Several years had passed since Ahreum's found discovery. Many things had changed since then. Although Ahreum had become a wallflower, many had adored her. She had a shy, quiet, reserved and kind character that was pleasant and wonderful. On top of that, she was a ballet dancer which made everything about her seem even more lovely. To the eyes of outsiders and stangers, Ahreum was the epitome of perfection. But said assumptions were the opposite. Ahreum was far from being perfect.

Although Ahreum was quite popular, she had no real friends. Many of the 'friends' she hung out with made her feel like a third-wheeler, and made her feel as though she was not of the group. Her grades were near perfection, but it was never enough for her parents. Her parents had always expected superior excellence with academics, and Ahreum had never quite reached their circumstances. She was always a point or two behind. Her insecurities killed her from the inside and out even though many had assured her that she was a 'sparkling diamond in a pile of black charcoal'. Each time she looked herself in the mirror, she always found a flaw that annoyed her to no end. How she ignored compliments and listened to the darkness of her heart ruined her. But out of all these quarrels she had to deal with in her lifetime, only one never seemed to go away - her one-sided love with her childhood friend, Oh Sehun.

Oh Sehun was an old childhood friend. He treated Ahreum with great care and respect while the other children ignored her. He was the first to make Ahreum feel wanted, and was the first to stay by her side. He made her feel loved.

At the age of nine, Ahreum instantly knew that what she felt for Sehun was far greater than being just friends. Years later, she came to realize that she was in love with him. But it was already too late. By then she was ready to move to another city by her parents' command. 

Ever since she left Sehun, she never laid her eyes on anyone else and continued to love Sehun, and she couldn't understand why. But months had passed and Sehun had miraculously moved into her neighborhood. Though this time, they went back to stage one - strangers. It hurt Ahreum, and Sehun had suddenly become one of the many reasons why she held back on being happy. Like the rest, he had become a disappoint. But even though he be merely became a disappointment, Ahreum continued her one-sided love, silently loving him in the shadows, watching him with admiration. She decided that if he was happy, she was, too

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Another Monday rolled by too quickly. She hated Mondays as they were the day of returning back to school - the place she hated most and despised with all her heart. Then again, Fridays were no better. She hated all five days of the week - Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. They were all days in which she had to attend school.

Groaning, she pulled off the covers of her snow-white elegance filled canopy bed. A scowl fixed itself upon her features as if it were natural and automatic. She sighed to herself once before resting the soles of her feet upon the softness of the white carpet, the material tickling her feet slightly.

Ahreum walked around her bed to the window, opening up the chiffon frabic curtains with little interest. She was greeted by the brightness of the morning. Faintly, she heard birds singing, cars racing, the faint noise of the city and dogs barking as they walked with their owners down the streets of her neighborhood. She smiled lightly, taking in the beauty of the calm morning God had blessed her with. Mornings were Ahreum's favorite time of day. She enjoyed its tranquility and calmness. 

As Ahreum scanned through her closet to mentally picture what each article of clothing would look on her, paired with other pieces of clothing, she heard her older brother, Jaehyun, playing the piano. "At least oppa's home," she mumbled to herself.

After several minutes of picking an outfit, Ahreum finally settled with a casual burgundy dress, sheer tights and a solid black cardigan with white crosses. For accessories she sported a skinny brown buckle belt that kept her slim figure intact, a black beanie, and a fairly large brown shoulder bag that kept all her necessities together. Finally, she pulled out her classic brown combat boots and brought them out next to the foot of her bed to slip on later. Although Ahreum could care less about her appearance at school, she did not want to look like a bum. She hated it when people at school looked as though they had just gotten out of bed and were dragged to go to school.

Looking at the clock, she realized that she still had a few more minutes to spare. She used the remaining of her time to loosely curl her hair. Then she finished her business in the bathroom by brushing her teeth and fixing her hair to make sure it was in place. Once she was finished, she rushed out of the bathroom, slipped on her brown combat boots, and went her way down the stairs, passing by the kitchen to greet her older brother and grabbing an apple out the door.

Once Ahreum trotted across the lightly covered pavement, she shivered slightly as the cold, crisp winter wind slapped against her face. She had forgotten her coat and it had only been a few seconds before the consquences were kicking in. Her teeth clattered as she walked towards the bus stop in slow pace, unwilling to move any further. If anything, she wanted to return home in the comfort of her bed with a cup of tea or hot chocolate with marshmallows, reading a pleasant book.

"Damn." She cursed to herself. "Of all the things I could have forgotten, why did it have to be my coat?" Ahreum complained.

Both rows of teeth continued to clatter together. Ahreum bit her lower lip, waiting for the bus to arrive. Without even entering school, seeing faces she disliked and listening to lectures she did not need, she could already tell that her day would turn out to be another disaster. 

