After that, I began to open up to Chansik more. Though I still attempted to ignore him during school, I found myself becoming closer to him. We ate lunch together, discussed new music videos and dance moves, and eventually became close friends. I began to leave home more often to go to his house to dance, though I told my family I was going to his house to study. They were easily fooled by this, knowing full well Chansik was a child genius. The years passed by with ease, sixth, seventh, eighth grade were all a blur. Chansik helped me to keep my grades up so my folks wouldn't know of my hobbies. If they did, I'd be locked away forever, that's for sure. My sister became fond of the arts as well, saying she wanted to be just like her big sister. I couldn't help but be happy for her. At least she had a chance at it. I was doomed to a fate already decided for me. Chansik tried to lighten my attitude about the matter though. He made my dream seem almost hopeful and too good to be true.

"Just wait until you're nineteen. You'll be a legal adult, and they'll have no say in what you can and cannot do," he explained. "For now, just keep it all a secret. No one has to know, right? Deulrim, the guys, and I will keep your secret nice and hidden." 

And so it began. I auditioned for musicals. I did performances with Chansik. I sang for talent shows and went karaoking every now and then. All of these things I had to keep hidden. My excuse would always be that I was either going to the library or studying at a friend's house, and it always worked. It was like I was living the dream already. 

But my dream soon came to a screeching halt.

It was the last show of the musical I was starring in, near the end of my eighth grade year. To keep my shenanigans as hidden as possible, I went as far as going to another school to audition for the musical so my parents would not be able to find out from flyers passed out at school. An hour before roll call, I was getting ready to go, doing some last minute rehearsal on stage before going to change. My sister came running into the auditorium, flowers in hand and a big grin plastered on her face. I smiled and waved to her as she came up to give me a big hug.

"Break a leg, unnie!" She said happily.

"Thank you," I said softly, smiling at my sweet sister. 

"You should be especially good tonight," she nodded, her innocent face beaming. 

I blinked at her, brows furrowing. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"Mommy and daddy are coming to watch!"

"What?" I screeched, causing heads to turn my way. "What do you mean they're 'coming to watch?'" 

She simply smiled, proud of her accomplishment in being able to bring her parents to the musical. "Yeah! They asked where I was going so I said I was going to see a musical. They seemed a bit ticked but didn't really care. Then I mentioned that you were the star. Daddy was really angry at first, but I said he shouldn't worry too much. You're awesome. I said he should definitely come watch, and he said, 'I'm coming to watch, all right.' Which means he must really want to see you on stage, unnie!"

My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach. My head began to spin. I couldn't feel my legs anymore. This was it. My dream just shattered before me. I couldn't help but be overwhelmed with anger at the moment. At my sister, my parents, everyone it seemed. How dare she? After all these years, I trusted her. I trusted her to never let my parents know, and she let it slip. My parents were going to kill me. Why? Why was I not allowed to act, sing, or dance? How come my sister can do these thigns, but I couldn't? So what if I'm the heir? I can still be the heir and do these things. Why? 

"Get out," I mumbled, holding my head.

"What?" Deulrim asked, her smile slowly fading as she placed the flowers on a nearby piano. "What do you me-"

"Get out now! I hate you! Get out of here," I screamed, making  scene.

Deulrim became frightened and slowly backed away. I'd never raised my voice at her ever, but in the heat of the moment, I seemed to forget how much I cared about her. 

"You idiot! Why did you tell them? They're going to kill me. I can't believe you. I trusted you," I threw my hands around and scream in anger, my eyes blurring from the tears forming in them. 

"Unnie, please. Calm down. I didn't mean to. I-I mean, they didn't seem too mad? They're just coming to watch."

"N-no," I stammered loudly. "You don't understand. I'm the heir, Deulrim. Not you. I'm the heir to this god damned company. You don't have to worry about anything because you're not the heir. You don't have to worry about all these stupid things, about being perfect, about obeying, and what not. You're their cute, little daughter. You have freedom, Deulrim. That's what you have." I was sobbing at this point and couldn't help but continue to lash out at my sister. I slowly took steps towards her, my finger pointing at her accusingly. My sister quietly backed away, extremely scared of what was to ensue. "You ruined it, Deulrim! This was the only thing I had... the only thing I cherished. How could you?"

"B-but unnie."

I grabbed the flowers and threw them on the ground before her in a fit, stomping my foot. "Deulrim, leave! I hate you!"

"Kang Suhyun! You do not talk to your sister like that," a deep voice boomed throughout the auditorium, causing my sister and I to turn our heads. It was father. By this time, my sister had backed away so far, she was dangerously close to the edge. She turned to look at my father and lost her footing, causing her to tumble backward and off the stage. My eyes widened in horror as I jumped towards her and attempted to grab her hand, only to have her literally slip through my fingers. 

