5TH ROSE: Billionaire’s Watch

“JIN HEE-YAH!!!”

She grunted painfully when she accidentally fell from her bed because of the sudden shouting.

“Aw, aw, aw,” she winced as she rubbed her backside. She looked at her uncle who’s the one screaming his lungs out as he entered her room.

“Why are you shouting, gomo? Is the house on fire or something?” she asked as she rubbed her eyes with a slight yawn escaped from She’s still sleepy yet her gay of an uncle shouted his lungs out in frantic. I just want to sleep more! Is it too much to ask?

“Gosh, Jin Hee! The sun is already up and you’re still on your bed! I told you not to stay all night watching K-Dramas with Ji Hyo so that you can have your beauty rest. Now look, you have dark circles below your eyes. Tsk, tsk, tsk it’s not a good sight! I’ll use a huge amount of concealer on you again!” she couldn’t help but pout on her uncle’s endless rambles about her K-Drama marathon with Im Ji Hyo, one of his uncle’s restaurant staff (and his only female staff) who is just years older than her. “Get up and clean yourself up, now!”

Jin Hee groaned as she sluggishly stood up while scratching her disheveled hair. Before she could utter a word, her uncle dragged her and pushed her inside the bathroom and left her alone there, closing the door behind her. “Take a bath now, Jin Hee-yah! You’ll gonna be late in your class!”

She kept on scowling while preparing the shower. She seriously doesn’t want to go to that school full of arrogant rich brats. She really gets sick and tired hearing their boastful conversation about their money, their wealth, their net worth, their parents being well-off, their businesses and their luxury.

As if I have a choice. She huffed to herself.

“I know! I know and I will! Just, just get out of my room, gomo!” she shouted inside the bathroom.

“Ah eonneung jom haeyaing! I’ll be waiting for you outside,” she heard her uncle once more before she heard his fading footsteps out of her room. She sighed in defeat and took a shower. (*In Jeollado dialect, it means ‘just hurry up’)

*･ﾟﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*ﾟ:*:✼✿ ✿✼:*ﾟ:.｡..｡.:*･ﾟﾟ･*

“Gosh, you’re late again!” she kept on scolding herself while doing a rush single braid on her hair as she got herself off the bus and ran towards the Empire Academy’s gate. She did a quick shower earlier, trying herself not to be late in school but ended up staying an hour in her uncle’s salon making her hair and natural makeup done—which is really useless by the way because she bet that the makeup’s now wiped off because of her sweat and her curly hair was tied in an unorganized manner that she bet, Mama Shin will throw a fit about it once he’ll see it.

But that’s not her main concern as of this moment. She must not be caught by her teacher being late in the class.

Jin Hee really thanked the heavens when she saw that the school gate is still open. She managed to greet the poker-faced school guard ‘good morning’ before running towards their building.

She was panting when she reached their classroom’s door. She paused for awhile to make her breathing calm. After a minute or two of making her breath steady and wiping her sweat away, she took a deep breath once again and nervously went inside the classroom.

“I’m sorry, Madame, I’m—eh?” she almost jaw dropped and looked around when she saw not a single soul inside the classroom. She looked at her white wristwatch and read the time struck 7:30 AM. “Huh? It’s already 7:30 AM. Am I too early? Where are the others?”

“Eo? Jin Hee-ssi! Good morn—ah!” she stopped looking around the room and turned her head when she heard something fell on the ground with a loud thud!. Her eyes settled to the long, blond-haired guy who fell flat on his face. He, then, raised his head to meet Jin Hee’s surprised stare. He flaunted an embarrassed smile. “G-Good morning…”

“A-Ah, go-good morning too, Eui Chul. Are-Are you okay?” Jin Hee asked as she helped him get up.

“Thank you, I’m okay,” he beamed as he slightly shook his shoulder-leveled hair which surprisingly falls smoothly. “Thank goodness I have company now.”

“Company?” puzzled, Jin Hee looked around again. “Where’re our classmates?”

“Them? Ah, they’ll be here later,” he answered as he wiped away the dirt from his vest.

“Later? But it’s already 7:30 in the morning. They’re supposed to be here, right?” she asked, bewildered.

