the city that refined me

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"Leaving home, losing myself, and finding something deeper in the noise"

Inspired by RM 'Seoul'


I grew up in the province where life moved slowly—where mornings smelled like soil and afternoons hummed with quiet. When I moved to the city, it felt like stepping into something larger, louder, more alive. For a while, I mistook the pace for progress, the noise for meaning. Over time, that awe wore off. The streets started to feel too fast, the lights too harsh, and I found myself resenting the very place I once longed to be. But strangely, I also found comfort here.

Somewhere between packed trains and sleepless nights, I was challenged in ways I didn’t expect. The city didn’t hold me gently, but it held me honestly. And in that friction—between missing where I came from and learning how to stand where I am—I began to grow. It’s not perfect, and maybe it never will be, but this city has become part of me, as much as the quiet fields I left behind.


With light, Rhea 👣🦋





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