Mina

Cinderella.

That described the best metaphor. I was, in fact, a poor girl, the Blackpink was my fairy Godmother and this luxury won't last forever. I sighed, staring at my reflection in the mirror. They really did a masterpiece. I stood up, transfixed by my own appearance. They didn't change who I am, all the makeup and accessories matched and complimented my body, my face instead of caging my soul inside a stranger skin. I was wearing a long maroon one-shoulder split dress with black ankle strap heels.

The process wasn't long as I expected, as if they know exactly what they wanted to do and what fits me the best, once they examined me thoroughly. We talked along the time or precisely, they were the one that kept the conversation alive while I'm mostly listening and observing. I even learned their name, the hairdresser was Lisa, the makeup artist was Jisoo and lastly, the jeweller was Rosé. I searched them on the internet and they were really well-known in the fashion and beauty community. Apparently, this was their first time to come to South Korea since they were primarily active only in Europe and Australia. They asked for permission to upload my pictures on their site to promote and display their another creation. I, of course gave them. They soon left, with an offer to be their model. I was baffled but they assured me that I could contact them whenever I decided to try it.

It was already quarter past seven and I waited patiently for Chaeyoung. The doorbell rang and I jumped out of the couch, taking the white Gucci Marmont purse with me. I opened the door and was taken aback when it wasn't someone that I am expecting. Wearing a grey suit. His hair had it gunmetal grey, perfectly styled and lush. He had a wizened face with a beard that was well-trimmed. He stood straight up, with a walking cane on hands.

"Ch--Chairman" I stuttered, surprised and nervous. Everyone would. The Chairman was highly respected and influential. It wants just his position and the power he held but also the way he portrayed a higher and unachievable, level of simply appearing more than others, more than oneself. He mirrored Chaeyoung. They naturally had the force to intimidate you by the way they brought themselves. Their stern gaze, their posture, their behaviour, their thinking, their words were impactful. I watched as the Chairman's face softened and formed a small smile. He might notice how tense I was.

"Are you ready? Chaeyoung will come late. I'm here to fetch you. You do not mind to come with this old man right?" He joked, or was it a supposed to be a tease. I had no idea. He was known for his professionalism and reserved personality. He didn't talk much, seldomly interacts. He only said things that connected with business and declined interviews that highlighted his personal life. I was once forced to interview him by my senior in the magazine company I used to work. I really thought he will reject it but the Chairman surprisingly agreed. It was the first time we met and he offered me to work in the Son Group. Without thinking twice, I accepted since it was a huge opportunity and I also wanted to escape from my sarcastic and mean senior. I'm not sure if I was thankful now because my current boss, Ms Son turned out to be thousands time worst.

Recalling it, how I wished to time travel and rejected the offer. Then I didn't have to meet Chaeyoung, endured her harsh treatment for years and get myself involved in this dangerous contract. I silently sighed and diverted my attention back to the Chairman. He was staring at me in confusion, I must have been looking so idiotic right now. Daydreaming and regretting my own decision. I smiled and awkwardly answered "I'm fine. I don't mind at all."

The rides were silent. For some reason, I was being fidgety, feeling apprehensive. I quickly brush away the negatives thought. It only took a couple of minutes before I found myself at a ritzy event, surrounded by wealthy individuals. I happened to be standing near the door, and I saw members of the one per cent walked in. For the most part, they are polite and then there was the arrogance you sometimes found among the rich. The way they act and talk may even be considered arrogant. But they have all the reasons to do so. There was no need for them to try to prove anything to anyone. Hence, they were cool and collected. These people tend to look at a person in the eye and speak their mind. I knew that not all of them was mean but I'd seen the discriminatory and contemptuous treatment the poor received at the hands of the upper class and the rich. Even I was.

I couldn't wait for this contract to end. Back to work in the office, lived in my apartment, and to the arms of my sister. Leaving all these lies and uncomfortable environment. I didn't belong to this social class and I didn't want to be apart of it. It was too overwhelming. I'm not envy of them or wanted to be like them, I just wanted to live a decent life.

"Mina, let's get inside"

I heard the Chairman said beside me, breaking my endless thoughts. I nodded and we entered, walking together. The Chairman smiled kindly as he spotted a man that seemed to be in his 40's wearing a white tuxedo. "Im Hwan, introduce you to Mina, Chaeyoung's fiancee" The Chairman said, gesturing at me. I was quite surprised at how straightforward the Chairman was. I had no choice but to force a nervous smile and bowed, introducing myself.

The man stared at me, his face was unreadable but the round table that was near who likely hear our conversation, immediately stopped what they were doing, and snapped their head towards me. I could hear some whispering as they nudged one another, feeling their eyes burning holes in the back of my neck like atomic lasers. The man coughed and uttered, "Fiancee. Ah, yes. May I borrow the Chairman for a moment?"

