Chapter Three

Capitulate
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“So it's all true, when all is said and done, grief is the price we pay for love.”-E.A. Bucchianeri, Brushstrokes of a Gadfly

 

Expensive Armani suits and limited edition dress collections pranced around the carpeted floor of the tastefully decorated ballroom, flukes of champagne in hand as they greeted old acquaintances. Chandeliers, classical music, ice sculptures, ribbons and satins; Nothing more, nothing less, nothing but the best for the elites that had graduated from Seoul National University five years ago. An invite-only gathering for the privileged, the socialites and the successful.

 

Money and Power; the age-old criteria for any gathering of sorts for the top five percentile of Seoul’s richest upperclassmen.

 

To an outsider, it would have seem that everyone was having a bit of genuine fun; the polite smiles and idle chit chat exchanged in a movie-like setting. But peer closely enough, and one would see through the façade, the hidden jabs and hypocritical compliments laced in between every excited chatter and seemingly harmless conversations. After all, what good would it serve in a gathering for Seoul’s upcoming, if not already, rich and powerful, if not for the opportunity to best the other? Be it a latest acquired company, a hyped lawsuit win, an envious arm-candy or a Hermes collection that wasn’t due to be available in the market just yet. Puffing their chest out like how a proud peacock would do, wasn’t that what elite gatherings were all about?

 

As what ABBA had sung, “Money, money, money, always sunny, in the rich man’s world.”

 

Well… at least for the most part, ABBA had been right, for all the guests had a smile on their face… all except one.

 

Dressed in a black lacy dress with the latest Jimmy Choo red killer heels, the woman in question easily demanded the attention of others, her face a sultry combination of innocence, grace and sensuality, and Kiko Mizuhara knew it. If it were any other time, the raven-haired beauty would have been basking in the spotlight, indulging herself with the attention and praises her beauty awarded her… but not tonight.

 

Arms crossed, Kiko glared at the entrance of the ballroom, her companions densely oblivious to her murderous mood.

 

“He’s not coming.” She seethed.

 

It was only then did her company realized their leader was in a worse of a mood than she had let on and the group of spoilt heiress, and brainless, materialistic simpletons gulped.

 

An irate Kiko was never good news.

 

“How dare he stand me up like that?! How fcking difficult is it to appear after the million bloody reminders that I left him?!”

 

Grabbing a fluke of champagne from a random passing waiter, Kiko drowned the entire glass in a single breath, fighting the urge to fling the now-empty fluke across the hall. The soon-to-be Mrs Kwon was in an outrage, she had great plans for tonight; one that involved a smug smile as the beauty queen delight herself over the envious looks thrown by her peers, knowing that she had snagged one of the finest bachelors in town, the Golden Boy of Seoul’s business sector.

 

She was to receive their congratulations on their upcoming nuptials, to hear how they were a match made in heaven, to bask in the compliments she was given for organizing such a successful event despite being her first attempt in doing so with an arm looped around her fiancé. It had gone to naught now, now that the man in question hadn’t bothered to show up.

 

And it stung, more than Kiko would ever admit, to know she wasn’t and would probably never be important enough for Jiyong to drop everything for her.

 

Kiko’s minions eyed each other worryingly, uncertain of the words to placate their raging queen, and fortunately for them, divine intervention came in the form of Hyorin, the least liked member in their circle, exclaiming a shrill “Omona! Is that Chaerin?!”

 

The other girls glared at Hyorin, who had both hands covering her lips as the latter glanced frightfully at Kiko, realizing her mistake, before they too snuck curious peeks at the smiling girl who had once been a part of them. Lee Chaerin was taboo in their group, the used-to-be best friend of their queen… the one who chose to leave Kiko.