"Deulrim!" I screamed, my heart breaking even further as I watched her crumple on the ground in a heap.

I could hear my mother's upset cry as she rushed to my sister's side, calling for her "baby." She looked to me as if I had killed my own sister, and I for sure thought I did. My father began to shout at me, but I couldn't hear anything. Everything tuned out at that moment. All I could hear was a high pitched, static noise. They called for an ambulance and rushed my sister to the hospital. I still performed that night, but with the events that had happend, the show was a mess. I forgot my lines, I spaced out, and it was awful.

Once I got home, I was alone once again as my parents and Deulrim were at the hospital. I locked myself in my room and cried myself to sleep. The next day, I found out Deulrim had hit the hard cement ground head first. The height of the stage from the ground didn't help either. She suffered from traumatic brain injury and went into a coma for a few days before waking up. I was of course in major trouble. Every time I saw my parents, they looked at me as if I were a murderer. It was as if they had forsaken me. I was no longer a child of this family. Once she could finally come home, Deulrim was back to her regular self again. She suffered from memory loss, however. She had trouble remembering the littlest things, and the past just seemed blotchy to her. She couldn't remember much, but she seemed to remember me. After the incident, I locked myself away in my room and tried to study and do whatever I could to get on my parents' good sides again, but that was never going to happen. I never did the things I usually did with Deulrim ever again. It was like we weren't even sisters.

The day after the accident, I tried to call Chansik to look for comfort. The number was disconnected for some reason. So instead, I called one of his friends, Sandeul, to see if he knew why the number was disconnected.

"Oh, Chansik? Didn't he tell you? His family moved away the night of the performance. CNU's family bought the manor and live there now. They must've changed the number. Ah, he said he was going to be traveling the world with his mother and father to do volunteer work," Sandeul replied over the phone.

I couldn't believe it. Chansik had left, and he didn't even bother to tell me. My life was getting worse and worse by the second. I called CNU next to confirm this, and it was true. 

"He left me a message for you, though. Something about not wanting you to be upset? He wanted you to focus on your dream and ignore the fact that he's gone. I'm sure he'll come back... maybe," CNU shrugged on the other end of the line. "Hello?" He continued to ask, wondering if I was still on the line before hanging up. 

I fell to my knees and cried my heart out. I've finally lost everything. My dream, my parents, my sister, and now my best friend. Gone. All of it. Gone. There was only one thing I could've done; focus on being the heir the the Kang Law Firm. 

I shut everyone out of my life after that. I become cold and heartless, a loner in the very least. I ignored my family and pursued my studies, exceling to the top of the class in no time. I passed through high school without even bothering to acknowledge the fact that I had peers. I didn't care. I was determined to claim my title as heir. When I graduated, no one came to see me besides my sister. Even though she was the only one who cared enough to show up, I ignored her entirely at the ceremony, and I knew it broke her heart. When I came home that night, I'd learnt that my parents were gone. I asked Deulrim where they went, and she looked at me weirdly.

"You really don't know?" I shook my head. "Suhyun, they told us this weeks ago... well, me anyway. You never come to dinner anymore. They left to go on vacation for a while, the mediterranean, I believe. They'll be home in a few weeks. They said, now that you've graduated at the top of your class, they don't have to worry or work too hard anymore and decided they needed a break." 

I didn't know what to say. Weeks ago? How long had it really been since I've shut everyone out? The last time I could remember even speaking to my parents was the accident. I sighed and headed to my room. I promised myself that I would change this. When they came home from their vacation, I would try to put the accident behind and try to win their hearts back. I was determined to do this.

But they never came home. While on a private helicopter ride, scoping out the attractions, they crashed. No one survived. Not my parents, not the pilot. Deulrim and I were orphaned just like that. Overwhlemed by the grievance, I locked myself away again. I refused to come out of my room to even eat for nearly a week, even missing my own parents' funeral. After this, it was safe to say that I was nothing. I was a hollowed out shell of my former self.

I passed through college in the blink of an eye and passed the bar ease. Even though I had almost forgotten I had a sister, Deulrim didn't. At my graduation party, many guests were invited. There were families of my peers, famous doctors and lawyers from all around, and friends of my dead parents. I felt like a princess as people passed me by, whispering about how I would go on to become a judge like my father in no time. And for the first time in what seemed like forever, I was able to speak to my sister again. I walked through the floor of the banquet hall where my party took place, searching for my sister. She tried to slip past me, but I stopped her and offered a somewhat warm smile.

"Hi," I greeted softly.

She looked at me with sad eyes, her gaze falling to the ground as she replied, "Hey..."