THE ALARM went on but all it did was just noise since the one to be awakened was already up from her bed for a good thirty minutes before the alarm rang. Ahn Yujin, who is currently enjoying the blow of the spring wind from her balcony, went back to her room and turned off her alarm.

Another day starts…

She finally went out of her room after a good time of just clearing her thoughts and preparing her mind for the upcoming day. She was on her way to the kitchen when another room caught her attention. She sighed, knowing that the room has been empty for two years made her really sad. It is the truth that slapped her all throughout the years of waiting.

“Good morning, Young Mistress.”

Yujin just smirked at Eunyoung who was waiting for her in the dining room. Breakfast is already served as usual together with a bright smile from the lady.

“How many times will I tell you that you don’t have to call me like that anymore, Eunyoung-imo?” Yujin asked before sitting in her usual spot. “I hope you can drop that soon.”

The lady just smiled and hid her face a little bit. “I am sorry… I just got really attached to it. I’ve been calling you like that for years and to suddenly change the way I call you would be really hard.”

Yujin just heaved a sigh. “Well, I guess you really have to start practising it.”

Eunyoung watched her Young Mistress who really grew so well. For someone who didn’t have both of her parents while growing up, Eunyoung considers Yujin as her pride. She might have a very bad egoistic past but she totally changed--somehow--and improved to a young, fine lady—she has proven that she’s a rightful heiress of the whole Ahn Clan.

“So, how is the preparation going on?” Yujin asked while eating, her eyes fixed on the TV screen that she had ordered to be installed by the dining area.

“Everything is going on smoothly. The hall is already booked, the dress is already picked as well. The car to be used is already rented and invitations were already sent. I believe everything is already set.”

Yujin then turned to Eunyoung with an excited smile pasted on her face. Just seeing this smile from Yujin makes Eunyoung's heart jump in joy. “I can see that you’re really updated on the process of the preparation. I can see how excited you are.”

“There’s no way that I won’t be ecstatic about this, Young Mistress.” Eunyoung answered with a blush on her cheeks.

Yujin shook her head and continued with her eating. “Come to think of it, after a few days you would have to leave me. No one would prepare food for me anymore like this. I might starve in the morning.”

The lady gave out a laugh. Yujin even knows how to joke around now. “I would really like to stay with you and serve you like this. My heart aches knowing that I have to leave you behind.”

“But you have to or else that man would be angry at me! I mean, he already let me borrow you for how many years.” Yujin looked back at the TV. “I am really amazed that you managed to hide this thing from me. All this time I thought he was just a sulking, bitter guy.”

“Your father is quite an eccentric guy, Young Mistress.” Eunyoung blushed.

“Testing things with time, huh?” A certain part of the news went on air and Yujin’s face glowed really quick and there was no escape to Eunyoung’s eyes. She loves watching how her face gets brighter whenever the weather forecast comes on broadcast. No matter how the weather is forecasted, whether it is sunny or rainy, snowing or scorching hot, the said news segment clears up Yujin’s skies.

“Don’t you think she learned how to cook in the past years?” Yujin asked while trying so hard not to smile widely. “I hope she did because she might feel bad that I became a better cook than her.”

“I believe she studied really well.” Eunyoung assured Yujin that it just made the girl more excited. “You better finish your food quickly. You have to prepare for the Awarding Ceremony.”

“I know, Imo.” Yujin just couldn’t take her eyes from the TV.

“Get ready, Young Mistress. Aren’t you excited that you’ll stop meeting her through screens?” Eunyoung teased but that just made Yujin smile wider.

“I will get ready soon, Mum…”

Eunyoung felt her heart skip a bit. She nodded her head and turned her back to Yujin. “I expect you to be ready soon. I am just really excited for you. For now, I will just prepare your clothes.”

The Ahn Heiress was then left at the dining table. The news is already over and it is time to check her favourite instagrammer. She didn’t know about SNS until this account came into existence.

The Heiress leaned her head on her phone. She has received another indirect message from her favourite star. She believes this is something that the star learned from a certain bear who was also tested by time.

“Good morning to you, Minjoo… I can’t wait to see you too. See you later, baby.”

“WHAT is it again this time, Ahn Yujin?”

