Tale 1

Affair is wrong. No matter what the excuse was. There’s no way breaking a faith from someone, especially from someone you love or used to love, is a good thing. Even if you don’t love her or him anymore, even if your relationship is broken and unhappy, even if you found someone else whom you love more.

Affair is always wrong, and always will.

But, there is this kind of love, no matter how wrong she or he has done… You just can’t hate her or him.

My mother is everything to me. She raised me by herself, albeit all the things she had to go through for raising an illegitimate child. She did her best to give everything for me, loving me in all her might. I know very well this harsh society since I was very young. And I know how much my mother have been through because of me. I respected and adored her very much despite all the wrong doings she had done—and that’s a lot. Until now, you would have noticed that my mother isn’t a saint, she is so far from that, and she had done a lot of wrong things…

But this one time, was a bit too much. Not because she never did anything worse than this anyway, but this thing was… too much for me to bear. She had an affair with her superior, and they were going married soon after the superior’s divorce. She even had moved together with him.

I can’t hate my mother. I love her too much, so I can’t hate her, right?

My mother loved him too much already, and he is extremely rich, one who would always protect my mother, a perfect catch everyone would call. What more can I ask? She was happy. Then again… I can’t hate her, can I?

“Sooyoung-unnie!” called a soft bright lovely voice from a not-so-different-from-her-voice-looking girl. I sighed and turned my wheel opposite direction from that girl. Today was an exhausting day, after a sleepless night doing my homework, I accidently overslept in the most killer professor’s class, and undoubtedly grounded. I just don’t want to deal with this girl right now.

She kept calling me even I obviously didn’t want to see her. It is just so tiring… Why can’t she understand?

“Just stop being so kind to her, Seohyun… like her doesn’t deserve your kindness!” said one of her friend loudly so that I could hear her. What had she eaten today? Why did she say something like that? She used to call me with ‘more powerful’ curse. She must have lost her mocking talent. I sighed again and kept walking. I bet she had an exhausting day just like me.

“Don’t call my sister like that, Tiffany-unnie...”  Wow. What a nice sister I have, and what a I am to give a cold shoulder to her. I sighed all over again. I want to skip this day please…

“It’s such a pity a nice kid like you to have an evil stepsister like that. You have to tell me if that and her mother start to make you do housework!” “Aww.. Your life must be as hard as Cinderella…” “Our beautiful Hyunnie… This is saddening me…” And another nonsense talk was heard from her others friend. How many more I have to sigh? This is such a tiring day. I didn’t want to walk faster, but the talk was too much tiring. So I walked faster. It’s a good thing I have a long legs after all.

“Sooyoung-unnie!” Ah… She called again… She sure is a thick-headed person. And then I felt a pat on my shoulder. Oh, I forgot she does have a long leg too. I turned to face her and gave an obviously forced smile with a raised brow, added an annoyed “What?!” written all over my face. I wonder why she didn’t catch my signal right away…

“Uhm.. There is a party tonight. Father wants you to come with us…” She said timidly. I sighed for the nth time that day. It’s already a very tiring day… Why do I need to come, anyway? “It’s father’s best friend’s son’s birthday… Father really wants you to come with us. He must have wanted to introduce you to his friends.”

Why do I need to be introduced? I’m not his daughter or even his stepdaughter yet! He and my mother already lived together in that mansion of his, but they weren’t married yet. I don’t have anything to do with them whatsoever. I choose to live in dorm so that I didn’t need to mingle in their business. Why do I have to come again?

“I’m busy.” I said tiredly.

“The chauffeur will come to pick you up at 10.” She said, being a stubborn girl that she is, “Please make sure you are at your best dress by then, Unnie… Every important person will be there.”

She said it with a friendly tone, but I get the hidden message… It’s a high class party where I didn’t use to attend, and I need to behave for the sake of her family’s name. Because, apparently, her family’s name was already tainted after my mother came in the picture.

“I said I’m not coming.”

She just smiled and walked away back to her friends who’re looking at me with disgusted look. “What an ungrateful . Who do you think you are refusing an offer to come to The Cho’s Party!”

I’m the evil stepsister, remember?

Even I was too exhausted to sigh anymore. I can’t hate my mother, can I?