Here we are! ^^ Finally, the first chapter for this story! My apologies to those who have been patiently waiting, and for those who are just joining us, welcome!

Out of all of my stories, this one has been a bit of a challenge. Given the nature of the plot, I didn't want to rush into things, which is how the chapter's development started out. Basically, just a lot of mental debating with myself.

Also, thank you GIRIRI, BreatheCarolina, AyaMisa, and kizunacho for your comments!

Anyway, please enjoy the chapter!

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"Time to wake up!"

A large pillow was suddenly slammed down on your front, abruptly dragging you out of your dream. Surprised, a yelp was ushered out of your lips as you sat up, the weariness instantly leaving your eyes. You immediately turned to the source of the offending 'weapon', finding not just one, but two of your nine sisters and their cheeky grins.

"Sister~," Hyoyeon began in a sing-song tone, winking at you.

"It's time to get up~!" Sooyoung chirped as she readied another pillow to throw at you. She yelped and jumped to the side when you suddenly countered with a pillow of your own, chucking it with great force.

"It's so early," you yawned afterwards, rubbing your eyes, "What's the occasion?"

"Yahh..." Hyoyeon tsked, waving her finger at you, "Sis, did you forget? Today's a special day."

Your words were slurred together and coated with grogginess; you were still unaware, "Special...day?"

"We're going to the big market that's being held in the library today!" Sooyoung exclaimed, grinning as all signs of sleepiness instantly left you. "T-That's today?!" You shrieked, rolling out of bed. Once on your feet, you realized that your sisters have already laid out your dress on a nearby chair. You rushed over to the seat, hastily undressing, "How could I forget?!"

"How could you forget?" Hyoyeon laughed, avoiding your flung nightdress with a small tilt of her head, "Out of everyone, you were excited the most when the date for it was announced."

"Well yeah," you replied, now clothed in only your undergarments and shoes, "the markets at the park are the only time I can find cool and rare stuff." You proceeded to dress yourself, first slipping on your under petticoat. As you clothed yourself, you voiced your complaints of Victorian fashion, annoyed by the layers upon layers women had to wear to be 'fashionable'.

"Even if they cost an arm like that book of poems you got at the last market?" Sooyoung queried with a giggle, motioning for you to sit on the stool before taking her place behind you, her small, soft hands reaching for the long, thick strings of your bodice.

"Of course! Anything written by Dr. Lee is valuable! Especially since so few copies of his works were actually publishED!" Your voice leaped to a high-pitched yelp when your sister tugged a bit too hard on your laces, your hands gripping the skirt of your underdress. She murmured an apology, also adding, "We have to hurry if we're going to get there on time. Just bear with me, okay?"

You nodded with a wince, hoping that she finishes soon. Hyoyeon giggled lightly, shaking her head, "Sooyoung-ah, she's already dying with excitement. No need to overkill her!"

"Yah!" The tall girl pouted agitatedly, pulling on your strings hard once again, "I'm trying my best! If we don't hurry soon, we're going to get in trouble!"

"My lungs! My lungs!" You choked out loudly, your hands flying to your corset as it squeezed the life out of your torso. You attempted to break open the thick material of the undergarment, hoping to reclaim some oxygen.

"Ah, sorry, sorry!" Sooyoung apologized with a shriek, loosening her hold. You inhaled sharply, letting out a deep, relieved exhale as you were able to breathe freely.

"...I'm almost done, just so you know," she added, picking up the laces once again.

Immediately, you turned around and pushed her hands away, your head snapping back as you pleaded to your other sister, "Yah! Hyoyeon-unnie, can you do it for me, please?"

Grinning widely, she nodded, waving away Sooyoung in a snooty manner, "Step aside, Sooyoungie. Let the master do this."

She rolled her eyes in return, dropping the strings as she moved to the side, "Like you can do any better."