Miyawaki Sakura couldn’t help but to be annoyed with her new best friend Yujin who became really close with her throughout the past two years but they can’t just admit it to themselves and have to be tsunderes with each other.

“I am having my makeup, can’t you see?”

“Of course I can’t see, we are just doing a voice call, remember?” Yujin annoyingly answered. She’s driving her way towards the venue of the awarding ceremony.

Sakura rolled her eyes. She just said sorry to her stylist who proceeded first with her hair.

“What is it again this time, Ahn Heiress?” she coldly asked.

“I just want to check you out.” Yujin joked which made Sakura’s skin crawl like crazy.

“Oh my, Yujin! Please stop! You don’t know how much you made me cringe!” Sakura rubbed her arms just to calm herself. “If you are going to ask about Minjoo, she’s not here. She went to pick her family up from the station. They will be attending the ceremony with her.”

“Oh, is that so? Okay, bye—”

“YA, Ahn Yujin! Are you going to drop the call right after you get what you want?”

“But you said you were busy so I am ending the call!”

The stylist just snickered on how noisy the two are. This is how their usual phone conversation goes. Since Yujin couldn’t go and have Minjoo followed by her men just like before and she couldn’t talk to her at all as a part of the deal they had with her father, the only person that she could secretly ask is Sakura. The two work in the same modelling agency anyway and almost all of their modelling jobs are done together.

She could ask Hyejoon about Minjoo but her cousin is also busy with a lot of stuff. He is a phenomenon in Japan anyway. That fire just won’t die easily. So, with no other choice, Yujin had to ask Sakura everytime she's curious about Minjoo. With that, she learned to trust other people. She learned to trust her old rival.

“At least ask about me, you only think about your baby!” Sakura clicked her tongue but hearing Yujin laugh on the other line didn’t cheer her up at all. A while ago she just said that she cringed...

“I know you are doing fine. You are being showered with love by your idol gf, right?”

“S-S-Shut up!” Sakura blushed furiously. She now regrets telling Yujin that she finally moved into the same house with the said baby cheetah gf. Now the silly heiress turned Labrador puppy just keeps on teasing her about it.

“Well… I am really sorry about it, Sakura…” Yujin acted sad but she’s trying not to smile. “I am not really curious about you so will you please tell me if Minjoo looks excited to meet me again?”

“She’s not!" Sakura smirked. "She’s not excited to meet you at all! She’s more excited to meet her family and receive the award than to meet you! Are you trying to feed your ego again this time? Well, no food for today, Ahn Heiress! Minjoo is busy with her flourishing career as a model, a weather forecaster and a soon-to-be-licensed psychiatrist! She doesn’t need you anymore! She—”

Sakura looked at her phone and noticed that the call had already ended. She gulped and then turned to her stylist. “Did I go too far?”

The stylist just smiled at her followed by a quick nod.

“Uh oh… I’ll be dead if we cross paths later.”

Yujin suddenly had to pull her car off of the road. Sakura has a point. Minjoo has already established a name for herself. After debuting as a model that bridges Korea and Japan, Minjoo got a lot of attention from both countries. She got so big that her job is not limited to modelling anymore. She got drama cameos, TV guestings, and cosmetic product endorsements. She even got her own fandom and her following on SNS is no joke. But despite the fame, Minjoo remained the hardworking Minjoo that Yujin knows, she pursued her studies and finished it with fine grades despite the business.

She isn’t the weak Minjoo that Yujin first met. She can now stand up on her own. She doesn’t need her anymore. She doesn’t need an Ahn Yujin to lean on anymore.

Yujin had to hit the steering wheel to somehow release the sudden stress that she got.

“What if those indirects are not for me?”

She threw her head backwards which was immediately caught by the head rest. Breathe in, breathe out. “It’s fine, it is going to be fine.” She repeatedly chanted. She has waited for this day for so long. The excitement and anxiety just started mixing.

“You have to believe in her, Yujin.” She told herself as she started to go back to the road. “It’ll be fine. She’s also waiting for you. She’s waiting for this day. Don’t listen to that girl with huge ears.”