She entered the school with a glum expression and dragged her feet towards her locker. She did not want to be here. She wanted to return home to lay in bed, relaxing. She did not want to see faces that she did not like, or teachers that pressured her into doing things she did not want to do, and she did want to feel lonely within a crowd. Ahreum had just wanted to be alone.

"Relax, Ahreum," she assured herself. "Today is a new day. Don't make it miserable for yourself. Today will be a good day." She said. Though deep down, she knew that she was only lying to herself.

Walking towards her first period, she bumped into Sehun accidentally. She gasped softly once she caught on to his handsome features and bowed sincerely as an apology. Sehun only glanced down at her, nodding in return with no emotion shown on his face. As she saw him walk towards the other end of the hallway, Ahreum felt nostalgic.

It was such a shame that their friendship was once treasured so long had now disappeared out of her reach completely. But that was life. Friends come and go. People special to you become strangers and you must continue on with life, ignoring the past. Life doesn't stop for anybody, and one cannot continue on to the next chapter if they keep rewinding the last one. 

Don't mourn over things that are beyond your control. You're only making it harder for yourself. She thought to herself.

Shaking away the negative thoughts that swirled through the back of her brain, she walked into the classroom and took the single window seat at the back of the classroom. 

Students peered at Ahreum with interest. Many of them were males wishing that she would acknowledge them. The rest were females desperate to become her friend. Feeling uncomfortable, Ahreum turned their way, casting a small smile at them before returning to daydream as she looked out the window to watch the same scenery every day - the brilliant skyline of the city with the sun glasting a soft glow from behind.

Shortly after, the teacher had arrived and he began taking roll. Ahreum sighed silently to herself, continuing to stare at the world displayed next to her through the long rectangle.

It's only the beginning.

At exactly three in the afternoon, Ahreum skipped the stairs to reach her safe haven - the dance studio.

The dance studio was a perfect set-up for Ahreum's ballet practice. It was decorated with such elegance that it made Ahreum feel as though she were living through the Victorian era of the rich in Europe. The over-sized windows that lined up together showed the perfect view of the city on the horizon; a touch Ahreum had always admired. A grand piano was settled in one corner, facing the middle of the dance studio. Fancy couches, chairs as well as a luxurious coffee table was set in another corner. The dance studio had just oozed class and tranquility.

The dance studio was particularly a gift from her parents when she had just turned ten. It was the only place where she felt safe in.

Ahreum looked at her herself from one of the many mirrors lined up on the wall. She scoffed, searching her own eyes. They were empty and hallow. As she continued to look at herself in the mirror, she winced, remembering how different she was as a child. She began to question herself if this was really how growing up was supposed to be . Was it meant to be hard, stressful and confusing? 

A swing of the door startled Ahreum from her angsty thoughts. Her mother strolled in, a soft smile on her face as she carried a tray of cinnamon apple cookies. With the smell of the scumptious dessert traveling to her nose, Ahreum grinned widely. Her stomach began to rumble violently. She hadn't eaten since lunch time at school, and sweets were her weakness.

"I brought you some cookies in case you were hungry." Her mother cooed, the heels of her shoes clicking softly against the wood floor.

Grabbing for a cookie, Ahreum stopped and looked at her mother. She tilted her head to the side, confused. "I-I thought you and dad were attending a business trip that would last for at least three months." Her mother gave her a baffled look. "You seem as though you don't want us here." Ahreum shook her head, crumbs from the corner of falling from her face. "No! I'm not. I'm glad you and dad are back early. I was just surprised. You and dad never come home early from a business trip."

Her mother didn't answer. Instead she began to search her thoroughly. She began inspecting if Ahreum was eating enough, if she recieved the right amount of sleep daily, and little details inbetween. Just as she suspected, all of her assumptipns were correct. Ahreum had gotten even more skinnier over the course of two weeks. The bags under her eyes were bigger and she looked even more tired. The look within Ahreum's eyes were solemn, lonely and empty. She was like the living dead.

Concerned, Ahreumn's mother took her hand in hers, squeezing it gently. 

She used to spread joy everywhere with her laughter and joy. But now she stares blankly at everything. Ahreum, darling, what has happened to you? 

Later at night buried deep within a cardboard box in the attic of Heo mansion was a lonesome stuffed animal - a velveteen deer, to be exact. The clock had struck twelve midnight and in the darkness of the night, its plush antlers twitched slightly. The velveteen deer's nose crinkled with disgust and its bambi eyes were large with curiosity. 

"How on Earth did I get here?" It grumbled, poking its head out of the cardboard flaps.