Hyoyeon barked out a loud cackle as she replaced Sooyoung, sticking her tongue out at the short-haired brunette, "At least I won't kill our sister." Her hands made quick, not to mention painless work with the rest of your lacing. She gave the younger sibling an arrogant smirk as she lightly patted your shoulder, "There, all done~"

"Show off," Sooyoung muttered, crossing her arms grumpily.

You stood up from the stool before turning around to face Hyoyeon, giving her a big hug to show your appreciation, "Thank you, unnie."

Hyoyeon grinned, graciously returning your embrace with one of her own, sticking her tongue out at Sooyoung just to rub it in, "You're welcome."

"Yah, who can be this mean at this hour?" Sooyoung queried exasperatedly, a cross expression forming on her face.

"And who can be this terrible at helping their sister dress up?" Hyoyeon shot back as you and her broke away from your hug. She walked over to Sooyoung, where they proceeded to squabble over their attitudes towards each other. You could only laugh as you pulled on your long, knee-length camisole; the petty arguments that occasionally broke out between your sisters were quite hilarious,

You proceeded to slip on the final layer of your outfit, a beautiful gown shipped from a famous tailor in London. It was given to you as a present for your birthday by your sisters and your mother. The dress was absolutely perfect, not because of how well-made it was, but how it showed you how much your family knows and loves you. Your favorite color painted over the luxurious material of the dress; the material itself was one you considered to be top-tier, finding other types to be either irritating to your skin or simply sub-par in comparison. The overall design of the gown was something only your family would know as they made the commission for it to be made.

You stepped over to the full-length mirror right beside your dresser, examining yourself. The gown looked absolutely flawless on you, accentuating your shape. A bright smile stretched over your lips as you gazed into your reflection. You definitely have to thank your family once again for giving you such a gorgeous dress.

"Aigoo, you look so beautiful!" Sooyoung fawned in awe. Her argument with Hyoyeon stopped abruptly the moment the hem of your gown touched the floor as you pulled it on.

"As gorgeous as always, sister," Hyoyeon complimented with a smile, gazing at you in a motherly fashion.

You turned your head back towards your two sisters, a light blush touching your cheeks. "Thank you, unnies." You bowed deeply towards them in thanks, "I'm lucky to you have you two and the others as my sisters."

"As are we," Hyoyeon nodded affirmatively as she and Sooyoung hurried over to you just as you rose up. The duo pulled you into a tight group hug, both shouting, "Kim family hwaiting!" You laughed, shaking your head from the cheesy statement; ah well, those are your sisters for you. You immediately joined in with them, letting out your own "Kim family hwaiting!"

"Now, come! We're late!" Sooyoung then exclaimed as the three of you broke from your embrace, hurriedly ushering you and Hyoyeon out of the room. Were the three of you to linger any longer, the possibility of meeting the wrath of a certain sister would definitely increase by tenfold.

Meanwhile, the rest of your sisters were already in the carriage, all waiting for the three of you to arrive. The vehicle was drawn by ten horses, large enough to fit the ten of you (along with your mother whenever she'd join you for excursions) and had a lovely exquisite French motif to both its exterior and interior. With the latest trend to have as many Westernized things as possible,

"Has anyone ever wondered how we all manage to fit in one carriage? I mean, our petticoats make our dresses so wide and huge that I'm always astounded that all ten of us can fit in here," Tiffany mused in awe, gazing down at the bottom her dress, along with those of her sisters.

"Are you...drunk or something?" Jessica raised an eyebrow as the black-haired girl placed a hand on her dress.

"Of course not!" Tiffany pouted in return, "I'm just curious..."

Jessica eyed her with slightly narrowed eyes, seemingly displeased by her answer, "Hmph, curiosity killed the cat."

"Hey! I'm not a cat-!"

"Yah! Let's go now!" Hyoyeon exclaimed as the three of you reached the carriage, where one of the many butlers working at your household stood. He bowed his head towards you, greeting you all with a smile.

"I hope you all enjoy your day," he stated as he opened the door, helping the three of you inside.

