SONG JIN HEE CRINGED AS SHE GOT out of her uncle"s pastel pink van while driving her to her new school. She took one glimpse at her new school and looked back at her uncle."Sukbu," she called him. "I don"t think I can do this. I don"t think I can enter that school." (*father"s brother, uncle)
"Aigoo, this kid. How many times did I tell you that you shouldn"t call me sukbu. You should call me gomo," with his feminine voice, Song Shin Hyuk also known as Mama Shin corrected that made Jin Hee sigh. "Don"t be nervous, Jin Hee-yah. I know you can do it! Do well at school! Hwaiting!" Mama Shin threw her a flying kiss before driving his pink pastel van away. (*paternal aunt)
She waited for her uncle"s feminine van to disappear in her eyes before facing the grand gate of her new school. She made a face while looking at the prestigious building of the said place. Jin Hee didn"t expect that when she took her first step on Seoul"s ground, she"d enter this prestigious private inst.i.tution. The school gate is filled with luxurious black paint as the metals bent in different shapes and symbols covered with golden paint—flaunting how grand, elegant and superior this school is.
She closed her eyes as she took a deep breath then she opened it again and stared at the school"s gate once more.
"You can do this, Jin Hee!" she encouraged herself secretly, trying to quench the nervousness that flowed through her body. She took a glance at the brochures and school directory that she was holding before she entered the premises.
Sumptuous, opulent and plushy cars got her attention as she walked on the school grounds. She saw some students a.s.sisted by their drivers in holding their bags—which made her think that they"re too lazy to hold it for themselves. They have two hands. Why do they need to have a.s.sistance in holding their bags? If possible, when they walk, they still need an a.s.sistant. Tsk, rich kids. She thought.
She shrugged and ignored it. It"s not her business to espy on people around her anyway so she continued walking and searching the Senior High building.
In front of her were some students talking about luxurious living and they"re walking at a slow pace that made her feel the jolt of annoyance, wanting to kick their a.s.s off to make them walk faster.
"You"ll not gonna believe what happened. Do you know that I lost a bet with my brother?" she heard the guy in front of me talking to his peers. "He bought one of my stock at the lowest value. Ugh, it really sucks. He"s so stingy."
"Oh, really? How much did he buy your stock?" asked the girl on his right side. Her wavy, long hair looked good in her ponytail. Looking at her from behind, she looked good in her uniform and long, white sock with two black stripes around the knee part. Their uniform suit or vest was color black with white edges on the collar, gray-colored V collar gilet shirt, wrist cuffs, side pockets and pocket on the left chest. Their left chest pocket bore the prestigious logo of the school. The girl"s skirt was about four to five inches above the knee and it was color red and checkered with black and green lines on it and it"s in straight, neat plates. They also had different colors of the necktie—red for girls and yellow for boys with the school"s logo as the design.
"One hundred billion won," she almost choked when she heard the guy"s answer. She should be aware that they"re all rich but she didn"t expect they have that much money in their accounts and pockets.
"One hundred billion won?" the girl repeated. "That"s cheap! He really is stingy."
"You know, once your stocks" income will grow higher, you can s.n.a.t.c.h back your stock from your brother," the guy beside him said.
"Yeah, right."
Jin Hee switched lanes from where she"s walking, thinking that she will not hear business matters anymore but it gets worst because of the two girls in front of her.
"Have you seen this?" one of the girls shown her necklace to her companion.
"OMG. That"s 22.5 ct. tw Yellow and White Diamond heart shape Infinity necklace in 18K white gold worth 87,000 US Dollars! When did you avail that?!" her friend exclaimed in such surprise.
"Just yesterday," she said proudly. "And also this Prada bag of mine and the latest model of iPhone, these just arrived yesterday. Dad gave me these as a reward for my shares" growing income in our company."
"Gosh. You"re unbelievable," her friend shook head. "I wish my dad will do the same to me too."
Jin Hee gasped in awe. I couldn"t believe their stuff can equal the gold"s worth. This is crazy.
"I saw your new car earlier," she heard a guy"s voice behind me.
"Yeah, right. Ferrari Pininfarina Sergio, it"s just worth 3 million US Dollars," answered the other guy.
"Not bad. It"s hot and slick!"
her eyes almost fell from the sockets when she saw how simple and nonchalant they were while talking about their opulent items and money. She bet her cheap 300 pieces sticker collection of Sailor Moon that his car was superb expensive than one of the biggest malls in Jeollanam-do.
