I felt my heart stop when I heard the door slam shut. The sounds of shuffling echoed as my escorts made their way around the car to the front seats and started up the engine, getting ready for departure.
Somehow I felt lost at that very moment but I knew that was undeniable guilt in me – guilt for blaming my family and accusing them, thinking that there were actually selling me off. Guilt that I was unfilial to my only mother who had struggled to raise me. And most of all, guilt that I was going to turn down an opportunity that would inevitably change their lives for the better.
I glanced out at the heavily tinted windows again. The scene that greeted me stabbed me like little pin needles; a slight painful pinch, but it slowly disappeared. With my tattered and worn down house as the backdrop, a family of three stood at the broken front door, dressed in simple but old clothing, grinning from ear to ear. Regardless of their hardship and poverty; they still looked happy and contented.
My chest constricted in tension. Immediately the remembrance of Kwon Tae Hyun and his words came into my mind but I rejected that out of my mind as soon as it appeared. I quickly erased the thoughts about him from my mind and berated myself for wasting so much time worrying about such things and doubting myself.
I had already decided.
I can support my family on my own, I don't need any help what so ever. I will secure my family future with my own two hands.
The car sped off, leaving back a cloud of smoke and the picture of my lovable family quickly disappeared from sight. I heaved a heavyhearted sigh and leaned back into the cushion leather seats. My watchful eyes perused around the back seat of the limousine and I gasped.
Holy moly, I am seated behind a freaking Mercedes Benz!
I ran my fingers through the pale brown leather seats. I could tell it was expensive, even the air carried a heavy scent of pure high quality leather. The car had a miniature television screens situated at the back of front chairs, along with a tinted wind up screen that I could wind up to create a barrier if I wanted some privacy from the guards seated in front. There were so many buttons on my armrest that I couldn't help but wonder what all the buttons were for.
Curiosity sparked and got the better of me as I pressed huge black button.
Immediately the entire cars doors window winded down and I yelped with surprise.
Shit shit shit!
I started panicking and began pressing random buttons, causing havoc within the car. Windows started winding up and down, the televisions started playing and even my car seats were moving back and forth. The fierce wind blew from the windows due to the speed the car was driving at, blowing my hair all over my face.
"Miss Lee Kara?" One of the men in front nervously looked behind, seeing a frenzied looking me trying my best to place everything back in order by pushing even more random buttons. "Is everything alright?" He questioned uneasily after looking at me oddly.
"Uhm, sorry!" I apologize profusely, bowing my head. I quickly swiped my disheveled hair off my face. Oh my flying pig, this is so frigging embarrassing! Making a face, I looked up meekly. "I accidentally pressed a button and everything went a little mental. Could you wind back up the windows?" I pointed, my eyes squinting in dryness when the wind blew into it.
"Of course." The man in a black suit up in front nodded his head and proceeded to push some buttons in the front seat and immediately everything went back to normal. Shit, I am making a fool out of myself. Stop playing around you dumb bimbo! I grumbled in my mind. That should teach me not to have itchy fingers and touch things!
Grumbling at myself for being acting like an idiot and embarrassing myself, I opted to do something else that wouldn't land me into anymore embarrassing situation: looking out into the streets and stare blankly.
I languidly concentrated the passing scenery outside instead as we zoomed pass buildings, stores and pedestrians. I could see a few pedestrians halting their walks and pointing towards the car that I was in; probably because it had the notable gold plate stamp with the crest of the royal family instead of a license plate. Luckily for me, the car windows were tinted, so it was impossible for anyone to know the passenger.
I humored my bored self by glazing my eyes over some pedestrians when we stopped at a red light next to the pavement. I laughed at some of the tacky attire of the some teenagers in Korea trying to mimic the k-pop trends and when an ahjumma came running down the street chasing her mischievous grandson, yelling at the top of her voice to stop.
My chuckling came into an earsplitting halt when my bored eyes landed on a familiar figure.
Yep, you guess it.
As if fate had decided that I wasn't having that great of a start for a day, it proceeded to fuck me over repeatedly probably saying: Hmm... Since Kara is already having such a shitty day already, lets take some more cow dung and smear it all over her!
I landed my gaze on my ex-boyfriend on the streets, hand in hand with the stupid witch Hyerin.
They both seemed to be having the time of their lives on an awesome day, hanging onto each other as if their pathetic lives depended on it. Their free hands were holding onto a steaming cup of Starbucks coffee. They were clearly enjoying their date.
Excuse my ranting bitter self, but I was the definition of bitter resentment.
I hated it the look of the both of them being so happy, their happiness were the results of my sadness after all. I despised the thought of them being so carefree just one day after I found out about their affair so much that I felt like loading a shotgun and striking that witch Hye Rin down because that position next to Dong Hae used to be me.
Just looking at them made me the bile bubble up at the back of my throat. Just seeing them this happy made me want to rip them apart and spoil their perfect day.
It wasn't as if I still loved Dong Hae. No, it was the opposite. I despised him. Any amount of love and affection I had for him vanished the day he left me on the streets to be with that witch. But it was irrefutable that he had hurt my pride.
And I loved my self more than I could have ever loved Dong Hae.
I was not that upset that Dong Hae didn't love me enough to stay faithful, I was upset at the fact that he had to balls to cheat on me and I was stupid enough to trust him wholeheartedly from the beginning.
I was full of hatred, green with envy, red with resentment and black with bitterness. How long have they been doing this behind my back? I remembered the time where Donghae would come up with various excuse saying that he had family dinners or study dates with Hyerin. Now that the truth has finally been revealed.
I cursed myself for not seeing the signs earlier.
With their matching beanies on and their plastered grins on their face, the couple approached the car I was in until they were so close that we were only a few meters apart.
Even though I couldn't hear them, I could see Hyerin's crescent eyes lit up in excitement and delight when she noticed the royal family's vehicle and she nudged Donghae, pointing her finger at the car that I was in.
I knew they couldn't see me through the tinted windows, so I didn't bother to hide my expression that was crumpled with seething annoyance. Hyerin exchanged some words with Donghae which I could easily assume went somewhere around the 'Wow, a royal family vehicle! I wonder who is inside?" line.
I smirked at when I saw that they were approaching the car I was in, probably hoping to get a glance of which royal was sitting inside.
Time to take back my pride.