's probably even smaller than the village where she lived.
The adjustment period is hard, and she's still in the earliest phase of it. She can't believe she is now living in a shack, with literally no kitchen. The cabin is so small, it only has an old, creaky single bed, a table with a chair, and an old model TV. Her room in the city is even bigger than the entire thing. The walls are just bare wood, and it doesn't even have any lights.
But at least there's a fireplace, I guess.
The social anxiety hit her hard. She didn't go out of the farm for the first three days and was just thankful she brought instant food which she had lived on before she slapped herself and had to force herself to go into the town. While the initial people she met, the mayor and Robin, the town carpenter, are nice so far, she knew that there is a huge difference between the people she was surrounded with and people who come from a small town like this, and she didn't know how to act in front of them.
She spent the next few days learning how to plant parsnip seeds that the mayor gave her upon her arrival and clearing the farm. It was a good thing she used to work out in the city that chopping down trees, breaking rocks, and scything grass wasn't as physically exhausting, but damn, it's still so tiring. She's also pretty grateful there's at least some signal—though really weak—so she was able to research some how-tos of farming. She has met a couple of the townspeople already, and most of them have been nice and welcoming as well.
Eventually, she got sick of how small the cabin is, so she remembered Robin told her to visit her shop if she ever needed any upgrades, resources, or furniture. After watering her parsnips, she proceeds on her walk to the mountains. It was pretty far, and it was also an opportunity for her to introduce herself to those she hadn't met yet.
"If it weren't for those horrendous clothes you may actually be pretty," Serin had just met the second blonde in town who instantly put her into her feisty stance. "Actually, never mind."
"Excuse me?" Serin raised her right eyebrow, crossing her arms. "This cardigan is Dior. Also, I know your top, it's from D&G and I have the same one. I only use it as sleepwear, though."
Haley gasped in shock at the attitude Serin showed. Well, Serin is wearing a cream bicolor wool cardigan, with a pair of gray sweatpants. She knows it isn't the best outfit, but hello?! It's a small town. Who would dress like they're about to go clubbing in this kind of place? Besides, there's a lot of wild insects in the overgrown farm, so even though it's spring, dressing up covered is the way to go for Serin who's deathly afraid of bugs.
Serin walks away, leaving Haley rolling her eyes in annoyance.
"I can't believe there are also fashion critics in this stupid town," She whispered to herself as she continued her walk to the mountains.
The mountains seemed closer than she thought they would be, and she was immediately welcomed by the Carpenter's Shop which is just right beside the quiet mountain lake. There were no other sounds other than the birds chirping, the leaves being blown by the spring air, and the silent waters of the lake.
The bells hanging by the shop door clanged as she opened it, and she instantly saw Robin standing by the counter and doing some woodwork beside it.
"Hi, Serin!" She enthusiastically greets her. "Welcome to the shop! Anything you need?"
She looks around. It's a pretty huge house, but as far as she knows, four people live in here: Robin, her husband, Maru—who's by far the nicest bachelorette she's met in town—and... Robin's son, whom she has never even seen.
"Hi," She greets back and moves closer to the counter. Robin stands in front, ready to entertain her as a customer. "I'm just about to inquire about a house upgrade."
"Oh, a house upgrade!" Robin suddenly became excited.
This must be cheap, right? It should be way cheaper than the city's rates.
"Well, for a house upgrade..." Robin checks something in her little notebook. "I will expand your house and add a kitchen and a bedroom. That will be 10,000g and I'll need 450 pieces of wood for it."
Damn, that's hella cheap! Serin's face lit up. But, wood...
"Oh, but I don't have enough wood yet. Do I really need to gather that amount or is there a way I can choose to just add a fee for the wood?"
There's just no way I would be able to gather 450 pieces of wood. I barely have a hundred! To get that much wood, I'd need to chop all the trees on the farmland!
"I sell wood for 10g each, you can buy as much wood as you need, and then we can proceed with the upgrade," Robin replied.
"Okay, that's great!" Serin's smile widened and she delightfully pressed her palms together. "I'd want to pay with a card."
Robin's smile dropped. "We... only accept cash, Serin. I'm sorry."
She felt like a bucket of ice water had washed over her. Oh my Yoba, this is embarrassing. Why didn't I realize that they don't do card payments in this small ass town?!
Serin's smile dropped as well. "Is that so? Well... is there a place here where I can withdraw cash?"
Robin sighed, slowly shaking her head. "We all do cash here. To access banks, we go to the city."
"Oh..." Serin's voice was almost a whisper. "I'll just come back, then. Thanks for your time."
"No worries! I also have a permanent and rotating stock of furniture, so you can check it out once you need it."
She smiles at her and turns around to leave, and she ends up facing the dark stairs heading towards a basement door. Why is their basement in front of the counter? Well, that's where Robin probably stores her carpentry stuff, so it makes sense it's right about in front of the counter.
Serin didn't know what to do for the rest of the day, so she ended up walking back to the farm, taking the backwoods route, and sitting on the edge of the patio, staring at the void. She had fifteen parsnips planted, which are all already watered for the day, and since today she learned that the entire town only accepts cash, she's now broke as hell. She only had 500g worth of cash because the rest of her money is on her debit card, and she's dumb enough not to realize that a town as small and isolated as Pelican Town doesn't do cashless transactions.
Getting bored and pissed at the sight of her vintage cabin, she decided to walk back to the mountains just to get some peace. Since she had now realized that the backwoods route was closer, she took the same route again. It was already dark by the time she got to the lake. Expecting that she'll have the entire spot for herself, she felt a little disappointed upon seeing someone's brooding back.
Assuming it was just Robin's husband, she walked towards the lake and was surprised to see a young, tall, pale dude in a whole black outfit. Black hoodie, black pants, and even his hair is black.
Who is this, now? Is he trying to be the Grim Reaper?
It was already too late for Serin to back off, and the man had already detected her presence. He looks back at her, and that's when she just notices that he's holding a cigarette with his other hand.
"Hi?" She clutches her pants.
She is never an initiator, and it looks like he's that type, too, so she felt like she'd rather have the floor swallow her right now. She stands beside him, but about more than a meter away.
I don't even know this man. What if he's dangerous?!
"You just moved in, right?" His voice is colder than the night spring breeze.
She watched him from the corner of her eye and saw him toss his cigarette into the lake. Her chest slightly thumped when he turned to her—fully turned, including his body, but remained at the same distance. She turns her head to him, not budging from her spot. His hands are now in his pockets.
His voice is familiar. Oddly familiar, but I can't put a finger on it.
"Out of all the places you could live, you chose Pelican Town?"
Suddenly, no other emotions could be read on her face; it was as if she were trying to match the emptiness on his face.
Well, that sounded like an insult more than a question.
But little did he know... it was never a choice, either. So, how do I even respond to that?