"You see this?" she turned her gaze to her right side and saw this one guy raising his hand to his two friends like he was showing something.
"Hey, that"s the world"s most expensive watch as of this year!" the guy on his right side exclaimed in astonishment.
"Yep. This is the 18 Million US Dollar Jacob & Co. Billionaire Watch. You know, there were only two of us here in our country availed this watch. Do you know who"s the other one?" the guy asked the two of them.
"Who?" curiosity was driven the two to ask.
He smiled proudly like he owned the world. "Yoon Baek Hyeon."
"Hey! That"s crazy!" the two responded in shock English.
"Don"t you think I pull it off better?" he also asked in English as he fixed his cuffs to emphasize his superb expensive wrist.w.a.tch.
"Hey, lend it to me!" the other guy almost pulled his wrist just to get the watch.
"No, let me have it first! Me first!"
Jin Hee felt that she can hardly breathe from what she heard from them. The students in Empire Academy were beyond the qualities of an ordinary student. They"re full of indulgence. For commoners, those things were hard to find and having those things were already a dream come true but for these people, the elite ones, those were just ordinary things that they can have and they can get in a snap.
People may ask her why is she here? Is she rich just like them? Is she one of the lucky ones? Is she an elite?
No, she"s not.
She"s not one of the business heirs, stock heirs and those who were sons and daughters of rich politicians, lawyers, doctors and any other rich professionals and personalities.
She"s just an ordinary student, an ordinary person. She"s in a low cla.s.s.
Yes, she"s a commoner.
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She came from a simple family in Jeollanam-do. Her mother is a housewife—she"s just working in the house taking care of her, her brother Jin Young and her father. But sometimes, she sells Jeollanam-do street foods during the day in their neighborhood. Her dad is a driver of a food factory. He delivers different kinds of canned goods, dry goods and other forms and brands of snacks on mini marts, convenient stores and malls in Jeollanam-do. Her brother Jin Young is in 10th Grade and he"s also an achiever in his cla.s.s. They"re just a normal family—contented by what they have.
But then, life is not always sunshine. There"s always nimbostratus or c.u.mulonimbus clouds that will pour heavy rain.
The factory where her father was working got bankrupt and all of the employees, including her father, didn"t get even a single cent from that company. Almost all their everyday life expenses, school fees and allowances depended on her father"s salary in that company so it"s really hard for their family now that he lost his job.
Jin Hee decided to stop schooling and help her mother and father instead. It"s been hard for her to decide about it since she has been dreaming to finish her studies and help her family. She wants her family to live a comfortable life and she wants to give them what they deserve—to all the sacrifices and hardwork they made to give her and Jin Young a comfortable life. She wants that she will be the one to pay Jin Young"s school fees once she finished her studies. That"s all she dreamed about—to be successful for herself and to her family.
Unfortunately, her parents didn"t allow her to do it. They don"t want her to stop schooling and work to help the family. They accepted her uncle, her father"s brother"s offer that he will be the one to take the obligation of schooling her in Seoul since he doesn"t have any son or daughter. She"s happy about the offer and the idea that her uncle will take the obligation of schooling her and her parents will never worry about her school fees anymore at it will lighten their burden. But she"s hesitant. Yes, studying in Seoul is a big opportunity for her but she don"t want to leave her family in Jeollanam-do.
But in the end, they convinced her to continue her studies in Seoul with the aid of her father"s brother.
She left Jeollanam-do with a promise that she will graduate and become successful and she will give her family a comfortable life someday.
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"What is this, sukbu?" Jin Hee asked her uncle Song Shin Hyuk, her father"s younger brother. He runs a small salon and restaurant in Apgujeong. He is also living with his beauticians and staff which he considered as his "sisters"—Shin Hye, Su Ji, Ji Woo, Yoona and Dasom—yes, they"re certified gays and they named themselves after those beautiful celebrities and K-pop stars.
They"re currently talking in his living room. Jin Hee was sitting in the single couch, ma.s.saging her right shoulder when her uncle Shin Hyuk or they used to call him "Mama Shin" (that"s actually his feminine name) emerged in front of her, holding a brown envelope with a crown sticker on the opener.
"I don"t know, my niece. But I am so excited to know what"s inside of it! Hurry, open the blind item!" he"s grinning ear to ear, clapping his feminine hands.
