[CONTENTID1]

Amor Vincit Omnia

Love Conquers All

Author: thirteenstars

Characters: Kim Hanbin, Lee Hayi, Kim Jiwon (Bobby)

[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]

“I bet you ten million won, this cheated again.”

A girl swallowed a lump in as she maintained a calm stance in front of the bulletin board, hearing the whispers from the back.

“I think there’s no need to bet. She totally cheated. Duh, who can even top Professor Choi’s class, unless she showed her s to him –”

Whispers and laughter floated into the air. “Seriously, what s–?”

The girl suddenly turned around, making the others immediately shut up just by the look in her face. She was not looking at anybody in particular, but the almost bored but cold look in her eyes told everyone that she had just cursed them to hell for everything they had just said.

An eerie coldness settled in that haullway as the girl just stood there; her beautiful, yet stoic face made some of her schoolmates start sweating bullets. Her silence had always made people nervous.

Without a word, Lee Hayi made her way through the students, not sparing them a glance, almost not giving a damn about them.

“Who does she thinks she is?!”

Maybe your worst nightmare, the petite girl answered in her mind when she heard her classmate shout. She really didn’t care about it at all; for her, she won’t die by their useless criticisms and sharp tongues. And as usual, she decided to bury the thought away until she saw two big blurs passed by her and by instinct, she caught the two by their collar and shirt.

“Save it,” she told the two, almost bored, as she used her strength to pull back the seething teenagers.

“That freak is going to pay!” the younger girl fumed. “Why are you letting them talk that way to you, unnie? Seriously?!”

Hayi sighed. “It’s not true anyway.”

“But they’re not right, either,” the guy said. “Seriously, just let me have a go at them. I am so done with these plastics.”

“You’re not gonna stoop that low, Chanhyuk,” Hayi said sternly. “Let’s just go, okay?” she said, pulling the two towards the gates. “You buy that Sans Rival cake at the Fleur’s. Let’s celebrate my being top with mom,” she said.

Instantly, the mood of her younger sister lifted at the thought of the celebration, but catching up with her older sister’s words, she frowned. “What do you mean by ‘you’? I thought we’re going to have a celebration?”

“I have to study for a quiz for a bit, Soohyunie,” Hayi said.

Chanhyuk sighed as Soohyun opened to protest. “Let it go,” Chanhyuk told the younger. “Just be home early, okay? Mom might…be happy, y’know?” he told Hayi.

“Yeah, sure,” Hayi said almost sarcastically, but silently wishing she’d believe it herself.

The three of them silently bade goodbye to each other and Hayi could only look at the retreating form of her siblings before making her way to the place she wanted to be at the moment.

She lied.

She took a deep breath as soon as she settled herself, leaning on the ledge of the rooftop by the elbows, allowing the cool wind to blow on her face and dance with the strands of her hair. For a moment there, she forgot what she was thinking that day as she appreciated the slight warmth of the setting sun on her skin. She felt free.

Lee Hayi didn’t know how it is to be happy. And she also didn’t know how it felt to be sad; or rather, she couldn’t remember how it felt like. All she knew that she had always felt empty growing up and she was always trying to fill it with hard work –studies, extra-curricular activities and extra effort to finally feel satisfaction, eventually happiness and of course, elicit something from her mother.

That was her life all about. The reason why she worked hard was just simply to make her mother notice her, to make her look at her, to let her know that she has a daughter that she could be proud of.

But not even once had she became successful.

Her heart ached as the image of her beautiful mother, sitting by the window with cold, empty and with a faraway look in her eyes whilst caressing a small bear stuffed toy flashed before her eyes.

She neve