I nodded and the Chairman tapped the back of my palm before he went with the man. I sighed deeply, now I was left alone in this strange place. I wandered my eyes, hoping to catch a sight of Jeongyeon or maybe Chaeyoung, but there wasn't around. Avoiding anymore attention, I walked far from the round table where their eyes were still trailing over me, and sat at a bench located near the ends of the hall. A young man with a maroon vase and black bow tie came to me, holding a large silver tray balanced on his right hand. He smiled and offered me a dessert, I thanked him and took a plate. My stomach was already whining to be filled as I hadn't had lunch. This dessert can at least ease my hungriness before I went home and had a proper meal.

I scooped the chocolate Victoria Sundae and was about to taste it when I suddenly paused. My ears perked as I quietly listened to the small groups of young woman standing next to me. It was obvious they held a high social rank and from a well-known family.

"You heard that rumour, right?"

"What rumour?"

"Ah, the rumour about the Son Group. The granddaughter, Son Chaeyoung is engaged. Apparently to a e" followed by a snicker.

"The Chairman brought the fiancée here just a moment ago. She is pretty but shameless. You have to be careful about those innocent looking girls especially towards someone living in poverty"

"There is a leaked picture of her inside a brothel, half-. The thing you would do for money. Those kind of woman are scarier because they have nothing but tenacity"

"What do you expect from a lower class and a "

I bit my quivering lips and put down the spoon. It hurt. I would rather they took a knife to my skin than spoke those words so cold, tearing up old scars. Hidden memory resurfaced and played repeatedly like a broken tape. I breathed in. Sharp pain lanced through my head and colourful spots flashed in front of my eyes, it felt like my whole body recalling all the beaten and every movement caused some muscle or bone to ache. Regardless, I needed to get out of here, away from those things, away from these people.

I stood up and hastily marched to the exit door. However, another young woman blocked my way. I had never seen her before. She was beautiful. Maybe it was the way she was put together. She stood with confidence and charm. Maybe it was her face. She had coils of leaf-brown hair, enticing and rich brown eyes gazed at me over her puffy, heart-shaped lips. Or maybe it was just the dress. She wore a black A-line Spaghetti Strap dress with a pearl necklace neatly wrapped around her delicate neck. In any case, there was something very appealing about this woman. She noticed me staring and broke into an innocent smile, her bunny teeth flashed, adding to her beauty.

"Im Nayeon. The only daughter of the Im Group, the sister-like figure to Chaeyoung. I'm guessing you are here as Chae's assistant."

"Yes, I wish you a good time" I wanted more than anything to leave this place as soon as possible. I felt guilty for excusing myself when we just met, and she seemed kind. Maybe another time. I bowed before stepping aside.

"Hold on a second" She said, stopping me from moving. "Can you throw this away, too?" She extended her hand that held a flute glass filled with golden-coloured wine. I smiled and was about to take the glass when she drew back her arm and sent a big splash of water flying at my face. I panted, shocked as my eyes automatically shut. The smile that I thought was innocent turned to a wicked smile. The gaze that I thought was soft and inviting turned to a mean and piercing glare.

She went closer and leaned to my left ear. "Why don't you crawl back to your previous gold mine? your body is just enough for a stripper. I might hire you to pleasure my clients and pay you triple of the usual amount. Not bad of an offer right? I kindly request you to return to your place, you do not belong here. I had enough power to step on an insect-like you. I'm saying this for your own safety, dear."

I clenched my fists by my side, gripping tightly the dress. She hated me, it was evident. Her stare really showed that I was just an insect stuck to the bottom of her heels. I felt my eyes went glacier as my heart whimpered from her sharp remark. I thought I was strong, I thought I had successfully built a shield against the constant humiliation I received, I thought I am. But I'm not. It was painful. This shame, guilt, fear hurts more than it supposed to. This too will past, be kind and forgiving, Mina.

I felt a soft kiss on my cheeks. She withdrew and smiled, her joyous expression and bubbly personality returned. "Good to see you Miss Myoui" She politely excused herself and walked away.

I cast my gaze onto the ground, breathing out slowly as I tried to compose myself, yet even before I could, there was a light tap on my shoulder. I glanced back up and was met with a man that I was so familiar with. The senior from the magazine publishing I worked before. He handed me a handkerchief and I hesitantly accepted it and wiped my face. "T-thank you" I muttered.

"This is typical of the upper-class society, Mina. Ah, should I call you Lady? How have you been? Looking at your face, it seems there are some unspoken pains."

There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice and I didn't want to face anymore insult. It was better to escape and didn't waste anymore time here, "I'll be going" I bowed and step aside but he grasped my arm, stopping me.

"Don't act so stuck up, Milady. Did you forget that you were under me before." He gibed. I let go of his hand and walked away. From my peripheral views, I caught him dashing to the stage at the front hall and stood behind the podium. Soon, I heard his voice echoed, grabbing all the guest's attention, "Everyone, I'm going to introduce you to a very special someone. The Son's Group, Lady Myoui Mina. Can you introduce yourself?"

