“You think this one would be good for her?” Ah-Ri’s mother asks, through a catalog of the best school’s in Asia. She is pointing to a luxurious almost resort-like university, if it can be called that. A pool with with folding chairs and railings around its perimeter complete the look of wealth.

“It seems like a perfect fit for Ah-Ri” Ah-Ri’s father agreed. “It’s settled.” Perhaps it would not be perfect for education, but Ah-Ri needed to get more accustomed to ease. “Ah-Ri shall attend Woollim High.” 

“Wait, it says Woollim High is an all boys school..” Ah-Ri’s mother sighs in disappointment.

“If Ah-Ri wants to act like a boy, so be it. She’ll go to an all boys school. We will pay top dollar for her to go.” Ah-Ri’s father explains, placing his hands on his lap.

The mother stares in disbelief, knitting her thin brows together. She purses her lipstick-covered lips, silent.

“Chan Seul, she’ll be fine,” the father says, a feeble attempt at persuasion. However, Chan Seul, Ah-Ri’s mother, does believe she would be fine. Ah-Ri can’t break the drywall for nothing.

“I hate this decision. Boys, boys, boys, everywhere,” she sighes. “As always, you’re stubborn as ever JaeJoong…” Finally, she submits, resting her head back against the wall behind her.

“Then it’s done,” JaeJoong’s rumbling voice declares approvingly.

“We’ll call the number over—” he pauses for a second, squinting at the magazine. “—over here.” 

The father punches the number into his phone, waiting for a greeting. Meanwhile, Chan Seul just fans herself despite the cool autumn air. This is just too much to take.

“Don’t worry Chan Seul, our Ah-Ri is as tough a warrior as she’s stubborn, she can handle anything.” JaeJoong reassures her as someone answers the call, patting Chan Seul’s shoulders. 

“Hopefully,” Chan Seul sighs once again.

…..

After seeing her face particularly blemished for once this morning, Ah-Ri stumbles into the bathroom hoping a hot bath might cure that. With none of her usual ease, she slides into the end of the tub, waiting for the steamy water to fill. She stretches her legs out, hoping they aren’t as sore as she imagines them to be. 

Unfortunately, she’s wrong.

“Damn,” she rasps, voice not quite clear. With only a few hours of sleep, school is going to start in maybe three hours. ‘I might as well get ready now, what with my current condition,’ she thinks, almost bitterly. She never really is, nor would ever be, good at falling asleep too, and with the way she had gone to bed, it’s a wonder how she even woke up without breaking something.

She slips into her uniform for YG High. Wriggling into the plaid skirt and white polo is something she does nearly every single day. She throws on the also brown blazer with her school’s emblem on it. Ah-Ri glances at the untied tie around her neck and grumbles. It is simple enough, especially after months of doing it, but it still irks her that this is even part of the uniform. Shaking her head, she works her nimble and calloused fingers around the material until it forms into a neat tie.

Ah-Ri then limps over to the mirror in the bathroom, feet shuffling across the carpeted ground. “Where is it…” she mutters, hands grasping around for—

“Here it is! Make up,” she declares, opening the bag of supplies her mother gifted to her just a week ago. Brand new, unused. Ah-Ri tends to avoid makeup as best as she can, since last time she tried applying a blush, her face started itching. She had been twelve back then. Now, it’s considered a miracle by Chan Seul if she even says the word.

Ah-Ri imitates the way her friends had smothered liquid foundation on their faces until it matched an equal tone. She rather likes how the blemishes on her face seem to vanish almost immediately. Her fingers brush over the bags under her eyes, the result unsatisfactory. The bags, although covered, are still a bit visible. ‘Hopefully,’ Ah-Ri thinks, ‘it won’t be too noticeable if I put on eyeliner or some other .’ She reaches for the eyeliner and eye shadow, going for the more natural colors of brown and earthy green for the latter. At first she isn’t sure where the black liner would go. Wouldn’t it be uncomfortable to put it right under the eyes, after all? Then again, it doesn’t seem it would appear ‘right’ anywhere else. Shrugging the questions off, Ah-Ri draws the pencil over the contours of her eyes, accentuating it. She isn’t used to it, and is sure it appears sloppy in another person’s view, but it’s still good enough for her.

Refraining from rubbing her eyes, she stares longingly at her bed, pillows and sheets strewn across it messily. It is tempting to just collapse on it. Ah-Ri glances at the clock above the bed, finding she had spent exactly an hour getting ready. Two hours left before she could possibly be late, and that’s quite the chunk of time she has left. She could wake up, grab some food, and then be on her merry way half an hour before anyone so much as thought of the school.

Besides…

A nap can’t take that long, right?

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Author's Note~

Ok. The next chapter I PROMISE. The plot will start going ok. Stay Tuned ! Sorry for the slow beginning. :( 

Love, 

Skydragonshipeeerrrs