Uno:

An Adventure

“Fany-ah…” a sweet and calm voice broke the silence, calling someone “It’s time to get up…” it continued.

Stephanie felt something caressing her hair and she smiled. Slowly, she opened her eyes, facing a beautiful girl.

“Good morning, Min” she greeted sleepily, sitting down on the comfortable bed.

Hyomin smiled, leaning towards her and kissing her cheek.

“Morning, Fany” she bowed, standing up “Did you sleep well?” she asked, pulling the curtains and letting the sun light invade the room.

Stephanie nodded, covering her eyelids with her forearm.

“It was cold at midnight and I like this kind of weather” she replied, trying to not hurt her pupils with the clarity.

Hyomin chuckled, standing in front of her.

“Well, I’m sorry then” she spoke, making the other stare at her confusedly.

“What for?” Stephanie inquired.

“Because it’s not freezing anymore. It’s such a sunny day outside” she informed, pointing at the beautiful and blue sky.

Stephanie followed her finger and smiled again.

“I love the spring” she whispered, trying to stand up.

But she failed, as usual.

Hyomin ran towards her and held on her arm.

“Calm down, Fany-ah” she exclaimed, sitting the girl back “You always get a little dizzy when you get up quickly” she remembered, clearly worried.

Stephanie gulped guilty.

“Mianhae, Min. I easily forget about my illness” she laughed nervously.

“Are you sure that you want to go to school?” Hyomin inquired, kneeling down next to her “We could hire a teacher to come here and-“.

“No” Stephanie replied automatically “I am tired of staying stuck at home” she continued, relying on a desk to stay on her feet.

Hyomin sighed heavily, nodding slightly.

“Arasso, arasso. As you want, Hwang” she helped her to walk until the bathroom “Can you do the rest by yourself since now?” she questioned.

Stephanie smiled, agreeing with a head’s gesture.

“Yes, Min. You can go and get ready too. I will be fine” she assured, leaning to peck her cheek softly.

Hyomin flashed her a smile and bowed, before storming out of the pink room.

Stephanie entered on the toilet and closed the door behind her. She opened the sink and cupped her hands, filling them with the liquid before throwing it all over her face. Afterwards, she grabbed a white towel and wiped her delicate traits, staring at herself in the mirror.

For those who knew her since young, she would look like a completely different person now. Even if she still remained to be happy, it was obvious that she was sick. was dry, and her cheeks were pale. Her skin was whiter than ever, and her eyes weren’t filled with the usual happiness that came to be her trademark.

She chuckled, diverting her gaze. Taking her pajamas off, she walked towards the shower and span the tap, wetting her fragile body with hot water. She closed her eyelids and enjoyed the short moment, before rubbing herself with a vanilla soap. She also washed her hair with the same flavor of shampoo. She loved to smell like a candy.

It didn’t take too long until she was ready. Turning it off, she stepped out, taking a towel and wiping herself. After some minutes, she left the bathroom and went towards her closet, grabbing the school’s uniform. It was composed by a formal white shirt, which would be covered by the blue-navy sweater with a symbol of the institution on the superior right side. The checkered skirt was a mix of grey, maroon and blue-navy, until two palms before the knees. The crew socks were black, going until a palm after her knees. To finish the outfit, there was a pair of flats, the same color as the socking.

She got dressed and turned to the mirror, to prepare her face. She sat down on the chair in front of her dressing table and grabbed a comb. She passed it on her caramel hair, which was way shorter than before. Because of the illness, it came to fall, and, now, it would just touch some fingers after her shoulders. But they still remained to be bright, smooth and delicately curled.

She putted the object down and it was time to the eyeliner. She outlined her eyelids lightly, so it wouldn’t be too exaggerated. Then, she pecked a pink lipstick on her chubby lips, and she was done.

Her makeup ended up to be natural but, at the same time, beautiful. Stephanie was beautiful. For a seventeen years old girl, she could be judged as an adult really easily.

She was interrupted by the sound of knocks on the door.

“Come in” she ordered, standing up.

Hyomin watched while she appeared in front of her and smiled.

“Wow, Fany. Are you trying to steal my reputation?” she teased, provoking the other to laugh.

Stephanie chuckled, shaking her head.

“As if it was possible. Just look at you, Min!” she exclaimed, pointing at the friend.

Hyomin was wearing the same uniform but, unlike her, she had some black heels on. Her face was darkened by the strong eye shadows and the red lip gloss. Not to mention her short and platinum hair, which would already cause a lot of glances at her.

“Shut up, Fany-ah” Hyomin rolled her eyes playfully “Are you ready? They are waiting for us downstairs” she informed, extending her hand towards Stephanie.

She nodded, grabbing her flowered bag before leaving with her.

The path was a bit slow, as Stephanie couldn’t rush while going down. But, as soon as they arrived, everybody turned at them.

“Oh God!” Jihyun exclaimed, covering .

Edward did the same, already up from his chair.

“Now tell me: isn’t she a perfect princess?” Hyomin inquired proudly.

“A princess isn’t enough!” Boram shouted excitedly.

Edward Hwang was a fifty years old business man. He used to live in San Francisco, United States, where his ethanol industry was localized. One day, he met Victoria Smith, a newly formed designer. As magic, they fell in love and they got married. Michelle Hwang was the first baby of the couple. In the future, she came to be a very arrogant doctor, reason why she cut off her relationship with the family and never showed up again. Leonard Hwang was the second kid. Unlike his sister, he was cheerful since young and, when he grew up, he stopped studying and decided to live with the father. To finish with the gifts that came from this matrimony, Stephanie Hwang was born. She was the cutest little thing ever seen and both of the parents had a giant love for her.

