Chapter 1
TransformedA wolf's hurt pride is a destroyed confidence.
"Ae Sook-ah, are you coming? You’re about to be late!” Mrs. Kim yells as takes steps up the last few stairs to her daughter’s room.
It's 9:20 AM and with midterm exams starting in 40 minutes, Mrs. Kim has gone to see what is taking Ae Sook so long.
Suddenly, a series of crashes and thuds resound throughout the entire house, sending vibrations throughout the foundation of the second floor.
Rushing to her daughter’s aid, Mrs. Kim runs to her daughter’s doorway in a hurry only to abruptly stop and stare at the situation she’s found the room to be at the moment.
It is a mess, everywhere.
Different business casual outfits litter the bed in haphazard mountains, shoes are cluttering the front entrance to the door, and colorful makeup containers are strewn on and around the desk area.
However, on the other hand, Ae Sook is leaning over underneath the edge of the desk, cradling her head. Groaning, she slowly uprights herself and looks into the small mirror that she has propped up on the wall facing her.
“Aish, omma! What the heck?! Do you see what you did? This is what always happens when you’re so loud in the morning!”
Ae Sook makes a full turn to face her mother with an angry expression. Upon seeing her face, Mrs. Kim covers to hide a giggle.
Her daughter's once almond shaped eyes have suddenly warped into what looks like that of a winged raccoon’s. The eyeliner has strayed from her mono lid and into the corners of her hairline near her ear.
Laughing even harder now, Mrs. Kim cautiously steps over the mess to get her daughter. Ae Sook immediately stands up to confront her.
"Do you see this?! I've been working on this for the past hour! The past hour!" She steps over to take a glance once again at her makeup and groans regretfully before coming back to her mom, "And now you just messed this all up in a matter of seconds! What am I going to do now?"
Mrs. Kim steps back and swipes the clothes on Ae Sook's bed to the side, making room for two. She takes the eyeliner pen from her daughter's death grip in one hand and pulls out a few makeup wipes out of the package on the floor with another. Then, patting the spot next to her, Ae Sook sits and obediently raises her chin.
Grabbing Ae Sook's chin gently, Mrs. Kim begins to wipe away the eyeliner streak.
"What on earth were you doing your makeup for anyways? You never do it, so why start now?"
"Today's the first part of exams, and I just wanna look good when I beat Sae Ryun."
The realization hits Mrs. Kim as she puts away the makeup wipes and begins on the eyeliner. "Ahh, it's Sae Ryun again. I would expect after three years of medical school together, you guys would let up a little."
"Let up? Ha, I would never. That entitled little . Just because his parents own half of Daehyun medical corporation, he thinks he can boss me around and show off. Please, I've been right on his tail ever since the beginning and now I'm going to show him. Just let him see," Ae Sook scoffs.
Mrs. Kim sets down all her supplies on the relatively clean portion of the bed. Tilting Ae Sook's chin side to side, she examines her work before pulling it down so that their eyes are level.
For a moment, Mrs. Kim looks into the depths of Ae Sook's orbs. She sees the past 21 years of her daughter's life flash before her eyes, from when she was just a small baby to the first time she walked to the years of middle and high school that seemed to make her into who she is and now the past 3 years where she's been studying with all her heart to become a surgeon and endlessly feuding wth Sae Ryun. All those memories, completely stress free and beautiful, come back to Mrs. Kim in an overpowering wave. It makes her achingly sad that she knows this will end eventually, but regardless, these 21 years were a blessing that she will never forget.
Trying to reassure herself, Mrs. Kim seeks for something deeper in Ae Sook's eyes, something she knows was there all along. Ae Sook's eyes flash a clear crystal blue for merely a split of a second, and with that milisecond difference, Mrs. Kim is satisified and let's go of Ae Sook's chin.
Her daughter's worried eyes follow her as she bends over to retrieve the mirror resting on the wall.
"Well, forget that kid because along with this stuff you've been learning, you have 21 years experience of natural medicine on your hand. Don't forget that. How do you like it?" Mrs. Kim hands the mirror over to Ae Sook.
Slowly, Ae Sook takes the mirror from her mother as she regards her with quisitive eyes before she reluctantly glances into the relfective surface. Ae Sook openly stares at the resulting image.
Her mom had nailed exactly what picture she was going for. She had corrected all the messy and crooked lines to form a subtle but fierce cateye that reinforced her eyecolor and made her seem gentle yet rough at the same time. Include a smirk, and it makes a look enough to kill.
Ae Sook begins to examine the handiwork with her eye practically glued to the glass of the mirror. "Omma, how do you do this? Seriously, I spent hours learning and it ended up nothing like this."
"You know, it amazes me how you have such a steady surgeon's hand yet you mess this up so bad. And on top of that, haven't you learned anything from Da Bin?" Mrs. Kim playfully ruffles Ae Sook's hair on her way out.
"Omma!" Ae Sook protests with an annoyed voice but she can't help that smile that's spreading across her face.
"Don't worry. I'll teach you how to do it this weekend and you'll never need me for it again."
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"Yah, Kim Ae Sook, I thought you wanted me to come early?" Da Bin yells as Ae Sook makes her way down the porch steps. Sitting in her porsche, Da Bin looks as luxurious as ever with her designer glasses and fully applied signature makeup.
Best friends with Ae Sook since second grade and fashion m
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