CHAPTER 2

 

When Junseo first stepped into the house, her step-mother clearly said not to bother her father when he was inside his studio, because he was surely busy but she couldn’t let this go, her step-mother was called a and she lived in America since she was five, she could’ve predicted the first but not the second one. When she knocked on the door, her step-mother immediately appeared next to her, grabbing her wrist and pulling her arm back.

 

“Come in,” Her father’s voice which was still unknown to her ears spook on the other side, she opened the door a defiant look in her eyes as she took the door knob and pulled away from her step-mother’s gasp.

 

“We have to talk, father” She said the name rolling out of her tongue leaving a bitter taste behind, Mr. Kang smiled allowing her to sit in the large coach in front of his desk. Her step-mother was looking at her wide eyed as she also walked in.

 

“I told you not to bother your father if…”

 

She was cut off by Mr. Kang’s voice. “Is okay” She turned towards him but only nodded before walking out the studio closing the door behind her.

 

“What is it that you need?” He said not looking like he was even paying attention to her, searching over his desk through the amount of papers on it.

 

“When did I go to America? I don’t have any memories of it” Mr. Kang smiled.

 

“I think… I didn’t quite explain to you the situation we are in”. He got up shaking his head from side to side, his hands behind his back as he walked towards the window and looked outside, too much of a drama for her but still she remained quiet allowing him to continue “There are some rules we must go along with, at this moment of my career I can’t allow myself to have a scandal going around because I suddenly have a seventeen year old daughter. That’s why you lived in America and no one knew about your existence” He turned to look at her over his shoulder.

 

“But…”

 

“Kang Junseo” She turned her head towards the door to find her step-mother standing there, arms crossed over her chest, “Listen to your father, this is the best for the family, for us.”

 

“Don’t you dare telling me what’s the best thing to do…” Junseo got up her hands shaking because of the sudden feeling for rage building up from her toes to the last strand of her hair “Someone called you at school today, I’m really curious about that.” She wouldn’t have said it but right now, she just wanted to see someone getting hurt as much as she was, probably not something the old her would have done.

 

 “Kang Junseo!” Her father interrupted with a loud voice and angry eyes.

 

“Sorry” She muttered through her teeth, getting up and passing by her step-mother’s side. Looking at the floor ‘til she got to her room where she cried until she fell asleep. Is this how her life was going to be from now on?

 

 

There was a soft knock on the door. Junseo didn’t have the will of getting up and open it, so she whispered a soft ‘come in’, she would have expected it to be the maid but it was actually her step-mother the strong scent coming from her suddenly filled the room making Junseo pull away from the pillow and lift her head to look over his shoulder.

 

“Was Hana the name of the girl who called me ?” She sat on Junseo’s bed and she thought it was pretty impolite for someone who called herself a ma’am.

 

“I never said it was a girl…” Junseo said against her pillow, there was no use on looking at the woman.

 

“You are going to have a lot of problems with her and her friend Baek Miso,” Junseo felt her step-mother moving on the bed uncomfortably, “Their mothers and I don’t have the best relationship so, you should take care.”

 

She was about to get up when Junseo’s voice stopped her, “Why… do I have to be in the middle of this?” She asked.

 

“It’s not a option, it’s like a tradition, my mother hated her mother, I hated her and I’m pretty sure that even before knowing you her daughter hated you too. Miso is just following the queen bee’s steps,” Junseo sat on time to see her step-mother shrugging.

 

“Do I have to kill them?” Junseo asked.

 

“Your father asked me the same thing…” She said with a smile that made noticeable the wrinkles around her eyes, she didn’t look that young when she smiled. “It wouldn’t be that fun if you just kill them.” She said wrinkling her nose and turning around in a glamorous way.

 

“I’m not going to hate her just because she hates me,” Junseo moved her eyes from her to the window.

 

“I didn’t hate her back then either but she did a lot of things to make me hate her and I guess, I also did a lot of things,” She sat next to Junseo again taking her small hand “I will help you if you need anything, okay? I’m not trying to be your mother… But this is going to be though,” Junseo took her hand away not answering.

 

She got up and walked out, closing the door softly behind her. Junseo spent hours thinking about it, again and again and the only solution that came to her mind was… disappearing.

 

 

Hell can come in different ways, today for her it was school. Hana is clearly the most annoying person she has meet so far with the indirect sentences that she lets out every time Junseo walks in front or near hear at least she managed to make one friend, Joonmyun who has been her guide all through the first and second day, although she knows that Joonmyun is not going to be with her every lunch break because he has important things to do as the Student’s Council President.

 

“Hello” A voice comes from behind her, she rolls her eyes as she turns around pushing a book inside her looker.

 

She doesn’t answers but it seems that she never needs to; people just continue conversation even if she doesn’t want to talk to them. It’s a rainbow haired boy and even if she thought of a second that he looked ridiculous after taking a closer look he actually pulled off the style perfectly.

 

“I’m Oh Sehun” He offers a hand but she never liked skinship, a lot less if he was a stranger. Someone trying to pretend to be friends, “You’re supposed to tell me your name”.

 

Junseo lets out a mocking laugh, “As if you didn’t knew that already” Everyone in this school is talking about her but at least Sehun was original enough to ask about her name first.

 

“Maybe, I do” He leans closer and Junseo feels trapped between her locker and him, on one side his locker door open and on the other Sehun’s arm blocking her way.

 

“Well, good for you” She turns around closing her door, her hair hits Sehun’s face hardly but not painfully.

 

“You smell good” Sehun says and Junseo is startled, is this boy trying to flirt with her so shamelessly? Because for her it doesn’t work that way.

 

“C’mon, molesting the new girl?” Sehun looks over his shoulder and Junseo looks at his savior a boy with black straight hair falling and covering his forehead.

 

She swallows hard as she steps away from Sehun now that he’s distracted, he takes her by the arm and Junseo jerks her arm away, her eyes wide and her cheeks red with fury.

 

“What’s wrong with you? Touching me like that…” Sehun lets out a soft laugh as runs his thumb over his bottom lip.

 

“American’s don’t have a lot of skinship?” He raises and eyebrow and the boy behind him rolls his eyes.

 

“I’m not American, I’m Korean, you idiot” Junseo mutters, she wants to throw her math book on Sehun’s face.

 

“You’re so stupid sometimes, Sehun” The boy that was behind him is now next to him placing a hand on his shoulder.

 

“Shut up, Jongin” He bites back.

 

“Thank you” Junseo says at Jongin and he smiles at her.

 

“I didn’t do anything” He answers but still Junseo feels grateful.

 

She turns around to finally leave not wanting to stay there and see what Sehun is going to do next.

 

“Let her go” Jongin says and Junseo looks over her shoulder to see him holding Sehun back and stopping him from following her.

 

She needs to thank him later.