“What the Hell did I even do wrong?” Hye Jin mumbled, trying to find the principal’s office. She had just gotten to school for less than 10 minutes and she was told to report to the principal’s office. Thinking back to the incidents of the previous day, she realised.

 

I splashed water at a famous guy’s face in school just because I was furious at him for reasons like ‘oh he’s a jerk’ and the whole school’s probably against me. Great!

 

She ignored the look of the girls in the corridor. They were probably like Hyuk’s fangirls or something. They all glared at her, as if they were trying to tell her to “stay in her lane” or “stop being mean to their hubby”. She internally laughed at the thought, then concentrated on finding the office.

 

She sighed as she knocked on the door. What was going to come? It must have been a slightly bad case to be called to the principal’s office. So, what? Was she going to get reprimanded for 1 hour? Or worse? Was she going get expelled from the school she was dying to get in? She decided to just let things go by itself. She was only doing what she thought was right. No one had the right to scold her for lecturing an . If she was truly wrong, she would apologize. She didn’t think she did anything wrong, though. If anything, she should be praised.

 

“Come in.”

 

Hye Jin opened the door and saw a middle-aged woman. The principal’s eyes looked up from the laptop, staring right back at her. She bowed, “Good morning, Madam. I am Choi Hye Jin. I was told that I was called here, into your office.”

 

“Choi Hye Jin? Oh, right. the one who splashed water on my precious son’s face. Oh, and told him he was adopted.” Upon hearing the woman’s words, Hye Jin shot her head up and stared at the principal wide-eyed. “S-son? Hyuk is your son?”

 

The woman looked back at her, raising an eyebrow. “You didn’t know? I thought everyone did.” She sat back down onto the big, black chair and stared at Hye Jin, unamused. “I forgot you are a transfer student.”

 

Hye Jin looked around the office, gaping at the exquisite furniture decorated in the room. When one walks in, besides the principal, the first thing they see is a shiny, black table with files and papers neatly arranged in a file holder. Beside those is a white table lamp and at the center of the table, right beside it rested the principal’s hands. Behind the principal was a golden framed drawing of the Han family. At the right side of the room were books neatly stacked on a huge, brown bookshelf.

 

And right in front of Hye Jin, stood a couch for two.

 

Was she supposed to sit on it? Did Hyuk’s mother actually allow her to sit? Probably not. What she did was unforgivable, at least to someone’s mother. She just sighed and continued staring at the couch.

 

“Hey. When someone is talking to you, look at them. It’s basic respect. Don’t you even have that?”

 

Hye Jin looked up at the principal who looked back at her with a cold look.

“So, Choi Hye Jin, you were Sanghyuk’s childhood friend, right? In the orphanage.”

 

Were?

 

“Wait, wha-” Hye Jin started, only to be cut off by the woman. “I’m warning you, stay away from Sanghyuk. And don’t talk to him about anything from his past.”

 

Hye Jin shook her head in disbelief. “Excuse me, Madam. I don’t think anyone has the right to tell someone to stay away from her friend, even his mother. I wasn’t even going to say ‘adoptive’, because you know it yourself. I guess spending 8 years with him made you forget, Madam.”

 

The principal gritted her teeth and glared at Hye Jin.

“Hyuk, as you call him, is a brand new person now! He isn’t the boy you knew back then. Don’t you see that he treats you differently now?”

 

Looking at the confused look Hye Jin had on her face, the principal sighed.

 

“He was involved in an accident 2 years ago.”

 

“What?”

---------------

“Why would you lie to him like that?” Hye Jin asked, having a mental breakdown. She couldn’t accept the fact that the closest friend she ever had, had lost his memory.

 

He lost his memories of her, of ahjumma, of the times they’ve spent happily in the orphanage.

 

Of everything.

 

“Why would you lie to him that you are his mother?” she asked again, staring at Mrs Han.

 

She spoke, in anger, “He doesn’t need all those memories of his past in the orphanage! All it would do is gain him others’ pity! Since he doesn’t even have any memories of his past, it wouldn’t do any harm lying to him at all, right? It’s not a bad thing either! I can’t give birth! Why can’t I be selfish for once and just have him? He’s a good kid, he doesn’t deserve to have his crappy memories back and gain pity. It’s a shameful thing! My child doesn’t deserve that!”

 

Hye Jin thought deeply about the woman’s words. She furrowed her eyebrows.

 

What the heck does she mean by crappy? What pity? Shameful? How is it shameful? And… can’t give birth? Is that why she wanted to adopt a child?

After a moment of silence, the principal

spoke again. Hye Jin wasn’t sure if she

was pleading or demanding. it was more

of an in-between.