"Thank you!" You, Hyoyeon and Sooyoung exclaimed, smiling as you returned the bow. However, the smiles on your faces were soon swept away once you found yourself looking into the slightly perplexed face of your eldest sister Taeyeon.

"You're late," she shook her head, sighing with dismay. You winced slightly, her tone blatantly showing her displeasure. 'Now I'm really going to get it...' Knowing that her attention was focused on you, Hyoyeon and Sooyoung discreetly made their way to the empty seats on the far end of the bench Taeyeon was sitting on; they were the messengers in all of this and there was no way that they were getting shot for you sleeping in.

She let out a tiny sigh. "It's your day though. While I am displeased by how late you were, I know how much you looked forward to this day," Taeyeon explained, giving you a sweet smile while gently tapping your cheek affectionately. "You're off the hook this time, sister, but please, don't make this a habit."

"Of course, unnie," you bowed your head in respect and gratitude, smiling brightly towards her before drawing her into a tight hug. You then took your seat, which was right between Soon-kyu and Yoona.

"With that said," Taeyeon said as the butler closed the door, "let's go?"

"Yes!" The rest of you answered in unison, smiles all gracing your faces. Her lips curling upwards in satisfaction, the eldest sister peeked her head out of the window right next to her, nodding her head towards the butler, who then set off to tell the carriage driver to depart. You heard a few neighs and a loud "Yah, let's go!". The carriage jerked abruptly, causing some of you to bump into each other. The sudden movement aside however, the journey to the library begun without any other issues.

"Sis, this is for you," Soon-kyu chirped as she brought out a long, oval-shaped, linen wrapped object from her purse. "When I heard that you slept in, I brought some bread from breakfast for you to eat on the way." She smiled as she handed you the loaf of bread. You bowed your head and smiled in return to your sibling's graciousness, along with the gentle heat that permeated through the linen wrapping.

As you ate, your sisters talked about the market, particularly the products they hoped to find, such as designer brands and new fashion trends from Milan, sweet perfumes from France, not to mention the various trinkets and other sorts of unknown wonders that are brought in for such a large-scale event. While you wouldn't mind leaving with a new outfit or candy from a foreign country, you were ecstatic of the prospects of the amount of books you'll see, especially if it's a book from Dr. Lee. While you believed that you were up to date on all of his present publications, you had yet to actually own any of his books. You were only able to read his works after checking them out from the library or borrowing them from your language teacher. Because of how rare actual hard copies of his books are, it's hard to actually purchase one of his creations. You hoped that this trip to market would change your situation, that you'd be returning home with a book from your beloved author.

You soon finished your loaf of bread. As you neatly folded the crumb-ridden linen, you joined in the conversation with your sisters, who were all discussing the one item they wanted to purchase the most.

"Here's to hoping that I find my dream dress at the market!" Tiffany chirped.

"You know...Speaking of dreams, did you have another dream again, sis?" Yoona queried, turning her head towards you. You quickly garnered everyone's attention. Your sisters were well aware of your extravagant dreams, as your nightly visions have been the source of your vast, uncontained imagination.

"I have actually...but I have to say, it's been strange...ever since my birthday, I've been having the same dream over and over again...well, until now, that is. I mean, I know I usually have...extravagant dreams, but for it to repeat over and over for five days straight..it's just weird," you admitted slowly. The whole situation has been perplexing to you. After all, why and how is this even happening?

"Is it even possible for someone to have the same dream every night?" Seohyun pondered out loud. Your sisters voiced similar statements, also curious to the strange phenomena.

"Tell us your dream, sister! Maybe we can all try and figure out what it means!" Yuri urged with a bright smile, clasping her hands together with intrigue.

"Well, usually I'd dream that I was inside a large mansion - a beautiful one here in Seoul. It looked exactly like our house, but it didn't have any Korean influence like our home does. The mansion was almost as if someone somehow ripped it out of some area in London brought it here all the way here. Anyway, I'd just be walking in the hallway, looking for someone..." You elaborated, closing your eyes as you recalled the images from your mind.

