[CONTENTID1] His Domain [/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2] "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."—Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince [/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3] Suji read the message on the website over and over again. She sighed and closed shut her old, battered laptop. A new one was needed. Her mind insisted on sending her uncle a message, but her will would not let her. She hated how Yoomi spammed her phone, and she dared not open them. Her antipathy towards that girl grew ten fold. Suji was unsure how to react next to her.

            How could Yoomi betray her like that? How can anyone have the nerve of being your friend to your face, but transform into a snake behind your back?

            Suji snuggled into her bedsheets. A single tear dropped from her eye. She sniffed, and wiped it away with startling vehemence. She twisted to the other side, as she attemped to force her mind to shut down. It was all in vain.

            She thought of Krystal, and her backstory. She recalled Yoomi and her betrayal. Lastly, before her eyelids finally drooped, she saw Sehun flying over the bridge.

                                                *

A loud sound made her jump awake. The blinds pulled up, by courtesy of Taeyeon, and sunlight spilled through the room like a pebble that dropped in water. Suji groaned, raising an arm to shield her eyes. The sunlight burned with hues of fire; yellow, orange and white. She turned to the side, pulling the covers over her head again.

            “Suji!” Taeyeon grabbed her duvey and hurled it aside. “Wake up! We’ve got a dinner to attend. You have to start your beauty regime now. Up, up! It’s past afternoon, you silly goose.”

            Suji yawned and pushed back her unruly hair. She tasted morning bitterness in . Then, Taeyeon’s warning dawned on her. She gasped as she sat up and grabbed her clock. Indeed, it was almost half twelve. Suji scrambled to her feet.

            “Is everything okay?” Taeyeon asked, her voice laced with concern. Her eyes sparkled with so much kindness, that Suji almost broke down in front of her.

            She shook her head. “I’m fine. Just had a lot of assignments to complete last night.”

Her mother’s frown hinted at her disapproval. “I’m sure you did. Are you okay for today?”

            She nodded. Besides, she would never let her mother walk into those rich vultures’ nest without her. Suji vowed to be Taeyeon’s shield when it came to interacting with that awful society.

            It took a couple of hours, and Taeyeon’s grousing at how she had nothing to wear, but Suji eventually opted for a white blouse that neatly tucked into her knee-length, pleated skirt. She wanted to wear sneakers but Taeyeon insisted on a pair of red heels with bowed tips. Suji disliked heels. Her body would suffer from the effects of the fake height later.

            Taeyeon did her makeup for her, giving her a sultry look and red lipsticks. Her mother’s green dress flashed with spangles and beads that proved too much for even a dinner party. Suji did not have the heart to tell her that day.

            Once ready, Taeyeon clapped her hands. “Alright! Yoona’s son has kindly offered to collect us from here and drop us to the house,” she said, with a note of childish excitement.

            Suji rolled her eyes. “Why didn’t we just get a taxi? I don’t want to picked up by them heartless, plastic monsters.”

Her mother glared and slapped her arm. “Don’t be silly! You’re so stiff sometimes. Just loosen up today, and enjoy yourself like a normal teenager for once.”

            If only that was plausible. Suji often forgot that she was only nineteen. Her life stretched with so much drama and an intense need for survival, that she felt as if she lived much longer than her young age.

            As soon as the fancy blue Mercedes parked outside their shabby apartment, Suji took her coat and wobbled in her heels after Taeyeon. A young man in his early twenties stepped out. He had a clean, symmetrical face, and she would have considered him very handsome had her mood not been destroyed by the night before.

            The young man bowed, his white blazor a contrast to his dark jeans. “Aunty, I’m Joonmyun, Yoona’s son. She’s anticipating your arrival.” For a brief second, his eyes met Suji’s and a blush danced across his cheek. He cleared his throat and opened the car's door for them, smiling at Taeyeon’s flabbergasted response.   

            Joonmyun was a quiet lad. He only spoke when needed, but that did not stop him from flaunting his admirable discourse. Suji was grateful for that.

For a long time, she watched the debauched streets of her area slowly vanish, and in its stead were skyscrapers made of sparkling glass, of shops with glittering interiors, of people that wore stylish and extravagant clothes, to the point where event their dogs wore more expensive gear than she could afford in a lifetime. It amazed her—a whole new world, and she was like a spectator looking into a glass ball. A world out of her reach.

            Joonmyun’s car winded into a residential area with lots of greenery. Large gates opened as he steered up the hill and passed gigantic mansions beyond Suji’s comprehension. His car parked in the garage of one such mansion, with a fancy outdoor garden that led to a marbled platform with many steps. There were so many cars parked outside. The view itself left her breathless.

            “Your place is amazing,” Taeyeon said, with a hint of nervous wonder.

“Thank you,” Joonmyun replied amicably. “Please, enjoy yourselves.”       

            “Oh, we will!”

They were greeted by a butler at the entrance, who led them into a fancy hall with many tables and platters full of luxurious, bite-sized food. Yoona greeted them with a wild smile and an embrace that Suji never expected. The woman dazzled her guest