Chapter 3

Chaewon sighed as she and Wonyoung entered her bedroom, throwing her school bag on the floor before heading to her closet to pick out some clothes for their trip to Japan the following day. Wonyoung launched herself onto Chae’s king-sized bed and began scrolling through social media. They hang out all the time outside of school, not only because it was what was expected of them, but also because they genuinely enjoyed each other’s company. They’ve been engaged from the young age of ten, which involved regular play dates- of which continued into high school. They agreed to take the relationship seriously when they were in public, but when it was just the two of them, it was the usual teasing that goes on between all friends. 

In fact, all of the heirs have known each other from a young age. Their parents all went to the same business college in Seoul, where they formed close links with each other- friendships which continued into their successful futures. Sakura and Yena had always been best friends as they have a lot in common despite their constant bickering. They game together, go to cosplay events together- you never really see just one of them without the other. 

Minju and Chaewon’s young love started from the age of thirteen, which was five years ago now. Wonyoung and Chaewon have been engaged since the age of ten as a result of their parents' need to maintain a growing, powerful business. At such a young age none of them knew what their feelings were. All Chaewon knew was that as she grew older it became easier to distinguish how she really felt, and for who. 

Minju and Chaewon’s five years of young love was unofficial for the both of them, and it was only until they were a little older that they began to understand the workings of their businesses as well as how engagements and the media worked. For people of their importance, having a clean reputation in front of the media is of top priority. When they were younger, it was just innocent holding hands and the odd kiss on the cheek here and there. It was by the time that they were around fifteen that they began to understand that their feelings weren’t allowed to be shown. They made it a deal that they could only meet up in complete privacy, and that Minju wasn’t allowed to get jealous of Chaewon’s public acts with Wonyoung. They have managed to uphold this secret affair until now, even though they rarely find times where they are alone nowadays.

Wonyoung and Yujin’s affair on the other hand, lasted for eleven months when they were seventeen years old. They met in a public bowling alley on the weekend of both of their birthdays, and long story short, they couldn’t keep their eyes off each other. At the time, Yujin’s family business was just getting started, and so her family was not well known or financially stable. So for Yujin to suddenly appear one year later, fresh off the ‘my family became rich overnight’ boat, came as a complete shock to Wonyoung. In their school, as well as in the media, a family like this is known as a ‘new money’ family. It defines a family who only recently got their hands on a lot of money and are still working their way up to the top. 

Families like Chaewon, Wonyoung, Minju, Sakura and Yena’s on the other hand, are what are known as ‘old money.’ Their particular clique are the ‘management succession group,’ of whom are the heirs to large fortunes and companies. While Yujin has also now become an heir to a company, she cannot be considered as ‘old money,’ as her family have only recently come into power.

Chaewon and Wonyoung’s relationship was a strange one. For two people who claimed that this was merely a business engagement, they were extremely good at acting otherwise. They didn’t know whether they were comfortable with each other simply because they’ve gotten used to being together 24/7, or because there was actually something deeper in their connection. When they were alone, they had the occasional flirtatious jokes, but they were always laughed off in the end. In fact, they were actually okay with th