14

“Michelle, sweep the floor.”

“Michelle, hang the decorations.”

“Michelle, prepare the dishes.”

My bottom lip was bleeding from my excessive chewing as I tried to contain my anger. Ashley, who was already lounging on the couch in her sequined gold dress, just smirked and snagged another hor d'oeuvre from the platter that I spent all morning preparing.

“They’re too bland,” she drawled dismissively, examining her freshly manicured gold nails. “Mom is not going to be pleased.” My hand curled tightly around the bottles of champagne that I was arranging as I debated between smashing it over her head or pouring it on her dress.

“Yes Ashley,” I said, forcing a bright smile on my face. She scoffed and continued to scroll through her phone, her nails tapping an incessant rhythm on the screen.

Dunking the last few bottles into buckets of ice placed artfully along the long dining table, I sighed in relief and backed up a few steps to examine my work. My eyes swept over the plates of elaborate dishes on the white tablecloth and I grimaced.

That tablecloth is definitely going to get stained.

A big tacky ‘Congratulations XTM!’ sign hung between the two pillars that led to the living room and colorful ribbons plastered the walls. Glancing at the grandfather clock next to the piano that was really only there for decoration, I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that there were fifteen minutes before the guests would arrive. Rushing down to the basement, I threw on the ‘uniform’ that Mrs. Lee bought yesterday, wheezing as the waistcoat cut painfully into my ribs.

Great, now I just have to parade around with a platter of food for the next fourteen hours while a piece of cloth is squeezing me to death.

By the time I finished yanking a brush through my hair and dusting off my Converse, the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of the first few guests. Groaning, I ran to open the door, ignoring Ashley's outraged squawk as she lept up from the couch and tried to smooth out the wrinkles on her dress.

“Welcome, please make yourself comfortable. You can leave your coats anywhere in the lounge and the bathroom is down the hallway, third door to the right,” I chirped, stretching my lips into a fake smile. “Feel free to take anything you’d like from the food platters.”

The man nodded slightly, wincing when the collar of his starched dress shirt cut into his neck and proceeded to the kitchen, already grabbing the plates that were laid out.

Very relatable.

The woman just sniffed disdainfully and pursed her lips, heading after the man, sweeping her the folds of her floor-length dress after her. The rest didn't even bother to make eye contact as they spaced themselves out in the lounge.

“Stay out of the way as much as possible,” Mr. Lee muttered as he strode through the door with his wife in tow. “I'll trust that you prepared everything while we were away.” With a stony glare, he and Mrs. Lee rushed to their guests, greeting each with faked enthusiasm and exaggerated compliments.

“Mr. Song!” Mrs. Lee gasped, covering with a gloved hand in mock surprise. “We haven't seen each other so long! What a pleasure to see you here.”

I gagged and turned away, unable to stomach the rare sight of her smile.

I bet she got her teeth whitened for this.

Flamboyantly dressed guests continued to stream through the door, joining the mass of others, all sipping on flutes of champagne and chatting about business deals and money. The greetings flowed smoothly out of my mouth without any conscious thought in my part until someone I never expected to see walked through the door.

“B-Bang PD-nim,” I stuttered, nearly tripping over my own feet as I bowed hurriedly. “I didn't expect you to be here.”

“Same here,” he replied, smiling pleasantly. “XTM and Big Hit have been working together for a few years now. They've been providing almost all of our idols’ clothes and we provide models for them.”

My eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, well please enjoy yourself. Almost everyone has arrived already,” I said. Bang PD smiled and nodded before disappearing into a forest of black suits and gaudy dresses. I returned my attention to the door just in time to see Hannah and her mother walk through, both adorned in long gowns and holding jeweled clutches. Mrs. Park immediately mingled into the crowd, leaving Hannah alone with me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mrs. Lee gesture for me to close the doors.

“I'm guessing they're making you play waiter?” Hannah sighed, watching me as I closed the doors.

“Yeah, but I don't think they're going to notice if I don't,” I shrugged. “Let's go somewhere quieter. I'm already getting a headache.”

“Me too and we have to last for another fourteen hours,” Hannah groaned, following me as I wove through the crowd. Stopping behind a potted planted, I turned around to face her, eager to share my news.

“Did you know that XTM and Big Hit work together?” I whispered fiercely, crossing my arms.