FLASHES of cameras blinded Yujin for a moment as the press people gathered to take pictures of her right after she arrived at the venue. It is a huge awarding ceremony for the outstanding youth of the year. Recipients of the award are said to be elites in their own way, using their talents and skills to help other people especially those of the same generation. They are the one who made an impact and inspired the lives of not just the youth but people of all ages.

Yujin is chosen for the award. It might be hard to imagine that someone with a superiority complex like her managed to get in the list but she has one of the most outstanding deeds among this year’s awardees. While she’s in the middle of taking two majors, Yujin opened a program where she could help students who can’t go to college because of financial problems.

The Heiress asked her father to open up some of their companies for internships and part-time jobs that are just for those who are in need of it. It was the first time that the Ahn Conglomerates opened up for people who have less or no experience at all. Most of their employees are refined and meticulously chosen but having it open up for beginners somehow earned positive feedback from the public. It is a proof that the current Ahn Clan is far from the path that Yujin’s grandfather created. With that move, instead of loaning, more students manage to study and earn a degree with the money they get from working.

Yujin properly greeted the press people by giving them a polite bow. She let them take her pictures for a short while until an usher came and led her inside. She’s one of the chosen awardees to deliver a speech. She isn’t just recognized locally anyway; she also received a lot of attention internationally from the masterpiece that she presented. The graduation masterpiece turned into a renowned work of art of the modern age.

“Has it arrived here safely?” Yujin asked one of the organisers. She’s talking of her masterpiece that was in Italy just weeks ago. It was exhibited in many parts of the world and a lot of sculpture collectors tried to buy it from her. She was offered amounts that she never imagined she would get from the sculpture but Yujin is firm with her stand not to sell it. That masterpiece is so precious to her, no amount of money would equal it.

“Yes, Miss Ahn. It arrived safely and we are already preparing it for later.” The organiser answered.

“That’s good then.” Yujin smiled to herself. Finally, the model of the sculpture will finally meet the final output. She has never heard a word from the said model ever since the masterpiece was presented to the public. A lot of people did mention that Yujin’s sculpture looks exactly like the model, Kim Minjoo. The story about them being lovers also surfaced as students of the same university posted about it online but no matter how the media asked Yujin and Minjoo about it during their own interviews, they were not able to squeeze any information from the two. That is how they diligently kept the promise they did with Yujin’s father.

“Unnie, you arrived early!”

Yujin turned to the owner of the voice and there she saw her sister, Wonyoung, who just got showered by camera flashes. Beside her is their mother who gave Yujin a very proud smile after seeing her. The heiress smiled back and headed towards them. Wonyoung already opened her arms since she thought Yujin was about to hug her but it turned out that Yujin’s target was their mother.

“Hmp!” Wonyoung puffed her cheeks as she watched the mother and daughter enjoy their time together. “At the very least you could say hi to your sister first.”

Yujin freed her mum and turned to Wonyoung. “What are you being grumpy at, Missy?” Yujin tried to pinch her cheek but Wonyoung immediately stepped away.

“Don’t ask what is obvious! You just embarrassed me, I thought you are going to—”

“Fine, fine…” Yujin patted her head which made her happy in an instant. “Since we will be on vacation, let’s go to the beach again, together with the same folks minus Miss Big Ears.”

“You mean you can go out with Minjoo-unnie again?” Wonyoung excitedly asked.

“Yes.” Yujin proudly answered. “I’ve talked about it with my Dad. He didn’t say anything at all but I can see how proud he is for what he has done.”

Yujin gives her father the credit for what they have become as of today. It is true that they might not be able to reach what they have reached today if they stayed dependent on one another. There are times that she didn’t like the happenings in Minjoo’s career although it was essential for her growth. But since she doesn’t have any say on it, Minjoo went on with her path and proved that she can fly with her own wings.

“I’m excited to see Minjoo-unnie today too! She’s become even prettier. I can’t wait to see how your jaw will drop after seeing her in person.” Wonyoung older sister.

“Shut it down.” Yujin scoffed. “She might be the one who’ll get her eyes bulged.”

Wonyoung laughed so hard that Yujin’s brows creased. “Let’s see!”

“Miss Ahn, can you please come for a moment. We have to tell you about the order of the ceremony.” Another organiser came and asked for Yujin. The Heiress then turned to her mother and waved goodbye.