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Identify Me (ON TEMPORARY HOLD UNTIL "THE OUTCAST CLUB" IS FINISHED)
3 | HARIN
Go Harin rather enjoyed December 30th.
It was the one day every year in which her parents were out of the country – and out of Harin’s life – to celebrate their wedding anniversary.
But alas, it wasn't the 30th. It was December 31st, the day after; the day she hated with a passion, and to top it off, she was entangled in a ‘family’ intervention that she definitely did not want to be a part of.
Harin’s calculative gaze flickered up as her father cleared his throat rather loudly.
“Your mother and I have hurried back from our trip to Mumbai yesterday. Why do you think this is?” he questioned as he on his cigarette.
Harin bit down on her tongue to keep from misbehaving too much. “Because it’s Rose’s birthday.”
“…Yes, your birthday,” her father eyed her before hastily continuing. “Correct. As you are 18 now, your mother and I have prepared a very special present for you.”
The smoke he blew out made her feel sick to her stomach; Harin curled a piece of her ash blonde bob behind her ear, her ear piercings glinting in the light of the chandelier above.
“Being 18 is not that big of a deal,” she found herself muttering; eyes glued on the hands of the grandfather clock ticking away in the living room.
Her mother, a beautiful yet pretentious woman, shared a serious look with her father before smiling all-too warmly.
“Harin, dear, it is a big deal. You are an adult now, and are thus recognized as the sole heir to our family wealth.”
There was a tense silence as Harin tightened her fists and untightened them slowly, wishing she was anywhere but there.
Her father didn’t look too impressed with her behavior – big surprise – but frankly, Harin couldn’t care less.
In exasperation, her father leaned his cigarette against the ashtray beside him and rubbed his temples before parting his lips to speak.
“We have both decided that you will attend this year’s bidding.”
Harin stared at him blankly with a foreign look on her face before letting out a sharp laugh.
“Is this some sort of twisted joke?”
“Harin, all of the heirs attend the bidding every year. You’re old enough now to have your own familiar too – all yours to command,” her mother explained calmly, as if she was being reasonable.
“…Don’t tell me that my big birthday ‘present’ is me being allowed to buy a human life,” she whispered lowly.
“All your friends have at least a few familiars. We’ll agree on any one you choose, regardless of the amount. Plus, skipping out on these events is bad for your socialization skills. You need to network and have connections in order get ahead of others and beat the competition.”
“I don’t want to get ahead of others!” Harin shouted, jolting up on her feet. A mixture of bafflement and frustration welled up inside of her. “I want—”
“Sit down!” her father commanded.
Harin bit down even harder on her lip – hands shaking at her sides. She dared not look into her father’s eyes.
“We know what you want. You want freedom – you want to leave – but you’re part of this household now. You are Rose, and there is nothing you can do to change that,” he muttered. “If you want to leave, you abide by the rules, whether you like it or not.”
Her mother worriedly looked between her husband and her daughter for a few moments until Harin finally spoke up.
“Fine,” she glared. “I’ll go to the event. Just don’t expect me to bid on anyone.”
*
The Annual Familiar Auction was one of the most degrading forms of entertainment for the wealthy.
Every year, invitations to the secret bidding event would be distributed only to the richest families in need of more servants. These candidates were often called “familiars,” individuals not unlike the spirits that served witches and wizards in old fantasy folklore.
In modern terms, they were the most able-bodied, well-trained, and well-equipped humans with the purpose of appealing to the rich in order to attain bids and find a new ‘master.' The candidates came from various orphanages across South Korea, because if the candidate had parents, well, they could run into sticky situations.
Masters often provided food, shelter, and a place to stay in exchange for utmost servitude. There were no restrictions to familiars, either – they could be appointed as anything the master wished – maids, butlers, cooks, chauffeurs – they could even be the ones who did homework for them in secret. They were yours to command…
…Which was exactly why Harin didn’t want one.
*
Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, Harin took deep breaths. It had been a while since she had been to a formal event, and she felt awkward in her high heels and sultry maroon, lace dress.
When you walk through those doors, you are Rose, Harin repeated the words in her mind like a mantra. You are Rose. You are Rose. You are R—
“Announcing Miss Rose,” the usher called, and with a deft push, the doors to the banquet hall opened to reveal a spectacular room filled with debonair individuals.
Showtime, Harin opened her eyes, and the moment she did, all eyes were on her. She strode elegantly, coolly, like a fresh spring breeze on a hot summer’s day. She was different – she was poignant, she was confident…
She was Rose.
Through the sea of filthy rich conglomerates and heirs, Harin shone like a star. Her ash-brown bob swayed as she allowed vague smiles at some people she recognized. Her eyes darted from one place to the other, trying to find an inviting face.
“Rose! Over here!”
Harin glanced over her shoulder and wanted to sigh out of relief. At a table relatively near the stage sat her friends – a very carefully selected group of young heirs and heiresses. Harin quickly hurried over to them and gave them hugs.