“Seriously? Mom never told me,” Hannah gasped, flapping her hands in excitement. “Does that mean BTS wears our brand?”

“According to Bang PD-nim,” I replied. “And is that seriously your first reaction?”

“Obviously,” Hannah sighed dreamily. “That just gives me more opportunities to meet them.”

“You can practically meet them any time you want because you have a thing going on with Jimin. I don't see how BTS wearing your mom’s brand lets you meet them more,” I said, laughing when Hannah flushed and tried to cover her face with her clutch.

“I don't have a thing with Jimin,” she whined, stomping her foot. “I don't know if he even likes me.”

“Well I know, which means he's being pretty obvious,” I pressed, grinning at Hannah's exasperated state.

“Yeah well moving on from that,” Hannah said, voice suddenly growing cold as she glared at me. “How come I had to find out from Jimin that you and Jungkook started dating?”

It was me this time, who flushed a bright red and tried to hide my face.

“I feel so betrayed,” Hannah cried dramatically, placing a hand over heart. “I thought I was your best friend, but apparently not because I had to find out about this from Jimin!”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of gold between the leaves of the potted plant, but after a moment, it disappeared without a trace. Ignoring it, I turned sheepishly back to Hannah who had her hands on her hips.

“I was going to tell you,” I began, flinching when she took a step forward. “But I never got around to it and we didn’t see each other for a while because you were busy with school.”

“You could have texted me,” Hannah sighed, raising her hand to run her fingers through her hair, but lowered it back down in fear of ruining her styled hair. “I’m happy for you though, since it’s your first boyfriend and all.”

“You didn’t have to mention the last part,” I huffed.”I’m still kind of bitter over that.” Hannah giggled and pulled me out from behind the plant, leading me over to the dining table. The flutes of champagne were all gone, but the food was barely touched.

“Why don’t you people ever eat the food? I spent so long preparing it too,” I groaned. Glancing around to make sure that no one was looking, I grabbed a plate and loaded it with crab cakes.

“You prepared all this?” Hannah asked, eyes widening as she scanned over the numerous platters. I nodded absentmindedly, too busy shoving my face to pay attention. “Even the decorations?”

I swallowed and stared at her. “Well yeah. Mrs. Lee still hired a caterer for her parties when I was younger, but other than that, I’ve always done the decorations and arrangements.” Hannah sighed and snatched a crab cake my from my plate, ignoring my protests as she chewed on it thoughtfully.

“Do you want to move-” Hannah said but was cut off by two loud claps and someone clearing their throat.

“Attention ladies and gentlemen, please turn your attention to Park Shin Yoo, CEO of XTM Fashion Industries,” someone announced. Everyone automatically turned their gazes onto Mrs. Park, who was standing on the staircase, allowing her to survey the entire room. I instinctively ducked down a little to avoid her piercing gaze.

“Thank you everyone for coming to this event to celebrate the expansion of my company,” Mrs. Park said crisply, voice devoid of emotion. She raised her glass of wine and others mirrored her action, each raising their own glasses. A bout of cheering and applause followed, lasting a few moments before quieting down. “I’d like to thank my friends Lee Hyun Woo and Lee Min Jae for helping me organize this event.”

What are you talking about? I did almost everything.

I tuned out the rest of her speech, her droning voice gradually fading into the backdrop as white noise. Many others lost interest as well, discreetly chatting amongst themselves. Grabbing Hannah’s hand, I lead her over to a secluded corner, away from judging stares of the guests.

“What’s been going on with you recently?” I asked after a moment of silence passed. “You’re hardly around and you never drop by to see the boys anymore. I know you’re not at school all the time and you don’t text me either. This might sound weird coming from me, but if you want to date Jimin, you should spend a little more time with him. Not over Skype or text, but in person.”

Hannah sighed and just nodded. “You guys should be getting busy pretty soon since their comeback is in the beginning of May and it’s already mid-April now. I’ll see when I can drop by,” she said. “I have a project due soon anyway. You don’t know how lucky you are right now.”

I glanced at the clock again and a rush of happiness filled me. “Four down, only ten more to go,” I said, watching the hour hand move slowly onto the twelve. “Do you want to go down to the basement?” Hannah nodded and flashed me a smile.