Their life was perfect, until Victoria got gravely sick. The cancer on her brain attacked most part of her body and she passed away when Stephanie was just thirteen. It was such a shock to all of them and Edward entered in a depression. With Michelle gone, Leo and Stephanie had to take care of the father by themselves, and that was when their grandmother invited them to stay some days with her on his hometown: Seoul. They moved to South Korea and tried to start all over again. Then, one day, he met Lee Jihyun, the president of CECI Magazine. After some months, the wedding was already arranged. She had one daughter, Lee Hyomin, which was the same age as Stephanie. Both of them got really close of each other quickly and that was why the phrase ‘sisters for condition, best friends for option’ came to be their favorite quote.

When Stephanie was fifteen, they discovered about her illness. That was how they found out that it was genetic, and came from Victoria’s family. The panic invaded Edward and Leo again and they tried their best to save her, contracting the greatest doctors of the region and paying the most they could for her health. Fortunately, the situation was controlled and they freed her to go home, instead of staying in the hospital. Being tired of Seoul and as the huge nature lover that she was, she asked them if they could move to Gyeongju. The reason why she chose that city was simple: it remembered her of Seabrook, in South Carolina, her favorite place in the world.

They obeyed her and they went to their new house, which was very large. In front of it, there was a beautiful lake, where Stephanie would spend most part of the day. The building was white and very enlightened. They had a giant garden and a lot of trees. There were also many workers to take care of the whole local, a nurse and Boram, Jihyun’s sister. The pets were three: Marie, the Ragdoll cat; Garfield, the Siamese mixed with Persian cat; Marley, the Labrador; Lady, the Cocker Spanie; Tramp, the Schnauzer; Hatchiko, the Akita Inu; and Nana, the St. Bernard. As the three kids loved animals and as they had a lot of space to keep them, they adopted a lot, and putted their names as the same of some movies’ characters.

“Fany-ah, you are gorgeous!” Jihyun complimented, moving towards her husband, who couldn’t stop admiring the daughter.

It would be their first day at one of the greatest schools in Asia, but it was more than that to Stephanie: it would be her first time socializing with people of the same age as her in two years.

“After today, the students won’t want to see Fany out of there” Hyomin continued.

“I put faith on that. Stephanie Hwang, you look exactly like a doll!” Boram joined her, clapping her hands.

Stephanie smiled shyly, blushing slightly.

“Aish… Stop that, guys” she placed a wisp of her hair behind her ear charmingly.

Edward laughed, pulling her into a hug.

“You are beautiful, Fany” he assured, kissing the top of her head.

“Good morning, family!” their little moment was interrupted by a shout.

They all turned at the stairs in time of facing a dirty and shirtless Leo. He had his two arms opened, greeting them cheerfully. His fat tummy was covering the begin of his pants, and they couldn’t help but snort at that view.

“You are so disgusting, Leonard” Hyomin spoke, holding on Stephanie’s forearm and guiding her towards her seat.

The brother shrugged his shoulders, sitting down between Boram and his father.

“As if you didn’t want to touch this y body of mine” he muttered, grabbing a bread and putting it on his mouth.

“Oh no!” Boram exclaimed, grimacing.

Edward slapped his forehead, and Stephanie laughed.

“You are so cool, Leo” she teased, showing him a thumb up.

Leo winked funnily at her before noticing how elegant she was.

“Wow!” he screamed, standing up “What happened to you?” he inquired shamelessly, which made Hyomin sigh loudly.

“It’s her first day at school, idiot. We’ve been commenting about this since last week!” she explained impatiently.

“Calm down, Mrs. Stress” he extended his hands in a quitting position “I forgot” he continued, resting his in the chair again “You look stunning, Fany-ah” he smiled at her.

She did the same, bowing gratefully at him.

“We should go out to celebrate later” Jihyun commented, cutting her eggs.

Boram nodded quickly.

“Agreed!” she exclaimed “Let’s go bowling” she suggested, receiving approbation from the youngest.

“That would be fantastic!” Leo high-fived her.

“Come on” Edward stared at him with a raised eyebrow “Would you be able to throw the ball with that friend of yours in the way?” he asked derisively, pointing at his belly.

Hyomin and Boram broke down on laughter. Stephanie just chuckled and Jihyun patted her husband’s shoulder.

“Is that the right way of treating your own son, Edward?” she inquired reprehensibly.

“At least someone in this house worries about me!” Leo extended his hands to the sky “Thank you, my Lord!” he continued his drama, making his sister laugh.

“Mianhae!” the father apologized, standing up “Don’t hit me again, honey. You are too strong” he pouted, rubbing the injured region.

“What a chicken!” Boram teased.

And, again, they laughed.

But Hyomin’s good mood faded away when she checked the clock. Her eyes widened and she stood up.

“We have to go, Fany! We are almost late!”

Stephanie had the same reaction as her and she finished her orange juice quickly. They went to the bathroom and brushed their teeth before getting ready to go.

The whole family was waiting for them outside. The car, a model of the newest 2015 Audi SQ5, black, was brought by the house’s driver.

“You two” Edward called them “Take care of yourselves, okay? The principal already knows about Fany’s condition and she allowed you to be together in the same class” he informed, causing them to cheer “But I still need you to keep an eye on her, Hyomin” he stared at her seriously.

“Don’t worry about that, Eddy” she assured, grabbing the vehicle’s key “Come on, Fany”.

Stephanie nodded, kissing each of them, including her nurse, Eunjung, and the housekeeper, Sayeon.

They wished them good luck and the girl smiled. Their adventure was about to start.

This is what I have until now. What do you guys think? I hope you like it.

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Thank you. :)

XOXO,

-SweetStephanie.

04/10/14