"Adeul (son in Hangul)!"

Jihoon sighed, curling his fingers around his backpack as he caught sight of his well-heeled mother pad down the marbled staircase of his house with her face mask on and her hair set in curlers.

"Yes, omma?"

"How was school today?"

"It was fine." He replied briefly, plastering a smile onto his face, hoping she wouldn't ask any more. 

"Any test results back recently?"

Jihoon's smile froze on his face as he thought of his rank falling from #1 to #2.

"Y-ye... Nope."

"Oh, none so far? Oh your teacher is marking really slowly. But anyway, my adeul will definitely be still #1, isn't that right?" Jihoon's mother stepped towards him and ruffled his neatly combed hair. 

Jihoon tried to keep his smile strategically in place. "Yes, omma."

"Anyway, appa has an important dinner thrown by the company next week. Are you free on the 19th?"

Jihoon had to suppress a sigh. "I will check my calendar now, omma." He took out his phone and to his glee, he noted that there were rehearsals planned for the inter-class competition. "I have rehearsals on that day."

"Rehearsals? For what?"

"For..." Jihoon hesitated. His mother didn't approve of him dancing, although it was his passion and he enjoyed it a great deal. According to his parents, he was groomed to be the next CEO to run over his father's company and should only focus on studies to get into a good school in the States. "It's an inter-class competition. It's compulsory for every student to participate."

"Ah, I see." She frowned deeply, clacking her well-manicured nails on her chin thoughtfully. "That's a problem. Oh, but it's a dinner, so you can leave early and come for it, right?"

Jihoon knew the tone of that voice and much as he didn't want to, he dipped his head down and conceded. "I'll go up to my room now, omma."

"Wait, adeul." She called after him and he halted. "Appa says you have to bring a date to the dinner. And I think it'll be good for you to contact Doyeon from the Lee family, their merger with the company-"

Jihoon turned around, his patience wearing down to an all-time thin. "Omma, I will bring a date on the 19th. If you will excuse me, I will go take a shower now." And with that, he just his heel and marched up to his room, not wanting to tolerate any more of his mother's imposing opinions on his life. He had enough on his plate as it is.

As he closed the door behind him and locked it, he slumped down to his bed and stared at the mirror soullessly. 

A date...

He knew he had to bring someone. His parents would take every opportunity to use him as a pawn for their business opportunities, even if it meant forcing him to date someo