Try as she might, Siyeon couldn't seem to go to sleep after her nightmare. She futilely tossed and turned in an effort to find a more comfortable position but couldn't stay still.

She finally sat up on her bed, groaning in frustration. Will Junior never let me live in peace, even in my dreams?

She checked the time and it was already 2 AM. She decided that rather than waste any more of her precious time failing to fall asleep, she'd get a headstart on her schoolwork for the week.

At least then she wouldn't feel so miserable, wallowing in her dark thoughts. She wished she could control her thoughts better because it seemed like her thoughts controlled her.

The homework did its job well of distracting her for the most part, but her mind couldn't help but wander back that night a few times. By the time she looked up from her desk again, the sun had come out and it was already 8 AM. It was time for her to get ready for the rest of her day. As she checked the date on her phone, she was startled.

Wait, today is the day I'm going to meet my second roommate!

She had already met one of her roommates who was a freshman like her, but her second roommate was a sophomore, so she moved in a day later. Their third roommate had moved somewhere else at the last minute, so they currently had a vacant room. What she liked most about them, however, was that the 3 of them were all archaeology majors! It was like she hit the roommate jackpot.

She wanted to look nice when she met her second roommate, so she straightened her hair, washed her face, and put on a bit of makeup. However, she didn't want to seem like she was trying too hard, so she slipped on a pair of skinny waist-high jeans and a yellow tank top with ruffles framing the neckline. She finished the whole ensemble by pairing it with blue sneakers and a pretty necklace.

When she walked out, she saw her first roommate hanging out in the living room. Her name was Ari, and she was half-American and half-Korean in nationality. As a result, she had pretty blonde hair and golden skin. She also had a fuller figure than Siyeon and very nice proportions.

Siyeon was so happy to have met Ari. They got along very well since they had the same childish interests and friendly personalities. Also, since they were roommates, they stuck together during move-in day and Freshmen Orientation. They even found out that since they had the same major, they had many of the same classes, so they planned on walking to class and studying together.

She sat down and talked with Ari for a short while when her second roommate, Sujin, walked in! She was chubby, but had pretty eyes and cute cheeks. She was also a blonde, but unlike Ari, Siyeon knew her hair was dyed because brown roots showed at the top. Nevertheless, her hair was still very pretty to Siyeon's eyes.

Siyeon got up and held up her hand in greeting. "Uh… Hi, I'm Siyeon. It's great to see you!"

She immediately wanted to facepalm herself for being so socially awkward. She just wasn't good in social situations since she didn't have any friends growing up; after all, her "family" didn't let her leave the house except for school, so it was hard to hang out with people her age.

Sujin pursed her lips at her greeting and scrunched her nose up. However, she did eventually shake Siyeon's hand. "Hello. It's nice to meet you as well."

After greeting each other, Sujin excused herself since she needed to finish moving in. Sujin and her family finished bringing all her stuff into her room about a half-an-hour later. After they left, Sujin joined Siyeon and Ari in the living room as they chatted.

"I wonder what classes are going to be like," Siyeon said with worry as she bit her fingernails, a bad habit of hers. "I hope they're not too hard."

"Oh, don't worry!" Sujin interjected. "Classes during freshman year for archaeology majors aren't that difficult. I can even help you study or do homework if you'd like."

Wow, really?! Siyeon thought happily as a big smile spread across her face. That's great!

"Thank you so much!" Siyeon said with obvious gratitude. "I really appreciate it. I'll definitely take you up on that offer if I need your help."

"Also, neither of you have cars, right?" Sujin asked. They both shook their heads no. "Well, don't worry about food. We can go on trips to the grocery store together!"

"Really?" Ari asked with obvious excitement. "That'd be amazing! Thanks!"

"No problem," Sujin responded back. "I'll be like the mom of this dorm, haha."

Siyeon couldn't help the smile that graced her face at her roommate's kindness. It was almost too good to be true. She never had a group of friends like this before.

Growing up, she moved around a lot with her mother so she never really got to make any long-term friends. 3 different elementary schools and 3 years of middle schools will do that to a girl. When she moved in with her father at age 13 and attended one high school for 3 years, everyone already had their friend groups so she was essentially an outcast. Plus, she was sure hideous rumors were spread about her at school by her second eldest brother, Haru, which caused everyone to dislike her. She was even bullied by a lot of people.

