If you have not read the forward, I suggest you do that before beginning this chapter.

Today's the day, the day every 23 year-old Transparent was preparing for. Sunggyu lined up next to a young looking girl who was busy adjusting her hair – as well as she could with bound hands, anyway - as if it would give her a better chance at getting picked. He suddenly felt self-conscious of his own appearance, he was about to enter the biggest phase of his life but he had dressed in his normal, battered clothes. Sunggyu looked across the line, noticing the rest of the Transparents in their best attire and styled hair, unlike him.

"Is everyone ready?" The auctioneer asked the group of Transparents waiting behind the stage. "Now remember, why are you here?" He asked, thumping a microphone in his hands. Sunggyu took a deep breath; opening his mouth to recite the phrase he had repeated every single day of his life along with the others in line.

"We were born to serve our masters, the families of the Holy sanctum. We must obey every command given to us without question."

That last part of the phrase had never made sense to Sunggyu. He was always taught to never think for himself, but the thing was, he didn't know how to think for himself. Why did the Transparents have to constantly remind themselves not to do something they didn't know how to do to begin with?

"Good, now, get up on the stage." The auctioneer ordered, motioning for the guards to help move the Transparents. Sunggyu was suddenly yanked from his spot in the line and onto the stage, stopping somewhere on the far right side next to the same girl he was with earlier.

Sunggyu looked down at his number pinned on his shirt. 57, he read. As a Transparent, he didn't learn how to read or write in training school, he had to teach himself by listening to the guest teachers from the Holy sanctum whenever they came over. It was pretty safe to say that Sunggyu was the only Transparent up for sale that knew how to read his own number.

His gaze focused onto the red curtains that began rising in front of him. He could hear the excited chatter of the eager Holy families as their bodies became fully uncloaked from the curtains. The brightness of the room had blinded Sunggyu for a second, making him take a step back, breaking the line.

"Hey, back in line!" One of the guards yelled, although only loud enough for him and the rest of the Transparents to hear. Sunggyu immediately stepped back into his rightful place, trying to ignore the sensation of his pupils burning as they adjusted to the light.

Soon he found himself staring face to face with dozens of people in the crowd that accumulated in the auction room. People had already begun bidding, the girl next to him had been chosen rather quickly by a young, wealthy looking man. Technically, all Holies were wealthy, but Sunggyu could spot a higher-class man when he saw one despite his efforts not to. The training school had strictly enforced the idea of all Holies being equally high class than Transparents, a valid idea that Sunggyu couldn't argue with.  

No longer than forty-five minutes passed before the majority of the best Transparents were sold, whisked away to their new masters, never to be seen again in the Carol, the section of Ahdah separated specifically for the slaves. Sunggyu still stood on the stage, unfazed. He knew he wasn't going to be picked.

Which was why he was so shocked when his number was called, loud and clear, to place a bid on him. It was all a blur, getting off the stage and meeting his new owners. The youngest of the family, who had picked him, Howon, had greeted him with a kind smile and polite self-introduction before going on to introduce the rest of his family. Sunggyu had bowed to Mr. and Mrs. Lee quickly before introducing himself. Luckily, there weren't a lot of names to remember, as Howon was an only child.

Sunggyu was directed out of the building and into his seat of the Lee family's expensive double door car, which happened to be the trunk. Howon took his seat in the back row, staring at the Transparent, his blond hair bouncing up and down as the car started to move. It was a custom in the Holy families for each member to dye their hair blond for a month each year. Sunggyu had learned all about their customs and traditions in training school.

"So, your name is Sunggyu?" Howon struck up a conversation after a while of staring. Sunggyu nodded. "Do you mind if I call you Gyu for short?" Howon asked, a smile lighting up his handsome face.

"Don't give him a nickname, he's a Transparent." Mr. Lee scolded from the driver's seat. Howon briefly apologized to his father, keeping his gaze on Sunggyu, who watched the outside scenery pass by.

"I'll call you Gyu for now, just keep it a secret between us." Howon whispered, blocking one side of his mouth with his hand so his father couldn't hear. Sunggyu merely nodded again without saying a word, as he was trained to do. Howon winked and turned to face the front again, leaving the Transparent to sit in the trunk in silence.

The rest of the ride was short and was fairly quiet, other than Mr. and Mrs. Lee's short conversations about the notorious rebel group, the Unholy class, found occupying a few buildings away from their house. The car pulled over and Howon got out, walking around to the back to open the trunk for Sunggyu. The said Transparent climbed out of the spacious trunk slowly, bare feet landing on the cobblestone driveway. 

"Here we are, your new home." Howon announced, taking Sunggyu's hand and walking him into the grand mansion. The Transparent soundlessly took in his surroundings.

The whole interior was white or some light shade of yellow with pristine dark red couches and matching curtains. The ceiling towered high above his head, giving enough space for an additional floor to the already two-storied house. Howon dragged him further into the house, leading him down one hallway to the next until they arrived at an empty room in a secluded part of the house.