“Eo? Seven in the morning?” Eui Chul asked at her, puzzled. “Is that your past school’s standard time? Actually, here in Empire Academy, our classes start at eight AM. Sometimes, nine. That’s why we didn’t bother going to school early,” he shrugged.

“Anyway, why did you climb on the fence? Aren’t you aware of the school schedule?”

Jin Hee internally scowled. I should have known. I have an hour to continue my deep slumber because there’s no reason to rush. Aish.

“I went here early since I don’t have any business meetings to observe with my dad. Good thing you came here early. I’m not alone anymore. Hahaha,” he chuckled, showcasing his bright smile.

“Business meeting? So you mean, you really have one? But you’re too young for such thing,” she couldn’t help but opine.

“Yes, I know. But, that’s what we are. We have nothing to do about it,” Eui Chul said, almost in a monotone voice. “As the heirs, as the successors of our family’s businesses, we don’t have time to enjoy, mess around and play our hearts out. We’re trained to hold our companies that we’ll inherit in the near future. I almost didn’t notice that I’m still a teenager because of the responsibilities that they’re giving to us. I even forgot when I experienced my puberty,” he chuckled at her and Jin Hee knows that it didn’t reach his eyes, there’s no humor in that chuckle.

4th Law of the Elite: Elites have no time to mess and play around. They are trained in their own businesses.

She almost forgot. It was stated in their rules—in their laws, she meant.

The short silence between them was broke by Eui Chul’s ringtone. “Just a minute,” he excused himself to Jin Hee which she nodded and smiled in response. She couldn’t help but notice the luxury items Eui Chul was wearing and holding.

From those luxury items, you can really say that they’re beyond well-off. But… are they aware that there are people who are not as lucky and as well-off as them?

“Yes, Secretary Jung?” she overheard him talking to the person on the other line. “Yes… really?... Now?... Okay. Tell dad that I’m coming,” after he hung up the call, his gaze settled on Jin Hee. “Jin Hee-ssi, I might leave you here alone. Dad has an urgent appointment and he needs me there. I have to go now.”

She nodded and smiled at her in response. “It’s okay, you should go now. Take care of yourself.”

“I will. Bye!” he waved at her as he ran out of the classroom, almost tripping himself in the process.

Jin Hee couldn’t help but sigh when she was left alone the big, spacious room, embraced with pregnant silence. When will I be able to understand the people in this place? Them and their rules, their laws. Up until now, they’re still big a mystery for me… too complex for me to understand.

She unconsciously hugged herself, rubbing soothing circles on her arms.

This place is too cold for her, colder than the autumn breeze outside.

Because she has nothing to do inside the classroom, now occupied by few of her classmates and because she already finished all her assignments and got bored of nothing to do, Jin Hee decided to stroll around Empire Academy. Even if she’s cringing by looking at her rich of brat schoolmates, she walked pass them like a ghost and continue walking around the place since this is good timing for her to walk around and know the place more. But the more she walked around, the more reality slapped her how this place is much of a hierarchy and how much luck is given to these people to acquire such a luxurious life.

Why common people like us are bombarded with hardships just to achieve want we want in life while these high-profiled people are poured with easy, opulent life and they can do and have want they want? Haah, life is so unfair. The world is so unfair.

“HEY, WATCH OUT!” she turned her head to the left where there are some students playing basketball. Her eyes widen and she was petrified from where she’s standing when she saw the incoming ball to her direction. She doesn’t know how to dodge it so she just covered her head, anticipating for the ball to hit her. Suddenly, she felt something’s holding her and pulling her away from where she’s standing. She also heard a loud slam beside her and a ball rolling away from her.

When she felt that she wasn’t hit or hurt by a ball or something, she slowly opened her eyes. She gasped as ajar when she saw a familiar face in front of her, holding her in place. Coldness and seriousness are flaunting on the guy’s face and she couldn’t help but feel antsy on his hold.

Wait a minute. This guy looks familiar. Where did I saw him—ah! He’s the guy She blinked while staring at him. with drawn marks on his face!

“R-Ryeo Wook-sunbae…” those boys who were playing basketball ca