Not only that, but she just couldn't relate to other people her age. Most people her age had caring parents that always checked in on them, but she didn't. Her dream was to go to college for free, but most other people said they'd take it slow and take a gap year or work after high school. She also never had a boyfriend or any cool hobbies to talk about, unless you count studying and doing homework. She was definitely the stereotypical nerd.

If that wasn't enough, she didn't even have a cell phone until she went to college and bought it herself. Her family didn't think she "deserved one," in their own words. As a result, she couldn't text or call anyone after school and thus had no way to socialize.

In short, she was very lonely most of high school, but she hoped college would be a great chance to make new friends.

Let's not dwell on the past , she told herself. Now we have two great friends. Let's focus on that instead!

They continued to chat, having a grand time. When it was finally lunch time and Sujin offered to drive them all to the school cafeteria, Ari and Siyeon jumped at the offer. As they ate their food, Sujin continued to offer advice as a sophomore to two freshmen that she wished they had.

"What happened to the roommates you had last year?" Ari asked. "I figured you'd be living with them. A lot of sophomores live with their previous roommates."

Siyeon saw Sujin visibly flinched at the mention of her former roommates. "Well… to be honest, we weren't really friends. They were very cold and distant toward me. They also didn't want to help buy things to share in the apartment, so I ended up spending a lot of money. Besides, most of them stayed in their rooms so I didn't really see much of them."

Siyeon almost teared up when Sujin talked about how her roommates ignored her and made her miserable. "Don't worry, we won't be like that! We'll be the best roommates to you!"

"Yeah, definitely!" Ari agreed enthusiastically. "They don't know what they missed out on!

Sujin thanked them, happy to hear their promise. Soon, she asked Ari how she was liking college so far.

"Well, It feels weird living on my own for the first time," Ari admitted with a bit of sadness. "I miss my parents. I call them everyday."

Siyeon swallowed the lump in her throat. I wish I had someone to miss right now. I can't relate since I was so relieved to live on my own. I don't even feel like calling my "family" at all.

Despite her sadness, Siyeon managed to put on a fake smile. She then put a hand on Ari's shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. "Don't worry, you're not alone. We're here for you!"

"Right, exactly!" Sujin agreed. "I miss my parents too. What about you, Siyeon?'

"Huh, me?" She asked almost absent-mindedly. She immediately regretted saying that and inwardly groaned. She literally just said your name, of course she's talking to you!

Though I can't blame myself for being this scatterbrained. I'm just not used to people asking my opinion.

Sujin rolled her eyes, somewhat annoyed. "Yes, you. Do you miss your parents?"

She casted her gaze downward as she fiddled with her thumbs. I'm so stupid. I made her get annoyed! Why am I so dumb?

She wanted to come clean, but she also didn't want to dump all her trauma on them. So, she kept it short and sweet. She took a deep breath before looking back up at them. "Well, I wasn't very close to my parents growing up. It was actually sort of a relief to live on my own."

They expressed their sadness that she wasn't very close to her parents, which made Siyeon feel so validated. It felt nice to express her feelings without being immediately blamed for them.

They went back to their dorm after lunch when Siyeon encountered an unexpected surprise: Her family's butler was there to see her again!

Despite the unannounced visit, Siyeon took it all in stride. She informed her roommates that she needed to talk to someone and then said goodbye to them. She then went to talk to the butler, knowing full well what he was going to ask.

"Good afternoon," She greeted him politely as she crossed her arms at her waist.

"Good afternoon to you as well, young lady," He responded back, his hands behind his back. "I am here to once again invite you to a luncheon with your family, who miss you very much."

Yeah, right, she thought sarcastically. They only want me to come so they can abuse me some more. They never cared for me at all.

"Regrettably, I must decline," She responded back in a formal tone. "I am unfortunately very preoccupied with college at the moment. Please relay my sincerest apologies to them."

The butler sighed, no doubt expecting her rejection. "As you wish, young lady. However, you should know something."

"What should I know?"

"You should know that the Young Master is very adamant about seeing you," He said dryly. "If you reject their invitation one more time, I was ordered to drag you there by force if necessary."

The threat sent chills down her spine.

Junior is that adamant about me coming to see them? She thought, fear rising up in her. What lengths will he go to in order to ensure I am never free of his grasp?

Notes:

As the author, I'm already tired of Siyeon's family. How do y'all feel about them? How about her roommates so far?

Also, small spoiler: y'all are gonna hate her family even more next chapter!