There is one and only person that you will love for the rest of your life.

Tiffany believed it. She even asked her mother: “Eomma, then Appa is your only love and you’re his too, right?”

The question was innocent but the answer was not. Every time she questioned her mother, the older woman just smiled. As the young age as Tiffany was, she considered it as Yes, but when time passed by and she grew up, Tiffany realized life wasn’t as beautiful as what she dreamed.

Tiffany loved fairy tales. She loved it very much especially stories with Prince and Princess. Tiffany always insisted her mother to read her favorite book, Cinderella, before bedtime.

She thought it so wonderful. The nice and beautiful girl living with evil step-mother and two sisters with the help of fairy godmother, she managed to go to palace and meet her Prince Charming. A whole thing started with one glass slipper that Cinderella finally found her happy ending.

Tiffany had been sitting in front of her house and waited for the Prince Charming. She was waiting and waiting but no one appeared.

“Fany-ah, if you continue to wait, I don’t think your prince will come.”

“Then when will he come?”

The mother seemed to be uneasy with her question.

“Soon,”

“Soon is when?”

“I don’t know… but I’m sure he will come if Fany be a good girl.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure, dear. Now, come inside and help Eomma to cook, ne?”

Tiffany had been a good girl. Up to now, she was still a good girl. Yet, her Prince Charming never came, even when she had been put into a situation as Cinderella.

Her mother had passed away in an accident. Her father who occasionally visited her picked her up to his home. And there, Tiffany realized she was indeed a Cinderella but there was one thing. Cinderella was her father’s official child, the first daughter, while Tiffany was just a child born out of wedlock.

Tiffany had a pride. She couldn’t bare the fact when her step-mother and sister insulted her own mother.

“I heard that your mother is a , right? That’s why she seduced my father and had you.”

Tiffany was young. She didn’t understand the definition of but after looking up, she had taken a grab of what they said. And a few minutes later, the step-mother found her daughter and Tiffany lying on the ground, fighting their head off.

“Don’t you dare to insult my mother! She is a dignified woman!”

“Dignified? What a great sense of humor you have. If she is dignified, she won’t throw herself on a marriage man! Do you know why you can’t see him often? Because you’re unofficial child, an unwanted brat!”

That night, Tiffany had been locked up in the basement, with no food, no water or even a blanket to cover her in winter time. There were only brats, cockroaches and the dimmed moonlight through the window.

And also in that night, a new Tiffany was reborn.

Ten years old, Tiffany realized, there was no such thing called fairy tales in life. Life is a bunch of cruel things that were ready to crush you whenever you’re off guard.

And Prince Charming had been buried in the deep bottom of her heart where there was no way out.

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“Tiffany!”

Here we go again, an announcement of a torture.

“Why is my shirt blue? It supposed to be white!”

That was ridiculous. The shirt was blue ever since she bought it.

“But Eonnie, your shirt was−”

A slap echoed the room. Tiffany felt her left cheek burning.

“Didn’t I tell you not to talk back?! You…”

The rest was chaotic. Hearing and optic mixed together. Having suffered this for years, Tiffany was used to it. They would use every single excuse that could be thought of to vent out their anger on her.

Tiffany knew it. They hated her. They hated her for stealing their husband/ father’s attention. They hated her for her mother. They hated her for being such a good girl. Basically, they hated her for… being born.

Six years old, Tiffany first came here. Seeing such a luxury house from outside, she didn’t expect to see those cruel things lying inside. Don’t judge a book by its cover, no? Tiffany had learnt it deeply.

When her mind came to consciousness, her body felt like being run over by a truck. Her legs were numb, her arms seemed like it was twisted and her head was hurt like hell. Tiffany remembered blurrily that they hit her in the head with something but like she cared, she couldn’t escape from it anyway.

Tiffany didn’t cry anymore. A few first times when she was hit, yes, she did but now, her tears was dry and Tiffany was exhausted as well.

There is no use crying over spilled milk.

But,

When would she escape from this?

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“What are you doing?”

Tiffany was surprised to find Cho Hee, her step-sister, inside her room.

“What are you doing with my treasure box?”

A sudden alarm went off in her head as she spotted Cho Hee was holding her mother’s picture.

“Give it back!” She jumped into Cho Hee, wanting to take the photo back like her hands were the dirtiest thing in the world.

Cho Hee was taller. She raised the picture out of Tiffany’s reach. “So this is your mother? She is just normal, even a bit ugly. I wonder what Appa saw in her.” Tiffany was trying to jump up. “I think you inherit a lot from her, ugly and trashy.”

“Give it back!” Tiffany used her all might to jump and grabbed a hold of it.

“Let go! I’m still looking at it!”

“No, you let go!”

“You little brat!” Cho Hee kicked into Tiffany’s stomach as her back hit the wall. Each of them had the half of the photo.

Tiffany was staring wide eyes at the picture. It was torn apart between her and her mother. She was holding her mother’s half.

“Oops, it’s ripped.” Cho Hee fake apologized. “Hey brat, you want your picture back, don’t you? Here you go.” She dropped it in front of Tiffany who was stunned.

