CHAPTER 1. There is a way!

Jejudo.

“Your paper is due on Friday. You have 5 days to write something decent and worth reading in front of the class. “ The teacher dismissed the Year 3 highschool students immediately.

Ha Ni and Min Ah happily chatted as they walked out of their classroom. “I got a difficult topic, ‘Becoming an Idol’. What do I know about that? So what topic did you pick, Ha Ni ah?”

“Oh, I got a very cliche topic. Arranged marriage.” Ha Ni smiled and Min Ah gave her a knowing look. Oh Ha Ni was never in favor of the idea of arranged marriages in Korean families, especially in modern times. Rich families like her own were so used to matchmaking their children to expand their wealth and forge powerful ties. Business as usual. Ha Ni, despite being the only child of an affluent family, was brought up happily and she was very thankful to her loving parents for it. Thus, she was so sure that a loveless marriage never had any chance of making a happy family like her own. And she wanted to get that point in her paper.

“Yah! Don’t go overboard with your paper. It’s going to be read in front of the class. Okay?”

Ha Ni pouted. “But Min Ah, that is the point of making the paper… to write about your stand.” Min Ah raised an eyebrow. “Okay, Min Ah. Promise, it wouldn’t be too much.”

Min Ah gave Ha Ni a pat on the shoulder. “Good girl. Bye for now, I already see my driver waving at me. See you tomorrow.”

Ha Ni was also fetched by their family driver and went home. She was excited to go home because her father finally arrived after a month of continuous work in his office. His father’s company was in Seoul but he decided to build his family in the peaceful island of Jeju. He usually went home during the weekends.

What trinket could he have brought me this time? She thought happily.

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Seoul.

“Yah! Seung Jo! Wait!” Seung Jo continued riding his car. “Don’t forget to call me, okay? Yah!!!!!!!“ The long-legged girl screamed her lungs out as Seung Jo drove his silver Porsche away from the club.

He was tired for the night. He went clubbing after his class in the university. He met a new girl and partied with her. And as usual, he was going to forget meeting her, like the other girls he met in the club. He dropped a piece of paper containing the girl’s number on the trashbin.

Once inside their huge compound, he immediately saw his father’s car parked in front of the house. His mother welcomed him home as soon as he arrived.  “Your appa got home earlier than you did. Again.”

Seung Jo just smiled and kissed his pretty mother’s cheek. “He wants to talk to you in the study room. Go there after you changed, okay?” Seung Jo, being the most obedient son his parents could hope for, just nodded.

“Appa. Omma said you wanted to talk to me.”

Seung Jo’s round-faced bespectacled father smiled at him. “Yes, son. It concerns your future.”

Seung Jo knew it by the tone of his father’s voice.  So my happy days are ending soon. I wonder what was decided.

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Family dinner was not as Ha Ni expected. Being a spoiled daughter, she was used to getting so many things from her father every time he arrived from work. Not that she asked for them. His father just loved showering her with presents. This time, her father looked very sad while eating dinner. Her mother did not look any different.

“Is something wrong, appa?” Kim Min young broke down and cried. Ha Ni was alarmed to see her mother like that.

Oh Gi Dong cleared his throat before speaking. “Baby, I cannot hide the problem any longer. You are probably wondering why I stayed for too long in Seoul.” Ha Ni looked at her appa silently, hanging at his every word. “Baby, we lost the company.”

Ha Ni was dumbfounded! She was at loss for words. She did not want to cry in front of her omma, but she did not know how to console her parents either.

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“Min Ah, I feel a bit sick. I don’t think can go to school tomorrow.” Ha Ni heaved a sigh. “No, it’s not serious. I just need to rest. Have fun. Don’t bully the guys. Bye!” She faked a laugh as she ended the call.

Her parents explained to her how their toy company struggled to keep afloat amidst the economic crisis. In the end, her father was left with no choice but to sell all of his shares in the company to his friend who was also a share-holder in the company. The money was enough for them to leave peacefully in Jeju.

“But appa… haraboeji’s company.” Ha Ni cried. Her mother was crying, too. The company was her grandfather’s legacy. He worked very hard to build and expand it. He died working for it.

Mr. Oh patted her head softly. “I know. I feel very sorry to your omma’s aboeji, too. That’s why I sold it to a trusted friend. I know he will take good care of the company. That’s the best that I could do. I am tired, baby” Her appa’s health was not good the past few months, and now she knew why.

“Is there no other way? He is your friend, then he should help you! Not take advantage of the situation,” Ha Ni said angrily.

“It’s not like that, baby. Baek Soo Chang is an honorable friend. He tried his best to help me get out of the sticky situation. The deal is the best we could come up with. It’s the best for the family,” Mr. Oh explained.

“Appa, this cannot happen to us. There should be way. There is a  way.” Baek Soo Chang…I need to find you soon.

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A/N: Too short chapter. I will try  to update soon. Bits of the story is already running in my head. I just need to find time to write everything down. Happy reading!