I dodged through the crowds, careful not to step on any shoes, while Hannah followed closely behind, tripping a few times over her dress. Collapsing onto my bed, which was really just a mattress, she let out another sigh.

“I feel so guilty,” she said, staring at me through her mascara-coated lashes. “If I had just listened to you that day, then my Mom wouldn’t have kicked you out and you would’ve still been sleeping on an actual bed.”

“It’s fine Hannah, it’s not entirely your fault,” I shrugged. “Besides, because you stayed out late, we got to meet BTS at the pastry shop.” Hannah giggled wringing her hands together in giddiness.

“If Ashley ever finds out about this she’s going to flip,” Hannah giggled. “Imagine what she’d do.”

“Well luckily, she doesn’t know and let’s keep it that way,” I shuddered, already feeling the sensation of her demon claws ripping me in half. “Is she that big of a fan?”

“Are you kidding me?” Hannah scoffed. “She dragged me to her room once and all the walls were decked out in posters and photocards. It was like I walked into a supply closet of BTS merch. Even I’m not that crazy.”

“What if she has an altar for them in her walk-in closet?” I whispered, shudders racing down my spine when the haunting image of her kneeling in front of a BTS album entered my mind.

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Hannah laughed. “Do you want to leave? If the boys aren’t doing anything today we can go visit them.”

“They have a hair salon appointment today. I don’t feel like interrupting them,” I shrugged. “I’ll tag along if you want to go.”

“Oh, how far you have come,” Hannah sighed dramatically, placing a hand on her heart and wiping away a fake tear. “I remember the days when you wouldn’t even go to a concert.”

“Shut up,” I mumbled, forcing down blood that rushed to my cheeks. “I still wouldn’t go to a concert. I can just watch it on a laptop and get a much better view.” Hannah scoffed but didn’t didn’t offer anything to counter my claims.

“Do you want to show me a sneak peek their new choreography?” Hannah asked, sidling up to me and batting her eyelashes.

“Of course not,” I replied, mirror her actions. She immediately dropped her act and shot me a glare. “Let’s go back up. Mrs. Lee is probably going to flip if she finds out that I’m not serving the guests.”

“How come you never complain?” Hannah asked as we snuck back into the party, plastering smiles onto our faces when a few richly dressed couples walked by.

“It’s not worth it. What can I do?” I said, clearing away the empty plates and stocking up more alcohol. “I just have to survive until the end of the year.”

“Are you sure about this?” Hannah asked, grabbing my wrist and interrupting me from my task of dumping the dishes into the dishwasher. “They already treat you like a servant. What if they decide that it’s not enough?”

“I’ll be fine Hannah,” I laughed, brushing off her implication with an uncomfortable feeling in my chest. “Why are you worrying so much anyway?”

“You’re like my little sister and best friend wrapped into one. How can I not worry?” Hannah said, smiling when someone greeted her. “I also feel bad for being away so often.”

“It’ll be fine. Ashley’s too much of a coward to do anything and Mr. and Mrs. Lee won’t do anything without telling Ashley first,” I said, patting Hannah’s shoulder.

“Isn’t it kind of sad that she’s still living with her parents?” Hannah snickered, glancing over to where Ashley was talking to a group of guests, her arm clenched tightly around an uncomfortable-looking Alex. “She’s turning twenty-nine this year right?”

“I think so. It is pretty sad. She’s probably in her fifth year of college now,” I shrugged, watching her laugh and twirl and a strand of hair around her finger. “She still lives here because her parents think it’s too ‘dangerous’ for her to live alone. They don’t like Alex very much either so he isn’t helping her case.”

“But still, even with all that, isn’t twenty-nine way past the normal age?” Hannah pressed, helping me refill the buckets of ice that dotted the table at intervals.

“Who knows,” I said. “Maybe she got held back in high school. I wouldn’t put it past her. I’ve never asked this, but why does Mrs. Lee hold so much influence over your mom?”

“Mom told me that they were childhood friends and that she always looked up to Mrs. Lee when she was younger. She helps run Mom’s business too so I guess maybe that’s why,” Hannah said, glancing towards her mother, who was hovering around Mrs. Lee, following her wherever she went.

“Has she been treating you well recently?” I asked, replenishing the food platters and trying to look busy whenever Mrs. Lee glanced over.

