•I don't own the Heirs.
•English isn't my first language, so there may be mistakes. Please correct me, so that I can learn. Thank you.
•Aniyo means no, formal.
•Eomeoni means mother, formal.
•Samchon means Uncle.
I Am Trying To Breath
"How long have you been learning?" He asked her as Ji Ah followed him, sniffing quietly.
"Erm, err.." Ji Ah hesitated. They took seats opposite each other and Mr Seo arched a brow at her questionably.
"That's the first time I touched a piano, actually." Ji Ah confessed. She had surprised herself too by playing, she had to admit.
Mr Seo furrowed his brows, in what seemed like a frown, "That was an excellent performance for someone playing piano for the first time." He said with a subtle hint of wariness.
"I just pressed the keys randomly." Ji Ah said, tapping her finger tips together. "Piano seems easy."
"Randomly?" Mr Seo repeated.
"Ye." Ji Ah affirmed. "It just came to me."
Mr Seo seemingly considered her for a moment and Na Ri felt nervous.
"Have you never played or heard this song before? Perhaps by someone else playing at your school in Gyeonsung?" Mr Seo asked keenly, leaning forward almost unnoticeably.
"Animida." Ji Ah shook her head lightly.
"That was a song by a famous music writer, Chopin." He informed her. "Prelude in E Minor."
Ji Ah's lips parted in a ohh. "Erm.. I must have heard it somewhere then."
"Even so, it is not easy to play it or play piano in general for someone touching it for the first time." Mr Seo said in an odd tone.
Ji Ah stared at him for a moment before chuckling nervously. "That is weird." Was he thinking she was lying? Ji Ah conceded that it was weird, but maybe it was her natural talent. She had thought she had none, that she was only good at studying her head off.
"Indeed." Mr Seo said thoughtfully. "It was also Cha Ji Ah's favourite song. She often played it in America when I was there with Eomeoni and Abeoji." There was something in his tone that made Ji Ah feel uncomfortable.
Her gaze unintentionally shifted to the piano in the corner.
"Cha Ji Ah played piano too?" Ji Ah asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
"Had been since childhood, like me." He told her. "She sang somtimes too while playing. My unnie also loved piano. We used to play it together long ago. She wanted to be a pianist back then." Mr Seo's eyes glazed over vaguely and a very faint smile tugged at his lips as he seemed to reminisce some achingly pleasant memory.
Ji Ah stayed silent to give him a moment.
"Do you want to learn piano?" Mr Seo asked suddenly.
Ji Ah lifted her eyebrows and smiled nervously. "Me?" She almost squeaked.
"Ne." He said. "I can teach you, here and you can practice while I am out."
She was astounded by the offer seeing, as he was a very busy man.
"Aniyo." Ji Ah shook her head with a nervous smile, her hair scattering over her face. "I don't really have a passion for music. I don't want to learn." She was lying, she wanted to play that piano again. "But thank you for offering to teach." She dipped her head meekly. "Besides, I have to work and go to a school soon. I haven't graduated yet." She added as a after thought.
"I know." He said and Ji Ah didn't need to ask how. "School is the reason I called you here for."
Mr Seo stood up and moved to the huge table. He picked up some things and placed them on the table in front of Ji Ah, taking a seat again. A letter sized puffed up envelope, a thin file sized envelope and magazine like book that read in capital letters 'Jeguk High School'.
"I have submitted your admission form with all the necessary documents and fees'. You just need to go and buy yourself a uniform." He said.
Ji Ah's gaze jumped back and forth between the envelops lying on the table and Mr Seo.
She couldn't, she just couldn't. She had always guarded her pride, but that had been one of the things she had to sacrifice after the accident. Nevertheless, not anymore.
"Ahjussi..." She began reluctantly. "I will work for some time.. and I will make enough money to put myself into a school. I --"
"You may not be in a condition to study by then." Mr Seo interrupted her sharply. Ji Ah was taken aback. "You need a distraction and you need it now. I don't see anything better than a school for that."
Ji Ah's gaze dropped. He was right. She doubtlessly needed a strong distraction.
But she was embarassed to have him shed his money for her again. She knew she couldn't ever pay him back.
Ji Ah hesitated, turning red as her shoulders slumped and she fiddled with a button on her coat. "Ahjussi, I can never pay you back for all you have done for me." She thought, she sounded utterly pathetic.
"Who said you can't?" Ji Ah raised her gaze back to him in confusion to see him arching a brow at her. "Go to school, study, make friends, take part in extra activities, and live in the true sense of living; a happy and healthy life. You only have to do that, if you want to pay me back. I will regard it as your gratitude."
Ji Ah frowned as her throat tightened. Living wasn't easy. And living a happy and healthy life seemed a long lost and forgotten dream now. One which she herself wasn't willing to remember now.
"I understand, Ahjussi." Ji Ah dipped her head slightly and mumbled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ji Ah had just returned from work and was about to boil some rice to eat when someone rang the door bell.
Mr Seo's secretary Ahn Dan Te barged ahead, making Ji Ah gasp and jump aside as soon as she opened the door.
"What are you doing?!" Ji Ah cried after him. He dumped two brown bags on the kitchen counter and pushed back his glasses on the bridge of his nose with an audible sigh. Ignoring her altogether, he then rushed out back, and Ji Ah opened her mouth in a mixture of irritation and bewilderment. He was striding back in, in no time and dumped more bags on the counter.
"What is this?" Ji Ah moved closer and eyed the brown bags.
Ahn Dan Te crinkled his nose in irritation.