He"s more excited than me, huh? Jin Hee thought.
She looked at the envelope and opened it. Mama Shin is also antic.i.p.ating about what"s inside the brown envelope so she quickly opened it and got the papers inside of it. She saw complete doc.u.ments, student"s handbook and her Identification Card to her new school. She put the ID, the handbook and the doc.u.ments back inside the envelope then she pulled out the letter and read it.
"Congratulations… you pa.s.sed the first ever scholarship entrance exam of Empire Ac—" she paused, still processing everything that she read in the letter. She jaw-dropped and looked at Mama Shin who was standing in front of her with a shock expression flaunted on her face. "What?! Empire Academy?! Is this really true?!"
"No, no, my niece. That letter is bluffing," Mama Shin answered in sarcasm as he rolled his eyes. "Of course, it"s true. You took that school"s scholarship exam, right?"
When she and Mama Shin were looking for an affordable secondary school, they saw some flyers just around the street that Empire Academy is conducting its very first scholarship entrance exam—they don"t need to pay the tuition fee and any other fees in that school—they just need to pa.s.s the exam and enter the top 20. Of course, Jin Hee grabbed the opportunity because it"s free so she took the said exam.
After taking the exam, she was already hopeless that she could pa.s.s it because its coverage were all advanced and some of the subjects were not offered or she didn"t take it up in their previous schools (except if you"re such a voracious reader) so it"s really surprising for her to pa.s.s that exam!
"That"s why this beautiful auntie of yours is very happy for you because you pa.s.sed that school"s scholarship entrance exam! Good thing you inherited your beautiful gomo"s intelligence because you pa.s.sed!" he said in an enthusiastic, feminine voice. He suddenly holds her on her both shoulders. "So, tomorrow, we"re going to buy your uniform and I want you to look pretty so that the boys from that school will notice you. No one knows, you can get someone"s interest because you"re pretty and he will court you in no time!"
She made a face. She has no intention about what her uncle is talking about. She"s not saying that she doesn"t have time for love. It"s just that, studying is her main priority as of now.
And I guess, getting a boyfriend is not a requirement to graduate and have your diploma, right? She thought.
"It"s not like that, sukbu… I-I don"t think I"m suited in that school! The kids who were studying there were rich, richer, richest! I"m not one of them, you see," She sighed. "I don"t belong there."
"Stop calling me sukbu," Mama Shin cringed. "I"m too pretty to be called sukbu. Call me gomo."
"Uh… g-gomo."
"Much better. Oh, honey. Don"t push the opportunity away. It"s bad. Besides, you want to help your parents, right? So you have to go there! You don"t have to worry and grab the opportunity!" he said. Jin Hee sighed as a response. "And speaking of rich, you must not tell the whole school population that you are just a scholarship grantee. You remember that caution? Never tell them that you"re from the lower cla.s.s because if they will know it… shhhk! You"ll be dead meat, my dear niece," he motioned like her neck will get severed if anyone will discover the real status of her.
She held her neck like she was severed for real because of what he said. "Sukbu—I-I mean, gomo! Stop scaring me!" she sighed once more. "So what should I do to conceal that I"m a scholarship grantee?"
"You will pretend as a nouveau riche," he said, emphasizing a certain foreign word.
She frowned like she just heard some sort of alien word. "Nov-Nouveau—what?"
"Nouveau riche. You must pretend that you came from a family who suddenly became rich," he answered casually.
"What? Should I pretend? Should I lie in front of many people? I can"t do that!" she protested.
He looked at her seriously. "If you want to help your parents, all you need is a lie in order to survive in that school. That"s it, Jin Hee. That"s what you"re going to do to study and graduate there peacefully."
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"Why me? Why?" she groaned as she whispered to the air while looking at the sky. "Weomae abeoji."
(*It"s a Jeollado dialect and expression when you find something annoying, another term for "What the…?")
As she looked around, reality hit her that she"s already in the place—and have nothing left to do but to suck it up and continue living in the unknown jungle which there were unspeakable dangers inside.
She frowned while staring at the school directory or school map that she was holding. Call her a dummy but she really sucks in reading maps or directory whatever because she really got lost even if she holds one. She prefers verbal or vocal directions than written or ill.u.s.trated ones. She can easily remember directions if you"ll going to instruct her than letting her read a freaking map.
