Researches indicate that if a child is raised with love and care, they will grow up loving and caring as a result. But the most important thing you can offer them is time and comprehension. Without those two, love and care won’t be enough. 

Wendy Son or Son Wendy was a clear example. Raised by two loving parents who would set the world aside if their little girl needed their attention, was a 17-year-old loving ball of sunshine. She was kind and patient, never doubting going out of her way to help those in need even if that meant she had to change her plans for the day. If you asked her if she found it troublesome, she would deny it immediately and grace you with a toothy smile that had the holy power to melt your worries away. 

Wendy was just like that, an innocent soul in a world full of darkness. It didn’t help at all that she was living on her own in another country far away from her parents. Both of them were Korean but due to her father’s job they had to move to Canada five years before she was born. When she was 2 they decided to go back to their homeland and take their little princess to meet their family, who was dying to meet that tiny sunray. It was a magic moment for Wendy that lasted only five years as her father suddenly announced they would be returning to Canada right away due to an important job opportunity. She was heartbroken but there was nothing she could do but smile through the tears as she left behind her newfound family and that place she called home those past five years. 

Being an only child can be lonely sometimes because even though she had her parents there by her side it just wasn’t the same. To her surprise, her goofy side appeared to be amusing to the Canadian kids at her new elementary school and who welcomed Wendy with open arms. As years passed, Wendy grew up to be the perfect daughter. She was an honor student who would often go to competitions representing her school. While her friends' interests changed and were more into trendy stuff, she remained the same. She didn’t care about any of those things but was glad they never pushed her around to be like them. Sadly, as time went by, they started to slowly drift away until smiles and greetings were the only things left between them. It hurt so much when she realized she had lost them but learned to cope with it because she strongly believed she had many things to be thankful for and hopefully, she would make new friends once she became a high school. 

It didn’t help either that her parents were a little overprotective of her, being hard for her at times to just go out on her own. Either she would have to be with one of them or call them every hour. Wendy loved her parents so much but she felt like she was living inside a comforting cage.

But things are bound to change at some point and luckily for her, the time had come. She was looking for a book to help her solve a very troubling equation when an ad appeared and her eyes lit up. It was the chance she had been looking for and she set her mind to making it happen. For years she had complied with everything her parents said and asked, so they didn’t have any reason to say no to her. They almost had a mental breakdown and it took many days of convincing before they let her apply for a 100% scholarship in Korea that included a place to stay, and a monthly allowance. In the end and almost unwillingly, they accepted. It was going to be 4 years but totally worth it.  

The day finally came and she found herself looking at her mom crying as if she was never coming back to her. Her father was smiling but there was worry in his eyes. He didn’t believe his daughter leaving was a good idea and anxiety almost took over but her comforting hug dissipated any doubts. They had to trust that she would be alright. So after a heartful embrace, they let her go. 

Wendy was excited as she saw her plane take off. She had been imagining the day she would reunite with her long-lost friend, the only one she got to make back then and that sadly had to leave behind along with her family. Not one day went by without her thinking about that girl, so she prayed she would be thinking of her as well. She closed her eyes and dreamed about having a beautiful school life surrounded by friends and family she hadn't seen in years. All those Korean classes had to pay off because she was going to look for them as soon as her plane landed. 

Sad to say, things didn’t go as she planned. She went to the location her parents gave her fighting against the cruel jetlag but the people she found weren’t her grandparents. She was told they had moved out years ago, but she didn’t find it surprising as her parents had lost communication with all of them after they went back to Canada. They wrote letters that were never replied to and calls that were never answered. She always thought that maybe something bad happened before or after their departure, something her parents didn’t want her to know because no matter how many times Wendy asked to go to Korea for a much-deserved vacation, they would always have an excuse to not go.

Also, Korean society wasn’t what she expected. Wendy’s appearance wasn’t something acceptable to them as she didn’t match what they considered their beauty standards. She had no intention of following them which brought her downfall as soon as she set foot inside that hell called SM High School. For a little background, SM High School was one of the best schools in Korea, which meant that only the best could get in through status or perfect grades. It was the only school in the entire country that lasted a total of 4 years. Excellence and knowledge were promised by the end of the fourth year, as well as a high grade in the Korean College Scholastic Ability Test.

High school can be a savage place for girls like her. Seeing as a short nerdy girl wearing oversized childish clothes with messy short brown hair, she was at the bottom of the school food chain. Some days were harder than others but she was glad she got Joy by her side. Joy was the total opposite of her. She was tall, beautiful, and always walked with such confidence that left you speechless every time. She was never afraid to speak her mind and was bold enough to make you shake in fear right away. With long straight black hair that reached her waist, milky white skin, deep dark brown eyes, an alluring voice and a very mature sense of fashion, she was one of the most beautiful girls at school so it wasn’t unknown to Wendy how people questioned Joy’s decision of befriending her. To be honest, Wendy had questioned her decision too but realized their friendship was meant to be from the start once she analyzed how they met. 

