Chapter 1: A

Oh boy, this is dull.

I leaned against the wall and swirled the contents of my glass before taking a sip. The ice banged against the glass. At least they served ice tea here. Soju was pretty nice, but too much of it and I feel that you can throw me into the ocean and I wouldn't sink. I would probably float all the way to the north pole with no problem. Too much gas.

So my love, keep on running
You gotta get through today
There my love, keep on running
Gotta keep those tears at bay
Oh, my love, don't stop burning
Gonna send them up in flames
In flames…

My right foot tapped to the beat. I couldn't help it; the song was too captivating. But on the other hand, the music was so loud that I didn't see how people were supposed to be friendly at gatherings. Well, maybe socialise in the way that you are forced to put your mouth so close to the other person's ear that you're inclined to chew them off, like what those couples were doing right in front of me. Yikes.

I shifted my gaze over the bobbing human heads trying to catch a glimpse of my blonde friend. Nope. Nowhere to be found.

I let out another sigh. I think I've done my duty as a friend well enough. In fact, Lisa should feel bad about leaving her best friend to stand around and blend into the wallpaper.

Well, to be fair, there were a couple of brave souls who decided to sidle up to make conversation. Only to find out that yours truly did not understand a shred of what they were saying. I wasn't sure whether I should be amused or embarrassed at the way they tried to gesticulate and get their point across. In the end, they give up.

Being a foreigner is a bit tricky, I guess.

You see, I'm only half-Korean. My dad's from New Zealand and my mom's Korean. ‘One of the great beauties of Seoul’, my dad would often say. Leaving me to roll my eyes while my mom giggles like a schoolgirl. Anyway, for reasons which I'm too lazy to go into, this was the first time I was visiting Korea. And while I speak English and some Japanese but  I can’t speak any Korean. Nope. Not a phrase. Unless you're referring to the annyeong thing. But I'm sure that that would have been part of the dictionary of words you should know unless you live on another planet.

It didn't help that I wasn't feeling really cozy with being stared at. I mean, to the Korean's credit, they don't really look at you in a way like they are analyze some other-world species. But there's still that squint I get, especially when they stare at my eyes. Yes, yes, it's supposed to be brown but sometimes depending on the angle of the light it resembles a mixed brown with green speckles. Kinda hazel. That's what I've heard from other people anyway.

And they'll be carving you up alright
They say you gotta stay hungry
Hey baby I'm just about starving tonight
I'm dying for some action…

Well that's it Lisa. You're on your own tonight. I finally lifted my head as I adjusted my shirt. I'm going to go back to your apartment and eat every damn thing you have in your fridge as punishment.

That's when I saw her.

She spun her head around hurriedly, making me wonder whether she had been looking at me earlier. In any case, the brief glance I had of her before the crowd closed together like the red sea was intriguing enough. Maybe because I was really bored, I actually tipped my toes and arched my neck to the side to see how she looked like over the dancing crowd.

And I nearly choked. She was... really, enchanting. Gorgeous even. A walking enigma. Her hair was long and the colour of magical purple but as it cascaded down her back it shone like a violet river. Touched by the late evening sun about to go down. So very sensual and luscious like violet velvet. Her skin was pale yet luminous. Her features were delicate… yet sharp enough to break your jaw. Plus, she was wearing this elegant black number that had a slit so high that it should come with a health warning. Too bad the place was too dimly lit; I couldn't really see her eyes.

As I stood at the other side of the room gawking, she was approached by a dude. And I witnessed the glare she gave to said man. It was as if he was turned into an ice sculpture right away. He tried to swagger off, but with his frozen movements, it looked more like he had something stuck up his . It was quite funny, really.

She turned to face my direction. Is she looking ‘cause I look out of place?

I smiled a big one. Only for her to shoot a glare at me as well.

What? My gummy smile that I always use to get myself out of trouble has failed?

Ok, ego bruised. But no matter, my mother had trained me so well that an horse can breathe in my face and I would just go "pfft". I just gave her an amused look and went to set my glass down on the side table. She looked confused for a moment, to my secret satisfaction. But three seconds later, she was bothered by another person.

I decided that I should make my exit.

Ah, okay. How to get out of this humongous mansion... I couldn't believe that the place was so big and packed that I couldn't find the door. Which reminds me, I wasn't actually invited to this party. Lisa, who seemed to have been in Korea forever, had been invited and she dragged me along (literally). As a sign of protest, I decided to just do a shirt with jeans and of course high heels. I may or may not have a slight complex being small. As some girls can’t go outside without make up, or their handbag – I cannot not  go outside without my high heels.

The host was this girl with honey blonde hair, who was dressed in this black dress. She was reclining on a red couch when Lisa introduced me to her, surrounded by equally y-looking men and women. It was as if I had stumbled into Cleopatra's bedchamber. For a second, I actually felt a little embarrassed for not bothering to dress up a bit. But then, she had given me an appraising look before smirking, not really in an unpleasant manner. I had to resist raising one eyebrow to say, "like what you see?" I wouldn't want her to think that I'm coming on to her or something.

