[CONTENTID1]PROLOGUE - Part I - SURPRISE[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]

Written by AnnieWilson

Present Day

I rolled onto the premise of the school and passed the tall, metal black gates. They looked as if though they could stop an entire herd of elephants, accompanied by a crash of rhinoceroses. My father had insisted I allow his personal driver to take me but I refused.

I would never again listen to anything that man said. He was a liar and a conniving piece of . A pathetic excuse of a father and of a husband. Since I was on a mission to disregard — no, rebel against — everything he said, I decided I’d drive myself to my new school. 

In my expensive, flashy new convertible which I’d manipulated him into buying, of course. I wasn’t ashamed nor did I feel bad. In fact, I revelled in the fact that I was driving a car that cost more than most people’s homes. Why? Because it was just another way I could be a nuisance to my father. Fuel wasn’t cheap and neither was insurance — having a lavish car such as this one ensured my father would have to keep whopping out the cash to compensate for his wrongdoing.

Not that money was going to get him out of the hole he dug himself. I was not forgiving him that easily — or ever.

I parked in the driveway of the prestigious school and looked up at the bright, cloudless sky. How I wished it was raining for it to match my mood. I sighed and got out of my car, immediately fixing my dyed, light auburn hair. I looked in my side mirror and checked my outfit, fixing the jean jacket I had tied around my hips. I pulled my bag over my shoulders and grinned at my reflection.

I was going to make my father regret sending me to the most prestigious boarding school in all of Korea. I was going to make him regret ever lying to me. I’d been kicked out of many schools over the last six months. This was probably the last straw. I was going to make him regret ever having a daughter like me.

The day he sent me away was the day he made his first strike against me.

5 Years and 6 Months Ago

Have you ever woken up with a sense of dread buried deep in your core? Have you ever rolled out of bed and felt as if the day ahead of you would not be one of good fortune?

Because that’s how I felt. I woke up one morning and the air was too thin, my room was too dark and my bed felt as if it had been assembled by a five year old. My body ached from a night of restless sleep and I couldn’t smell the aroma of our chef’s special breakfast permeating the air. I knew something was wrong before I even got out of bed.

I heard a knock on the door and rubbed my eyes, sitting upright. “Come in!” One of the maids poked her head through the gap in the door and smiled. “Good morning, Ahjumma.”

“Good morning, Sujin-ah,” Shinye beamed as she entered my room with a large tray of plated food. She walked over to my bed and placed it on my bedside table. “Did you sleep well?” She picked up a folded napkin and straightened it out, tucking it into the crook of my t-shirt.

“Not really. I don’t feel too great today,” I answered honestly. I never was one to lie, I found it more time consuming and defective than telling the truth. Shinye fluffed my pillows and I scooted backwards, into them. “I have this weird feeling, like…I don’t know. Like something’s gonna happen.”

“Is it a good kind of weird?” She asked as she picked up the tray and set it over my lap.

“Not really,” I replied with a shrug of my shoulders. She removed the covers from the plates, revealing my breakfast. 

“I know it’s not what you usually have but…the chef is under quite some stress,” she told me and I picked up my fork, digging into the hot omelette. I raised a brow in question, knowing not to talk with my mouth full. “Your parents are arguing and you know how your father gets when he’s angry.” Yes, I knew. Appa was not a man of many words. He was rarely ever out of his office, his position as the CEO and chairman of his own company.

He worked in the hospitality industry. His company, Ganghan Group, owned several hundred hotels, amusement parks and cruise lines across the globe. Ganghan Group was a multi-billion dollar company which was world-renowned for its incredible management and constant growth in the stock market — the company had not lost market share in over ten years. It was at the top of the ladder and it didn’t look like it would be falling off any time soon.

The only problem with that was that it meant Appa was always busy. He never had time for me nor my older brother nor my mother. Although it hurt me, I endured it because I knew he was doing all of this for our family. Sehun, my brother, didn’t mind it because he didn’t have a close relationship with our father anyway. The same could not be said for Eomma. Anyone could tell — if they looked close enough — that she was not happy with her husband’s constant travels. She was slowly slipping into depression and it scared me. It scared all of us — except Appa, of course, because he was too busy to notice. 

Every day, Eomma’s smile got a little more plastic and her laugh was a little more forced. Her hugs got lighter and her kisses came less frequently. Sehun and I were the only things keeping her sane, it seemed. She had friends but they simply didn’t understand. Sure, their husbands were rich and busy also but most of them partook in affairs in their absences anyway. My mother was not like that; she was loyal. She was in love with my father and it was emotionally killing her.

“Sujin…Sujin-ah.” I snapped out of my wild thoughts and blinked a few times. Shinye was looking at me expectantly and I smiled sheepishly. “Were you daydreaming again?” I smiled again and bit off a piece of toast. She chuckled and shook her head. “I swear, you are too much like your mother.”

“At least that means I’m pretty,” I boasted and she rolled her eyes, flicking my forehead. 

“Cocky like your father,” she teased, pinching my nose. “I do not understand how a twelve year old can have as much snark as you do.” I shrugged innocently. She leaned over and retrieved a parcel from the tray she brought in. It was gift-wrapped and there was an envelope attached to it. She handed it to me.

“Wae?” I asked and she rolled her eyes. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“Of course I did. It’s your birthday, someone has to treat you,” she scoffed, my hair. “Go on, open it.” I grinned and tore open the parcel first. I gasped upon seeing the contents and threw my arms around her, hugging her fiercely.

“Kamsa-kamsa! Kamsa-kamsa~!” I squealed and she laughed, patting my back. I pulled away and took the doll out from her packaging. “She’s beautiful. I love her. Komawoyo, Ahjumma.”

“Ne~” she cooed, kissing my forehead. I opened the card and read her message, a big grin on my face the entire time. We shared another hug and I stood the card atop my bedside table. “Finish your breakfast and we’ll get you all dressed and ready.”

I furrowed my brows in confusion. “Wae? Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise,” she replied and I pouted cutely. I knew when and how to use aegyo. “Don’t try that on me. You’ll love the surprise, I promise.” Knowing Shinye, she was probably planning to take me to our favourite place to hang out at together — the park. Hopefully her plans would not be thwarted by my parents.

I sighed and nodded. “Arasso.” I grabbed my fork and stuffed as much food as I could into my mouth. With Shinye and the other maids, I wasn’t scolded for eating piggishly. They giggled and cheered me on, they didn’t reprimand me. Eomma always told me off but it was because she didn’t want me to pick up bad habits in case Appa ever saw them. I understood, kind of. 

Okay, maybe not. But I was elev— twelve, actually. I didn’t care much for complicated matters that would not deliver me immediate gratification. 

Half an hour later, I’d finished my breakfast and I’d had a shower. Shinye had dried and dressed me in my respectable birthday outfit: a black skirt, a white t-shirt, a matching cashmere sweater and a pair of checkered plimsolls. She blow-dried my hair and tied it up in a ponytail, curling the the ends. Once I was completely ready, she gave me my favourite Hello Kitty bag and I put my new doll in it.

“Ready?” Shinye asked and I nodded happily. She extended her arm and I placed my hand in hers. “I’ll get Eun Ah to bring the tray down later.” We exited my bedroom and went down the stairs. The blaring sunlight coming through the large, numerous windows in the hallway momentarily blinded me. As my eyes began to adjust and we got nearer to the kitchen, shouts could be heard.

“How the hell will that help her!? Tell me, Sungwoon, how will sending her away help her in any way?”

“It will give her many opportunities to meet different people, learn different languages. She’ll make connections in the business world, she’ll have good experiences to rely on!”

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