chapter two     

[INDENT] Eunmi woke up to stinging sensations on her back, and groaned as she tried to turn over. "Stay still," a commanding voice said. She looked up to see Kim Min Ji, her personal servant and best friend. She was treating the welts on Eunmi's back caused by Eunhyuk's whipping yesterday. Minji put more ointment on Eunmi's back, and Eunmi hissed in pain.

[INDENT] "How long have I been sleeping?" Eunmi groggily asked.

[INDENT] Minji looked at the clock on the wall. "You've been sleeping for quite some time now. It's already lunch time." Eunmi grumbled as she slowly got up from her bed. She hated getting up late.

[INDENT] Minji looked at Eunmi with a concerned expression on her face. "Boy, Eunhyuk sure did let loose on you this time."

[INDENT] Eunmi grunted, "No kidding." Minji and some of the other servants of the house knew about Eunhyuk's whippings. "I'm going to go take a shower, araso?"

[INDENT] Minji nodded. "Ne, Miss Lee. I'll get your clothes ready."

[INDENT] Eunmi smiled as she hurriedly went to her personal bathroom. She undressed and entered the shower, and as she let the steamy hot water on her pale skin, she wondered sadly if she was ever going to get out of this mansion. She hated her step-family, and she wanted out of this prison. Eunmi wished for a miracle.

[INDENT] After she finished showering, Eunmi put on the clothes that Minji left her, which were a black striped white shirt, a black mini-skirt, tinted black tights, and a navy blue cardigan. She quickly dried her hair with a towel and tied her hair into a side ponytail. When she was done, she stepped out of the bathroom. Minji was busy making Eunmi's bed and smiled at Eunmi when she saw her.

[INDENT] "You look stunning as always, Miss Lee." she said.

[INDENT] Eunmi replied, "Minji, how many times have I told you to not call me 'Miss Lee?' You make me sound like an old spinster."

[INDENT] "I know... but the last time I called you 'Eunmi,' your step-mother yelled at me..."

[INDENT] Eunmi sighed frustratedly. Her step-mother had the tendency to make the family superior to others (even Eunmi, surprisingly). "Well, I'm going downstairs for breakfast. See you later, Minji!" Eunmi said as she put on her slippers and went down the white staircase and into the large kitchen, where Minji's grandmother and the other kitchen servants were.

[INDENT] "Good morning, halmonim!" Eunmi said with a bright smile.

[INDENT] Grandmother Kim smiled as she chopped up some vegetables. "Good morning to you too, Miss Lee. Are you waiting for your breakfast?" Eunmi nodded in response. "Sit in the dining room. Your breakfast will be out shortly."

[INDENT] "Araso. Kamsahamnida." Eunmi said as she walked into the large dining room with the equally fitting huge dining table. She sat in her usual spot at the table and waited for breakfast. As if on cue, a servant came into the dining room, and placed a platter of oatmeal with blueberries, buttered toast, a glass of milk, and a glass of orange juice in front of Eunmi.

[INDENT] "Enjoy your meal, Miss Lee." the servant said as she bowed to Eunmi and began to walk out of the room.

[INDENT] "Wait!" Eunmi called out, and she turned to look at Eunmi. "Excuse me, but where is Eunhyuk?"

[INDENT] The servant replied, "Young Master Lee went out with his friend Donghae. Young Master Lee will be back later in the evening."

[INDENT] "Kamsahamnida for both the information and the breakfast," Eunmi said with a smile as the servant bowed and exited from the room.

[INDENT] After Eunmi finished eating, she went into her room and read some books. After reading, she entered the piano room and played some tunes on the piano keys. Eunmi stopped abruptly and huffed. Why is my life so boring? Do I really want to live like this every day?, she thought. She got up from the piano bench and exited the piano room. Eunmi decided to explore the house for a bit. She never really explored the house ever since her father and she moved. The only places she had been in the huge house was her room and personal bathroom, Eunhyuk's room, the kitchen, the little house where some servants lived, and the dining room.

[INDENT] Female servants quickly bowed to Eunmi as she walked up the staircase. She smiled at them and continued to explore. Eunmi peered into a huge room with large double doors, where there were servants busy cleaning and vacuuming. Ah... this looks like my parents' room. I better not go in, she thought as she scurried away.

[INDENT] Eunmi looked inside another room. It was a room full of awards that her parents had won. The room was cold and she shivered from the lack of warmth in the room. Awards that said "Employee of the Month," "Real Estate Agent who Sold the Most Homes in a Month," and so on were displayed on the four walls. Eunmi stopped at a large portrait picture of her father and step-mother in a frame on the wall. She glowered at the picture (especially at her step-mother) and stormed off.

[INDENT] Eunmi walked down the hallway to see a dead end. She proceeded to go back to her room, but she noticed a small door knob on the wall. Curiosity got a hold of Eunmi; what was in there? She cautiously walked up to the hidden door and opened it, revealing a hidden staircase. She gulped, prayed that she wouldn't fall off or get killed if there was somebody in there, and climbed up the staircase.

[INDENT] Eunmi entered an old and dusty room. "Hello?" she called out. Eunmi didn't hear a single sound, and smiled in relief. She continued to explore.

[INDENT] Everything was nearly covered with half of an inch of dust, and cobwebs glistened in every corner of the room. Eunmi puffed up her cheeks and said to herself, "Okay, I'm going to try to clean and organize everything in here all by myself!"

[INDENT] And she did that for the next two weeks without Eunhyuk and the maids noticing. Eunmi realized that the room was the attic, where her parents put everything that her grandfather had passed on to her family, and no one had bothered to clean up the attic.

[INDENT] Her grandfather (her mother's father) loved Eunmi very dearly, and so did she. He kept in touch with Eunmi's family until her father remarried to the witch. Eunmi's grandfather never wanted to see her father again, and she never heard from her grandfather until a neighbor of his sent Eunmi a letter saying that her grandfather passed away, which was about two years ago. Of course, her parents didn't want her to attend the funeral. Eunmi knew deep down in her heart that her grandfather dearly missed her.

[INDENT] While dusting off a misplaced bookshelf, she noticed a large chest next to it. It looked vaguely familiar, so Eunmi approached it and unlatched the lock. She gasped when she opened the chest; the chest was full of her stuffed animals that she had left at her grandfather's home. "Mr. Bearie!" Eunmi nearly squealed as she pulled out her beloved teddy-bear from her childhood. He was still wearing his denim blue overalls over his white T-shirt. She inhaled Mr. Bearie's scent and her eyes started to tear up; she missed her grandfather. Eunmi wished he was still alive so he could take her away from here.

[INDENT] Then, she noticed something yellow sticking out of Mr. Bearie's overall pocket. Eunmi pulled it out, and it was a folded-up piece of paper. Hesitantly, she opened the paper up. It read:

[INDENT] My dearest Eunmi,

[INDENT] I hope this doesn't get lost on the way to your h