❦ Chapter 1:

Seoul Performing Arts High School is separated strictly into groups. There are the super-duper-popular ones who are almost like rock stars, there are the normal-popular ones who have powder caked on full on their faces, the mid-popular people who have a fair group of admirers and then it drops down dramatically to the complete nerds and dorks. Let’s introduce the super-duper-popular ones now, shall we?

First, there came Kim Joonmyeon, known for his bottomless wallet and his angelic looks. Then there was Byun Baekhyun who was famous for his voice sent from heaven. He puts eyeliner better than any girl since he discovered the black stick in his mother’s drawer when he was just 4. Park Chanyeol was mostly recognized for his creepy face-splitting grin and noodle-styled hair which was probably the worst mistake he ever made in his entire high school life. Do Kyungsoo was the top in their food tech class and has a motherly figure. He makes lunch for the others as they cannot cook and he would rather they didn’t die of food poisoning just yet. Kim Jongin was known as the Ice Prince. He gave everyone the cold shoulder and confessing to him would mean certain death. He is a prodigy in the dance department and is also known for his unique bronze coloured skin. Oh Sehun was the innocent maknae who believed everything that his hyung, Luhan, told him. Actually, he believes everything that anyone tells him.

There was another group of boys, 4 of which were Chinese. The supposed “leader” of this group was Wu Yifan. Also known as Kris, he has a perfectly sculpted face and matching blonde hair which makes him look like he jumped straight out of a manga but his friends know how much of a dumb and wanna-be artist he really was. There was Huang Zitao or Tao, who Kris had a soft spot for. Overly obsessed with Gucci bags, he lives with the sole purpose of making Kris buy it for him till he was broke. There was Luhan, a seemingly pretty boy with a doll face and wavy caramel hair who was actually pretty manipulative and sarcastically freakish on a regular basis. Zhang Yixing, probably the most innocent and clueless boy you would ever meet. A little forgetful and rather stupid, he falls for almost every prank and trick that exists and has never gotten angry or raised his voice before. Then there was Kim Minseok with his chubby “baozi” cheeks. He may not look it but he is the oldest out of the group. He hardly speaks and likes keeping to himself. Finally, there came Kim Jongdae. He is a troll. That pretty much sums him up. Keep away from him at all costs and prevent from making friends with him.

Then there was the super-duper-popular girl group. The most popular out of the 4 girls, Choi Sunhee, was pretty and smart. Although she wasn’t exactly that wealthy, she is still highly respected. Lee Sooyeon; quiet and doesn’t talk. Then there was Choi Eunjoo, possibly the smartest girl in their grade. With her strawberry pink hair which weirdly seems to suit her, she can turn you into a pile of embarrassed mush with a smart compliment. Then comes the girl obsessed with manga, Son Kyungmi. She has as immense crush on Kris because she thinks that she looks like her favourite anime character. And last, but not least, the most innocent and gullible, Yoon Minyoung. She has an innocent expression 99% of the time and a cute blonde bob. Nuff’ said.

***

In the beginning, Lee Sooyeon was fine. At least, she managed to convince herself that she was. Every time her parents asked for a new achievement, a new merit, a new label they could put on her, she managed to convince herself that they just wanted her to be smarter and have a better education. But no, that wasn’t the case. Her parents showed her off to their friends like a prized possession. They never treated her like a daughter; she was more like a robot who had been created to impress others and to be shown off. She was fine with that. But every time she was yelled at by her parents, it was like another scar; another dent in the armour that she had put on to protect herself from the cruel reality of the world she lived in. She had once been a bubbly little girl filled with energy but it seemed like nothing ever went her way; nothing ever went how she wanted it to.

** Sooyeon had met Kris at a club a few months ago. What started out as a warm friendship blossomed into love and before she knew it, he had asked her out and they were together. But what she didn’t know was that the whole thing had been a trick; a set up. Kris’ parents owned a huge company; the Wu’s Incorporations. Their parents had met up secretly and agreed that in order to merge their companies, they had to get their children together. Kris has agreed and with that, he followed Sooyeon into the club and pretended that it had been a coincidence that they were both there. He asked her out after a while. Sooyeon, oblivious of the whole thing was obviously overjoyed.

