You got home quite late and completely forgot to call home to let your parents know ahead of time and so you knew they would probably be mad at you when you returned. Jackson gave you a ride to the subway station because you refused to let him drive you home. He whined and complained about how unreasonable you were being but you didn't care, you weren't going to give in to all his requests. Besides, if he found out where your house was, there was no doubt he would be stalking you all the way at your house. 

"I'm home~" you called out in the most innocent voice possible. 

"Aerin? You're home! Where were you?" called Sera, running from the kitchen

"Umm yeah, sorry, I forgot to call ahead of time. Where's mom and dad?" you asked looking around

"They are probably in their room watching t.v, I'm just finishing the dishes right now. If you want some leftovers, I made bulgogi for dinner! I thought you would be home so I cooked a lot" she said 

"I already ate but...let me help you wash the dishes" you replied. 

Ever since that incident at school, your relationship with Sera hasn't returned to normal. You were mad at her for believing Seolhyun and falling into her immature games and her new relationship with Mark hurt you. You didn't know how to face your feelings and contemplated whether you would ever confess the truth to Sera. So, you tried to make an effort to spend time with her and to hopefully repair your broken bond while leaving her in an ignorant state of bliss. 

"You didn't have to help me Aerin-ah, I can manage on my own" she said as you put on a pair of gloves and grabbed a dirty plate

"No, I wanted to. I haven't been home on time for a few days and I should help out with family chores" you said 

"Ah! That's right, Dad's workplace is hosting a employee appreciation banquet and he asked the whole family to attend!" 

"Dad's workplace? FNC Corporation is doing that? I..I don't think it's my kind of scene." you said 

*Seolhyun must definitely be attending that event* you shuddered 

"Oh I guess you don't really enjoy those type of things..but think about it, will you?" she said with a smile clearly looking a little disappointed. 

"Uhm..yeah, I'll consider it!" you said as she perked up a little. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

The next morning you woke up and got ready for school in your usual routine. You took a quick shower and headed to the kitchen for some breakfast. 

"Good morning" you called out as you saw your parents getting ready to leave for work. 

"Aerin, please call if you're going to be home late. We waited for you to eat dinner last night, just give us a heads up next time, ok?" said Mom

"Oh, sorry about that. It was a last minute-thing and well, I wasn't even sure what time I would be back" you replied, thinking of Jackson and how you were practically kidnapped yesterday. 

"Alright, did Sera let you know about the banquent this weekend? Mr. Kim is hosting a dinner party for the company and we're all invited. You're coming, right?" asked Dad. 

"I..well..I'm not sure if I can go because." you trailed off trying to read their expressions. You already disappointed them a lot within the past month and you wanted to redeem yourself and to dispel the tense atmosphere in the household. 

"I mean, I will think.., no nevermind, I'm going!" you blurted out

"Okay honey, great! It's nice to go as a whole family and see some old friends. You have an allowance of $100 to buy a new dress if you so choose" said your Mom, giving you a light hug. You knew you would come to regret your decision to attend, but you it up and braced yourself for whatever trauma was to come. 

When you got to school, that bastard was waiting for you again by your lockers. You rolled you eyes as soon as you saw him and ordered for him to move. 

"Well, this doesn't seem like a happy way to greet someone so early in the morning" he said

"Why are you here again?" 

"Is there some sort of rule saying I can't be here? It's public space, I'm just enjoying my school life comfortably" he gestured with exaggerated movements. 

"I don't have time to talk, I have to be somewhere" 

"See you in homeroom~" he cooed

You had an appointment with the Ms. Baek at the disciniplinary office after Ms. Jungah had reported your experience with bullying. This was going to be your sweet revenge-the smart way. You knew if you retaliated using their cheap tactics, the problem would only drag on and be a constant cycle. You walked into the office and was told to sit in the waiting area until Ms. Baek would call you in. After about 5 minutes of waiting, the secretary allowed you to enter into her office. 

"Ms. Baek, Kwon Aerin is here to see you" she called while slowly opening the door. 

"Have a seat Ms. Kwon" she said as she gestured to the seat in front of her. 

"I have been informed by a staff member at J.Y. that recently, you have been experiencing aggressive behaviour by other students, is that correct?" 

"It's one thing to put it simply as aggressive behaviour, but it's another thing to put it as harassment and assault Ms Baek. I'm sure you know better than anyone that this behaviour is "not tolerated at J.Y. Arts Academy", nonetheless, I can press charges" you replied cautiously. She blinked a few times in shock of your revelation but tried to keep her composure. 

"You are absolutely right Ms. Kwon, and I plan to exert my authoritative power to dismiss any student responsible" she said 

"Well, I'm glad you understand where I'm coming from Ms. Baek. The last time I was here, we had a very similar discussion except I was the one in such an unfavourable position, in fact might I even call it disgraceful. I hope you will be non-partial Ms. Baek and carry out your duties to the "best of your abilities" you said with a smirk. 

"Ms. Kwon! Is this the attitude to speak to a principal?" she yelled while slamming her desk

"My apologies if you misunderstood me Ms. Baek but I really would hate if J.Y. Arts Academy's reputation would tarnish with accusations of delinquent students, undermining the school's administration." She tried to take a deep breath from losing her temper. She could tell you were testing her and pushing every one of her buttons. You left her office feeling satisfied, mission accomplished. 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"YAH! Where were you again? Do you always just skip class or do you just show up when you feel like it?" said Jackson with annoyance 

"What I do is none of your business. I'm not your dog. You don't have leash on me" 

"You're unbelievable..." he said, clearly unable to talk-back at that sting. 