“I’m telling you… just don’t tell him the truth. I mean, he already believes me and he sincerely loves and respects me, as his mother. It would hurt him if you revealed the truth, so just… if you don’t want him to get hurt, don’t tell him.”

 

Hye Jin sighed then glared at the principal.

 

“Is that why? Is that why you adopted him? To be very honest, Mrs Han… You’re really unreasonable.”

 

The woman looked up at Hye Jin and shot her a look, “What?!”

 

Hye Jin continued, “Why would the memories he had in the orphanage be crappy? Why would he gain pity? He wouldn’t.There’s nothing shameful about being adopted and being loved. What is pitiful is getting hated by the one you loved most before getting into the orphanage, then doesn’t get adopted at all!”

 

Hye Jin felt a lump in , thinking about her own experience.

 

“Shut up!”

 

Without warning, Hye Jin felt an icy cold sensation on her face. She looked up at the principal whose hand held a cup. Hye Jin used the back of her hand to wipe the liquid away. So this was what it felt like to be splashed in the face with liquid.

 

With lemon tea.

 

She scoffed. She looked up at the principal unamused, “Are you getting back at me for using iced mineral water to splash your son in the face?”

 

“Shut up. Stop spouting nonsense and just leave!”

 

“Kay.” with that, Hye Jin just turned around and left the principal office. She slammed the door and went to the restroom. She the tap and started washing her face. Tears dropped from her eyes. She didn’t expect her friend, that was as close to her as a brother was, to have been in a car accident. She thought he was only trying to pretend not to know her. She thought he became an over the years because of his background. She thought he was being cold to her because she was not worthy to be friendly with him in front of others. She thought he didn’t forget the promise they made 8 years ago. She thought he just needed the face. She thought they could still be very close friends.

 

She thought everything was happening because of his new background.

 

She never thought that he lost his memories, so the promise was not actually fulfilled. She hated herself for thinking Hyuk changed. Well, he did, but it wasn’t on purpose. He just forgot everything and only knew of the fame, wealth and basically everything he has. It was only a matter of time that he completely forgot himself and changed to be another utterly different person. It wasn’t totally his fault that he forgot. In fact, it wasn’t his fault at all.

 

She knew it wasn’t his fault, and yet she still hated him. It wasn’t a big deal to forget about a promise 10 year-olds made, but she just couldn’t accept that he broke it.

 

Their promise was to meet each other in 8 years, which happened, but it wasn’t Hyuk who met with Hye Jin. it was Han Sanghyuk. They were the same yet different people.

 

And Hye Jin didn’t like that. She wished Hyuk was never adopted. Perhaps that was what she disliked about all these. If he wasn’t the amazing kid he was, he would have never gotten adopted. He wouldn’t have gotten into an accident, he wouldn’t have to forget. But what could she do? Like 13 years ago, all she could do was to accept the reality. She had no one else in her life once again.

 

She washed her face again, but this time, she was washing her tears away.

 

“Damn it.”

--------------- 

“Hey, you okay?” Junhyo frowned when Hye Jin didn’t seem to notice him. “Hey… Hey! Hey!”

 

“HOLY!” Hye Jin jumped then stared at Junhyo, “What was that for?!”

 

Junhyo looked back at her, worried, “I called you four times. Are you okay?”

Hye Jin sighed. Was she okay? It has been an hour after listening to a story of Hyuk, and she still couldn’t stop keeping the sad look on her face. It was about time she got over it, but Hyuk was like her brother and meeting him again after 8 years, he became a completely different person. She sighed again.

 

She looked at Junhyo’s worried expression and softened. She smiled, “Yes. I’m perfectly fine.”

 

Junhyo immediately smiled then looked at her cheekily, “You know, they said that when a girl’s fine, she’s actually not.”

 

She shot him a look, “Am I not a girl, then? And you asked, so I replied!” she retorted, “Am I supposed to say ‘Oh, no, I'm not fine, will you hug and comfort me? I’m really really sad, it’s been a really crappy day and I feel like crying.’ Am I?”

 

He stared back at her and laughed, “I would actually do that, you know, if you said it.”

She took her notebook and hit his head, “Heh, thanks, but no thanks, son.”

 

“I’m not your son.”

 

“Kay.”

---------------

Hye Jin stepped into the school the next day, receiving glares and disgusted looks as usual. She ignored those looks and just headed straight to her locker. Right before she opened it, she heard someone talking as if they were whispering but wanted her to hear.

