chapter one; Once Upon A Time

Soobin’s POV

A wedding dress? Oh my gosh! Am I getting married? With whom? In the chapel, I saw five boys with blurry face and one of them looks like my groom. Who are they? Someone pushed me so I started marching and look at my mom. I gave her a bewildered look. She just smiled. The wedding march started to play then it became an alarm clock sound.

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!

Yes! I’m not going to get married. I’m in my room in L.A., it’s Monday morning, and I’m being jolted awake by the piercing sound of my alarm clock.  I have to get up.

BEEEEEPPPPP!!!!

Like now.

I turned the alarm off and stretched out my arms. I wondered if I didn’t grow up rich. Will I still have this four posted canopy bed? Will I still be living here in L.A.? Aish! I’m really crazy. I quickly checked my phone if there’s any messages.

20 messages. 11:30 AM.

Uh-oh! I’m late!

I threw back my bed sheets and rushed to the bathroom. I quickly dried myself and ran to my closet. I usually spend thirty minutes in here just to decide what I am going to wear. But today, I’ll grab whatever I see that looks good. This! I’ll wear my newly bought dress with my denim motorcycle jacket. Oh shoot! There’s no time for make up!

 I still have a taping and photo-shoot today! My mom will kill me. The director must be burning in anger. I replaced my strappy pointy Jimmy Choos with my favorite pair of wedges and got my bag. Wait! My phone.

“Miss Delancy, your mom called.” Abigail, our maid said. Oh no.

“How many times?” I rapidly drink the milk carton from the fridge. That is one of my talents. Being quick without being sloppy.

“I think seven or more.”

I almost tripped on my way to the garage. Okay. Let’s forgot about my talent I was saying a while ago.  

I pulled out my bejeweled iPhone and voice call my mom.

“Mom, I’m on my way now. Tell them, stay calm and don’t panic. Arasseo?” Yes. I’m using few Korean words for me to learn the right accent. My mom told me that my accent sounds foreign and slang.

“Everyone, don’t panic. I’m on my way.” I sighed and end the call. I parked my car and hurriedly went inside of the mall.

“Hey you!” Someone called out. Paparazzi. He was trying to get my attention. This happens a few times whenever I went out of my car with a pair of sunglasses. I just ignore them like celebrities do. I can’t help to smile. It’s funny when this happens to you. Anyways, I’ll just run to the office.

“Ugh!” I whined as I slipped. My shoes! A strap is broken. I’m a few steps away the office. I’ll just tell them to give up on me.

“Are you just going to sit there and whimper like a kid?” Tch. Ryan Gardiner, my friend. I don’t like him but he feels the opposite. I told him to give up but he won’t. Maybe, it’s because I always say yes whenever he asks me to be his date on dance. “Look. Aren’t you happy to see you prince charming?”

“Prince charming you say?” I mocked. I have no choice but to get on his back.

“You can let go of me now.” I told him as we reached Umma’s office.

“Delancy Sophia Yoon, you’re always late. That’s why people easily give up on you.” Blah! Blah!

“Not me.” Ryan raised his hands up and smiled. Aish! Why does he have to be here?

Mom gave him a do-not-interrupt look and faced back to me.  “You are irresponsible.”

“Mom, I mean, Eomma. I’m here. Look.” I gestured over myself. “If you’ll not continue your speech, we’ll probably catch them up.”

“Aigoo!” She looked at me like I’m hopeless. “Just go at the studio right now.”

“You can go now.” I told the guy beside me.

“Hey. I re-scheduled our date on Saturday.” He grinned while I rolled my eyes. That is one of the disadvantages of being pretty.

I ignored him and threw at him the necklace I was wearing. He gave it to me when we graduated high school. He told me that if I threw that, he’ll stop. Since he did many things and favors for me, I should wear it as a favor, too. Now, I am D-O-N-E done.

“Wow. You finally came!” Miss Kinsella passed through me, angry.

“I’m sorry.” I gave them a smile, which annoys everyone.

“Come here, quick!” Mrs. Deladdo showed me an album of her designs. “We had a new line, limited for this summer. We we’re about to change the model so you’re lucky that I’m patient with you.”

“Whatever,” I mumbled and changed my dress.

My photo shoot was finished, finally after an hour. My jaws, arms and legs hurt.

I patiently wait for my best friend here in a new Italian restaurant where she made a reservation last week.  I looked at myself at the big mirror in front of my seat. My face looks okay, but I don’t feel like I don’t belong. I’m an Asian. Look at my natural face. You’ll easily identify me as a Korean, living here.

“Yes?” I answered my phone.

“Miss Yoon.” Heard that? From my last name. Yoon. “You need to hurry for your next commercial taping.”

“Cancel it. I’m going to a shampoo commercial. It’s going to be showed everywhere.” It’s a Dove commercial. I usually drive people crazy. I admit, I’m sort of a diva or a bratty girl.

 I’m not really that famous as you expect. I’m just a model and a part-time stylist. And, this is Hollywood. I don’t think I have a chance. There might be people out there who are more talented than me. If this were The Sims 3, I’m just a one or two-starred celebrity.