"Okay. So where am I going now?" she asked herself as she roamed her eyes around, hoping for someone to lead her the direction of the Senior High building so she can search for her cla.s.sroom.
Soon as she turned her head on the open field, she saw one student sitting down, staring at nowhere. She quickened her steps towards him but instead of asking him directly, she stared at his face for awhile. He has pointed nose, slightly long eyelashes and thin, pinkish lips with—
What? He has white hair? I thought schools were prohibiting students from dyeing their hairs. She thought.
Anyhow, for her, he really looked like an Anime character. He reminds her of Inu Yasha, a j.a.panese anime though he looked like Sesshoumaru than Inu Yasha because of his emotionless face. Or maybe some other Anime character with a white hair that has a strict profile, she thinks.
She cleared my throat to catch his attention. "Umm, h.e.l.lo. Umm, I just transferred here today and this place is really new to me so I want to ask if where"s the Senior High building?"
He stared at her with cold eyes that made her gulp, trying to remove the lump of nervousness inside her throat. But even though she experienced such a cold look from him, she can"t deny that he"s really good-looking.
"I don"t talk to strangers. Just move away," he plugged his white SONY headphones, laid down on the open field"s gra.s.s and drifted to his nap.
She tsked. So much for trying to be friendly, huh?
"Weomae abeoji. You"re so rude. That will not make you handsome, Mister," she murmured. I"ve never been treated like this in my previous school, not until today. She shook her head. "Aigoo."
Wait, why did you add that "handsome" thing, Jin Hee? He"s not even qualified for that word because of his rude att.i.tude! Tsk. She internally knocked her head.
Shaking her head, she left him sleeping comfortably in the open field (wishing that he"ll burn from the sun"s UV rays because of what he did to her) and continued walking and searching for someone to talk to and to lead her the way.
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She noticed something pa.s.sed in front of her in a fast motion which made her yelped in shock and made her fell to the ground. "W-What was that—" She frowned as she looked at it with intense eyes. "What? A rabbit? And… it has a collar. It must be someone"s pet I guess?"
She was about to touch it but it hopped away from her. "Hey wait! Wait for me!" she got off her feet and followed the rabbit hopping to somewhere she doesn"t know. She knows it"s stupid for her to follow that rabbit but if her instincts were right, it may lead her to someone, maybe its master.
It stopped below a bench and hopped on the guy who"s already sitting there. The rabbit made its comfortable spot on his lap before it closes its eyes. The guy silently caressed its fur.
"U-Umm, hi. Is that your rabbit?" she almost choked with her question. wait—what? Did you seriously ask that, Jin Hee? The rabbit obviously hopped on him so it means he"s the owner. You"re such a coo coo brain.
He nodded as an answer.
"Umm, can I ask something?" he nodded again as a response.
She frowned about the silent response from the boy. I wonder if he"s really that aloof to talk to other people or he"s a mute. Nah, too impossible. Maybe he"s just a silent type. "C-Can I ask if you know the way to the Senior High building or do you know exactly where"s the Senior High building?"
"Saa… doko deshou?" he asked in a monotone voice and she can"t feel any emotion on that.
"Eh? What?" she muttered to herself. What is he talking about? Thinking that the boy did not understand what she"s talking about, she cleared her throat and asked him again. "I was asking if you know the way to the Senior High building or do you know exactly where"s the Senior High building?" when she thought that the guy didn"t understand her, she tried talking to him using her basic English. "Umm, Do you know where is the Senior High building?"
He raised his head and looked at her. Jin Hee gasped silently when she saw his face. Here"s another darn handsome guy we"ve got here. "Wakaranaishi."
She scratched her head as her lips slightly twitched. Seriously, don"t I really deserve a proper conversation here? "Err… well, I-I just transferred here today so I don"t know where"s my cla.s.sroom so I"m asking you if do you know the way to the Senior High building or do you know exactly where"s the Senior High building?"
This is the third time I repeated that question. Ugh.
"Soo desu ka?" he slightly nodded. "Ore mo."
What is he really trying to say? Seriously, I don"t really get him.
Before she could say a word, he stood up and left her without a word.
"H-Hey, wait up—" she sighed as she put her hand down when she tried to reach the silent male. What"s wrong with the people here? They"re so weird. "Nevermind. Maybe I just ask someone else to lead the way."