"Whatever...let's go eat lunch~" he chirped 

"Who says I'm eating with you?" 

"Well, you're going to from now on." he said dragging you outside

"HEY! Where are you taking me!!" you screamed 

"Hush hush now, we don't want to make such a big scene. They're looking at us~" he winked 

"I hate cafeteria food so let's go out!" 

"There is only 1 hour for lunch, what do you mean 'let's go out?! You can do as you please, and I'm going to go on my way" 

Just then, Jackson's cell rang and his facial expression changed when he looked at the screen. He looked up at you and cleared his throat. You instantly got the message and left the premises. *That was convenient!* you thought to yourself but you couldn't help but wonder who it was that could make his facial features harden. 

He didn't return to class for the rest of the day and you didn't want to admit it but you missed him-kinda. He distracted you from your unpleasant memories and his presence made you comfortable. You didn't have his number so it wasn't like you could call or text him anyways but it scared you a little just how much you were thinking about him. *Wake up Aerin! It's none of your business anyways...* You remembered that you had to go dress shopping to pick out an outfit for the social tomorrow and it made you shudder at the thought of seeing Seolhyun outside of normal school hours. You took the subway to the mall and tried to find something suitable for the occasion. Although it wasn't a red-carpet event, there were going to be many influential people at the gathering which meant you had to at least look as good as the other girls who would be attending. After looking through numerous boutiques and shops, you finally found a dress that fit your style. It wasn't overly flashy or over-the-top, just somewhere in between simple and just-enough. 

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

JACKSON POV: 

You looked at your phone and tried to hold down the emotions you were feeling. *What does he want?* you thought to yourself as you answered the call. 

"Hello? What is it...I'm in school right now" you said 

"Fine. I'll be direct, tomorrow there is a banquet at the Grand Hyatt for FNC Corporation. You're going to represent our family. In addition, you're the for Seolhyun. I asked Seungho to prepare your suit" he said 

"You can't be serious. I'm going alone? Why don't you come back and represent our household as the 'head of the family' Dad!" 

"Enough. I'm done with this conversation. This is not an inivation to a party, this is your duty, so do a good job. If all goes well, I'll let you stay in Seoul and continue to 'play'" 

And with that he hung up the phone. That was the type of man your father was. He was always cold, distant, and straightforward. *After 4 months without contact, he calls me for this? It must be pretty important then..* you thought to yourself

________________________________________________________________________________________-

AERIN POV: 

Today was the day of the banquet and you were currently in the car with your family driving to the hotel. When you arrived, there were already tons of cars at the entrance which was brightly lit with FNC Corporation's logo. Through the doors, the banquet hall was huge. It was expertly decorated and lots of people were slowly trickling in. You recognized some faces, mainly co-workers of you parents and their young children but not many people of the same age. 

*It's just a dinner party Aerin, just shut up, sit tight, and don't make a scene* you thought to yourself. 

You and Sera went to walk around and eat some h'orderves served by the waiters. After about half and hour, the banquet hall was fully packed and bustling with commotion. Just then the lights on the stage , and the projection screen lowered. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I please have your attention. Please give a warm welcome to FNC Corporation's CEO, Mr. Kim and his family." said the announcer. 

One by one the family members came on stage, starting with Mr. and Mrs. Kim and finally Seolhyun. 

*WAIT..ISN'T THAT JACKSON?* you thought to yourself. 

"What is he doing here?" you blurted 

"What's wrong Aerin?" asked Sera seeing your change in body language. 

"No, it's nothing..I'm just surprised..haha it's been a while since I saw Mr. and Mrs. Kim" 

"I know it probably makes you uncomfortable to be here, seeing Seolhyun and all. But don't worry, okay? Seolhyun is a friend of mine and I hope you two can get along well" said Sera 

"Mhmm" you simply nodded, clearly more distracted by the scene unfolding in front of your eyes. 

"Thank you all for attending this celebration of FNC Corporation and its employees. We were built through the hard-work of you all and owe our success to each and every one of you. Please enjoy yourselves here tonight, and I look forward to FNC Corporation's continued growth into the future" said Mr. Kim 

"I would like to make another important announcement here today, joining us tonight is Jackson Wang of the Wang Group, our new strategic partner in global expansion and international business. Together with Seolhyun, Jackson will be the new brand ambassador for FNC." 

Everyone started to clap and whispered amongst themselves. *Just who exactly is Jackson anyways?..* 

________________________________________________________________________________________

SIDENOTE: HELLO FRIENDS! It's been a while but tada! This is part one of this chapter, the second half will be updated next time! This story will be coming to an end within 5 chapters or so. I'm still planning on where to take this story! 

ALSO P.S. I may be starting a new fanfic soon! I have some ideas floating around although I haven't decided who the main lead male will be so please LEAVE COMMENTS ON WHICH MALE IDOL YOU WANT TO SEE AND I'LL CONSIDER IT. I have a few names in mind but I'm not 100%! (spoiler: you may be seeing VIXX)

subscribe, comment, and upvote ;)