A/N: This is way long overdue. Sorry about that.

Hee Jin found it unfair that to prepare for a wedding, she didn't need to see her intended for a month. The moment she agreed to the marriage, everything was set into action. Her approval had meant nothing. Most things were already taken care of. The only thing missing was the woman in the white veil.

Hee Jin cleaned invisible dirt off of her new kitchen table. The chairman insisted on moving her to a brand new penthouse until the wedding took place. They didn't let her say goodbye to her old apartment. When she was driven back home after visiting the chairman, his chauffeur dropped her at her new apartment. She had felt it in her bones that she wouldn't return to her old life again the moment she stepped foot into the Song mansion again. She was right.

It took a lot of getting used to accepting the penthouse. It had been prepared for her before she even knew of its existence. There was food in the fridge, brand-new furnishings and a closet full of new dresses. She hated the place, not because of its luxury, but because of how clean it was. She wanted to clean anything to get her hands busy, but there wasn't even a speck of dust. Giving up on finding anything dirty, she restorted to reassorting all her new wardrobe over and over again. When she got bored, she would purposefully trash the penthouse only to clean it again.

Ms. Kim visited her every day now, and she wasn't fond of Hee Jin's obsessive habits but let her be anyway. She could tell Hee Jin was on the brink of losing her mind. While she wasn't concerned with the preparations, she had other duties to attend to. She had to memorize the entire extended family tree of the Songs and all their other affiliations like their important business partners. When Ms. Kim decided to change their routine, she would touch up on Hee Jin's etiquette skills. She didn't forsake this opportunity to comment on every single disastrous mistake she made during the family dinners Hee Jin was forced to attend once a week.

These visits were the bane of her existence, and she felt it horribly unfair that Woo Bin decided to abstain from attending them. So much for family dinners, she thought to herself bitterly. Every time she would have to hear her future mother-in-law poke fun at her appearance and the silent snickers from Hae Ra, Woo Bin's cousin, and her husband. From her unruly short brown hair to her poor physique. Hee Jin would gather the fabric of her fancy dresses in her fist underneath the dining table.

It wasn't her fault her body was poorly built. All the kids in her orphanage were built like her and she didn't see herself to be any different from a regular person. That was until she realized that her weak stature was an effect of malnutrition. Her slouched shoulders have been like that since she was first whipped. Her master thought she was too proud the first time he saw her. She needed to be trained, were his words. It wasn't her fault that her body was a reflection of the harshness she received all her life.

Still, that didn't matter to the Songs who managed to eye her with disgust every time they saw her. The only one who seemed to be hospitable to her was Woo Bin's father and even then Hee Jin wouldn't feel welcomed, only pitied.

Ms. Kim entered the penthouse, making Hee Jin drop her cleaning cloth on the floor.

"Again, Miss Hee Jin? You better get rid of this habit before the wedding guests mistake you for the maid if they see your calloused hands." Ms. Kim voiced her disapproval. She always came unannounced. Hee Jin guessed that she did so to make her feel watched. Maybe they were afraid she would steal all the dresses and run away with them, she laughed to herself.

"I'm glad this seems to amuse you."

"Technically, I'm not even qualified to be a maid. I don't have legal documentation to prove I exist, remember? Who would hire a nobody?"

"That's already taken care of. We got everything taken care of, Miss Jang Hee Jin." Ms. Kim said, smiling.

Hee Jin got goosebumps all over her skin. Her family name was rarely used and she forgot what it sounded like on someone's lips.

"We got into contact with the orphanage. We managed to retrieve and update all your information. You know have an identification card like any normal person."

"Wow." Hee Jin said as she took the ID that Ms. Kim handed her.

She eyed it conspicuously. She never felt like a...person before this. Not an abandoned kid or a slave to someone. She was like any other person worthy of having their existence known. Had she gotten this any time earlier, life could've been so much easier for her.

"Miss Hee Jin, are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm perfect." She responded, feeling her eyes dampen.

"We have a few errands to run today."

"Oh, okay."

"This time, Mrs. Song is coming with us."

"Why?"

"If things were going naturally, you should've been wondering why she didn't accompany us from the very start."

"You mean if I was of higher class."

"No, if you were up to her standards.

"How nice." Hee Jin laughed.

"Having Mrs. Song on your side would be a great improvement of your situation."

"I don't care in the least. I don't want anything to do with this family more than I'm already forced to."

"That was long ago, Miss Hee Jin. Now, things are different. You're not just becoming the young master's wife. You're becoming part of the Song family."

"Which part of I don't care does nobody get? The less I know the better. I don't want to be affiliated with any of these criminals more than I am. You expect me to give my life to a title I didn't ask for. That's presumptuous of you. Of everyone, really."

"Then why did you return? You could've rejected."

"You're the one who told me I didn't have a choice. That's what everyone was telling me."

