A/N: More comments for me, please? :)

“W-What?” Yifan just realized what he said when Joonmyeon stopped laughing and struggling altogether. His grip around her torso loosened that she was able to slide through the floor. This wasn’t part of the plan. He ought to make her fall deeper that she won’t be able to say no when he formally asked her out and not just three days in to the Project: Strip the Princess of her Crown. 

But his brain to mouth filter didn’t seem to be working at the moment that he was saying things he didn’t even mean. Or did he? Aiyo! I wasn’t sure anymore! This girl must really be a witch.

Well, to hell with the blasted plan! “Uh, I mean, you’re not dating anyone, are you?” Oh, the eloquence! He face-palmed himself mentally. He used to be so smooth with women. Or did he leave all his abilities in China?

Her poker face was on and god, did he have no way to read what’s on her mind! Girls were usually easy to read and very easy to please but what did he have to offer a girl who had everything? “No, I mean, I really like you, you’re different and you seem comfortable around me, so give me a chance?”

“You didn’t even look my way when you first came in, why the sudden interest?” Was that a pout? Awww, poor girl was attention-hungry. He fought the urge to roll his eyes. If he really wanted this plan to move forward then he had to be patient.

“Do you know the meaning of orange flowers?” He asked instead. She was looking up at him and it was the first time that he really saw her eyes. They were beautiful but they were…empty. “It means enthusiasm, persistence, the ones who gave them won’t take no for an answer. So it doesn’t matter what your answer is now because I won’t stop ‘til you give in.” He flicked her forehead gently and walked away, leaving Joonmyeon frozen in her spot.

******************************************

Joonmyeon went through her day absently and Kyungsoo already asked her twice if she was feeling okay. Not to mention the pesky flies who won’t leave her alone because she looked like she was about to pass out. She was thinking of her encounter with Yifan earlier and all of the things he said. It was the first time ever that she felt genuine regard for her being from someone that was not Kyungsoo or Aunt Heechul.

Most of the people around her asked the same questions because they were the right questions to ask. She never made many friends despite her status and she was sure these people who called themselves her pals talk about her behind her back. She knew she was not the nicest person around. She always said what’s in her mind and won’t take from anybody.

Aunt Heechul, the one who practically raised her, once told her that because of her money and her looks, many people would want to be her friend but many of these friends will want to bring her down. As a five-year old, she didn’t understand, but as she grew older, it all made sense. In the beginning, they came to her for small things, her mom’s autograph, to watch a movie in their home theater or a swim in their indoor pool during the winter. Eventually, the favors became outrageous.

She was around eleven when Siwon called her to his study. He didn’t raise his voice or anything but his tone was nowhere something she can associate with the amiable person he was. He gave her a name and asked if she knew them. The girl was from school and she said the girl had been in their house a few times to study and whatnot. It turned out that said classmate’s father was involved in money laundering and few other shady dealings. Her SNS posts about being good friends with Joonmyeon and being able to come to her house whenever she pleased came to the attention of the Banking Bureau. They were investigating the family and all other individuals who transact with them. Siwon was implicated considering his influence in the financial world.

When the legal investigations started, Siwon was greatly involved in punishing the real culprit to save his family’s name and the business empire his ancestors built. Her classmate’s father was convicted and that’s when hell started for Joonmyeon. Her disgruntled classmate called her names and called her whole family criminals. At her age, she didn’t understand much and so did her classmates. They just started to avoid her. Why would anyone believe the words of a daughter of a money launderer but not hers?

After the fiasco, her parents told her firmly that she had to be careful on who she’d associate herself with. She promised to do just that but also asked them if she can transfer to another school. Siwon and Hankyung took pity and with only a year to Junior High School, she moved. That’s when she met Kyungsoo.

She was the squishy little ball of sunshine that didn’t have many qualms about sharing her lunch box. They tasted a lot better than their chef’s cooking so she always almost finished all of them until she started bringing food enough for both of them. Aside from her, she made acquaintances but not friends. Heiress training did not allow for any enemies so she got used to throwing fake smiles and even faker compliments. Since she was an only child and therefore the only rightful successor of a multi-billion dollar company, she learned how to be headstrong. She had to show to everyone that she can also take care of their legacy even if she’s a woman.

She excelled in everything she put her mind into. Be it academics or the arts. As a daughter of a famous ballerina, naturally, she gravitated to dancing. She thought it was the only way to get closer to her distant mother. Or distant parents for that matter. But nothing seemed to work out. They were almost never around except during holidays and important occasions. Over the years, she just learned not to be upset about it but it didn’t mean she didn’t want to change it if she could.

And now, someone who she only knew for a few days was acting like he’d known her forever--offering help when never asked, cheering her up when she was down, overall giving color to her monotonous life.

And what did he say? He will not take no for an answer?

She knew she can’t afford any distractions at this point. But why did everything he said and done left fancy tingles in her spine?

****************************************

“Mama!” His jaw dropped to the floor when he saw his mother open the door for him when he arrived from school. He went to hug her. “What are you doing here?!”

“Can’t I check how you’re settling down?” She faked a sniff. “You didn’t even miss me.”

Of course he did. But he knew better. He smirked. “You just want me to join you while you raid Myeongdong, Mother. You can’t fool me.”

“Bendan-lah!” She slapped him hard with the magazine that she was holding. “But yeah, okay, you’re not my priority. I could have taken Papa with me but he coincidentally had to go to this convention in Taiwan.” He laughed and ushered her in. His father loved his mother to destruction but he just can’t stand her 13-hour mall trips or scouring Rodeo Drive under the scorching California sun. And Yifan took after him.

“I missed you, Mama.” Jiahua hugged her giant of a son.

“Have you eaten?” He shook his head and she took him to the kitchen. She shooed away the help and whipped something up for him herself. “So, tell me, what are you up to?” She was expertly flipping meat and peppering the stew and checking the oven and whatnot. She was a small beautiful blur in his huge kitchen. Nobody would believe that his socialite mother was this domesticated.

Ella Chen Jiahua was a brilliant criminal lawyer when she met the dashing heir of the Wu Empire, Wu Chun. It wasn’t long before the two were tying the knot in a fancy beach wedding in The Bahamas. After her mother had him, she still continued her career but since she would constantly leave in the middle of trials or important meetings because Yifan was sick or when someone called her from preschool, his father suggested that she stay at home and take care of them instead. And his mother happily obliged.

However, as Yifan grew up and their business expanded, she had a lot more free time in her hands and she spent those flipping the shopping hotspots all over the world. Her favorite was Myeongdong. Because everything was cheap yadah yadah yadah…

“Nothing much. I’ve only been here for a week!” He was afraid he sounded defensive. His mother had this uncanny ability to let him say things he didn’t really want to say.

“Okay, then tell me about Kim Joonmyeon.” He groaned inwardly. The smile in her face told him it would be a long afternoon.

A/N: Typed in haste, I’ll go back to change any typo or grammar mistakes whenever. Meh. hehehe