It sounds quite stupid, but I spent a good half an hour just wandering around the mansion, trying to understand where the hole in the wall was so that I could get out of the building. I would have thought that land was scarce in Seoul? Why such a big mansion? But the answer was quite clear - the host "CL" was terribly rich, and the mansion was situated on a glitzy hilltop area. Yep. I bet her dresser is a whole room. But that is for another time- scratch that, I don’t intend to come back here anyway.

I finally managed to squeeze my way through the crowd. A door! I hurriedly opened it and stumbled out - into a garden? Urrrgggghhh.

"At least it's quieter here," I mumbled as I walked. Surprisingly there weren't much people around, just a few scattered here and there, and some hidden behind the bushes. I consciously averted my gaze as I walked to the edge of the garden. Yep, getting that booty.

The garden was set on a steep cliff overlooking Seoul’s beauty. The city lights were dazzling even though we were miles away. I closed my eyes as I leaned against the railing, feeling the gentle breeze on my face. I felt annoyed the whole evening, but this is nice. So tranquil and relaxing. My fingers tapped the railing erratically, while I hummed the tune I heard before stepping out of the building. I knew the song, my mom used to sing it to me to sleep. Sweet times.

To you I would give the world
To you I'd never be cold
'Cause I feel that when I'm with you
It's all right I know it's right

As I was wondering why the DJ would play such a slow song on a party like this, I heard a sound and opened my eyes immediately. Maybe because where I stood offered the best view, or maybe because I was so lousy at humming that she wanted to shut me up. Surprise, surprise, there was the girl from before, standing behind me a few metres away. At that instant, I decided to call her "Jewel girl". She totally looked like those untouchable girls, precious and mystique beauties I've seen in the dramas Lisa obsesses over.

Realizing that she may actually have heard me humming, I became quite self-conscious and blushed slightly. For a moment she looked like something nasty exploded in her face, but the icy look quickly returned. She stood there awkwardly, as if she was admiring the scenery behind me.

I wanted to laugh, to ease this tension between us. As strangers, we sure have already made a first impression about each other- without even saying anything! It's quite weird to admire the scenery from a position where your view is blocked by a person standing right in front of you. I decided, for the first time that night, to make conversation. Who knows, she might be interesting...

"Hey there," I said as casually as I could. She just raised her eyebrows at me. Smooth, Jennie real smooth.

I decided to try again. "It's much better here, don't you think? At least I know that I won't have hearing loss before I turn thirty."

No reaction as well. Perhaps she doesn't understand English? But I haven't seen her try to engage me at all, unlike the rest. She was just standing there, staring at me haughtily.

Goddamn it. I gathered that I should just get out of there before I made a fool of myself.

I gave a small shrug. "Nice meeting you anyway, Jewel girl." I took a few steps forward and had just passed her when she said something in Korean.

"Pardon?" I said as I took a big step back.

Holy . SOS. Big mistake. The ground that was supposed to meet my heel decided that it shall do so a few inches lower and I stumbled backwards. But not before I had blindly grabbed Jewel's arm and dragged her down with me.

I felt my head hit the ground. I barely had time to wince when I felt a weight on my chest, and something soft, warm and moist press against my lips.

When I opened my eyes, Jewel was pressing her palms against the ground, lifting herself up slightly. Her face was hovering above mine a few inches away. For goodness knows how long I stared at those half-closed eyes in front of me; they were like the black void me in. I vaguely wondered if this was what they meant by drowning in a person's eyes.

Finally, a dull ache at the back of my head snapped me out of the trance.

Oh boy. The girl's sure heavy for looking so slender. Has she been working out? Well that would explain the incredibly toned arms and legs, but I digress.

The commotion caused by my clumsiness had attracted a crowd. Jewel scrambled to her feet and attempted to stand in the most dignified manner. I also stood up slowly, pondering if I could sue the homeowner for negligence. If you have the money to buy such a big place, at least make sure that the ground is flat! Never thought my high heels would make my first kiss possible.

When I finally looked up from brushing my clothes, I saw that Jewel was glaring daggers at me.

I felt rather guilty. "I'm very sorry," I said sincerely, "are you hurt?" I took a step forward, but she retreated immediately, her frown tightening.

Why is she so upset?

Then I saw her move her lips.

Oh right, we had kissed.

But it was an accident!

"I'm really sorry," I said again, mentally cursing myself for not at least remembering how to apologize in Korean. "I—I didn't know that the ground was uneven."

She continued to stare at me with that chilly glare, and even the crowd that had gathered around us could feel the temperature drop by a few degrees. They fidgeted uneasily.

I looked around and saw my blonde friend standing amid the crowd. Excellent job, Lisa, only turning up currently. I shot her a look that was meant to say, "come and save my !"

But there was no need for Lisa to rescue me as the Jewel finally spoke. In a husky voice which sent shivers down my spine (though I wasn't sure whether it was in a good way or bad way).

The words flew over my head.

Lacking as I was in the Korean linguistics department, there was one word which I managed to catch. Anyone who has tried (or has been forced by their best friend) to read or watch anything Korean would know it.

"...idiot!" [pabo]

I opened my mouth, desperately trying to find a retort, but the girl had already turned around with a swish and stormed back into the building.

"What on earth...?" I grumbled under my breath, ignoring the honey-like taste that was left on my lips. Whoever said that Korean girls were cute and docile!