When Wendy was told she would be given a room for her to stay in those entire 4 years, she thought it would be like those tiny ones she had seen on youtube where barely a bed fits but was proven wrong. Her room was located 15 minutes away from school on foot and her room was in a 5-story building. As soon as she arrived, she was given a card key that unlocked the entrance door through NFC and a one-page manual on how to set up the fingerprint lock on her apartment door. She was amused by such technology that a very funny expression made the guard giggle for a bit before going back to his blank face and offering the girl a very tender welcome as she disappeared inside the elevator. 

The 3rd-floor room 305 was her home for the next 4 years. She was shocked when she saw the long white corridor and the glossy floor perfectly clean. Her eyes spotted a total of 7 doors as she approached hers thanking god they had AC inside because she was melting away due to her failed search from before. She had already been accustomed to Canada’s cold weather so she felt like fainting due to the heat wondering how did she survive back then for so long. 

She arrived and followed the manual step by step until the room door opened with a faint ding. Her jaw almost fell on the floor when she saw how big her “room” was. No way that was considered a room, this had to be one of the nicest apartments she had ever seen. There was a small living room with smart tv and a comfy-looking couch on the left side and a table with three chairs on the right side. Two meters away from the table was a small kitchen with a stove, microwave, coffee maker, and sink. While Wendy was taking in every corner she looked straight forward to see a door halfway opened that let her catch a glimpse of a very comfy bed with folded bedsheets on the edge. There was a closed door that she assumed was the bathroom, and indeed it was. She was too tired to even take a bite so she crashed on the bed and covered herself with one of the blankets before passing out. 

The next day she woke up famished. It was barely 10 am on a sunny Saturday morning, which she was glad she got to enjoy due to the white curtains and white walls. White was a good color to keep her sane although she preferred blue. Classes would be starting on Monday so she still had plenty of time to buy everything she needed to make this place her home throughout the day, but getting and eating breakfast was her goal at that moment. She put on a beanie to cover up her messy hair and some pants with her usual oversize baby blue sweater. Being full of energy, she forgot to look up where the nearest convenience store was, so she got lost in the middle of her mission. 

Hungry, weak, and thirsty but she finally spotted an EMART24 in the distance. She ran like a gazelle escaping a lion, which resulted in her crashing into someone who was barely coming out of a store, and who sadly got in her way. Wendy felt the air being out of her as her body collapsed loudly on the ground. She heard a crack that was probably her spine but that was forgotten when a grunt in front of her tampered with her pain. 

Wendy saw in horror how the poor girl tried to sit up. Her bags were scattered on the floor with what seemed to be shirts peeking out. Her stylish white shorts now looked grayish with her very revealing green blouse making Wendy look away when she caught a glimpse of her cleavage. 

“What the hell?! Are you blind or something?” Her voice broke her thoughts and she approached the girl who was mad as hell trying to get up. 

The poor Wendy was shaking. “I-I’M SO SORRY!!! I should have paid more attention to where I was going. Are you okay? Are you hurt? I’m so sorry!!” Wendy was rapping with all those apologies while trying to clean up her dirty blouse with her hands as if that could help but stopping hastily to help the girl stand up. 

The girl in front, who was fuming seconds ago, got quiet when she saw the short girl’s predicament grabbing those sneaky hands that weren’t conscious of the place they were touching. 

Wendy jumped back when she noticed the strong hold on both of her wrists that became loose as seconds passed. Her eyes looked up until she met those deep ones that seemed annoyed. She was appalled by her beauty until a very sweet scent caught her attention and finally realized their position, the girl who was a lot taller than her was almost hovering above her so she looked away feeling her ears getting hotter.

“Thank god you finally calmed down.” Her sudden words made the shorter one look back little by little until she had a full view of that beautiful face. “Why were you running like that? Was someone following you?!” Her tone suddenly changed and there was a tone of alarm in it while she darted her eyes everywhere just to make sure they weren’t being observed.

Wendy looked down and took a deep breath. So deep that there was no more room for air in her lungs. “No. I’m sorry. I was just…” Her voice trailed off.

“Just what?” The girl asked with an eyebrow raised that Wendy missed because she was acting like a kid who was about to get whopped. 

“Hungry.” She muttered as she was playing with her fingers while waiting for a reply.

The tall girl freed her wrists and frowned lowering her face. “What did you say? I couldn’t hear you.” 

