2ND ROSE: The Laws of the Elite

SHE FELT LIKE THE DUST THAT GOT INSIDE HER EYES DISAPPEARED when she saw the face of the stranger who’s currently holding her waist. He has a dark coffee-colored hair and his slightly long bangs or fringe was fixed like a comma—they call it as a comma hairstyle she usually sees on male K-pop stars—which he really looked good in that hairdo. He has a pair of chinky, droopy brown eyes and he has pinkish, thin lips. You can have him as a good example of a pretty boy.

It seems like Empire Academy is a haven of good-looking rich kids. Jin Hee thought.

“Who are you?” his voice sounded husky, warm and calm but his expression was cold; not a good combination—it’s like you’re eating a very warm cupcake then you suddenly drank a very, very, very cold iced tea that will make your teeth ache.

“What?” she uttered as she frowned. She blinked when the lad was still staring at her. “Umm… I…”

“Young master, what’s happening?” her eyes landed on the old man behind the stranger. With his appearance, he’s in his mid-50s. Wrinkles were visible on his cheeks and on each side of his eyes. His hair was color gray and few strands were color white and by the sight of his, he looks very formal. Jin Hee gasped sharply as her gaze trailed at the huge thing behind them. So, the helicopter landed behind me was really true. I thought it’s a UFO. I’m so stupid!

“Nothing, just go,” the guy answered at the old man. He looked at Jin Hee before releasing her from his grip. The old man bowed his head and returned to the helicopter while the guy left her without a word.

“He walked away like that? He looks like he’s pissed at me as if I did something to him. Hey! I didn’t do anything wrong! Geez,” she clicked her tongue and fixed her twin braids. It got messy because of the wind that the helicopter created earlier. “Geez. Did the wind was aware that it’s so hard to fix a messy curly hair?”

per Jin Hee’s hair is not that curly from roots to tips, sey. It’s like what girl celebrities have when they’re in a fancy party—big curls, to be exact. Curls on the tip of her hair. Maybe she can define it as waves on her hair.

“Excuse me, is this yours?” She turned her gaze to the guy who’s now behind her. He smiled when her eyes landed on him. He has a jet black hair that matches his not so thick eyebrows. He looks cute with his dimple on his right cheek that is visible when he smiles.

Wait a minute. She paused as she looked intently at him. He looked so familiar—as if I saw him somewhere and I couldn’t remember where or when. He looked like a celebrity.

Well, everyone in this school looked like a celebrity except me. She thought once again.

Her eyes settled on the school brochure that he was holding. She dropped it or it got caught by the wind earlier. Good thing the other papers that she’s holding earlier were inside her bag.

She fished out the other papers from her bag (including the school directory and the paper with her name with the room number on it). “Y-Yes, that’s mine,” she smiled at him and accepted the brochure.

“Are you looking for the Senior High building?” he asked.

“Yes!” she answered right away, quite loud that made her realize that she’s embarrassing herself in front of him. “I-I mean, yes. I was searching for that building earlier but I can’t find it,” she chuckled awkwardly as she scratched her head. I bet, I sounded stupid in front of him.

“Oh, really? Do you want me to you there? Actually, I’m going there too,” he offered.

“R-Really?” Jin Hee’s face lit up after she heard his offer. Gosh, finally! “Is it okay for you to me there?”

“It’s fine by me than leaving you here alone and clueless. It seems like you just transferred here today that’s why you have no idea where to go,” he shrugged.

“Ah, yes. I just transferred here today,” she smiled at him, thanking God that she finally found someone to talk to than those weird guys earlier. “Ah, wait a minute, who are you by the way? What’s your name? I’m sorry, it’s just that my mother told me that I shouldn’t talk or hangout with strangers.”

He laughed a little then he stretched out his hand. “I’m Tae Yang. Min Tae Yang.”

She held his hand gently and they shook hands together. “Jin Hee. Song Jin Hee.”

“So, now that you know my name already, you’re coming with me, right?” he smiled at her. Talking to him like this made her conclude that he’s a nice guy.

“O-Oh, sure,” she said, flaunting a shy smile at him.

He hummed and nodded. “Let’s go?”

She nodded as a response then they walked together to the Empire Academy-Senior High School Department Building.

