ONE.

REBOOT.

Okay. Let’s back up a little. Before I tell you about the disastrous events that have led up to this night, let me introduce myself. My name’s Jooyeon Jung. Up until a few weeks ago, I was living in the peaceful little town Lindsborg, Kansas, population 3,500, where the only source of anxiety in my life was my mother’s insistence that her speciality potpourri business would take off, it would!

 

    That all changed when I was accepted to the elite Windsong Preparatory: the oldest, most expensive private school in the United States. I’d applied as a joke- Rob had literally dared me to do it- and somehow I’d actually gotten in. When my mom found out, she was ecstatic. Within 28 minutes, the rest of our town had found out, too. Never mind the fact that I didn’t want to leave my friends, family, and hometown to go to some snobby private school in New York that I knew next to nothing about. Windsong was simply too prestigious to turn down.

 

    I thought I was off the hook when I discovered that the scholarship I had won only covered tuition, not housing. There was no way Mom and I were rich enough to relocate to Westchester county.

 

    “Besides, why would you ever leave your potpourri shop?” I laughed nervously. “We have to stay here and, you know, run it.”

 

    My mom’s expression fell for a moment- and then, just as soon as it had appeared, it was replaced by an excited smile. “I got it!” she exclaimed. “I can ask one of my old friends from Seoul if you can stay with them!”

 

    What? Old friend from Seoul? How did my mom know anyone from Windsong, New York? The median income there was literally six figures!

 

    I definitely wasn’t disappointed when I got to Windsong. When I arrived at Westchester County Airport, I was picked up and escorted to a Mercedes-Benz town car by a prim old man (who I later discovered was the Kim family butler, Andrews). When he pulled up into the white cobblestone driveway of a sprawling 3-story mansion that looked like it was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright (with twice the budget as Fallingwater), I was beginning to think that this was all some elaborate joke.

 

    “Excuse me, sir,” I say as he opens the car door for me. “I think you’ve made a mistake-,”

 

    “For the third time, Miss Jung, this isn’t a mistake,” Andrews sighs. He grabs my luggage from the trunk, gently pushing past me when I try to take my bags from him. “You match the picture that your mother sent over.”

 

    “Okay, but consider this: identity theft. Haven’t you heard about those hackers these days, wreaking havoc on innocent civilians and all?” I follow Andrews to the sleek silver double doors of this residence. As he rings the doorbell, I continue rambling on. “I’m just worried for the safety of the girl you’re actually supposed to pick up, you know-,”

 

    Suddenly, the door swings wide open.

 

    A tall, handsome boy with messy brown hair and prominent cheekbones is standing in the doorway, wearing black Adidas joggers and a haughty expression.

 

    “I was wondering where you were, Andrews,” he coldly utters. His eyes shift to me, scan me from my scuffed-up sneakers to my messy ponytail. I squirm uncomfortably under his piercing stare.

 

    “If you’re selling Girl Scout cookies, we’ve already bought some,” he informs me with a condescending smile. My eyes narrow to slits. There’s something about the tone of this guy’s voice that really pisses me off.

 

    “Oh, what a pity,” I snap. “We’re running a buy-one-get-one-free special for all s today.”

 

    The guy’s jaw literally drops. Even Andrews looks rather shocked.

 

    “Who the hell are you?” the boy demands.

 

“Taehyung, who’s at the door?” a voice asks. “Wait, Jooyeon? Is that you?!”

 

The boy whirls around. Standing in the foyer is a beautiful woman wearing a red sheath dress that perfectly complements her slender figure. There is a jubilant look on her face as she gapes at me. Taehyung (I suppose that’s what his name is) gawks as she rushes to me and wraps me up in an enormous hug.

 

“Oh my goodness! You look just like your mother!” she squeals. “I can’t believe it! I feel like I’m in high school again!”

 

Taehyung and I stare at each other with equally bewildered looks as this woman proceeds to pinch my cheeks and gush over my face. What the hell?

 

“Uh... you must be Mrs. Kim, right?” I say, painfully extricating myself from her grip.

 

She beams. “That’s right! Soyoung Kim. Your mom and I were friends all through high school! Oh, I have so many stories. Hyera told me that you actually take after me- see, when we were in school, I was a total nerd- I’m not calling you a nerd, of course, but you must be really smart since you’re going to Windsong on a scholarship! And your mom was the most popular girl in our school! Everyone thought she was going to try for Miss Korea- oh, you’re just as pretty as she is-,”

 

“Mom, what the ,” Taehyung says, effectively summing up what is running through my brain.