“Choa,” she exhaled in contentment.
Choa, the closest to her out of the three, was a beautiful blonde with a friendly, outgoing nature. Her parents ran a luxury car business that was the best in South Korea.
Choa grinned, “Haven’t seen you here in a long time. Was forced here by your parents, huh?”
Harin rolled her eyes, “You don’t even know half of it.”
“What, is Choa the only one you see? And we were going to give you a badass birthday gift, too.”
Harin’s gaze switched over to Hwasa, a wild, witty female with a devil-may-care attitude. Her dress was tight-fitted and low cut, with a fur shawl to match, accentuating her smoky eyes and ruby red lips. As always, she had a wicked sense of style, which Harin expected no less from the namesake and daughter of a high-end fashion company.
Beside Hwasa sat Hansol, Hwasa’s cousin, who went by Vernon. As a guy that only had eyes for sports, he was usually childish, boyish, and unkempt, but for the event, he was surprisingly dressed in a dark grey suit and tie, making him look jaw-droppingly stylish. Sometimes he came to join the three girls when his other friends weren’t at certain parties or events.
“No way, you guys really got me something?” Harin’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Don’t tell me it’s—”
“Mouawad’s 1001 Nights Diamond purse? Trust me – you don’t want to be carrying something like that around.”
“’Cause it’s so last year, huh?” Vernon raised an eyebrow at her.
“Ignore him,” Hwasa waved her hand at her before smirking at Harin, “Honey – we’ve got you the next best thing. Hwasa Couture’s very own, one-of-a-kind Rouge handbag, gold-plated chain and customized engraving on the sides just for you.”
“Holy cow,” Harin pulled it out of the box, immediately putting the bag over her shoulder. “The colour’s perfect.”
Hwasa nodded with a smug smile. “It pays to have a friend like me, huh?”
Choa clapped gleefully, “It looks great on you!”
“It was Hwasa’s idea. We all pitched in for the extra engravings or else she would’ve freaked at us,” Vernon whispered with a wink as Harin laughed. “Thanks, guys.”
“Hansol, if you don’t shut up—”
Choa suddenly snapped her fingers, and at once, an older male rushed to her side. “Yes, Miss Choa.”
“Take this box and pack it into Harin’s limo at once so she doesn’t have to hold it throughout the bidding,” she advised.
“Yes, Miss.” The male bowed and hurried off with the box at once. Harin frowned, “Choa, you don’t have to do this…”
“It’s already done. It’s not that big of a task for him,” she glanced at one of her Familiars as she gave Harin a reassuring smile. “Speaking of which, you’re going to bid on a familiar today, right?”
“No,” Harin curled a piece of hair behind her ear. “I never plan to.”
Hwasa and Vernon shared a stunned look before Hwasa leaned her head in, “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up – you’re not even going to bid? Like – at all?”
“Did your parents not allow you to bid?” Choa worriedly frowned.
Harin sighed. “On the contrary – my parents are offering to pay for whichever familiar I want, regardless of the price.”
“Damn, I would understand if you already had a few familiars already,” Vernon began, “But you have none. Most elites would die for the chance to get a free familiar paid for by their Mommies and Daddies.”
“Yeah, when I turned 18, the first thing I did was save up to bid on one,” Hwasa nodded, “Though some of them aren’t very useful…” she sharply glared at one behind her as one of her family’s familiars cleared .
Harin toyed with the end of her napkin. “I… just don’t want to force people into being personal slaves.”
“True,” Vernon grinned. “You’re uncorrupted by the elites surrounding us.”
Choa smiled, “I feel you. My parents just tell me to bid on random ones when we’re short on staff.”
Hwasa swirled her glass around. “I guess so. In the past years, there have only been little brats showing off useless skills anyway—”
“WELCOME!” A loud voice suddenly cut in, echoing throughout the hall. At once, the raucous chatter died down into a silent hum as everyone’s gazes were glued to the main host of the event. On the stage, a single bright spotlight illuminated the small, stubby man.
“Err—I mean, welcome. Sorry, microphone issues,” the host wiped his palms nervously. “In any case, I welcome all of you charming ladies and gentlemen to the 25th Annual Familiar Auction!”
A round of courteous applause resounded throughout the area as the host cleared his throat.
“As you know, all of you have been invited to this secret event due to your dedicated contribution and interest in keeping this event alive, and I’d like to thank all of our sponsors – especially Miss Hwasa from Hwasa Couture,” the spotlight shone on the short-haired blonde as she tipped her head with a chic grin at the host.
“And Miss Choa from FNC Electronics.” Harin clapped beside her as Choa stood up, and with grace and poise, did a little bow in all directions.
A crazed, ecstatic glint took over the host’s eyes and Harin swore she could see him smirking.
“Now, without further ado, let the bidding begin. And remember folks, may the best bid win!”
[!!!] Identify Me is on temporary hold until The Outcast Club is finished! More frequent updates after The Outcast Club is completed! :)
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