"Flight no. KA2713 flying from Los Angeles to Seoul is ready for boarding. Can passengers flying First Class please come forward to the desk to be assisted on board."

The voice of the flight attendant blasted through the broadcasting system, waking up the tired travellers around Joohyun. However, for the girl who was finally heading home for the first time in 9 years, she had been way too absorbed with her thoughts to notice the announcement. If not for her plain-clothed bodyguards being there to remind her, she would most certainly have missed the flight.

The thought of returning alas placed her in a dilemma. On one hand, she was more than glad to see her father and old friends, but on the other, she had only be sent back to do something which she found petty and meaningless --- to be a soialite. 

"It must be the stupid invention of ladies to justify their constant spending and partying," she mumbled under her breath to no one in partiular as she stepped onto the plane. Despite her grumpy mood, she managed to fake a sweet smile at the air hostess who had helped her to her seat. She would never be those kind of people who have others suffer because of their own bad temper.

It did not take long for Joohyun to get to her seat. For one, she was seated at the First Class and there were only a limited number of seats. Moreover, sitting at that privilieged area meant extra assistance from the staff. But in all honesty, Joohyun was not happy with the arrangement. Her father had been adamant that she took the company's private jet while she insisted on flying economy. With both sides being impossibly stubborn (the father and daughter are alike after all), they came to a compromise that Joohyun could take the commerial plane on condition that she was to enjoy only the best service. This was how the girl ended up in that section of the plane.

At that thought, she let out a sigh. "Why does ahbuji insist on wasting his hard-earnt money?" she wondered.

The Seo Fashion and Textile Inc.(SFTI) had in fact been passed onto Joohyun's father after 3 generations. The company had never seen a brighter future than the present, now that he was the CEO. He had been open about different ideas and was more than willing to have his business undergo tremendous reform if it meant increasing sales. And so, he became the richest entrepreneur in Seoul in a matter of 10 years since he took over the company and remained at the top till now. While he was extremely liberal when dealing with business matters, he was the exact opposite when it came to family affairs. If not for that, he would never have insisted on having Joohyun inherit her mother's spot as the socialite of the family when it was clear that she detested the idea of it.

Joohyun's mom had been the brightest socialite to shine in the Seoul social circle in her years. She had always been deemed as the perfect hostess and best-dressed lady by magazines and the internet. Other females looked up to her as their fashion icon for her style was impeccable yet elegant. Having been the face of SFTI for more than a decade, Mrs. Seo had been one of the crucial reasons why the company bloomed so fast. However, when Joohyun was nine, Mrs. Seo was unfortunately involved in a car crash that ended her life.

Maybe the idea of being reminded of his wife constantly had been too painful, Mr. Seo decided it was best if Joohyun went abroad to study for a few years. Those few years quickly became 108 whole months and when Joohyun turned 18, the old man decided it was high time his daughter took her mother's place. Joohyun had been utterly mortified by the idea for she was certainly too shy and reserved to be even the dullest of socialites. Also, she felt that by becoming a socialite, she would, in a way, taint her mother's legacy and she loved her umma too much to do that. On this issue, the father and daughter had argued for half a year but being the loving daughter she was, Joohyun promised to obey her appa's orders as long as he made sure that being a socialite would not get in the way of her studies. So, it was decided that Joohyun would study Music at Seoul National University while fulfilling her socialite duties. Nevertheless, Joohyun was still unsettled by the idea of becoming the "it" girl of the town. If she failed, it was not only her own reputation being ruined but her late mother's and SFTI's. 

Her heart remained heavy the whole flight and she could not bring herself to sleep or enjoy any inflight entertainment despite the 10-hour flight. When the plane neared Incheon International Airport, her chest got even heavier as if someone had placed rocks there. She was extremely worried, worried about her performance, worried she would not appeal to people, worried she would fail, and most of all, worried she would disappoint her parents. She may seem uncaring about becoming a socialite, but she would never want to make her appa unhappy in any circumstances. 

"It is not like you are starting your new role this instant," Joohyun said to herself, "If you need to worry, wait till you get home." At that, the girl forced herself to smile and stepped out of the cabin.

As Seohyun reached immigration, her bodyguards attempted to lead her to the VIP zone so that she could have her travel documents checked faster. But being the disciplined girl she was, she insisted to line up with the other passengers, not wanting to take advantage of her status as daughter of an important man (Mr. Seo was not only a rich man, but a major contributor and supporter of the Seoul government). She detested it when people demanded for extra benefits just because they were more important. She knew her stiff habits made her boring and even unwelcoming, but she refused to yield to the general public's standards of a lady or socialite. And like that, it took her half an hour to get past immigration.

By the time she was done, her bodyguards seemed to have disappeared, probably struggling to get past the immigration clearance with a lot of travellers lining up. Waiting for another five minutes and getting impatient, Joohyun decided that she would collect her own luggage and leave first. It is not like I would require my bodyguards any time soon, she thought. When she was done claiming her bags and seeing that there was still no sign of those two men, she proceeded to the arrival hall. As she walked, she could hear people shouting loudly and yelling outside, and quickly assumed that some friends and parents must be really happy to see their buddies or children back home, safe and sound. The thought of that made her smile and she wondered if her father would do the same. The instant that idea flashed across her mind, she scolded herself for being childish. Her father was far too busy and prominient to do such a silly thing. With that, her smile fell.

Finally, upon reaching the exit of the hall, she heard sudden outcries by people.

"There she is!!!"

"Miss Seohyun! Look at  this direction!!"

"Are you glad to be back??? Miss Seohyun?"

Whose that Seohyun, she thought to herself. As she raised her head, she was shocked by the seas of reporters and journalists before her. Flash flights kept blinking incessantly. For a second, she hoped they were targetting at someone behind her but she knew it was not the case when every pair of eyes were clearly on her. Her lightened heart grew heavier that instant, and before she realized it, she felt her legs give way. The clicking of the cameras grew louder and louder as she felt everything go black. Before she out completely, someone caught her in their arms and with one last glance at her rescuer, she fainted. 

Author's Note:

I hope this chapter was neither too short nor too long for you. Thank you very much for all the subscribers and the comments I have received. I cannot stress enough how thankful and glad I am. Hopefully, this chapter was not boring for you since it's a background of Seohyun's family and development of her personality. Please tell me your thoughts on this chapter and I will try my best to make amends in the next chapter.