 

Mrs. Kim whips around to glare at her son. “Language, Tae!”

 

“Can someone please tell me what is going on?!”

 

“Taehyung, this is Jooyeon.” Mrs. Kim grins. “She’s the girl I told you about before. The one who’ll be staying with us and attending Windsong.”

 

Taehyung looks at his mother in disbelief. “I thought she would be an elementary schooler. Not my age.”

 

“Well, you didn’t seem to care when I talked to you about her.”

 

He grits his teeth in frustration. “Yeah, because-,”

 

“Here, come on in, Jooyeon!” Shoving aside her son (who lets out a miffed “hey!”), Mrs. Kim grabs me by the hand and drags me inside. “Andrews, take her stuff to her room, please! Oh, I’m so, so, so excited! Let’s call your mom and tell her you’ve landed right now!”

 

I make the mistake of turning around to glance at Andrews.

 

Instead, I make eye contact with Taehyung, who is staring at me with the wrath of a thousand dragons.

 

Yikes.

 

 


 

I’m still convinced this is a dream. There’s no way I can be staying in this gorgeous house for the next two years. It is a modern masterpiece, resplendent with floor-to-ceiling windows, glowing floor lights, and unbelievable features. It’s so beautiful it almost seems to have a life of its own; I can’t even describe it.

 

When Mrs. Kim shows me the enormous indoor pool and jacuzzi on the second floor that extends out onto a glass balcony, ending with a disappearing edge. I spend a good five minutes just gaping at the beautiful view alone as Mrs. Kim chatters on about how her architecture firm (of which she is the founder of) completely designed this place.

 

“This house was my pet project,” she smiles. “It’s everything that I ever dreamed of creating.”

 

“It’s beautiful,” I breathe. “I thought houses like this only existed in fairytales.”

 

Her eyes light up with joy.

 

“You’re going to love your room.”

 

And I do. My breath is quite literally snatched from my throat the moment I step foot inside the vast space. Black-and-white prints of different cities- London, Paris, Tokyo- hang in black frames above a sleek white desk, decorated with a single succulent and a pencil holder. A huge flatscreen TV sits on a half wall across from a long, low bed padded in white comforters, cashmere blankets, and red and black pillows. There are windows everywhere; natural light streams into the room, illuminating the entire place. I have an exquisite third-floor view of the surrounding area of the neighborhood and, further in the distance, the brightly lit buildings of Windsong.

 

Holy . Never in my life did I think I would get choked up over a room. I am literally stunned.

 

“M-Mrs. Kim,” I finally squeak out. “I.... this is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen in my life. Thank you so much.”

 

    “Of course, sweetie,” she smiles. “You know, I was so excited when I found out you were coming. This used to be our guest room, but I added the study table and a few other things for you. I’m so glad you like it.”

 

    “I don’t like it. I love it.”

 

 


 

After chatting for a few more minutes, Mrs. Kim apologetically informs me that she has to get back to work.

 

“Dinner’s in half an hour, okay?” she says. “I’ll see you then!”

 

Damn. I shake my head in awe. Did I save the country in a previous life? Did some magical creature out there in the universe decide to bless me? Because there’s no way this could be happening to me right now. This is too good. I don’t deserve this at all. Mom’s gonna freak when she hears about this.

 

I should start unpacking. But where’s my luggage? I confusedly amble around, opening closets and drawers to try and find my bags. I thought Mrs. Kim asked Andrews to take my things up-

 

Suddenly, the door slams open, and bangs shut before I’ve even turned to see who it is. I whirl around in shock. Taehyung Kim is sneering at me from across the room.

 

“Well, well,” he says in a smarmy voice. “This must truly feel like a Cinderella story to you.”

 

“What do you want?” I growl.

 

He scrunches up his nose in a look of mock-contemplation. “Hmm. If I’m being honest? For you to get the hell out of my house.”

 

“How ‘bout this: I call a proctologist to extricate your head from your own .”

 

He scoffs. “Did you really just say that to me? Do you know who I am?”

 

I roll my eyes. “Why would I know? Why would I care?

 

“You should care because from this day on, I will make your life a living hell. No one at Windsong- and I mean no one- will like you. I’ll make you beg your mom to let you go back to whatever hick town you’re from.”