"This is where you will stay." Howon said, showing Sunggyu into the surprisingly large room. "You have to get your bed sheets from out of the closet over there. Also, work starts tomorrow at 4 AM." Howon said, pointing to the built in closet on one side of the room. Sunggyu bowed and got to work once Howon left his field of vision.

The bed sheets were slightly dusty but he didn't mind. He had been living in a filthy place his whole life; a little dust was a luxury to him. In the closet, he found an old light up clock – the type that projected the numbers on the ceiling so you wouldn't have to roll over to check the time. It was just nearing noon when Sunggyu finished setting up his room.

Since he didn't have to start working yet, Sunggyu decided to take a tour around the mansion, knocking on every closed door to make sure he wasn't intruding on anyone. The house was a maze, with multiple entrances and exits a room; it was hard for him to find his way back to the main hallway that led to his room and the upstairs.

As Sunggyu entered the upstairs balcony, he noticed Mr. Lee sitting on a brown leather chair, staring out of a window near him. He remembered the lesson from training school on always greeting your masters, despite already seeing them that day, and decided to make himself known.

"Hello, sir. May I assist you in any way?" Sunggyu said, almost robotically, as he had loads of time to practice during his years at Carol. Mr. Lee looked up at him and crinkled his face in disgust.

"Yes, you can. Why don't you go take a shower and ask my wife for a makeover." He said, plugging his nose as the Transparent bowed near him, the greasy scent of his unkept hair and body odor leaving an unpleasant stench in the air, even after he left.

Luckily, Sunggyu had discovered the bathroom closest to his room quite early on his tour. There had been unused bathroom supplies waiting neatly on the counter for him when he found it. He stared at himself in the mirror, something he had barely done before, and took in his appearance.

His face was caked in oil, as it could be clearly seen with the fluorescent light shining down on him. Not only that, his hair was an absolute mess; it was stringy and going in every direction, obviously indicating that it hadn't been washed in a few days, then again, so did the rest of his body. Well, it wasn't like growing up as a Transparents would give you the opportunity to bathe every single day like most Holy families.

Sunggyu suddenly felt unworthy of being chosen. How could Howon pick him over the other, better kept Transparents? He definitely was unlike the other Holies he had met in Carol. Howon was much more caring and open than the others, but even so, he should have picked someone who was worth it. Despite his negative thoughts, Sunggyu undressed and stepped into the shower, more than happy to cleanse himself off for the first time that week.

~~~~~~

"Mistress Lee?" Sunggyu knocked on her private study room unsurely. He heard movement on the inside and then the door opened not long after. Mrs. Lee smiled up at him.

"Yes, Sunggyu?" She asked, giving him her undivided attention. The now fresh smelling Transparent straightened up his posture before making his request.

"Master Lee had told me to ask you for a makeover after I showered. I am not exactly sure what he had meant by that, but if you could please help me finish his request that would –."

"Oh! Of course, dear." Mrs. Lee interrupted him before he could go on any longer. "Makeovers are my specialty." She laughed, taking his hand and leading him over to the room across the hall.

"Here!" She opened the door, revealing a large room filled with fabrics of all colors and a long desk filled with all sorts of makeup and face creams. To the side, Sunggyu realized, was a walk-in closet stuffed with dozens of suits in all different shades of black and dark blue just waiting to be worn.

Mrs. Lee pulled the Transparent inside, getting straight to work on taking his measurements. After trying on multiple suits of his size, Mrs. Lee finally found the perfect one for Sunggyu. It was a long black sparrow tail long coat with a navy vest and a white button down shirt. To top it off, Mrs. Lee pulled out a red tie from a drawer dedicated to ties only and wrapped it around his neck for the final touches.

"Now," She smiled, looking at her work up and down, "time for a haircut." She announced. She sat Sunggyu down in front of the makeup mirror and pulled out a scissors and styling gel.

~~~~~~

An hour's worth of hair cutting flew by before Mrs. Lee started to add gel to Sunggyu's hair. She clapped her hands with joy as a new and improved Sunggyu stood up from his seat, looking fresh and charismatic in his new suit.

"I did good." She complimented herself. "Now go show Howon! I bet he didn't know he picked out a hidden jewel." She cooed, ushering him out of the room and down the hall to Howon's room. Sunggyu knocked on the ebony door with the letter H carved into it in elegant font, waiting for his master to see his new appearance. Something in his stomach twisted inside of him, giving him a strange sensation he had never felt before. Suddenly, the door swung open, allowing Howon's body to come into view.

"Yes - Whoa." Howon's eyes widened and he visibly swallowed hard. "Gyu?"

~~~~~~~~

Yay first chapter is out! I hope none of the early subbers unsubscribe because this wasn't what they were hoping for. Sorry, it's just the first chapter; I can't do a lot with the plot yet. Anyway, thank you to everyone who read this and is planning on staying for more~