'Where could he be?' Your eyebrows furrowed together, your lips drooping downwards slightly in a frown. Sure, he had the tendency to be playful and teasing towards you, but leaving you to wander aimlessly around the household without saying a thing to you was so out of character of him.

"Oppa?" Your head poked in and out of various doors and hallways, looking for him but to no avail. As you searched, a shiver ran through your entire body, not from the freezing cold temperature, but from how the mansion - usually bustling with life - was absolutely dead quiet; not a single person to be seen.

Uneasiness began to develop within the pit of your stomach. The lifeless atmosphere was beginning to terrify you. Your current situation was like that of a cliche horror novel, where the leading lady would find herself alone in her home, only to be snatched away by a shadowy figure. Your eyes darted around every inch of the area; you didn't want to miss him and you most certainly wanted to be aware of any potential danger.

As you walked, you realized that you were heading right towards his study room. With each step you took, you saw an ever growing glimmer of hope. Surely, he'd be in his favorite room, right?

You stood before the redwood double doors, a foreign feeling of hesitation seizing you in your place. 'Why am I feeling this way?' You asked yourself. This was the man you love so dearly, yet why were you so reluctant to go and see if he was inside?

You waited a moment before concluding that you were being irrational, only afraid because you were alone in this immense mansion in the dead middle of winter. You pushed your fears aside and reached for the door handle, pushing down on the golden lever. You poked your head inside, calling out,

"Oppa?"

"I'm right here."

Suddenly, you felt your stomach twist in anxiety from hearing his voice. You were happy to finally hear and see him, yet at the same time, you felt this nagging desire to be as far away from him as possible. Again, you brushed those little emotions aside. 'I've known this man for so long...he can't possibly be the person who father claims he is!'

You stepped into his study, immediately feeling a gust of hot air rush by you, the smell of burnt firewood, used cigarettes and hard liquor slamming into your sense of smell. You instantly noticed that the fireplace was lit and he was standing right before it, his back facing you with his hands clasped together and behind him. His posture was relaxed but as you walked into the room, you noticed his body become rigid, as if he was surprised that someone had entered. He turned around in a flash, eyes instantly locking onto yours.

You nearly gasped in surprise. He looked like a completely different person, almost ghoulish in appearance. His skin was as pale as can be while his eyes were dark and sullen, seemingly as if someone ripped out his capability to be happy.

"Jagiya," his voice was barely a whisper, almost inaudible. Even so, you could hear a noticeable pained rasp to the little term of endearment.

"...Yes?" You responded, your volume matching his. Your eyes settled on his face, watching him bite his lip. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but had no desire whatsoever to actually speak. Even so, he cleared his throat, parting his lips to talk,

"I have to...no, I need to confess something..."

"And then I wake up," you concluded, opening your eyes to see the mixed expressions of your sisters, some confused and some in wonder.

"You have the weirdest dreams, I swear to god," Jessica rolled her eyes with a small laugh, shaking her head.

"Yah! Don't be mean!" Yuri scolded, lightly smacking the strawberry-blonde on the shoulder.

"I didn't say it was bad that she has those kinds of dreams! It's just that I thought they were weird!" Jessica defended, swatting away the taller sister's hand before crossing her arms, huffing.

Yoona pulled you into a tight hug as she pressed her cheek against yours in an affectionate manner, "Well, I like her dreams. Those dreams and her imagination make our sister, our sister."

"Ahem, don't make me the villain here!" Jessica interjected, lightly glaring at Yoona. "I agree with you. Imagination and dreams are what our little sister loves and as her sibling, who am I to judge what makes her happy?"

"Maybe," Tiffany spoke out suddenly, changing the subject as a thoughtful finger pressed against her cheek, "the reoccurring dream is a sign that something's going to happen?" She gasped not a moment later as an idea struck her, "Maybe you're going to meet that guy today!"

