"Don't we look alike?" My new principal asked joyfully as he held a picture of Kim Won next to his face.
I nodded seeing a slight resemblance. Honestly they only had similar heights, but everything else was different. Kim Tan had warmer eyes and their fashion senses were on different levels. Kim Won's dark toned suits are incomparable with his younger brother's flamboyant choices.
"Though people say Joon and I look more alike," he mentioned.
I nodded once again, but this time it was more believable. "You both have the same eyes."
"We do, don't we." He smiled replacing the picture of his brother with the picture of the young boy I had noticed earlier. "Is my nephew giving you a hard time?"
"Not at all." You would need to actually talk to a person to give them a hard time and right now I was a mere ghost to him.
Kim Tan eyed me curiously. "He was supposed to wake you up this morning which is why you're nearly three hours late."
My silence was a definite answer.
He sighed, "I hope you're understanding and know that Joon is going through a lot right now. His parents recently divorced and hyung is too busy at work to spend time with his only son."
"His parents divorced?" I don't recall Kim Won telling me such news then again I don't remember seeing his mother around the house.
"They've never really had a stable marriage to begin with. Their marriage was a business deal and Joon was treated as a commodity. When they decided to file for divorce three years ago, Joon was left to take all the blows himself from the media and his social circle." Kim Tan spoke sympathetically about Joon's troubled life.
A knock at the door intervened.
A girl with dark brown hair and donning a perfectly tailored uniform entered. She was wearing elegant accessories and high heels that somehow gave her a goddess-like aura.
"I asked our top student to guide you through out your first day here so if you have any questions or concerns, she'll gladly answer them," he said. "She speaks several languages including English."
"Hello, I'm Lee Hannah." She introduced herself in perfect English.
"I'm Jin." I annunciated in Korean.
Hannah did a quick assessment before asking, "How old are you?"
"Eighteen," I answered.
She smiled. "We're the same age so let's drop the formalities."
Sensing my nerves, Kim Tan spoke up. "She might seem a little rough around the edges, but I've known her since she was in diapers and I can wholeheartedly say that she's a good person."
She seemed to agree with his statement since she crossed her arms across her chest.
"I have a meeting to attend to so if you ladies can be on your way." He kicked us out of his nicely decorated office.
Hannah and I walked down the empty hallways in silence with only the clicks of her heels filling the air. I was hoping what Kim Tan said earlier was true and this could possibly be the start of a new friendship. I really need it.
"You seem close with Mr. Kim?" Small talk can either make it or break it.
"My parents and him attended this school together so many years ago," she stopped in her tracks. "This school isn't like any other school. Jeguk High is home to the children of the rich and powerful."
That would explain the size and the cleanliness. My old high school was littered with trash and the walls were covered in graffiti. It was a nice change.
"My mother is Yoo Rachel, the CEO/designer of RS International while my father, Lee Hyo Shin, is a celebrated film director with multiple top grossing films," she bragged.
"Wait, did your father direct the Life We Live?" The excitement built inside me.
"He did," she replied confused.
I involuntarily grabbed her hands, "Wow, I love that film! It made me laugh, cheer, and cry in a matter of minutes."
Hannah pulled her hands out of my grasp and chuckled. "Usually girls fan over my mother, but this is a first."
"Sorry." My emotions always get the best of me in situations like this. "So how did you learn English so perfectly?"
"I studied abroad during middle school," she mused. Her expression changed, "This might be a little direct, but what do your parents do?"
"Eh, my parents?" It was direct and it caught me off guard.
"Like I said before, this school is made up of the children of the rich and powerful so I won't be the only one asking you this question." Hannah explained in more detail, "Everyone has been attending the same schools since birth so they'll be curious as to where you came from especailly from who."
I was flustered. I recently found my absentee father, but I had no idea what he actually does for a living. He was wealthy based off the mansion I now currently reside in and the various staff that live in the house. "My mother…she passed away."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Hannah looked around awkwardly then to her watch, "Lunch will be starting soon and I have something to take care of so how about we meet in the cafeteria in ten minutes."
I had literally scared away my first and only friend with my sad life. The harsh reality of death was never a good topic of discussion.
Though Hannah didn't tell me where the cafeteria was, I found my way easily with the precisely placed signs throughout the school walls, but they couldn't foreshadow what was to come. When I opened the large glass doors, the scent of thoroughly cooked meat trespassed my unprepared nose and aroused my stomach. It growled ferociously, enticing my legs to move on their own toward the chefs behind the large grill.