“Hey Sophie!” A pretty slim blonde girl, in sleeveless ruffled top and skinny jeans went towards me. That’s Stephanie Chen, my best friend since we were freshmen. If you’re thinking why she is that slim, she is a gymnast. “I’m sorry. My coach has to bend the leg of my partner. And some people I ran into took pictures of me.”

“Who are you today?” Like me, some people also thought that she’s a celebrity.

“Ashley Benson.” She groans.

I look carefully at her and nodded. She has a resemblance of that celebrity.

“At least they didn’t think you were Ashley Tisdale or Emma Roberts.” I snorted.

“Yeah,” she beamed.

“Steph, what if I go to Korea?” I asked.  It just flew in my mind.

“You’re really going there since it is summer.” She snorts.

“No. I mean, I will start to live there.”

“What?” She stared at me. “Why?”

“I just felt that I need to learn my own customs there. Who knows? I might be a real celebrity there “ I pressed my lips together. “And, I want fall in love. “

“Fall in love? Why don’t you just hook up with Ryan?” Pfftt…

“Steph, I don’t like him. And I want to be happy.”

“In the midst of war between North Korea and South Korea?”

“You are over-reacting. War isn’t starting yet.”

She fell silent. “Well, I... I don’t know. It’s up to you. Do you really want?”

“I’ll talk to mom later.” I bit my lower lip. “Don’t worry. I’ll come to visit.”

“I thought you are still undecided. Your tone sounds like you are saying goodbye. You’ll leave everything you have just to fall in love?”

I fell silent.

“Do you want me to recite all of the things that you’ll lose?”

“If those are going to keep me stay?” I nodded.

“Okay. Let’s start with this mall. See? Your mall. Then, your house. When you got home, take a look at your house. Well, let’s say it’s a mansion. And Sophie, you live in L.A. There’s the Hollywood over there. If you leave, you’ll lose your mall, mansion, limo, your designer clothes, shoes, your job, and most of all, you will lose me.” She emphasized the word ‘me’.

“What do you mean?” She’s not saying that I’ll lose her.

“I mean, not that our friendship will end, you don’t have Stephanie Chen in Korea.”

Mollayo. Should I go? The boys there are more handsome unlike here. How did I say that? It’s because the only boy I had a crush with is a Korean exchange student. I forgot his name since he was a junior while I was freshman. Anyways, I want to find my own fairytale. I mean, love story, since it is true.

I finally knew the answer, after some days of thinking.

“Yes mom. It’s final. I want to stay in Korea. Uncle would be there, right?” I smiled. My uncle, my real dad’s cousin, is my closest relative there. I have my aunt there, mom’s stepsister. She’s very nice but we’re not that close and they’re snob. They’re rich and she’s the co-owner of our mall there.

“Sophia, are you sure you can take care of yourself?” My stepdad, Daniel Allen, asked. My mom met him when we were still in New York. He’s a producer of different shows in E! Network. She married him when we stayed at Korea, when I was ten. I approved at their relationship since it is clear and I want to grow up with a father and some siblings. Unfortunately, I did not have any sibs. 

“Dad, I’m 20. Please? I also want to discover my own country.” In other words, I want to find Mr. Right.

“If you’re really sure, my assistant will fix your papers tomorrow so you can leave this week.” Mom said.

“Really?” Oh my gosh! I can’t believe I’m leaving, but Steph was right. I’ll lose my life. My emotions are mixed. “I don’t want to use our plane.”

“Like I’ll let you use it.”

“And I don’t want your body guards to fetch me.”

“Okay.”

“Oh and I’ll stay at Uncle’s house for weeks.”

“Wae?” My mom said. We have a loft there but I don’t know how to be independent so, I’ll stay at his place.

“Uhmm, so I won’t get lost?” I’m only familiar at some places there. I know the districts of  Gangnam-gu, where we used to live; Seocho-gu,  and Jung-gu. 

June 20, 2013

So, this is the day. I'm leaving L.A.

“Annyeong umma.”

“Your accent is funny.” She hugged me. This is surprising. My mom is hugging me like she did not become one of the villains in my life.

“Bye dad.” I hugged them both. “Don't forget to deliver the two boxes at my room.”

“And Steph,” as I turned to my best friend, holding Lancy.

“Good luck.” She winked.

Oh gosh! I feel thrilled. I'm going to Seoul.

Okay. I really hate that 7 hours in the plane with those rude flight attendants. I’m on a first-class. What the-? Anyways, Sophie, don't let them ruin your day. By the way, I'm Yoon Soobin now because I'm in Seoul.

So what does uncle do these days? I forgot to ask mom, I mean, umma about him. I also didn't inform him that I'm staying at him for a few months. Gwenchana, it's alright with him.

“Where to?” Oh gosh. Korean. I should be used at my own dialect.

I told the taxi driver where I'm supposed to go. He's kind because he helped me with my luggage up to the eighth floor.

“Kamsahamnida,” I said in the-most-awful accent of the history. I should've practice Korean at my house.

Here I go. I slowly ring the bell.

“Nugusaeyo?” A deep voice asked. That doesn't sound like samchon.