 

“Wow,” I muse. “You’ve really got the stereotypical “soap-opera-rich-boy” act down. Congrats.”

 

Taehyung slowly strides towards me. Despite the cool expression on his face, I can feel the hatred radiating off his body in icy, threatening waves. Goosebumps rise on my arms against my will; I involuntarily step back, attempting to maintain the distance between the two of us, but he walks towards me, gets closer and closer until I’m finally backed up against the wall. For several long, tense moments, he simply bores his eyes into mine.

 

Then he murmurs, “I give you a month. Two, tops. Enjoy this place while you can, because you’re going straight back before this semester is over.”

 

As he is walking out, he says, “Oh, and I’d recommend looking out the window.”

 

When he’s gone, I hurry from window to window, trying to figure out what he’s talking about.

 

And then I see it.

 

My bags are floating in the middle of the second-floor pool.

 

 


 

I am livid when I come down for dinner.

 

Taehyung and his mother are sitting at the large brown dining table, arguing in hushed voices. Platters of delicious-looking noodles, kimchi, vegetables, and ricecakes are arranged in the center of the table. A fireplace crackles on the side of the room opposite from the floor-to-ceiling windows.

 

“Jooyeon!” Mrs. Kim grins when she sees me. “Did you get a chance to look at the rest of the house?”

 

“Oh, yeah,” I say sarcastically. “Actually, I ended up experiencing the pool firsthand. Do you have a dryer I could use?”

 

I shoot Taehyung a furious look. He merely responds with an innocent smile.

 

“Wait...,” Mrs. Kim furrows her eyebrows, suddenly realizing that I’m soaking wet. “What’s going on?”

 

“It’s probably the first time she’s seen a pool, Mom,” Taehyung cuts in. “I bet she couldn’t resist just jumping in.”

 

“Stop it,” Mrs. Kim tsks. “Don’t be so rude.”

 

Taehyung juts out his lower lip. “Me? Rude? Who do you think I am?”

 

“Oh, please. Don’t try that act with me.”

 

“What act? I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

 

I take a deep breath, and exhale in a slow, measured breath.

 

I’m not going to give Mrs. Kim extra trouble by fighting with her horrible son. She’s doing so much for me already.

 

So I force a smile and say, “He’s right. I got a little too excited over the pool.”

 

“Oh, Jooyeon,” Mrs. Kim laughs. The fake pout has disappeared from Taehyung’s face, replaced by a simple arched eyebrow. I clench my fists behind my back and make myself laugh with Mrs. Kim.

 

“Take a seat, hon,” she says, patting the chair next to her. “I cooked up a real feast today.”

 

“No, that’s alright,” I say apologetically. “I don’t want to drip all over the floor. I think I’m just going to head to sleep.”

 

“Nonsense! You just got off a long flight. You need to eat something. Andrews, can you bring her a towel?”

 

Andrews, who I didn’t even notice standing in the corner, heads through a door near the back of the dining room. A few moments later, he has returned with a fluffy orange towel.

 

“Thanks,” I smile, and take a seat next to Mrs. Kim, directly across from Taehyung. Our eyes meet; I give him the most vicious look I can muster.

 

“I put your school uniform in your closet, along with the rest of the school supplies I got you,” Mrs. Kim tells me as she piles food onto my plate. I exhale in relief; all the books I had brought from home are completely soaked, thanks to Taehyung.

 

“Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.” I take a bite of my noodles and gasp with pleasure. “Wow, Mrs. Kim, this is awesome!”

 

“Really?” She claps her hands. “Guess who taught me how to make that?”

 

“Who?”

 

“Your mom! Ah, I remember that night so vividly. There was a guy I liked back when I was a 1st year, and your mom told me the best way to his heart was through food. So we stayed up until 5 AM trying to make food. In the end, he turned out to have a girlfriend-,”

 

Taehyung clears his throat. Mrs. Kim blushes.

 

“Sorry, I’ll stop rambling.” She shakes her head. “I’m so excited for you to start at Windsong. Taehyung’s been going since he was little, and it’s been amazing! Right, Tae?”

 

“Oh, yeah,” Taehyung says, pausing from getting more helpings of noodles. He gives me a small, sinister smile. “It’s a great school. Everyone there will welcome you with open arms.”

 

He’s so fake. The hidden meaning behind his words makes the hackles on the back of my neck rise.

 

“Taehyung’s at the top of his class,” Mrs. Kim beams with pride. “And he’s captain of the lacrosse team this year!”