 

Ivory skin, bright eyed and with a smile that could light up a town, Chaerin’s charisma radiated wherever she went and today was no exception. As the daughter of a famous, top-notch defense attorney, Chaerin had everything Kiko was looking for in a friend and was the best recruit she had in her little own mean girls clique. She had been certain that the two of them would be life-long friends, bridesmaid at the other’s weddings. Sure they argued, Chaerin’s righteous attitude wouldn’t allow her to be on the same page with Kiko’s demeaning acts towards others but the sense of loyalty had her sticking by the latter’s side… until Chaerin found out about Yoona.

 

The slightly naive part of Chaerin, as her mother would always like to call it, always tried to see the best in others. She had been convinced that there was some good in Kiko beneath all that condensing, snobbish, bullying attitude, all the spoilt princess needed was someone to lead her to the right path. Surely, Kiko couldn’t be all that bad? In all honesty, Chaerin thought that Kiko could be a rather wonderful friend at times; looking out for her when she got too gullible for her own good, but like an ice cold water that's been doused on her, Chaerin awoke from her delusion.

 

She had been horrified then, when the whispers of what happened to Yoona got to her ears. Dead. Jumped off a cliff, just like that, because of what Kiko had done, of what her friend had planned… without remorse. Chaerin knew about the bullying, she hadn’t participated but she hadn’t stopped it either, nothing but a disapproving glare and the occasional cold shoulder treatment to Kiko. She had chanced upon Yoonaa once, crying in a toilet stall after another encounter with Kiko’s minions, no doubt. Feeling guilty, there was nothing she could do but offer an apologetic look as she gave a packet of tissue to the sobbing girl and to find the girl’s friend for her, knowing she could use a friend, what was the friend’s name again… Seoyoung? Sooyoung?

 

Learning of Yoona’s final act was the last straw, the guilt she felt consumed her entire being. Dead. Im Yoona was dead. If only she had stepped up to Kiko, if only she didn’t turn a blind eye, if only she had found out about it earlier… then maybe it wouldn’t have escalated to the point of driving a poor, abused girl to her death.

 

Oh, Yoona. Oh, the guilt. And thus, after an unusually explosive confrontation in Kiko’s house later, Chaerin had turned her back on Kiko and left, not once turning back since, hoping by doing so, she could redeem herself from the sins she committed.

 

Sensing a hostile vibe, Chaerin paused mid-conversation with an old classmate from her dance class, only to be greeted by Kiko’s narrowed eyes from across the room, and she let out a snort at the same greedy minions who were still surrounding their beloved queen, her gaze lingering on Hyorin whom was recruited shortly after her departure, Chaerin’s supposed replacement, to prove that Kiko was in no way affected by Chaerin’s decision. “Queen my ”, she thought.

 

Unwavering, she met Kiko’s gaze head on, unflinching, for a good half minute, giving a curt nod of acknowledgement before she spun around to continue her previously interrupted conversation, turning her back to Kiko as she did five

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againhello
AFF's doing a serious glitch on me, can't seem to make the update chapter stick. Lmk if you can view the chapter! So sorry for any frustrations caused!

Comments

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marryd #1
Please continue next chap🥲
super_sone02
#2
Chapter 25: AHH PLEASE CONTINUE YOU CANT LEAVE IT ME FEELING DEVASTATED FOR A CONTINUATION LIKE THIS 😭
Smthbttr #3
Chapter 25: Im too invested in this story. Please continue and give this story some closure aaaaaaaaa
zeeee99 #4
Chapter 18: Good for yoona, she cant be with someone that have fiancee
zeeee99 #5
Chapter 12: The scene with Jiyoung makes me forget the true attention of her coming back.
zeeee99 #6
Chapter 1: The first scene always caught me in emotions and im not even diving through the chapters yet.that’s how amazing you’re
zeeee99 #7
So excited to find an update!
chabee08 #8
Chapter 13: Yoona’s effect on Jiyong.! Omo.
chabee08 #9
Chapter 12: Jiyong slowly getting back to his old self is nice to read
chabee08 #10
Chapter 11: I’d panic too if I was trapped in the elevator