At the red lights the car screeched to a halt.

Seohwa was certain that if she hadn't been wearing her seatbelt, she would have flown out of the windscreen. If Seohwa had the choice, she wouldn't have had been in the vehicle to begin with. It was not like she had wanted to sacrifice her life so willingly. She was a victim here. Despite the multiple times she had denied her Uncle Jungshin's offer, he had forcefully insisted to drive her to school.

The only problem was Jungshin wasn't exactly safe on the road. He was a maniac. In fact, he was a danger to society. He was the worst driver she knew of. While Seohwa saw Jungshin's driving as terrible, Jungshin believed he was the best driver. Instead of having the sense of relief that she wouldn't have to walk to school, Seohwa felt like she was going to melt into a puddle of anxiety.

She took a deep breath, trying to hold onto her sanity. Seohwa wondered whether she'd lose it before she arrived to school. She rested her sweaty palms onto her legs and cursed under her breath when Jungshin suddenly stepped onto the accelerator as soon as the green light glowed.

Unable to contain herself any longer, she spluttered out. “Could you at least slow down?”

“But I'm driving slowly!” Jungshin protested, a sparkle of mischievousness in his eyes – something that Seohwa did not appreciate.

“And this is why I told you that I was happy walking to school,” Seohwa bristled in response, grumpily folding her arms.

It wasn't like Jungshin's apartment was far from her school. If she had walked, it would have taken her fifteen minutes, at most, to get there. Seohwa was certain that Jungshin wanted to petrify her with his driving. Instead of being sleepy and grouchy from waking up early for school, she was wide awake. The adrenaline from the short drive was keeping her on edge.

“But you might endanger your life. You are an idol!”

“Correction,” Seohwa said, “You're the idol, I'm only a celebrity's daughter. Besides, I'm sure they'd kidnap you before they kidnap me.”

Jungshin laughed and Seohwa returned a smile. Although Jungshin was her uncle, sometimes she felt like he was more of a friend or older brother. He wasn't as serious as her father and the other uncles. Anybody would think it was because he hadn't settled down like other people his age had, but that wasn't the case. Seohwa was sure that even if Jungshin was in a relationship, or even married, Jungshin would still be the way he was.

When they were minutes away from their destination, Seohwa spoke up.

“Here's just fine.”

Jungshin stopped the vehicle. He said, “But I can drop you right in front of your school?”

Seohwa scoffed. “And have people gawk at us? No thank you. Before you know, there will be tabloids that I'm dating your or something like that-”

“Don't even say that. That is disgusting.” Jungshin scrunched his nose at the thought.

Seohwa threw her backpack over her shoulder. Asides from people ogling at Jungshin, there was a reason why she had wanted to be dropped off at that specific spot. As she looked at the house in front of her, she saw her friend walk out of his house.

“Who is that?” Jungshin raised an eyebrow, curiously looking at the male adolescent yawn.

The adolescent realised that Seohwa was there and gave her a bright smile. She simpered back at him and waved. Park Ryumin's toothy smile always tended to light up any dreary day. It wasn't like Seohwa harboured any romantic feelings for him, she just saw him as a comedic person, somebody that never failed to make her laugh.

“A friend,” Seohwa smirked.

It was a true fact, but she knew her smirk would make her uncle think otherwise.

She shut the door before Jungshin could interrogate her any longer. It was true that the guy was her friend, but she wanted to taunt Jungshin as payback for haphazardly speeding earlier. Seohwa reached out and took Ryumin's arm, linking it with hers and saluted at Jungshin who was looking warily at them from inside the car.

Seohwa had to stifle a giggle when she saw Jungshin's gaze linger on Ryumin. If looks could kill, Seohwa was sure that Ryumin would be a dead man. Nevertheless, a split second later Jungshin shrugged and drove off.

Ryumin lowly whistled. “Nice convertible. Red and flashy. I like it.”

Seohwa released her hold on Ryumin and laughed. “Shut up, Ryu.”

She loved Ryumin. Like how Jungshin was more of an older brother to her, Ryumin was like a younger brother to her. They were of the same age, with Seohwa only being a few days older. There was a stage when Seohwa was even taller than the him. Many girls fancied Ryumin once puberty had hit him, but it was already too late because Seohwa's best friend, Chaeyoung, had taken him off the market.

“Where's Chae?” Seohwa asked him.

It wasn't like Chaeyoung to not be there with Ryumin in the morning. The two of them always walked to school together because Chaeyoung's bus stop was in front of Ryumin's house.

“She had to go to school early. Some class president stuff,” Ryumin grumbled, but Seohwa picked the sulkiness in his tone.

