She had a pretty face, nice dress and straight, glossy hair. But her expression turned sour, pink lips frowning and she walked away, she wasn’t the first girl I had turned down tonight for a dance. In an end result, I was getting rather annoyed of these girls asking me to lead them onto the small ballroom floor. They might have needed me to feel like they mattered or if they had an ex boyfriend hanging around the bar, flirting with other women like common players.

No, I wasn’t in the mood to aid such feelings, I was only interested in going home and reading my favorite copy The Sun Also Rises. Away from petty girls, cocktails, and proper Korean conversations that were faker than plastic rubies.

Sudden praises and squeals of delight awoke me from my critic thoughts as all those said girls had crowded the main entrance and my main source of annoyance had graced his presence in the room.

They all squealed like piglets hoarding around their mother for a to latch onto, following him around as he greeted practically everyone in the room with royal delight. “Oh look dear, the Prince is here,” my elder sister chirped beside me, a wine glass equipped in her hand while her other arm wrapped around my shoulders.

She knew that I couldn’t stand him and it only irritated me further when he sauntered closer, his herd of followers reluctantly giving him space. My mother and father were always completely smitten by him once he bowed and flashed that horrendous smile of his. Politely initiating a small conversation before he addressed my sister by taking her hand and pecking it with those disgusting feather kisses he’d done to thousands of other girls.

Of course she wasn’t opposed to his attention, she loved it when other women were envious of her short spotlight he had given her. She had no further attraction towards him, being engaged to an heir of a fellow company alongside ours, but she didn’t mind his stupid hand kisses or his smile that he simply directed towards her.

I gave him a small bow once he saw me and my jaw tightened inside of my mouth once he spoke, “Hello Jaejun,” said in his soft, graceful and damn near grating voice. My sister elbowed my side and I wanted to scoff. “Ji Hoo,” I muttered and he smiled at me and it took all of my willpower not to rearrange his face with my fist.

But I wasn’t a fighter and I didn’t want to break my hand, I couldn’t even punch anyone if I wanted too. Besides, I didn’t want to waste my energy on the likes of him. He was still talking with my parents and sister while I tuned them out, and those girls, biting their lips, blushing and gawking over him. If I had a dollar for every sigh they made I would be a rich, independent man. 

It wouldn’t be so bad, making a living off of his looks and forcing him out onto the streets, basically making him my slave. He would cater to older women, by saying nothing, only an arm to hold and an , and something to flash around, like a new hand bag my sister needed every week or so.

Lost in my plot for making money, I hadn’t noticed that my parents were asking me something till my sister elbowed me again. It hurt; she needed another tactic to get my attention. I curled my lip at her and fully stood before them. “Yes?” I asked with my tone plain but not bored.

Their foreheads frowned at me while my sister smirked into her wine glass, Ji Hoo mimicking her. I wanted to scoff. Again.

“Ji Hoo was just telling us about his parents’ invitation for tea tomorrow, surely you can come in your sister’s absence?” My mother asked while my father raised an eyebrow. I used all of my energy not to refuse impolitely, it was never a good thing to refuse my parents, and I don’t know how my sister managed to get herself out of this one.

I quietly sighed, “Yes Mother, I can go.”

Ji Hoo’s lips parted and his teeth were bared in his trademark smile, and I quickly looked to my parents, who were very pleased indeed. I didn’t need to look at my sister grinning slyly; she knew what she was doing.

“If you excuse me Mr. and Mrs. Shin, Hyori-ssi, Jaejun, I will be seeing you later,” he said and bowed respectfully to my parents.

My sister held her chest and returned his bow; I was a bit hesitant and only gave him a small one. Of course my mother was going to say something about it later in the evening, but I wasn’t one to care, I was not going to blindly fall for his “Prince-like ways” like everyone else.

I was back to brooding in my own thoughts, criticizing men and women left and right. I was bored and tired and I just wanted to go home. I wanted to be alone in my room reading and drawing and planning my future like a normal person. But I was stuck here, in misery.

And just when I sunk further into my own foul suffering, gasps and whines all called together like a pack of coyotes and my blood began to boil. Ji Hoo had chosen a dance partner for all to see. She was shining like star; smiling so hard her my cheeks started to hurt for her. 

She was not shy of having him pull her close and he began to waltz with her, accurately with little effort. They looked like professional dancers, old fashion ones who kept a small distance between themselves and moved with the music, courtesy of the small orchestra paid for tonight. Of course it was his doing, the girl just needed to look pretty. And this further irked me by him, and it was a secret of mine that I was going to keep till I died.


It should have been me that made all those girls swoon. Me who was leading them like a male ballet dancer, flawlessly taking the hearts of women surrounding them with envy and dream-like gazes painted on their faces.

But it was I who could not dance, nor lead a simple waltz. And I was envious of him but I would never tell.

A/N: I'm already working on the second part, hopefully I have it up soon! Hwaiting!