The carriage buggy was alive with noise with half of your sisters shrieking with excitement while the others expressed their disdain.

"As if, Fany," Jessica rolled her eyes with a snort. "Dreams are dreams. Besides," she tossed her light-colored wavy hair over her shoulder, "even if your scenario were to be true, why would we want our sister to go out with a guy who's essentially been stalking her every night?"

"It's not stalking! It's destiny!" Tiffany defended, pouting her lips. The two began to argue over whether or not your dream lover was a stalker or not. Hyoyeon, Seohyun, Yuri, and Taeyeon sided with Jessica while the other girls remained with Tiffany.

You could only laugh as the two sides debated, all in fun and playfulness of course. This is what you loved so much about your sisters. It's obvious that all ten of you agreeing on the same thing every single time is impossible, yet you didn't let that get in the way of your love for each other.

Your family was unlike others quite frankly. You and the rest of your sisters were all adopted, with the exception of Taeyeon. You and the other eight girls hailed from the same orphanage, a large, clean and simple house located on the outskirts of Seoul. The nine of you had your various stories, from losing your parents due to war or being abandoned at a young age. As for you, you had no recollection of having any parents. Your earliest memory was waking up in the orphanage one morning, hearing a seven year-old Soon-kyu calling for you to play dolls with her and Yoona.

As for how you and the others came to bear the Kim surname, you knew Taeyeon by attending the same elementary school together. Your adoptive mother and Taeyeon's biological parent, Kim Jiyeon, is a widow. She lost her husband in the recent war, one fought alongside the British, left only with the vast wealth her love had accumulated during his time as a businessman, not to mention the large Western-style mansion that you currently refer to as your home.

Given the amount of English soldiers that were stationed in Korea during the battles, there was a noticeable influence from their foreign allies. Soon, architecture, fashion trends, modes of transportation and other aspects of the Seoul city life changed as it embraced the new Western trend, watching it begin to blossom alongside the Korean culture.

Besides that, you and the other eight of your siblings would frequently stick with Taeyeon at school, forming a close sister-like bond during class and recess. Constantly, she would ask her mother if she could spend the day (sometimes even the weekend) at the orphanage, wanting to spend time with you. Other times, she would plead to allow the nine of you to come over at the mansion for a sleepover or organizing a group date to the city. Your adoptive mother soon came to see the rest of you as her own daughters rather than the friends of her daughter. The decision to adopt the nine of you was seemingly immediate. Right before you reached adolescence, Jiyeon adopted you and the other eight, and, as they say, the rest is history.

The carriage soon came to a halt as it arrived at the library's entrance. The ten of you let out happy cheers, eager to finally get out of the carriage and see all that the market has to offer. It didn't take too long for a butler, a man in his mid-forties, to exit the library and walk over to the carriage to help you girls step out; he was dressed casually, given that the market was not a formal affair. The door opened and he greeted you with a smile. He held his hand out and each of you exited the space one by one. You ducked your head as you trailed behind Sunny to avoid bumping your head against the frame of the carriage door. Your hand grasped the hand of the butler, taking slow, precise steps to avoid falling onto the floor. As one foot touched the ground, your shoulders tensed, uneasiness beginning to seep in.

You had this feeling that someone was watching you and only you.

Once your other foot reached the floor, you glanced around the area with concerned eyes, only to see that the only ones outside were you, your sisters, the butler and the carriage driver. 'Must be my imagination,' you told yourself, even though you were positive that someone was staring at you. Wanting to shake off your fears, you immediately hurried over to Sunny's side, linking arms with her as she followed Taeyeon, Tiffany, Jessica and Yoona inside.

From afar, a young man peered at you from behind a row of tall, neatly trimmed green hedges. He stared intently as he reached into his pocket, drawing out a silver pocketwatch. He flipped the lid open before checking the time.

12:00 P.M.

"Right on schedule."

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Nothing like some staring from afar to start off a story! Kekeke, anyway, thank you all for reading! And as always, any comments/subscriptions are very appreciated!