Chapter 1: The Contract

“Wonnie-yah! Time for school!” your umma calls from the kitchen. You stretch as you sit up from your futon. Your back cracks from the pain and the soreness of your jobs and your futon. You rub your back as you head into the bathroom to bathe and get ready for school. Honestly, school isn’t all that fun. You’d rather work and get your debts be paid than go to school and learn things you can’t even understand.

After finishing up, you go to the kitchen and greet your umma.

“Where’s appa?” you ask as you take water from the too-small fridge.

“Appa’s at work already. Uh, Wonnie-yah…Your birthday’s tomorrow…” your umma looks down at her worn out hands.

“Gwenchana, umma. All I need is you and appa by me and I’m fine. I don’t need anything else. Please,” you go up to her and hold her hands. Your umma smiles a sad smile.

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As you walk to school, you see your best friend, Yiyi, walking with a crepe in her hand.

“YAH! Wang Yiyi!” you shout and run to her.

“Oh, Won Hee-ah. Annyeong! Want a bite?” she hold out her crepe. You shake your head. This girl, you thought, always eating, but never gaining any weight…Aigoo… You smile at your friend, who is savoring every bite she takes from her crepe.

You two finally reach the school and there is a huge crowd gathered around a small place. You guys go over there and see two freshmen fighting. There were no teachers to be seen and the over-weight school guards are just eating their donuts and drinking coffee. One freshman is now on top of the other, punching the living daylights out of the one under him. The crowd chants “YEA!””HIT HIM!” You can’t watch any longer and squeeze through the crowd. You finally get to the very center and you yank the boy up and away from the other. Yiyi follow you and does the same to the other boy.

“What do you guys think you’re doing right now?” you ask in a stern voice. The boy looks at you with a dark aura.

“Why do you give a f***?” he asks. You thump him on the head. You hated people who would talk back to you with an attitude. It just irritates you so bad. You do a move on him that makes him kneel down.

“DO. NOT. CUSS. AT. ME,” you say. The crowd of students slowly start to back away, knowing who you are. By now the boy was absolutely terrified of you. He says sorry and you let him off. He ran so fast, he could be the pr