If anything, Ryumin was the more clingy one in his relationship with Chaeyoung. Seohwa had never seen him as the type to get whipped, but when her best friends started going out Ryumin had transformed into a infatuated love struck dork.

“Don't worry. You guys spent the whole day with her yesterday...right?” Seohwa said.

She watched Ryumin gulp and let out an awkward chuckle. Seohwa could tell that he was blushing, even under his tanned complexion. “What are you talking about?”

“Don't lie to me, Ryu. I know you guys went out yesterday leaving poor little me alone. If you had told me, I would have been fine with it. You didn't have to hide that you guys were going out on a date,” Seohwa explained. “And who knows, maybe you were doing the hanky-panky-”

“Be quiet, Seohwa,” Ryumin groaned.

“I love humiliating you,” Seohwa winked.

Ryumin rolled his eyes. “Too bad I don't share the same hobby.”

Together, they merged with the ripples of students, joining in with them as the walked past the school gates.

The first thing Seohwa noticed was a tall boy standing in the centre of a circle of girls. There was a map in his hands and all of the girls seemed to be attacking him, pleading for him to allow their assistance. What got to Seohwa was the way he ignored them, gazing over their heads and surveying the buildings around him, most likely navigating the directions in his head towards his desired location.

“A new student,” Ryumin stated. “He's tall.”

It was when the stranger turned around to fully face her, she recognised him immediately. A scornful expression fell over her face as the new student stared at her also. For some odd reason he looked puzzled as if he had forgotten that she had bumped into him the day before.

Ryumin noticed their exchange and muttered, “Do you know him?”

“I saw him at your work yesterday,” Seohwa said, eyes drifting away from the newcomer to the person she was speaking to. “He's an .”

“But you don't know him.”

“I don't.”

“Then how would you know if he's an ?” Ryumin challenged her.

Sometimes it irritated Seohwa how Ryumin sometimes made sense. Seohwa had the knack of being irrational at times but that was how she was. She found it easier to dislike people more than liking them.

Seohwa shrugged. “I can tell. He asked if I was dumb. He's the one that judged me first, therefore I have the right to judge him.”

They watched the new student escape from the throng of girls and soon later, they made their way to the homeroom to find Chaeyoung.

•••••••••••••••

Before making it to the homeroom, Ryumin needed to go to the men's so Seohwa went inside first without him.

Most of the students had already arrived, sitting on the same seats they had been assigned the previous year. Deciding to follow pattern, Seohwa took her seat in the middle row by the window. She stretched her legs, lazily resting her arms on the desk and laying her head onto a side as she watched a bird perch itself onto a branch besides the window. Seohwa wished she was free like that bird. Being in school always felt like a prison to her at times. She wished she could grow up and get away from the never-ending tedious routine.

Somebody sang out, “Seohwa!”

Seohwa did not have to turn around to know who the voice belonged to. She was sure that even if she became an old lady and had dementia, she'd know Chaeyoung's voice a mile away.

She sat up, turing around and grinning when Chaeyoung advanced towards her. Before she could say anything, Chaeyoung draped her hands around Seohwa's shoulder, giving her a brief embrace. They had only seen each other a few days ago, but it always made her happy seeing Chaeyoung's face.

If anything, Seohwa thought Chaeyoung was like a model. Chaeyoung's skin was flawlessly white, while Seohwa and Ryumin's skin was tanned because they were always outdoors. Chaeyoung wasn't as tall as Seohwa, but she had a slimmer figure. Her big eyes were a hazelnut colour and her whole aura was warm and welcoming. Little did people know that despite Chaeyoung's appearance, she was a klutz, extremely smart, slightly shy around people she wasn't accustomed to had a kind heart.

“You look like you've had a rough time,” Chaeyoung commented, facial expression concerned. “Did you cry last night?”

On top of everything, Chaeyoung was very observant.

Seohwa gave a wry smile. “A bit.”

“I received a lot of calls from your parents,” Chaeyoung informed her. “Did you have a fight with your mother again?”

“Yeah,” Seohwa admitted. “She found my report card I had been hiding from her.”

“Ouch,” Chaeyoung grimaced. “Sorry I wasn't there. I was preoccupied and when I tried to call back, your phone was off.”

“It's fine. I know you were on a date. Tell me, how was it?” Seohwa muttered. She wanted all the gossip before Ryumin came waltzing in.

Chaeyoung scolded. “He's frustrating me, Seohwa.”

“Why?” Seohwa found it amusing that she was in-between counselling source.

She remembered how it had taken a couple of years of her giving them each advice to confess to each other. In the end, Chaeyoung didn't have enough patience to wait anymore and outright confessed to Ryumin on the last day of school and, like that, they were officially together.

