Chapter 5;

If you have ever been mugged, the incident most probably went like this: It was a cold and dark night and all you wanted was to get home. Maybe you have been staying up in school to finish your project and was locked in the library. You were stuck in there for the whole evening and you were famished and maybe because you happened to skipped lunch. When the security making his rounds found you much later, you were let out and just wanted so desperately to get home, in the comfort of your couch, watching the latest episode of your favorite variety show and having a huge hearty dinner.

It would been so much easier if my chauffer was not on a sick leave and my sister would pick up my call. Without a choice, I had to seat alone in the cold, waiting for the bus to arrive and when it finally came, I realized I did not bring my concession card nor have any change on me. Trudging back home, I thought my day couldn’t get any worse but I was proved wrong when a cold sturdy metal swung right in front of my throat. Where in the world even did this person come out from? Either he is a nimble ninja that has the ability of walking silently or I have absolutely no awareness of my surroundings. Probably the latter.

“Hand over your money,” a deep unfamiliar voice breathed right next to my ear. Did I mention that the metal object resting on my throat is sharp too? Because I felt a sharp pain and I am at the very least smart enough to realize that it could be a knife.

“I don’t have any…” I wished it was a lie but I truthfully don’t even have a single dime.

“Are you kidding me?” the assaulter scoffed, “the maknae of the Jung Empire walking around with no money? Are you even their biological daughter?”

Honestly, I’d thought about that question a billion times and came to the conclusion that I was most likely adopted, picked up on the streets or something along the lines. “No. Uh no, yes! Yes of course, I am.” I stuttered “Actually, no. Jung Empire? I think you’ve gotten the wrong person! How is it possible that a Jung heir walks around cashless right? I am definitely not who you are looking for!” I chuckled nervously, “can u let me go now?”

“You wish.” The man lifted the knife from my throat and swung his arm backwards. Squeezing my eyes shut, I felt my knees buckle as I braced myself for the deadly blow. In that split second, a million thoughts ran through my mind. How I should not have been so careless, how I wouldn’t make it home tonight, how the my murder will be on the headlines tomorrow morning and how I would not be sitting in physics lesson exactly at 8am anymore.

Before I knew it, I was pushed violently to the ground. My elbows burned by the friction between my skin and the rough concrete. As I opened my eyes, I saw a familiar figure sending blows to my assaulter and within a few seconds, his body slumped across a turf of grass. This episode seems straight out from an action drama, it is too cliché to be true.

“Are you alright?” I was helped onto my feet and looking up, I got a clearer view of my savior’s face. “Luhan?”

“Are you alright?” he emphasized.

“Well, not until you arrived. What are you even doing here?”   

“You’re bleeding.” He brushed my hair away from my neck

I was then made to stay seated on a stray bench as Luhan dashed away, returning quickly with first aid. Pushing my hair to the side, he gently dabbed on my wound with a damp cloth followed by some alcohol as I wince at the stinging pain. I let my eyes linger on his face, deep in concentration with his brows furrowed and lips pursed. It is probably the first time in forever that someone is giving me such care and it felt so strange. I could not be more grateful when Luhan offered to walk me home.

“What were you doing walking alone so late in the evening?”

Sighing, I told him about my misadventures, “Where did you get your kickass moves though? It was pretty amazing”

“Just ‘pretty amazing’? Thought I saved your head back there. I was half expecting a press conference to be held of how grateful you are.” Luhan chaffed

“Yes sir, I’ll make sure you receive your well-deserved reward!” our chuckles disrupting the hushed evening air   

“Thank you!” I exclaimed numerously upon reaching the gates of my home

“Don’t worry about it. If you need any help, just ring me up.” He returned a smile and ushered me into my house

By the time I was in the safe premises of the mansion, my hunger had already dissipated. I found my sister in her study room, buried in books and typing away on her laptop. As I walked pass, she questioned my lateness without even lifting her head but as the words ‘I was mugged’ rolled out of my tongue, she flounced from her chair and stared at me, eyes wide with emotions I can’t decipher. Was it a trace of concern or anger? She quickly requested that I head to bed and get some rest and that I don’t have to think too much about it. Was I supposed to think about it and what, write a 5 page reflection? Anyway, I went straight to bed and then realized it was a bad idea. The undone homework was staring at me from my study desk beckoning me to reach out to it. The nagging in my head finally over took me as I reluctantly walked to my desk to complete my work.

Halfway through, I started getting hungry again. My stomach is even more fickle minded than my mind itself. My hopes of finding a granola bar in my bag were dashed and it was clear that I had to make my way to the kitchen. People envied me living in such a huge house, scratch that, huge is an understatement. They don’t know my pain of climbing the endless flights of stairs just to get to the kitchen to get a cup of water, or mornings when I am already late for school and I have to sprint for a whole 4 minutes to get to the front gate of the house. As I made my way down to the kitchen, I passed by Soo Hyeon’s room and overheard her on the phone “What do mean not my business? She is my sister, of course this is my business! It is no longer your business when you abandoned her!” I froze in my steps. What is she talking about? Was she referring to me? Abandoned?