Tiffany was still stunned at the scene when Cho Hee exited with a sinister smirk on her face.

----------------------------------------------------

Tiffany was sitting in the garden. She was holding the two halves of the picture in her hand.

Tiffany didn’t know how to express herself now. Everything from her past seemed falling apart from her. When she first came here, she thought she was going to have mother and sister for real but thing had turned out too ugly.

Now think about it, Tiffany realized she was too naïve. She believed those fake smiles of them were real until her father went aboard for business. Those two mother and daughter revealed their real faces. What did she believe? She expected someone would take other people’s child as their own? Especially when she was an illegitimate child.

A sound of bark went from behind Tiffany as she turned around, she saw a white little furry dog.

“Hey little one, how can you be  in here?” Tiffany smiled as she picked up the puppy. “Are you lost?” The cute puppy kept blinking his eyes and waving his tail.

Tiffany looked at its necklace. “Prince, eh? What a special name you have. Your owner house is not far from here. It’s just a few block from here.” Tiffany hugged the puppy in her arms. “Come on, I will take you home.”

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“May I help you?” A mid-aged woman asked when she found a young girl standing I front of her house without knocking or ringing the bell. 

Tiffany was startled. “Y-yes, Ahjmma, I found your dog.”

The ahjumma smiled when she saw the little puppy in Tiffany’s arms. “Oh, I’m sorry, Miss. I thought you’re strange person. Thank you for bringing him back. My daughter had been worried.”

“Would you like to come in?” She opened the door. Tiffany was about to refuse when the woman beat her to it. “We’re having tea party. Please, come in.”

“Prince!” A small figure ran toward Tiffany and took the puppy from her. “Bad Prince! Why did you run away from Princess like that?”

“Miyoung, aren’t you going to thank Eonnie?”

“Oh right!” The little girl shout in realization. “Thank you a lot, Eonnie!”

“Princess?” Tiffany turned around, questioned the older woman.

“My daughter loves fairy tales. She calls her dog Prince and addresses herself Princess.”

“Eomma, can I call Mr. Teddy Bear Prince?” “Ah, I get it,” Tiffany’s smile seemed forceful. She used to do that.

“Eonnie, Eonnie,” The little girl pulled on Tiffany’s dress.

“Yes, dear?” Tiffany bent down and smiled sweetly.

“Do you believe in Fairy Tales?”

Children were innocent but sometimes, their question was too cruel.

Tiffany stopped for a moment and before smiling weakly at the awaiting girl. “Yes, I do,”

Now, she could understand fully her mother’s feeling at that time.

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When Tiffany said goodbye to her newly-making-friends, the sky was already dark.

“I’m gonna get killed when I come back home.” Tiffany sighed.

That day, night was beautiful. Stars were twinkling on the sky. There were so many stars that Tiffany thought she could see a whole Milky Way. Cool wind brushed lightly in her hair making the night feel more ease.

The light and laughter coming out from houses were so heart-warming but it was no place for her.

“I guess I have to go home now.” Home. Tiffany silently snickered inside. She wondered if that place could be called home for her.

Though it was just a short time she spent with that family, Tiffany felt so welcomed. She felt as if thirty years in her father’s house− no, it wasn’t house, it was more of hell− thirty years in hell was all in vain. And you know, human’s aspiration had no limit. After being experienced happiness, she wanted more.

Tiffany turned her head to the direction of The Hwang house. It was no where to be seen. The house was at the corner at the end of the neighbor. The Hwang was a wealthy family so it had a special place, isolated with the others.

The home of Tiffany was far away. It was not in her sight and she was not in its sight too. No one was watching her now.

Tiffany felt her hand trembling and her legs shivering. The sinful urge of running away from her house was welling inside. If she wanted to escape, this was the right time.

She had always wanted to get out of it, hadn’t she?

She was desperately longing to leave, wasn’t she?

Now, it was the right time.

Run!

Her inner mind shouted.

Tiffany waited no time running to the opposite direction of her home. She didn’t know if this was a foolish idea. She didn’t know if it was right for her. She didn’t know if her life would turn out better after this. But Tiffany knew one thing, she need, had to do it now.

No matter what the consequences were, at least, she had tried.

The only thought inside Tiffany’s mind at that time was Run! Run! The further, the better! Run as much as you can.

The Cinderella in story didn’t try all by herself. She only succeeded thanks to the magic wand of the Fairy Godmother. She succeeded thanks to the help of the mice.

In real life, there was no Fairy Godmother. There were no mice to help either. But, the Cinderella was trying her own to meet her Prince Charming.

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Hi, Lucia is texting.

Thank God, I still can write! I’m so happy! *spazzing* I make it in time, right? Today is still Tiffany’s Birthday, isn’t it?

Happy birthday to Fany Fany Tiffany! Wish you all the best, my eye-smile Princess! Happy birthday! *throw confetti*

Btw, I change Tiffany’s character. There was some opinion that the old Tiffany is so vulnerable so I change it. I was thinking that if I have changed Tiffany, maybe, I will change Siwon too. And maybe, this story will turn different to the old one as well.

Which one do you prefer? Old or new? Please give me your opinion.

Thank you and enjoy reading ^^