Although Seohwa was their 'wing woman', it wasn't like she had enough dating experience to advise them what to do. She thought that her interference and input would cease once her best friends started dating, but in the end they still asked her advise on what to do. Not that Seohwa minded. She actually found it fun and cute how they acted around each other.

“He won't kiss me!”

Seohwa raised an eyebrow. “But you have kissed...”

“He won't take it further! He's so slow. I keep hinting but he's taking it slow. We've been taking it slow ever since we met. It's been sixteen years now!” Chaeyoung cried out. “I'm getting impatient.”

“You're ually frustrated.”

“Argh!” Chaeyoung slammed her hand on Seohwa's desk in spontaneity, causing Seohwa to almost jump off her seat.

It was then that Ryumin decided to join them. He smiled. “What are you talking about?”

Seohwa and Chaeyoung looked at each other before cracking up into a fit of laughter.

It was then that their homeroom teacher entered the classroom. “Get to your seats please. We will commence homeroom now and after I shall hand out your timetables...”

Their teacher, Mr. Yoosuk, continued to give the new year lecture. Instantly, Seohwa felt her mind drift off. Her eyes went back to the bird that was on the branch. Soon there were two birds. She let out a deep sigh, watching the birds chirp and flit merrily around as if they were mocking her for being held prisoner in a classroom.

“...also a new student.”

When girls began to whisper, Seohwa sat up a bit straighter. As she changed her position, she felt a slight breeze from behind her as somebody ambled past her to stand in front of the class. .

She wasn't surprise when she saw the boy stand next to the teacher. The homeroom teacher almost looked like a insect next to the student because of the student's height. It took her a while to realise that the boy had been sitting behind her all along.

“I'm sorry that I'm introducing you late, but I'd like you all to welcome him.”

The student stared blankly at the class until his eyes rested on hers. There was something unnerving about him. She had only stumbled across him yesterday, yet something told her that she had seen him somewhere else before. Seohwa couldn't quite put her finger on where though.

“-arrived here from Japan only the other day. He's been away from Busan for seven years,” Mr. Yoosuk kept speaking, but Seohwa had begun to drown him out.

What Seohwa was focused on was on the student. He was still staring unblinkingly at her. Two could play at that game. Seohwa glared back. It was then she saw him smirk, showing off a dimple on the left side of his cheek.

A familiar dimple.

It was then it all crashed down. She knew who the was. Of course she did. How could she forget!?

“Hello. I'm Lee Daejin.” The student revealed. He spoke in a tone that dripped with sarcasm, lips quirking upwards. “It's a pleasure to meet you all.”

As soon as he had announced his name, there were waves of whispers that spread the classroom. In seconds people were linking him to Lee Jonghyun and Seohwa caught a few of the girls gossiping amongst each other with a few of them bragging how he had went to their elementary school before migrating to Japan.

If it hadn't been for Daejin's dimple, she wouldn't have recognised her godbrother at all. Over the seven years he had matured. Like Ryumin, he had a growth spurt and, as much as she hated to acknowledge it, Daejin had turned handsome. Seohwa considered Uncle Jonghyun as one of the most handsomest uncles so it was natural that the had to inherit some of his genes.

From a small, slightly tubby boy, he had transformed into a person that really did look like a stranger. If not for the arrogant attitude and the personality of what she remembered, she was certain that she'd be one of the girls gushing over him.

Seohwa groaned, massaging her head. Suddenly she felt like she was going to get a migraine. Enough that she had a fighting match with her mother the day before, but now she had to deal with somebody like Daejin in her homeroom...every day?

Daejin made his way back towards the seat behind her, intentionally bumping her on the shoulder when he walked past.

“Nice to see you again, godsis.”

Seohwa buried her face into her hands.

Fate surely knew how to be cruel.

•••••••••••••••

“Is it alright if you can pick me up, Jaesoo-ssi?” Seohwa asked on the phone.

Jaesoo was her family's personal driver. Seohwa usually found her way home or got picked up from either Chaeyoung or Ryumin's house. However, due to Chaeyoung's class president duties and Ryumin's basketball practice she would be going home alone that day.

She was anxious about facing her mother after their dispute, but she was even more nervous about seeing her father. Although Uncle Jungshin had cleared out things and told them that she had stayed at his place, Seohwa knew that she would get scolded by her mother. It wasn't difficult to get angry at her mother, but it was a different story when it related to her father because she respected him a lot and didn't see him as often. In a sense, sometimes she felt like her father was like a stranger because he was always working.

“Your mother's sent somebody to pick you up already. Didn't you read your text?” Jaesoo replied.

Seohwa hadn't because she had thought that her mother's text was going to be a long message lecturing her.

“No. Thanks for letting me know anyway,” Seohwa said. “I'll wait where I usually do for my lift.”