 After a few months of dating, Kris finally couldn’t do it anymore and told Sooyeon the truth after breaking up. Sooyeon was heartbroken; Kris had been everything that she had wanted in a guy; he was kind and gentle, yet protective and Sooyeon could talk to him about anything. He was cheerful and easy-going and never got angry. But Sooyeon didn’t beg for Kris to stay. She knew that he wouldn’t and there was no use in asking. Sooyeon had had her heart broken many times before and this could just add to the list. They remained on friendly terms although Sooyeon avoided him as much as possible. After years of convincing herself that her parents still loved her, she finally knew that she had been deluding herself, shielding herself from the truth. She was just a puppet used to obey orders and to gain admiration. Once again, they had managed to use her without her knowledge. Sooyeon never trusted anyone from that day on. Every time a boy from school would shyly confess to her, she would politely reject, even if she kind of liked him. She had created walls around her, blocking out everyone who tried to come near. It made her feel somehow safer. But at the same time, it made her feel lonely and abandoned. But she had promised that she would not let her guard down. **

Then there was Kim Jongin. He was rich and arrogant. He looked down on the poor and less wealthy, thinking that he was the best. He judged everyone by their looks and wealth alone. However clever or talented they were, he didn’t give a . He was smart. He was the best dancer in the dance department. He was a prodigy and was admired by everyone. He had everything he could possibly want. But no one knew what happened that fateful night 5 years ago. At the age of 15, he and his ex-girlfriend, Nam Jiyoung, were young, wild and free. They partied all night, living life to its fullest. His parents had banned him from seeing her, but that didn’t stop him from jumping from his second storey window to run to her house. No matter how many scratches and bruises he had, he kept running until he saw her. Jiyoung wasn’t rich. She wasn’t particularly smart or talented. But Jongin fell for how alive she was, how she always seemed to find the light at the end of the dark tunnel, how just a simple smile directed his way could make his heart feel like it was going to burst. Jongin was in love with her. His parents said it wasn’t real and that he’d get over her. But he didn’t. He never did. But then the accident that night changed his life forever.

** The music blared from the speakers and Jongin and Jiyoung sang along buoyantly, enjoying every moment in each other’s presence. The phone rang suddenly, disturbing their moment. Since Jongin was driving, Jiyoung picked up the cell phone and answered it while Jongin turned the volume of the music down.

 “Yoboseyo?” Jiyoung said politely.

“I told you not to even look at my son again.” The voice hissed through the line. Jiyoung paled and went dry. Jongin glanced worriedly at her.

“I— I— I’m n-not seeing him.” Jiyoung mentally slapped herself for making that ridiculous lie. She was answering his phone, for godsake.

“Don’t lie.”

It was the last thing she heard before there was a squeal of tires and Jongin’s voice yelling. A silver car collided into Jiyoung’s side of their white car, throwing her off her seat. The two cars skidded around and around on the slightly wet concrete road from the rain the previous night. Jiyoung’s head slammed into the window which smashed. She screamed and their car slowed to an abrupt halt in the middle of the silent road. Jongin was frozen. He was paralysed with fear. It was a horrible sight. Jiyoung’s bloodied face was forever imprinted in his mind. Her left cheek was slashed with an enormous gash. Her small lips were cut and blood stained the corners of . Her hair was wild and a mess. Glass shards were lodged inside her head and blood was everywhere. Her eyes were still open and filled with fear. She wasn’t moving. Everything was red. Everything was covered in blood. In Jiyoung’s blood. **

5 years on, that memory still haunted Jongin every night. He would wake covered in cold sweat, Jiyoung’s face etched into his mind, her scream echoing in his head and bouncing off the walls. He woke screaming along with Jiyoung but never once did his parents come to comfort him. He wanted them to treat him like a real son, but he could only wish and want.

For Kris, life was pretty sweet. He had nice parents and a generous older brother and lived a luxurious life. That was before he met a certain shy girl named Lee Sooyeon who seemed to light up his world every time he was her. He had liked her ever since he was 20 and now, 4 years on, he still hadn’t gained the courage to confess. The time came for him to get closer to her when his parents had introduced her to him and suggested for them to get together. Kris, who was completely and irrevocably in love with her, agreed immediately, oblivious to the fact that it was just a plan to get their companies together. He met Sooyeon and finally managed to exchange proper greetings with her. She was caring and nice and smart. She never shouted and never acted overly possessive when Kris talked to other girls. Since Sooyeon still attended school and Kris didn’t, they didn’t have a lot of time to spend together. When the summer holidays finally came, Sooyeon visited him. But that was when Kris discovered that everything was fake. His parents forced him to break up with Sooyeon and cut all contact with her. He was afraid of disobeying his parents so he did as he was told. He never saw her again after that. It was like she just disappeared off the face of the earth. But Kris still loved her. He wanted to hold her in his arms again and apologize and beg for forgiveness. But it was too late.

The Lee’s had decided to merge with another company; the Kim’s Enterprises. They had a son named Kim Jongin. He was known for his cold attitude and had been nicknamed “Ice Prince” at school. He was the best dancer and had a handsome face. He had almost every girl in school at his feet with just a smirk or a glance. But no one knew of his past. No one knew what was behind his masked emotions, his façade.