 

“And he’s really handsome,” Taehyung pipes up. His mother affectionately rolls her eyes.

 

And he’s really cocky,” she says.

 

My stomach sinks all the way to the floor. Seeing them interact like this just reaffirms my decision to not expose Taehyung for being the sneaky, mean sack of that he is. I don’t want to give Mrs. Kim any grief by having issues with her son.

 

So I continue to keep my mouth shut.

 

“You’re a junior, right, Jooyeon?” Mrs. Kim asks.

 

“Yes, I am.”

 

“Taehyung’s a senior. So he can help you out if you have any problems!”

 

“I’m sure he’d love to do that,” I mutter. Taehyung gives me another phony smile.

 

“So tell us about yourself, sweetie! What clubs were you in? What did you like to do?”

 

I absentmindedly twirl noodles around my fork. Where do I even start? Back in Lindsborg, I wasn’t really invested in school life at all. Instead, I’d go straight home to either study, help my mom with her potpourri shop, or grab ice cream with my friends at Swirlie’s. A specific memory pops into my mind: it was Becca’s time of the month, and she was miserably lying in class, cramping up and craving sweets. Thus, Rob, Zeke, and I tried sneaking out of class to get her ice cream.

 

Unfortunately, we had the not-so-brilliant idea of jumping out our classroom window (it was only on the 2nd story!) to escape without any teachers seeing. Zeke ended up breaking his arm in two different places and we all got detention for a month.

 

A thick lump wells up in my throat; I shove it down, push it away. I can’t think about Lindsborg. It’s only been a few hours since I left, yet I already miss them so much.

 

“Jooyeon?” Mrs. Kim asks hesitantly. I look up with a start. She is staring at me in concern, while Taehyung is looking at me with a strange expression. I clear my throat.

 

“Sorry,” I say. “Uh, I wasn’t really in many clubs back home. I don’t have many hobbies.”

 

“Oh, okay. You focused on studies, huh?”

 

If I was in Lindsborg right now, Becca, Rob, Zeke, and I would be in the middle of the lake on Zeke’s rowboat, watching the sun set over the water.

 

“Yeah, I did.”

 

“That’s good! You’ll do great at Windsong.”

 

“Thanks.” My eyes suddenly widen. Thinking about my mother reminded me of something. When Mom first told me about how I’d be staying with one of her friends, she mentioned I would be helping around her house. “By the way, Mrs. Kim, what chores do you want me to do here? I don’t just want to stay here and not contribute to the household.”

 

“Ah, I was just about to talk about that.” Mrs. Kim sets down her fork, glances at Taehyung’s empty plate, and starts spooning heaps of rice onto it. “So as I told you, I’m at the head of an architecture firm-,”

 

“Mom, stop!” Taehyung shouts. “That’s too much rice!”

 

“You need it! You’re a growing boy!” Mrs. Kim clucks her tongue. “Anyway, it’s based in New York City, so I actually stay in an apartment there. I came home this week to prepare for your arrival.”

 

I blink in surprise. So Mrs. Kim doesn’t actually live here?

 

“Taehyung’s father lives here, but he’s usually either travelling or in his office. He’s in Dubai right now, but he’s excited to meet you when he comes home in a few months,” she continues. “The main person I’m worried about all the time is this one.”

 

Taehyung chokes on his kimchi. “Wha-,” he begins to say, but his mother cuts him off.

 

“He’s home alone most of the time, and I’m scared he’s not taking care of himself properly. I just want you to make sure my poor little son is okay.” She reaches across the table and ruffles his hair, much to his disdain.

 

“Mom, I’m literally 17,” Taehyung begins to whine. “I’m perfectly-,”

 

And then he freezes.

 

“Wait,” he says, realization dawning on his face. “So... you’re basically saying that she has to take care of me.”

 

“Well, not take care of you, per say, but basically make sure you’re doing okay-,”

 

“Like how?”

 

“Just making sure you’ve eaten, cooking you up anything if you haven’t... just helping him out with anything you needs...,”

 

My eyes widen in horror as I realize the implications of what Mrs. Kim has unintentionally doomed me to. By the pleased look on Taehyung’s face, he has realized it too. He slowly nods, looking at me with an expression that says, You’re dead meat.

 

“Of course, Jooyeon, if you need anything, Tae will be happy to help you.” Mrs. Kim adds.

 

Yeah, right.

