Chapter One

I usually don’t do anything stupid. In front of everyone, I do good. At home, at school, at family reunions, in everything I do, is attached to the word ‘perfection’. I am my family’s pride, the reason why I’m pressured to do things perfectly. The reason why I have ‘fake friends’, and there are a lot of them I tell you.

As I said, I usually don’t do anything stupid. But I just did. I did the most stupid thing in my life, I kissed a guy in front of everyone while holding a bottle of whiskey, half empty, in one of my parent’s business party.

I, Lee Sojung, just French-kissed a stranger in the exact center of the dance floor, with every damn person inside the building looking at us like we were having a strip show right at that moment.

Well, what do you expect would’ve happened after that? Of course, there was a series of emotional events between me and my parents. Most especially my dad, he was the angriest about the incident. Having a father as one of the respected businessman will definitely cause a huge issue especially when his most adored daughter just created a ruckus of getting drunk and kissed a stranger in front of his colleagues.

And what happened after that? Let’s say they sent me to a vacation trip. Or more like a rehabilitation to fix this attitude of mine. And you know what ? Because everyone now thinks lowly of me just because of that one mistake. People would really look even for a one single mistake and attack you with it. That’s how low people would stoop down to that level only to bring you down.

Of course, I feel worse, all my life I was only praised by a lot of people. I was everyone’s role model, an epitome of beauty and brains. But right now, I couldn’t even lift my chin up, which I usually do, and meet the eyes of the people. I’m stained all right.

The negative part of being the only child and being pressured with everything is that you don’t know what to do if you fail. One mistake and all those things you’ve done good will be erased and all they could see now is what you’ve done wrong.

Seriously? People’s way of thinking is twisted.

And you’re asking why I did that in the first place? Let’s just say that in my 21 years of existence, I’ve never, ever, not even a sip, tried drinking alcohol. That’s why when the waiter offered me one, I got addicted and snatched a bottle from the bar.

“Now Sojung, I trust you from now on.” Mother said as she dropped me off the airport.

“Yeah, mom.” I mumbled as I gathered my things and turned to face her. Tears suddenly formed at the corner of my eyes. I hate to say goodbye to my mother. It’s my first time to be apart from her and I don’t know how to live without her.

“You’ll do good. Consider this as a healing time okay? You’ve suffered a lot.” Good thing about her is that she knows how I was feeling. Most of the time she’s there with me while I’m crying myself to sleep because of guilt.

“F-father?” I asked and she sadly smiled. I get it, he won’t see me off. He doesn’t care. Or maybe he does but is still mad to see me.

“I’m sorry mother. I promise I’ll be