Wendy felt the shivers down her spine and gulped down before repeating that one dreadful word. “Hungry.”

To say the girl in front was shocked was an understatement. Was this kid for real? She took a deep breath with her eyes closed and pressed her temple with her index finger, something she always did to calm herself down. 

Wendy wanted to take the chance to run away but she wasn’t raised like that, so she picked up the bags and dusted them off instead something that didn’t go unnoticed by the beautiful girl who was trying to grasp what was left of her sanity. 

“Were you that hungry to be running like a maniac on the streets?” The words left with no filter like they always did but at least she was trying to be considerate this time. Trying.

Wendy wanted to answer but she didn’t know how to. What was she supposed to say? That she got lost while looking for the convenience store? 

“I got lost while looking for the convenience store.” Exactly. She never lied and this wasn’t going to be the first time. She would beg on her knees for forgiveness if she needed it. That’s what she was planning to do when a warm finger pushed her chin up forcing her to look at those eyes once again. 

Those eyes scanned every inch of her face. “You look Korean.” And she did, thanks to her parents. “Where are you from?” Wendy got a little immersed in those plump red lips for a second.

“Huh? Oh! I’m from Canada. I barely arrived here yesterday.” She was replying curtly but tried to keep it as short as possible. She tended to almost spill out her entire life to strangers which was not a safe thing to do at that moment. 

“Alone?” She asked the other one with a confused expression.

Wendy cleared and wetted her chapped lips with her tongue, which the other one caught sight of. “Yup. I got a scholarship for SM High School.” Her eyes almost bulged out when she realized the information she revealed. “I…I got lost while looking for a convenience store so when I finally found it I became crazy. I apologize for what I caused. Let me buy you a new shirt and new shorts.” She cleared feeling it so dry along with that she thought for a second she wouldn’t be able to speak anymore. She was so thirsty that she wanted to cry. 

“It’s okay. You don’t need to go that far.” Her luscious lips broke in a smile. “I’m Sooyoung but you can call me Joy. Welcome to Korea. You should be careful though, most people here won’t tolerate you running into them like that, and god forbids those to be elders.” She placed her hand on Wendy’s shoulder and gave it a light squeeze to help her relax when she saw the shock on her face. “I’m also attending SM this year, so I guess we are going to see each other often. Hopefully, we’ll get to be in the same class.” She led Wendy by the hand and the short one thought she would take her to the convenience store.”What’s your name?”

Wendy’s mood suddenly took a turn and her cheeky smile appeared. That smile made Joy smile even wider than before. “I’m Wendy. Nice to meet you Joy. Joy is a beautiful name, just like you.” Her eyes disappeared into beautiful crescents and it surprised the tall beauty how different she was from the cowering girl a few minutes ago. Maybe it had been her fault, she could be scary most of the time.

“Thank you. Yours too.” Her eyes also disappeared and that caught Wendy off guard. “Do you like spicy food Wendy?

“Huh?” 

That day Joy took Wendy to her house where she met her parents and was invited to have breakfast with them. Needless to say, they became best friends after that. They didn’t get to be in the same class and she thought Joy would forget about her after that but that wasn’t the case. The tall beauty looked for Wendy every time she got a chance, had lunch and breakfast together every day, and even waited for her to go home together as well not minding that she had to part ways at some point as she lived 20 minutes away from Wendy’s apartment. 

Joy was a funny character to Wendy. You would often see her so stylish, a femme fatale like Wendy often called her but at home, she loved to be the cute type who lazed around watching dramas and eating ice cream. Talking about eating, she ate a lot but was so thin, which was the opposite with Wendy who no matter how much she tried, could only see her cheeks getting puffier. While Wendy liked to stay at home baking, Joy loved going out. She was the one in charge of pulling her out of her cave and taking her everywhere. In all honesty, Wendy was glad she was like that but a part of her felt that she was pulling her best friend down to hell with her. At one point, Joy got along with a group of girls in the school but she pushed them to the side the moment they treated Wendy as dust when she introduced her to them. Needless to say, Joy almost slapped all of them in one swing if it wasn’t for Wendy calming her down and dragging her away with an apologetic smile. After that, Joy only talked to others out of need but nothing beyond that. The other students also grew weary of her, which Wendy secretly thanked because when she was around they didn’t dare to mess up with her. 

There was an initial fear of Joy getting tired of her as it happened with her former friends but as time passed Joy was still in her life without a sign of leaving anytime soon. She would spend almost all her weekends with Wendy unless she had something to do with her family but even so, she often invited her to join them, trying to keep away the loneliness Joy and her wonderful family helped dissipate.

Her parents loved Joy as well. They were glad, Wendy had su