▬ Chapter 2: Masquerade ▬

I was sitting at my usual lunch spot under the mangrove tree near the entrance of the school. For the whole day, I have been wondering about the mysterious guy who opened the door for me last time.

“Who was that man?” I thought as I took a sip of my mocha flavored latte. The book that I propped on top of my knees fell as I shifted my weight to a more comfortable position, straightening my legs instead of having them folded to my chest.

I adjusted the book on my lap and sighed. “I’m so stupid. Why didn’t I look back and get his name? I would’ve known who he was rather than pondering useless thoughts right about now.”

I took the last sip and skillfully threw the empty container into the garbage bin that was a few feet away. Just as I heard the clanging sounds, the bell rang. I heaved another sigh and slowly strutted towards the school building.

Well, at least the day is almost over.

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“Mom! Dad! I’m home!” I screamed as I entered the mansion. “Finally, now I can finally relax.”

I took off my shoes and headed towards my bedroom. At that moment, my mom got out of their master bedroom and I looked over to her. She was dressed in a maroon ballroom gown that had silver glitter everywhere. She looked absolutely stunning.

“Why are you dressed like that?”

“Honey, don’t you remember what today is?”

I scrambled my head for an answer but came up with nothing so I ended up saying the most obvious one. “Are you going on a date with dad?”

She gave out a light laugh. “Although that would be nice, no. We, as a family, were given a special invitation. Now go and change.”

I arched an eyebrow at what she said. “How come I never heard of this? Plus, I just got home.”

“Oh? But we did tell you last night at dinner. I remember you looked like you were in your own world again.”

Huh? Maybe I was thinking too much about that guy with the deep voice.

“Now, now.” My mom pushed me to my room. “Go and wear that silver dress that we bought last week.”

“Mom~” I whined. “You know I hate wearing dresses.”

“It’s just for the night. Plus, did I forget to mention it’s a masquerade ball?”

“Masquerade?”

“Yes, yes. Nobody is going to notice you.”

“And can I ask who sent the invitation?”

“Mr. Kwon from Seoul Airlines.”

“GD?!”

“Oh! You still remember him?”

“Well, he was my childhood friend.”

“Right. Now go change. Quickly. We’re going to be late.” She gave me one last push and I gave up.

This is going to be one heck of a night.

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“Mr. and Mrs. Park! It’s so nice to see you again!” Mrs. Kwon’s voice echoed throughout the room as we entered the hall.

I later knew that it was one of those big events held annually: The celebration of the opening of Seoul Airlines. How could I forget? We always attend this event. This year, they managed to go with the whole masquerade theme. Fun. As my mom told me earlier, I wore a silver gown that reached just a bit above my knees. It was made of fine silk and had sparkling glitter that made the dress stand out. I also wore a mask, obviously, which I was dying to remove since the feathers kept on bugging me.

“Bom!”

I turned around and saw a familiar figure show up from the distance. A smile automatically lit up my face as I recognized who it was. His features were clearly visible, even under his mask. I could notice him anywhere.

“GD!” I ran towards him and gave him a hug.

“It’s been a long time since I last saw you! How have you been?”

“Same old, same old. You? How’s your composing and songs coming along?”

“I just released my first music album. Haven’t you been keeping track of your best friend?”

“Really?! How come you never called me?! I would’ve bought it right away!”

“Well, I’ve been busy with show offers and such so I couldn’t get in touch with you. Anyway, I wanted to personally give you a copy so here it is.”

He fished out something from his jacket pocket and gave it to me. I scanned it, wi