The hall broke into a loud cacophony of voices, dramatic whispers that fill every corner. I turned around and saw him smirking behind the microphone. Every eye was on me, glancing and snickering. I felt like a worthless person under their stare. It must be, inside their mind, I was a dirty and petty woman. Nothing else. I saw Im Nayeon sitting with crossed legs and gazing elsewhere, wasn't interested. Intimidated and hurt, I could do nothing but to keep quiet and lowered my gaze.

He chuckled, "This is the first time she attended this kind of event, so she is being shy. You guys seem to be curious, so I will tell you. Myoui Mina, 23 years old, former contract worker at a magazine company. Hearing you all bustling right now. You must have heard the rumours. That's right. Woman A from the article is her! Since a stripper ended up engaged with the granddaughter of Korea's largest conglomerate, she is literally the living Cinderella of our time"

"Are you saying the rumour is true? Or are youu spreading false information Suga" A firm voice asked. I glanced up. She was a middle-aged woman with fierce and noble face. Piercing amber eyes, heavy brow, downturned mouth. Beside her was a young clueless woman, devouring a pie as her gaze darted back and forth from me to her food.

I saw how Suga's eyes quivered from the Madame's question and the seriousness in her voice. He turned to me and arched his brows, there was sudden confidence in him as if he knew everything. "Mina, they are asking if it's true. Tell us clearly. Is that correct. Is that right?"

Words left me. My eyes wandering around as I avoided those disgusted expression thrown at me. I couldn't will my lips to move. As if stuck underwater, everything was slow and warbled as he pointed a finger. "Tell us, milady. We need the truth" He demanded. But my mind was lost with wretched memories swirling around in my head, torturing my soul. The sound of my own voices, begging for mercy, the sight of me escaping, the thud-thud of my bare feet running away, the pain on my scalp as I was dragged back; as if I was living the moment again. I bit my tongue, trying to hold the tears that threatened to leave my eyes. But I failed, this heart was breaking into fragmented shards and I cried. Stupidly and pathetically, I cried. Unblinking tears dripping steadily.

There was only a word that wanted to escape my lips. Involuntarily, it was the only word that stuck in my throat, difficult to utter. And so, I chanted it to myself. Her name. "Chaeyoung"

"I'm here"

I froze, hearing the familiar voice whispering behind me then disappeared. I was about to look for her when she suddenly appeared on the stage, walking closer to the podium. My vision became a blur of colour from the tears but I knew it was her, wearing a navy coloured suit. Instantly, she grabbed everyone's attention as all eyes went to her. She extended her arms as she stared blankly at Suga, gesturing him to hand her the mic. His gaze automatically met the floor, hastily bowed and gave her the mic. "Thank you, Stingray. I'll remember your face" Chaeyoung glared and turned to the front. "Yes, it's me. Son Chaeyoung. The Executive Director and the successor of the Son Group."

"Alright. You must be wondering what is my relationship with that woman, if she is really my fiancée, if she really worked as a contract worker in a magazine company, and lastly if she was a stripper?" She roamed her eyes around then snapped her fingers "Congratulations, you are all correct." She smiled followed by a gasp and endless murmurs from the crowd.

Chaeyoung's grin faded replaced by a stony expression, "Now listen carefully" She said, her voice laced with suppressed anger. "You were not in her past, so you don’t know why she did what she did, what she was thinking, where she was in her life, and what exactly happened. Even I wasn't there. So why are you holding her past over her head as if she is her past, and you are not seeing the fact that her past is just her past, and she is not the woman she once was. Who are you to judge her? And your opinion towards my fiancee meant nothing to me. What important is now, the present."

She averted her eyes to me and we stared at each other. A sigh escaped "When I meet this woman. She is boring, she is plain, she is clumsy. She's only lucky for getting offered to work in the Son Company. She's poor and has nothing. She didn't even continue her study."

She walked down the stairs and went to me, slowly step by step as she talked through the mic, our gaze locked, "But living with her and knowing her deeper, I learned. That woman knows how to take care of others, that woman treats everyone with kindness and honesty and I've never seen anyone as tough as she is. That's why no matter what she was in her past, no matter what background she came from, no matter what scars had wounded her, she is my fiancee, my love, Myoui Mina"

She stood before me and smiled. The prettiest thing I'd seen in a while, for it extended to her eyes and softened. She gave me a look of assurance that seemed genuinely sweet. I couldn't utter a word nor move, as I was captivated by those deep pools of dark-cinnamon orbs. She put down the mic on the nearest table then  intertwined our hands. She lightly pulled me to the exit door and entered the elevator. My head was still in haze from all of the pressure and Chaeyoung's words. I was finally brought to reality when she grabbed me, dragged me to her, kissing me as the door shuts, closing off shocking gasps.










 

  - to be continued-
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✒ JunKudo