When she ended the call, she heard a couple of girls in her class stride past her and sending her withering glances.

“She can't even take transport on her own. She's so rich and acts like she owns-”

Seohwa rolled her eyes, blocking them out. She was used to people talking about her like that. Not everybody liked her. She had known that ever since she was born. There had been a few incidents in the past when somebody had tried to snatch her when she was three, while she had accompanied her parents on the red carpet to a music awards ceremony, when somebody had tried to poison her (which led her to never buy cafeteria food)...but she always heard negative comments the most from people. She didn't care when they badmouthed her, but whenever they talked ill of her parents she loathed it.

It wasn't like she could start a fight with them either because, if she would, she would be featured in an article on the newspaper as being Jung Yonghwa and Seohyun's violent daughter.

However, Seohwa was also grateful that people envied her. While she was being envied for her celebrity parents, Chaeyoung had been envied for her looks and intelligence. Because Seohwa and Chaeyoung had been outcasts, they got along really well. Chaeyoung was always truthful and would speak the truth to her, which Seohwa liked, even if she'd be occasionally harsh. Seohwa preferred a friend who was loyal as opposed to sticking to a group of friends that would stab her in the back.

Five minutes later, a taxi parked in front of her. Believing the taxi driver to have her mistaken from somebody else, Seohwa almost signalled the driver to leave.

The door to the shotgun seat opened and Taerin popped her head out, grinning. “Yo, kid!”

“You're picking me up, unnie?” Seohwa stated the obvious. “What happened to your car?”

“Crashed it,” Taerin said as if it was the most normal thing in the world. “Well, actually some drunk driver demolished it. Lucky I wasn't in it.”

“Lucky,” Seohwa repeated, shaking her head. However, she couldn't disguise a simper though.

Seohwa never understood her unnie's carefree attitude. In a sense, she thought Taerin was influenced by Uncle Minhyuk's wife: Aunt Leeseol. Leeseol had to be one of the most carefree people she knew. It was inevitable that Leeseol had rubbed on Taerin since she had been her substitute mother, practically raising her alongside with Uncle Minhyuk.

Uncle Minhyuk was the richest member. He had a knack for saving and managing money. In fact, Uncle Minhyuk had opened a Korean Barbecue franchise with the main restaurant being in Busan. His business had been doing well because Minhyuk's popularity naturally boosted more customers to dine at his restaurants. This mainly had to do because Minhyuk was a famous actor. When CN Blue had separated, he still maintained his charisma and popularity all due to his talented acting.

The one weakness that Minhyuk had was Taerin. He spoiled her...a lot. Therefore it didn't surprise Seohwa that Taerin was not phased that her car had been rammed into because Uncle Minhyuk could provide her with anything she wished for.

“What event is on?” Seohwa questioned, bending her back and boarding the taxi, shutting the door behind her.

She couldn't figure out why Taerin had picked her up. All she could guess was that they were going somewhere for dinner, but that meant it had to be somebody's birthday. The thing was, as hard as she pondered about it...all the birthdays had passed already. She didn't know what they were celebrating.

“Uncle Jonghyun's welcome back dinner,” Taerin said.

“Oh,” Seohwa responded, displeased.

Taerin glanced at her from the side mirror. “Shouldn't you be happy? I visited his family last year when I decided to go on a random trip to Japan. On the other hand, you haven't seen them for a good seven years.”

“I still hold bad memories from the pranks Daejin did to me. I doubt he's changed-”

“He's not that bad,” Taerin told her. She glanced out of the taxi. “Speaking of the devil...”

Seohwa frowned when the taxi door opened. She hadn't realised that they still were parked at the same spot. Apparently they had another person joining them and it was the exact person they were talking about.

“Noona, I got you a mocha,” Daejin declared in a over-the-top sweet tone, handing the steaming styrofoam cup to her.

“I could kiss you,” Taerin giggled.

Seohwa felt like vomiting. She knew Taerin was joking but she disliked how Daejin was acting like a up to her. It wasn't like he was as close to Taerin as she was. While Uncle Jungshin was like Seohwa's older brother, Taerin was like the older sister she never had.

It was then that Seohwa recalled the events of yesterday. Yes, it had been Daejin at the cafe and yes he had spoken to Taerin on the phone because he was using the same tone that he had at the cafe. Daejin had been hanging out with Taerin while Seohwa had been trying to contact her. Daejin had bought the mocha for Taerin. After all, mochas were Taerin's signature beverage. Seohwa had often teased Taerin that her perfume was a mocha scent because she always smelled like it.

“Hey Godsis,” Daejin pestered her.

Seohwa huffed, awkwardly avoiding his gaze and staring out the window. She had to bite her bottom lip from swearing out loud.