"What are you doing? Lunch isn't for another five mi―wait who are you?"
My attention wouldn't break from the exquisite meat cooking. "I'm Jin," I said disconnected.
The male student continued pestering. "Are you the new transfer? From California?"
I affirmed his correct guess with a single nod.
"You must like food," he teased as the chef placed two finished steaks in separate white plates. "Why don't we eat and get to know each other."
Once we sat down, I took a large bite from the well-cooked steak and regained my senses. The boy sitting across from me had a large grin which made his eyes appear smaller and his lighter groomed hair gave off an innocent feeling. "Who are you?"
He laughed out loud. "I'm Yoon Chan Yeol."
"Sorry, I didn't have breakfast," I explained before having another bite.
A loud bell rung signaling lunch time and the students poured in. I hadn't noticed before, but this wasn't a regular school cafeteria. It was more like a restaurant. There was a chef cooking the steaks to perfection and the tables each had a small vase with a variety of exotic flowers in it.
"I see you met Chan Yeol," Hannah chimed as she took the seat next to me. She had gotten salad instead of steak.
"Noona, congratulations on ranking number one again." He praised then inched the flower vase closer to her. "A gift for our queen."
"You should study more," she scolded rejecting his gift. "Stop chasing after Soo Min. She's a lost cause."
"Are you talking about me?" A female student with a cute bob haircut appeared out of nowhere. Her bubbly personality dominated the table.
"You need to stop shopping and focus on school because you're at the bottom. The bottom," Hannah lectured at the girl.
"Well tell your mother to stop coming out with new collections then," she fought back, but a single glare from Hannah shut her up.
"Soo Min this is Jin," Hannah said taking the opportunity of the girl's silence. "Jin this is Jo Soo Min."
"What do your parents do?" Soo Min flatly asked. She suddenly yelped in pain, "Ow!"
"Soo Min, is the daughter of internationally renowned photographer Jo Myung Soo who also runs a modeling agency," Hannah, the obvious culprit, informed. "Chan Yeol's father runs the largest law firm in the country while his mother is an executive at Mega Entertainment."
"All of our parents attended Jeguk High together," he added. Someone else caught his attention as he waved, "Hyung, over here."
Soo Min's eyes lit up and she tried pushing Chan Yeol away, but he stood his ground. The person that was called over calmly took the seat next to me and I swear I saw Soo Min mouth curses at a proud Chan Yeol.
"Oppa, where were you this morning?" Soo Min asked concerned.
"Asleep," he answered in a full voice.
I recognized that voice since a chill ran down my spine and my head naturally turned to face it. The same fierce gaze from last night was staring back at me. I muttered quietly, "Ramen…"
"Jin this is Choi Do Eun. He's the heir to Zeus Hotel Group," she cut it short this time. "Do Eun, this is the new student, Jin."
I wanted to ask him if he was the same boy from last night, but no words came out of my mouth no matter how much I tried.
"Where's Joon?" Do Eun asked disregarding my awkward smile. He must not remember me. I probably didn't leave a strong impression.
The table became silent and everyone's attention turned to Hannah who was aimlessly nudging a cherry tomato with her fork. "I don't know," she stated before standing up. "This salad is dry."
She left and Soo Min, who only waved goodbye to Do Eun, followed her.
Chan Yeol looked at Do Eun, "Hyung, what are you doing?"
"What?" He said perplexed.
"Hannah and Joon recently broke up," he reminded. "Speak of the devil."
At that moment, Joon came into the cafeteria and searched the sea of students until his eyes landed on our table. He walked over and I could see the tips of his mouth twitch a little after noticing me.
He hovered behind me as he spoke, "Let's go."
He immediately left and Do Eun obediently followed while Chan Yeol was left conflicted. He looked back and forth before making a decision. "It was nice meeting you noona, but I have to go. See you later!"
I quickly finished my steak because the stares of the other students were excruciating and left the way I entered. The hallways were less crowded so I was able to take a relaxing breath, but that only lasted a minute before a hand grasped my shoulder. It pulled me into an empty classroom.
Joon was staring intensely at me before saying through gritted teeth, "Who are you?"
Was this a trick question? "I'm your si―."
"First you come into my home then you're in my school and now you're talking to my friends." His anger was palpable.
"I'm sorry," I mumbled.
He stepped away before continuing, "Do they know about our situation?"
"I haven't told them anything," I answered truthfully.
"If you tell them anything, I will make your school life heinous," he warned. With one last glare, he left me with only the nervous sweat coating my hands.
He must really despise me.