"Your Samchon had told me to deliver some meat and seafood to you." He drawled with obvious sarcasm. Ji Ah was sure he didn't want to do this certain job.
"Why?" Ji Ah breathed in frustration. Did Mr Seo forget what she had said yesterday?
"Your Samchon wants you to eat well, that's all." He pushed back his glasses again, even though they were already in their place.
"Please take it back, I will talk to Samchon-- Ahjussi I mean!" Ji Ah almost bit her tongue, and glared in irritation at Ahn Dan Te, who seemed pleased with himself.
"Your Samchon paid me to bring these here. You would need to pay me too if you want me to take them back." He was making fun of her.
Ji Ah scowled at him.
Ahn Dan Te moved to the door, and Ji Ah followed him. She called after him, as he climbed into his car, but he ignored her and sped away. Ji Ah scowled again.
She checked the bags one by one. There was steak, pork, shell fishes, crabs (Ji Ah's eyes had almost bulged out at their sight), and some other fishes she had never seen before. She stared dejectedly at the food scattered across the kitchen counter. Was Mr Seo making fun of her too? She couldn't taste any of this. Their mere aroma was going to be a torture.
Ji Ah ate rice and went to bed. The meat and sea food lay untouched in her refrigerator. The 150 million won Mr Seo had given her for school uniform, extra curricular activities and other school related expenses, were carefully tucked under her mattress. She had almost cried in front of Mr Seo. If he hadn't been there, Ji Ah didnt know how she would have survived -- if she had survived at all.
She would buy her uniform tomorrow. Ji Ah had insisted on going to some other school after finding out how expensive Jeguk High was, but Mr Seo had reprimanded her that the granddaughter of a conglomerate and a heiress to a massive wealth couldn't just attend an ordinary school or it would appear suspicious. (As for her job and apartment, Mr Seo had told her she could put on an act that she wanted to learn what a middle class or a poor person's life was like, to stay humble, that is if she were to be found out some day.)
However, the lavishness of the school wasn't the only reason Ji Ah didn't want to attend Jeguk High. Mr Seo had warned her that this was Kim Tan's Eomeoni's school.
Which meant that Kim Tan would be attending it this year too.
Ji Ah placed a hand on her sudden thundering heart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The lady measured her arms and Ji Ah stared at the uniform, scrutinizing it to see where were the diamonds which were supposed to be embedded in the 100 million won uniform.
After the lady was done measuring her clothes, she told Ji Ah her uniform would be delivered home. Ji Ah thanked her and started towards the exit. She fleetingly thought if Kim Tan already had his uniform made or not.
Ji Ah had a turtle neck sweater on, under her dark coat, and she almost constantly wore gloves now. Still she shivered as she walked out of the store.
Ji Ah had barely walked a step when a pretty girl in Jeguk High uniform blocked her way.
Ji Ah briefly noticed she had come on a bike with a guy before the girl spoke haughtily. "You are not running away, today."
Ji Ah blinked at her. "Do I have a reason to?" She was genuinely confused, but the girl must have thought Ji Ah was being arrogant.
Her upper lip curled disdainfully and she gave a chuckle in a conceited disbelief. "Are you crazy? Do you not have a reason to run away from me?!"
The girl apparently knew Cha Ji Ah. Ji Ah tried to hide the tension rising in herself.
"As I had expected, Kim Tan has come to Korea." She said.
As she mentioned Kim Tan, Ji Ah's eyes fell on her name tag.
Rachel Yoo.
Kim Tan's fiancee.
"Don't act so surpised." Rachel snapped. "I am sure you are already knew he is here."
Ji Ah wanted to get out of this situation quickly.
"I have to be somewhere, please move." Ji Ah tried to be polite and attempted to move, but Rachel stepped in front of her again.
"Running away now?" She chuckled contemptuously.
Ji Ah fixed her with a cool look. She could now easily see why Kim Tan didn't like Rachel.
"I have better things to do than bear your egotism." Ji Ah said flatly.
Rachel's eyes widned in a scornful disbelief.
"What are you?!" She raked Ji Ah with a scornful gaze. "Didn't I warn you in America? I called your number on your flight card when I found out Kim Tan was here, but it was switched off. I dont want to --"
"Flight card?" Ji Ah interrupted.
"Have you forgotten?" Rachel sneered. "I had taken your flight card that day."
Didn't flight card have all the important information including home address? Ji Ah thought with mild horror.
"Give it back." She said immediately.
Rachel chuckled in an irritatingly smug manner. "Take it?" She mocked.
Ji Ah pursed her lips. Just then Rachel's name tag shined in the light from the store.
Rachel gave a sharp gasp, as Ji Ah jerked her name tag out of her uniform shirt and swiftly slipped it into the inner pocket of her coat.
"Then I will keep your name. If you want it back, mail my flight card to the address on it, with your address. I will mail your name tag back." Ji Ah said, half enjoying Rachel's hysterical expressions.
"Are you crazy? Do you want to die?!" Rachel's voice rose irritatingly, while Ji Ah thrust her hands into her pockets and moved past her.
"Ya! Cha Ji Ah!" Rachel's voice followed her.
Ji Ah was about to step on the road when the tall guy Rachel had rode with blocked her way. Ji Ah faltered but quickly composed herself, narrowing her eyes at him. "Are you her bodyguard?"
His eyebrows rose and fell, and he shurgged his shoulder, before stepping aside. He pulled out his hand from his pocket and dramatically motioned for her to leave. Ji Ah walked past him with relief.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~They will be meeting again in the next chapter. :D
~Fawns