"Did you come back to help me?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Hee Jin feigned ignorance. Something about telling her left a bad taste on her tongue.

"I'm no fool, Miss Hee Jin. It seems the young master was kind enough as to inform you of my situation. I owe you, that's why I'm doing the best of my capabilities to help you survive this."

"I don't understand why you had to be punished for my sake. That's cruel."

"I wasn't punished for your sake. I failed to do what was expected of me. I disappointed the chairman. I had to pay the price."

"What was he going to do?"

"He was going to remove me from my position."

Hee Jin's jaw tightened. Ms Kim was a proud woman who had probably worked for the Songs for years. Demoting her would be a humiliation in front of all herself and those who worked underneath her. It was a fate worse than being fired for a woman like Ms. Kim.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Kim. But I don't think I want the help you're offering to give."

"That won't stop me."

"I know."

Hee Jin felt her nerves slipping away from her as she heard her future mother-in-law's nagging and nitpicking. It was maddening. They had made her try what could be hundreds of wedding dresses, and without fail, Mrs Song had made it her mission to point out Hee Jin's minute flaws.

It had been a disaster from the beginning. After Ms. Kim helped her get ready, they had their driver pick up Mrs Song from the mansion. As soon as she made eye contact with the fierce woman, her face had already crunched into hatred and distaste.

Considering last time's failure, she understood why Ms. Kim referred to as wedding dress shopping as errands. Except the humiliation this time was doubled by Mrs. Song's presence.

"I swear I'm getting a headache from you." She massaged her scalp while taking a sip of champagne from the glass in her hands.

Hee Jin's face had gotten red from the anger and embarrassment. It had already been bad enough that none of the dresses could suit her slouchy body or hide away her scars. While Ms Kim had been understanding of her request before, she couldn't say the same about her lovely mother-in-law. She had been arguing with Hee Jin every step of the way about her choice of only trying the modest dresses.

"You would think a nun was getting married with that attitude. Tell me, do you find it amusing defying me or are you afraid of seducing the helpless men fawning at your feet?"

Hee Jin held back her tongue. It didn't matter. She had been through worse. What was a little humiliation? It was certainly better than a whip to the back of a smack across the face. Yet in her heart, it had stinged just the same. She knew she was beyond the words beautiful, but one didn't care about appearance when they were fighting for their life. She never had time to think about her beauty or her lack of.

It was belittling having to face such criticism for only existing. She had worked hard, God knows how much for it to be ridiculed by a woman who wouldn't know hunger if it slapped her across the face. But, Hee Jin would silence herself. She wasn't taking Ms. Kim's advice by staying silent, rather for her want of becoming forgettable. She could neither cry nor shout at the stream of hatred being spewed on her face.

"I don't think a design like this would suit me." Hee Jin replied. She had been refusing the gown on an assistant's hands for a while now. It was graceful and elegant. It would be a wonderful option if it wouldn't expose her bare back.

"That's humourous coming from you. What do you know exactly? It was only a few weeks ago that you had been living and eating off the streets. Listen well, girl. Being difficult isn't a privilege you have. You were a nobody picked from the streets, and you smell like it. Do you think the lessons Ms. Kim is giving you are going to hide that fact? Nobody knows who you are or where you came from. Do what you're told in silence because no one will stand for you. No one wants you. You are an orphan for a reason, and God knows you'll forever be one. Act like it."

Hee Jin's mouth hung open, not knowing what to say. She stood frozen to the ground, trying to hold herself still. Everyone in the boutique stood tense as they heard what had transpired. Hee Jin felt the blood thrumming in her ears. Whatever had held her back all this time had snapped.

"Mrs. Song, maybe Hee Jin had something in mind." Ms. Kim said, trying to dispel the horrific words she had said.

"Not you too, Moon Yong. The girl is illiterate for all we know, and she dares to act prideful." Mrs. Song replied, baffled that someone had come to Hee Jin's side.

"That's rich coming from someone like you." Hee Jin sneered, stepping from the fitting room, leaving the wedding dress she was wearing trail behind her.

"If you can't make the chairman change his mind about marrying an orphaned girl from the street, then what right do you have to complain? He didn't favour your opinion, so you're taking it out on me. Even to a girl from the street, that's cheap. You may be right, I'm never going to be a real part of this family, so I'm going to wear the dress I want, and you're not going to have a say in it just like you couldn't have a say in this marriage. Next time, don't concern yourself with such trivial matters." Hee Jin hissed at her, staring her right up in the face.

"You self-centred brat! This marriage should never happen. It's an abnormality that only you would benefit from. You have no idea what a union like this could mean, yet you dare insult me. Imprudent, disgusting girl." Mrs. Song shouted at her.

"That sounds like a problem you should fix with the chairman, not me." Hee Jin shouted back, turning her back, going into the fitting room and closing the curtain forcefully.

Once inside, Hee Jin fell to the ground, hugged her knees and muffled her sobs.