 


A/N: HEY GUYS lol idk where this is gonna go, idk if im even gonna like finish this, i have 0 expectations but this is the first time ive had inspiration in forever sooooo ya we'll see where this goes LOL

BTW guys, is the spacing/formatting okay? i'm using 1.15 (or something) spacing instead of 1.5. so if its hard to read ill change it!

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PrincessVivi
almost done editing/revising this story (which i'm super satisfied with) but its like 3:33 AM and i have work tomorrow............... we ing live in a society bro

Comments

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wedseaday
#1
Chapter 71: This is my second time re-reading this story and I was left speechless after reading the whole book, but now that I’ve got my jaw gathered. The feeling of reading the book was like listening to Jin’s The Astronaut for the first time over and over. I seriously love how all of them — Lucy, Jooyeon and Sofia are aware of the toxicity of their relationship with their significant other. It saddens me that Jooyeon and Taehyung will be spending time apart but I think it’s for their best. There’s so much to fix, heal and grow. But what I’m afraid of most is Jimin. He sounds broken but thrives for power, and would choose that over anything—love, friendship. GOSH AND JIN HERE IS AMAZING. Love love him. I like how Jungkook is part of their group now too. Thank you so so much again, love. You have the talent and have captured my mind and heart. 💕
wedseaday
#2
Chapter 71: This is so good. You are amazing. Thank you so so much for this.
atasiwi #3
Chapter 71: OMG
asami-sohma #4
holy rubi you're outdoing yourself again 💞 I remember being a desi high-schooler DMing you and I'm about to graduate college in May :)

I am so so excited for you and these big new chapters in your life, and if you need anything please feel free to reach out. we love you and missed you so much, and hope you're well, healthy and happy like another wonderful comment said 🥰
dukkuu
#5
Chapter 71: hey, i'm a few months late but i just read this update, and your a/n. so happy that you got your dream job, and that you're excited to move to new york ♡ i hope the show has stopped by now, or you've found ways to cope with it. i'm kinda sad and pensive right now, and i guess this comment is just a shout to the void. but i hope you're doing well, healthy, and happy ♡
Redlocks #6
Chapter 71: Most hateable person in windsong: j-man
Love_Mark
#7
Chapter 71: amazing writing aside, i'm so glad that you're doing well!! moving to nyc is so exciting, i'm just really happy for you and proud of you :))
AiiSoo #8
Chapter 71: This chapter is quiute short but impactful. It is heartbreaking but they both needed this.
Thank you for this update!! I’ll anticipate the next 2 chapters..!
pramithia #9
Chapter 71: Oh man this was a very emotionally charged chapter. I’ve been waiting for this blow up to happen honestly like there was too much between Joo and Taehyung that they didn’t tell each other and I’m glad they were able to vent their frustrations to each other a bit before taking space and time apart. Like I know holding a suicide attempt over someone’s head is toxic af but like... Taehyung needed to know how absolutely horrible it was for Joo to be here. And how much she went through and how little his protection worked?? Still, as much as they need this it doesn’t mean I’m a not little sad that it had to be this way for them lol.

Man I really wanna love Lucy and all but she just keeps disappearing like this 😭 I know she has a lot to deal with and a lot to work through and being in the presence of Jimin doesn’t really help but like... YOUR FRIENDS ARE ALSO GOING THROUGH ! THEY ARE SO WORRIED!!! At least stick around for a little longer,,, idk man I hope she’s alright and I know they’re all having a hard time right now but I just can’t help but think it’s kinda selfish she just keeps disappearing on her time and time again... especially considering everything that Joo and Dev went through was for her sake. They’re not even magical beings like there is no reason they should have had to go through all that under normal circumstances.

Bro you’ve been busy with work for so long that’s such a rip that your dream job ended up causing so many complications for you, I’m sorry. Hopefully it gets better as you work longer. Do you mind me asking what job it is? Just out of curiosity.

Moving to NYC sounds so scary omg I hope it goes well for you!! Does this mean you’re switching jobs too? NYC sounds like such a cool place to live, I love big cities. And lol I’m so jealous you’re already vaccinated, Canada’s vaccination rollout plan has been one big mess and nobody understands what’s going on right now tbh... I feel like if I get vaccinated by the end of the year I’ll be lucky lol.

Super looking forward to see how this wraps up!! This fic started in my last year of high school and now I’m on the last legs of university... crazy!! So much has changed but it was definitely super fun to read this throughout that journey.