 

“Hey, hey, isn’t that the that hurt Sanghyukie’s face? Damn, was she like desperate for attention or something to go against the principal’s son?”

 

“I heard she even said he was adopted. She’s probably an orphan and mistook him for someone else or something.”

 

“Is she asking for death?”

 

“She’s probably just desperate for his attention, geez. Who would hurt the 'King of the school' like that?”

 

Hye Jin opened her lockers and gathered her stuff, then slammed the door.

She turned to face the two girls who both jumped and smiled, “Yes, it looks like I’ve mistaken him for someone else. I’ve mistaken that jerk for a sweet, innocent boy that I used to treat as my brother. As a boy that I loved with all my heart as a really, really good friend. And I have also mistaken this school for a quiet, organised and well-mannered school. Life is really unpredictable, isn’t it? You really can’t judge a book by its cover. I also thought the girls in this school were really proper, but looking at the two of you, gossiping out loud like that, I realise that I was really wrong. Thanks for throwing the truth at me.”

 

Hye Jin rolled her eyes and walked down the corridor to class. She walked to her seat, ignoring the looks as usual. She felt a nudge on her shoulder and turned to the other side where Junhyo was.

 

“Aw, you didn’t get tricked.”

 

She shook her head and laughed, “Man, how old are you? And of course I didn’t, you’re probably the only one who would still talk to me. Everyone else are either pissed or scared of getting expelled.”

He nodded, “I’m 18, and yeah, that makes sense.”

She laughed. Junhyo was probably that one person who doesn’t care about the flaws about a person or something. He wasn’t the type of guy who just stops talking to you because you landed into trouble.

 

He was a nice guy.

---------------

The bell rang and Hye Jin put her books back into her locker. She walked towards the cafeteria and almost froze when she saw a certain someone. She just walked and ignored the dirty look that Hyuk gave her.

 

He thinks I lied. Okay then, I shall just stay away from him as told. I don’t actually care anymore.

 

She tried walking past Hyuk, but tripped on something and fell. She landed straight on her face and winced. She heard laughter and applause and just held in her tears.

 

If you’re gonna tell me to stay away from your son, why not ask him to back the away from me? Pft.

 

She tried standing, but felt a sharp pain in her knee. “God dammit,” she mumbled to herself.

Once again, laughter was heard. And the loudest one was way too familiar.

Why did such a good kid lose his memories and became such an ?

She just raised her upper body and sat down, looking back at what made her fell. Of course it was Hyuk’s foot. Hye Jin scowled and tried getting up again, to no avail.

And that ignited another round of laughter.

 

Hye Jin really wanted to punch Hyuk and cry. She tried holding it in, but unknowingly, a tear dropped.

 

“Aww, is that girl crying? So sad, it’s pathetic.” Hye Jin just sat there, then she felt someone put her arm over their neck and helped her up. Hye Jin was shocked. She didn’t even know that anyone would actually help her.

She looked to her left and saw Junhyo. “Are you okay?” he asked, concerned.

She just nodded. Sure, Junhyo was a really nice guy, but she didn’t expect him to help her too. Since there was a large crowd, she didn’t expect even Junhyo to come forward to help. She thought he would only speak to her. She looked down, then looked up and glared at Hyuk. She slowly slid her arm off his neck and limped towards Hyuk.

 

“Hyuk… no, wait. No. You’re not Hyuk, you’re Han Sanghyuk. Han Sanghyuk, you’re really… Just a freaking bastard. You’re the worst! I don’t freaking care if you lost your effing memories and or what others see of me, you’re just a god damned bastard!”

 

What Hye Jin’s next move was, shocked everyone, even Hyuk himself. She raised her hand up high and swung it towards Hyuk’s face, causing a red mark to appear on his left cheek. The impact was so great that he stumbled a little backwards. His draw dropped and his eyes widened. He put his hand up to his cheek and stared at Hye Jin. Did she just slap him? Sure, she may splash water on his face and all, but a slap?

 

Never in that boy’s life had he experienced a slap. He didn’t even get scolded before, not by his parents or anyone but her. At times, he might receive a few strict remarks by his parents, but never once did their words get overboard, which results in a scolding or an argument.

 

Let alone a slap.

 

She really has the guts, huh?

---------------

[A/N:  Hello ! Here's chapter 4 xD the writer (L) is kinda busy doing all her homework so she takes some time writing them ( me myself is also has hw but I'll do them later xD ) Im sorry if u guys hate the plot and stuff but I tried :"" .  You guys,those who bother at least xD can leave a comment,maybe saying what u like to happen next , or why do u think hyuk's mom hate hye jin so much.Thanks for reading ! 🌸]

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