[a/n] hooray for new cover! the last one was dull and meh haha but honestly i didnt want an ulzzang in my cover bc i dont want u guys to assume thats how jin hee looks like... ANYWAYS!! ((lol)) thank you so so much for those who subscribed, commented and voted!

{ chapter three }

life and times of Lee Jin Hee

Just to be clear, we’re back to the present. I ended the flashback moment since Jin Hee gets involuntary goose bumps and shuddering just by thinking about how her first two weeks here had been. But she could say, it’s been really fun and she looks forward to more humiliation and a whole lot more of curses and insults directed to each other!

Class ended, Jin Hee and her friends parted ways since they came with their cars. It was then she fully realized how money could do because they’re obviously the same age as hers—seventeen—yet they could drive like they got real licenses.

Alex and Stephanie only grinned at her.

Alex convinced her into getting a car and learning how to drive a car. Jin Hee put up a bright façade and said;

“Yeah! Definitely! So I could run your over with my brand new car!”

The hoe locked her head up into his armpit like it was on the top of her ‘Places-I-Want-To-Go-To-Before-I-Die’ list.

Now, Jin Hee stood in front of the school building, facing the gates, and the circular road that had an obelisk in the middle with a head of a lion in the top. The obelisk wasn’t that high but it wasn’t low either, and the head of a lion had his growling face facing the gates.

Cars come and go as soon as the students come in, and she could only huff. She doesn’t want it. She would rather take a bus to the bronze gates and walk her way to their house. It’s not that she’s used to it anyway.

Jin Hee felt a great force bumping onto her right shoulder and she almost stumbled. She turned to the culprit behind her, face expressionless.

Of course, it’s Baek Hyun. Wouldn’t want to let her go without saying goodbye now, would we?

“Hey there, mister… black.” She was about to say Mister Grey but he had black hair, black eyes and black soul.

Three of his friends bid him goodbye as they ran off to the parking lot. One was left who kept looking amused at her and had his hands shoved down his pockets. He had tiny eyes, thin lips and also a jet black hair which was enough for Jin Hee to assume that he’s currently planning to join the ‘Black Souls’ club, Baek Hyun being the sole founder.

Baek Hyun grinned at her, “Hey Mother Nature. Mister Black was lame, by the way.”

She shrugged, “I was about to call you something else but it doesn’t really suit you well so…”

“You going home?” he raised his eyebrow and chuckled darkly, “Oh wait, do you even have one?”

“What?”

“Are you a scholar here? From what province are you?”

She blinked at him, “Am I going to be hired after this interview?”

His friend behind him brought up his fist to his mouth, probably to stop his laughter. Ah, number one rule in life; don’t stop your laughter or else you want it to come out as a fart instead. Your friend will be like ‘omg did you just fart’ and you’ll be like ‘no i laughed just in an alternative way’.

Baek Hyun tightened his jaw, “Just answer it!”

Jin Hee sighed, “Yes, I’m a scholar and yes I did come from a province.”

“That’s why you’re dressed like a commoner.” He scoffed and smirked.

“If someone hadn’t made anybody pour dirty water on me then I’d still be wearing my royalty clothes.” she rolled her eyes. “But hey, don’t deny it, you like smelling like me.” She wriggled her eyebrows on him.

His eyes turned into crescents, “You ing wish.”

“Ah, I do, actually, babe,” Jin Hee winked at him and looked at the sky turning dark, “As much as I want to play your game longer, I’m going to miss the last bus to Busan.”

“You’re kidding me.” the boy behind Baek Hyun butted in.

She nodded at him, “Cool right? Anyways, I should leave you guys.” She smiled to Baek Hyun before walking off, “See you tomorrow, my lovelies!”

No, she’s not a scholar (what’s wrong with being a scholar though?) and she didn’t come from a province. That was just to humor his poor self. The guy obviously thought this was some ‘rich-guy-bullying-poor-girl’ plot. Meh, it would’ve been like that months ago, but their paths won’t even cross if it wasn’t for that incident.

Heavy and depressing incident.

Jin Hee sat on one of the seats in the middle part of the bus and put her headphones on. If you’re wondering why Alex and Stephanie didn’t give her a ride when they’re in the same village, well, she declined. After all, she didn’t want them to freak out that she lives in a big mansion, also over the fact that she’s the daughter of Eric Lee, current owner of L.E.E Company, something about cars and .

Illegitimate daughter.

She grew up without a father. Her mom used to tell her stories about him, about how they met when she was a kid, and she’d ask where he was, she’d reply that he was working. With the lack of money to sustain them, her mom really worked hard and had multiple jobs while she does her business which is to study hard, graduate and find a good job so she won’t be working anymore.

You see, she’s actually a softie beneath those layers and layers of stupidity, bravery and carelessness.

Anyways, when she grew up and actually got a grasp of their situation, Jin Hee knew that her father was indeed working, not for them, but for his own, legal family. Her mom never said that he already passed away, so she assumed it to be like that since it was a pretty popular reason for broken families—getting impregnated by a married man. But as time passed by, she was contented with just her mother. Jin Hee never bothered to ask about him much less find his whereabouts. Waste of time since she was having fun with her mother by her side, and her love was enough to fulfill her dad’s place.

Everything turned upside down eight months ago.

Her mom passed away because of tuberculosis that Jin Hee never knew she had. If she were asked about a great ability of hers, it was the ability to hide all the things she did not want Jin Hee to see. Now that she thinks about it, she had never seen her sad and so broken, but she knew it deep inside, she was.

Those moments were blur but she could remember her voice shouting for help as she found her lifeless, pale body. On her hand, she clutched a photo of herself carrying Jin Hee and a man smiling into the camera. When she flipped the photo, she found three names; her mom’s, hers, and the man’s, one date; her birthday and an address.

Out of sadness and anger, Jin Hee went to the address since she decided she couldn’t do it all. Getting over her death, her funeral, about what would happen to her after all those. She was still a minor.

You know, it could’ve been a perfect drama scene. Where she walks into the streets, almost lifeless, soaking wet from the rain and had no direction, but one person just had to ruin to picture.

That one strict guard.

The old man didn’t let her through at first. She literally begged him to call the man named Eric Lee and tell him she’s his daughter to Seo Kyung Ri, he did and then took Jin