“She’s hardly ever around,” Hannah sighed. “The only way I know that she knows I exist is the check that gets added to my bank account every month. I shouldn’t be complaining really. I doubt she actually cares.”

“She’s usually strict about your curfew though, seeing as she actually kicked me out of the house because we stayed out too late,” I said.

“It was probably because she was worried that I would do something stupid and damage her reputation,” Hannah shrugged. “XTM is pretty popular these days that it’s making her more famous. Somehow, that equates to keeping tabs on me after eight ‘o'clock because apparently that's when all the parties start.”

“She’s not wrong,” I laughed, pushing Hannah slightly.

“Other than that, she doesn’t really care about what I do. She just pays for everything and in return, I stay out of trouble,” Hannah shrugged.

The both of us sighed at the same time, looked at each other, and burst out laughing, startling some of the guests who were piling up on baked prawns.

“Shouldn’t we be feeling sad right now?” Hannah laughed, slinging an arm around my shoulders.

“Maybe,” I smiled. “I don’t know about you, but I learned to take of myself a long time ago. They are technically only my guardians because they signed a few adoption papers.” Hannah laughed, shoving a crab cake into my mouth, patting my back when I choked. Glancing at the clock again, I smiled when I saw the hour hand moving from six to seven.

Just three more hours. They won’t even notice I’m gone.

“Let’s leave,” I said, gesturing for Hannah to follow me as I crept slowly towards the door, using the crowds to hide me from view.

“Won’t they notice that you’re gone?” Hannah asked, but nonetheless following after me.

“I’ll just say I was in the kitchen making food. They won’t bother to check up on me after the party is over,” I said, slipping out the door and shutting it softly after Hannah escaped as well. “As long as I get everything cleaned up by tomorrow morning, they won’t even know that I’m gone.”

“What about my Mom?” Hannah asked, brows creasing together in worry.

“Text her and tell her that you had a headache and decided to go home early or something,” I replied without missing a beat, matching the grin that began to spread on Hannah’s face. She immediately sent a message to her mom and held up her phone in triumph when she got a dismissive ‘okay’ in response.

“So, where do you want to go then?” Hannah said, rubbing her arms when a breeze ruffled the trees and swept over us.

“Let’s go to your place and change first. People are going to look at you weirdly if you go parading around the streets in a floor-length gown,” I laughed, giving her dress a ruffle, the jewels clinking together.

“Well aren’t you pushy today,” Hannah laughed, grabbing her keys from her purse. “Get in the car then. It’s cold and my heels are killing me.”

“I don’t understand why you put up with them,” I said, feeling the rush of heat when I opened the car door.

“Because I have a need to always look fabulous,” she replied, flipping her hair in my face as she strut over to the driver’s side. I rolled my eyes and got into the car. Hannah took off as soon as she started the ignition and after a few minutes of fooling around and singing along to songs on the radio, she pulled up in front of her house.

“Sweatpants?” Hannah asked, unlocking the door.

“When do I wear anything else?” I laughed, running up to her room and grabbing a pair of joggers that she always reserved for me. By the time I finished changing, Hannah was still flipping through her closet, before deciding on a pair of jeans and sweater. “How are you on time for anything if it takes you that long to pick an outfit?”

“It’s called waking up and preparing early,” she winked, laughing when I wrinkled my nose in disgust.

“Sleep is obviously more important though,” I argued, flopping onto Hannah’s bed while she changed.

“Not to me,” she sing-songed, emerging from the closet and twirling in front of the mirror. “So where are we going? I was thinking we could go shopping.”

“I am never going to shopping with you again,” I shuddered, remembering the last time Hannah dragged me along with her.

“Arcade?” I suggested.

“Seriously?” she deadpanned, crossing her arms.

“Why not?” I grinned. “I haven’t played Dance Dance Revolution in a long time.”

“You’re a dancer,” she said. “You’re obviously going to be good at it.”

“I’ll have you know, Dance Dance Revolution is completely different from dancing,” I gasped dramatically. “It’s much harder.”

“What?” Hannah said, confused.

“So that’s a yes?” I asked, clasped together pleadingly.

“Fine,” she rolled her eyes.

~

Hooray! I'm kind of early this time. I'm not that happy with this chapter because it was kind of boring, but I digured I might as well add it in because it's about time we introduced the family drama. Anyway, I'm planning to spice things up real soon so please anticipate! Enjoy.