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She kept on walking and searching for someone who can guide her the direction to the Senior High building (Jin Hee was also hoping that he or she is also in the same grade as me) when she saw herself in the school"s garden. She slightly roamed her eyes and saw a guy sitting under the tree with his arms behind his head, leaning on the tree"s trunk. She made a quick exhale before she walked towards him.
"Excuse me—eh?" she stopped and her eyes suddenly widened when she saw the guy"s face.
He opened his left eye and looked at her. With his posture, she can say he"s a bada.s.s, a tough guy. She also finds him cold the way he stared at her. "Huh? What are you looking at?"
"E-Err… we-well, y-your face—" she gasped when he suddenly stood up and slightly leaned his face on hers which made her took a step back.
"What"s your problem, woman? Do you have a problem with my face?" he asked in a cold, dangerous tone that will make kids hide under their blankets.
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"Ah—that"s not really—ah!" she hurriedly opened her backpack to get her small mirror. When she got it, she faced it to him with her trembling hands. "L-Look at your reflection."
He looked at his reflection in the mirror then he slightly touched his jaw and cheek. After a second or two, he shouted that made her yelped. "WHAT IS THIS?! WHY THERE WERE SO MANY DOODLE s.h.i.tS ON MY FACE?! DID YOU DO THIS WOMAN?!"
Jin Hee shook her head many times, convincing him that she"s innocent. "No! No! I didn"t make it! I am telling the truth!"
"I am the one who made that!" they both looked at the tree"s branch and saw a guy who talked to them in an upside-down position while sitting on the branch. What the?
He kept on laughing while looking at them. "Hahaha! Success! Man, you"re so ugly! Hahaha!"
"Jerk! What the freak did you just done on my face?!" the guy with some vandals on his face shouted at the guy on the tree"s branch.
"What? I"m bored, that"s it. Hahaha!" he jumped to the ground and ran away from us.
"YOU b.l.o.o.d.y MORON! COME BACK HERE YOU PIECE OF s.h.i.t!" the guy with some vandals on his face chased the other guy, leaving her alone.
"Ah—w-wait—where"s the building…" she looked down and sighed in disappointment as she walked away from that place. So much for trying a good conversation, eh?
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She came back to the open field to search for someone to ask and accompany her when she saw a red Holland rose just a few inches away from my feet. She picked it up and smelled it. "Waah~ what are you doing here? Is someone picked you up and left you here?"
When she was a child, she really has this fondness for roses. She planted so many roses in their house"s small garden in Jeollanam-do and some of our neighbors picked some of their roses and put it on their chapel"s altar.
She sighed. She really missed Jeollanam-do. She really missed their small but warm, cozy house. She really missed her family. It"s her first day of school and she really felt this so-called homesick. It"s normal for people that you really felt it when you got stuck in an unfamiliar place.
She shook my head. Back to reality, Jin Hee! You gotta search your cla.s.sroom or else you"ll gonna be late on your first day in cla.s.s and it will be embarra.s.sing for you!
She was about to leave when she felt something pa.s.sed over her head and landed behind her. She felt her eyes widened and got petrified from where she was standing. What the heck was that?! Could it be a UFO?! A vehicle full of aliens? Are they gonna invade planet Earth?! But it"s still morning for the love of Pete! And there"s no way in heck that they"ll invade Earth at this moment! I still need to graduate! Weomae abeoji!
She slowly faced the "thing" behind her but the wind slapped her on the face real hard that she felt her eyes itch because of the dust and she felt that the rose she was holding got swept up in the air. She winced and rubbed her eyes because it"s really itchy due to the dust and tears welled up in her eyes. She wants to open my eyes but she can"t because of the freaking wind.
She felt her feet wobbled that made her unbalanced but before she"ll fall her b.u.m on the ground, a strong arm suddenly snaked around her waist. The wind slowly stopped, became her cue to slowly open her teary, blurry eyes. She saw some rose petals falling down to where she"s standing and saw a lad"s face just a few inches away from her. She couldn"t help herself but stare in awe at his c.h.i.n.ky, brown eyes.
She doesn"t usually stare at other people"s faces especially in their eyes because she finds it rude. But there"s something in this guy that made her stare into his eyes for so long. It made her feel that she just dived into the depths of him and she doesn"t know if she can still rise up for air.
"Who are you?" he asked in a husky, calm voice.