*･ﾟﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*ﾟ:*:✼✿ ✿✼:*ﾟ:.｡..｡.:*･ﾟﾟ･*

All of the items in this hallway, she bet, cost more than a hundred million dollars. For her, the wealth of Empire Academy is no joke indeed , Paul The Creation of Adam“You know Yoon Baek Hyeon?” he suddenly asked. They’re walking on the grandiose hallway of Empire Academy’s building. She could see some expensive vases on each side of the building. Those vases include the vases from Roblin Art Pottery, Rookwood Art Pottery and the expensive vase of Qing Dynasty Vase which now costs 18 million dollars. On the walls, she could see some expensive paintings including Michelangelo’s Gauigin’s Nafea Faa Ipoipo, Jackson Pollock’s Number 17A, Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s Le Moulin de la Galette, Vincent van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet, The famous The Scream of Edvard Munch and the famous painting of the famous tragedy of William Shakespeare which is the Romeo and Juliet, painted by Ford Madox Brown. The chandeliers were The Solstice Comete and the chandelier that she could see in US Capitol Building—not that she went to US that’s why she knew all about it—she usually read home and tourism magazines on her uncle’s house during her first week of stay in Seoul that’s why she knew all about it..

“Huh? Who’s that?” she asked as she walked with him.

He took a glance at her then he turned his face in front. “That guy you talked to earlier.”

“Ah! That guy who came out from that helicopter that suddenly landed on the field? So, his name is Yoon Baek Hyeon,” she said as she flicked her index finger when an imaginary light bulb of discovery lighten on her mind.

He chuckled, staring at her expression. How could someone be so adorable even if she acts like a dork? “Yes, him.”

Jin Hee scrunched her nose. “No, I don’t know him. It’s the first time I saw him.”

“Wait a minute—what? You don’t know him? It’s the first time that you saw him?” a confused look was visible on his face.

She slightly scratched her cheek out of confusion and scrunched her nose once again. “Tae Yang-ah, you just repeated and rephrased my statement. Yes, I don’t know him.”

“Seriously? You don’t know him?” now, he’s totally shocked, gesturing his hand rapidly. “The whole Seoul and the whole South Korea knows him—even the outside countries know him. You-You don’t really know him?”

“Yes. Why? Who is he?” Jin Hee frowned at him.

“You don’t know the son of a multi-billionaire business tycoon and the great heir of the largest empire of companies in Asia, the Castellon Group of Companies? I thought you know him because you talked to each other earlier like you really knew each other for a long time. It’s the first time that I saw Baek Hyeon talked to someone else. He’s like the Prince of South Korea—but he’s the king of this school anyway,” he said that made her frown. “Ah, by the way, what’s your social group here in Empire Academy?”

“What—so-social group?” oh, no. Panic and nervousness slowly creeping on her system. No way. He might discover that I’m not what he thought of me! Oh, God help me!

“Yep. Are you one of the Business heirs, stock heirs, honorable heirs or… you’re one of the people in Social Welfare Group—commoner?” he sounded like he was suspicious of her. “But I think it’s impossible for you if you’re a commoner… right?”

“U-Umm…” she could feel her body tremble because of nervousness when he asked her about this so-called social group in this school. She could feel his stare right now. He looked so calm while she almost bit her tongue and melt on the puddle of nervousness. She felt like she’s a suspect of a huge crime and she will be detained for investigation.

Oh, gawd Jin Hee! Think! Think about something!

She cussed mentally as she was thinking for a good answer, a good alibi to his question when she remembered what Mama Shin said to her last time.

“You will pretend as a nouveau riche.”

Light bulb!

“Hey, Jin Hee-yah?” she felt Tae Yang’s hand tapping her shoulder that made her came back to her senses.

“Nouveau riche!” she exclaimed out of panic.

He frowned like she said something weird. “What?”

“I-I… I’m a nouveau riche,” she answered, trying to be calm.

A pregnant silence spreads between them for a couple of seconds. When no one dares to break it, Tae Yang broke the silence himself. “I see. I bet your family is so lucky to receive such blessing that you enrolled yourself here.”

She chuckled awkwardly at him as she internally sighed. I hope it’s not obvious.

Why the heck I should lie my identity from a scholarship grantee to a nouveau riche for them? It’s not me… and it will never be me.

“Why did you enroll here?” he asked calmly.

Do I really have to answer that question?

She mentally knocked herself. Ugh, of course, Jin Hee. So you can convince him that you’re a nouveau riche whatever it’s called.

“Err… my mom and dad want me here