Zeri was still running nonstop until she was far enough from the scene. Her heart was beating ferociously. She was nervous to death. She was sure that she saw no one when she first took a peek so where did that person come from?
The emotion that enveloped her upon realizing that the person was also male was too much and it made her shudder in fear to the point that she instinctively ran away in an instant. She was so scared that she didn't even have the courage to look at his face.
Gladly, that person didn't try chasing her. She was also extremely glad that she decided to wear a face mask. If she hadn't, she would be in soooooo much trouble if he saw her face and reported her to the school.
Ah! That was close!
Zeri Kim was actually androphobic. Ever since that night years ago, she developed this troublesome phobia. She was scared of any human males except for children. Just the presence of a male around her gave her chills down her spine, causing her knees to shiver in fear. Over the years, she somehow managed to slowly adjust. She was fine being with a male inside a single room as long as there were many girls around and the male wasn't close to her. They had to at least be one meter away.
That was the reason why Zeri Kim disguised herself as a ghost. She was purposely making herself a freak to deter every male from going anywhere near her.
…
The next day.
In a classy looking yet somewhat crowded school corridor, two young men dressed in a long-sleeved, collared white shirt paired with a black tie and black trousers, were walking nonchalantly while the crowd of students were voluntarily clearing a way for them, as if they were royalty heading towards their thrones. Rei Han was innocent-looking, with a fair complexion and restless but keen eyes. His tall figure and messy black hair was more than enough to make any girl swoon upon seeing him. Beside him was Akira Lee, a young man almost beyond words to define. His dark brown hair, his calm and mesmerizing eyes, and his almost unreal presence made every girl's mouth subconsciously hang open, effortlessly driving them all crazy over him.
"Oh my god! Kira!! You're so handsome."
"Yes, is he even human? Look at that face! He's like… he actually looks like a human version of an anime character."
"Yes, yes, that's definitely one of the best ways to describe him. Oh gosh! He looks like he's from out of this world! What a godly sight to behold."
"That's right, that's right! We're so blessed that we can see such an ethereal creature every day!"
"Well, don't forget about Rei okay? Look at that innocent big baby! Kyahh!"
It was the usual daily event every single time Kira walked out of the classroom. Girls would swoon over him like he was a superstar, making the hallway almost look like a concert venue. He was the number one heartthrob who was effortlessly robbing every girl's heart away to the point that most boys could only wish that he would only be seen on TV and not seen at their school.
However, the two appeared as though what was happening around them was nothing but an irrelevant nuisance. They looked like they were immersed in their own worlds, as if they saw nothing and no one around them as they walked by until they finally arrived in a spacious and elegant room that was just exclusively for them.
After they entered the room, Kira hastily loosened his tie as his perfect and calm face instantly turned dark. He looked at the middle aged man, dressed in black standing across him, with a displeased gaze.
"What brought you here," he said in a cold tone. The man in black just quietly and calmly moved closer to him and held out a white envelope.
"Young master, the master wanted me to give you this. These documents contain information about your future wife." The man's statement made Kira's face turn even darker, a mocking smile appearing on his thin lips as he stared at the white envelope.
Future wife, huh?
He didn't speak nor move his hand to accept it but after a while, he slipped one hand into his pocket to grab his phone and made a call.
After a few seconds, the call connected.
"And so you call, my dearest grandson. How long has it been since you last voluntarily called me?" An old man's voice filled with extreme authority and power spoke on the other side of the phone. It was just his voice but it was enough to make anyone listening shiver in fear, except Kira, of course, who appeared to be completely unaffected.
"What's the meaning of this?" Kira asked, his voice was as cold as frost. He was like a cold prince demanding an answer from a terrifying emperor.
"What? Didn't we already talk about this before?" The old man's statement instantly made Kira's gorgeous brows furrow. It was because he remembered the talk the old man was talking about. It was about five years ago when Kira's grandfather suddenly told him to start looking for his future bride. He said that if Kira does not introduce his chosen bride to him on his eighteenth birthday, then the old man would be the one to choose a bride for him, without objection.
At that moment, Kira could only shake his head in disbelief. His old grandfather was akin to an olden day emperor where every word he said, no matter how absurd it was would always be law itself, unchangeable and always resulted in unimaginable consequences if ignored. However, he still couldn't believe this was happening! He was just freaking 13 years old at the time!
"You've already turned 18, it's time for you to give me a great grandchild," he added firmly turning Kira's already dark face several shades darker.
"I just turned 18 and you already want me to become a father?" Kira's voice was filled with disbelief and he could only shake his head.
"What are you getting flustered for? I already gave you five years to choose for yourself but what did you do? You wasted your time playing with girls, not getting serious even once." The voice filled with authority just now seemed to suddenly weaken as he sighed deeply, making Kira just quietly grip his phone so hard that his knuckles turned white.
"Look, I'm already old… I could die at any moment, I can't leave you all alone so just do what I want and make me happily rest on my grave."
The old man's statement made Kira fall silent. After the call ended, Kira's darkened face instantly turned indifferent, emitting an inexplicable atmosphere as if a storm was brewing within him.
"Young master, please understand your grandfather. You're the only family he has left in this world and he just wants to ensure that his bloodline won't end with you. You know he's already running out of time… this is his only wish before he dies and the only one who can fulfill his wish is you, young master. So please…" The man in black couldn't finish his words. It was because Kira grabbed the envelope from his hand and tore it open right away.
He scanned the papers, emotionless, then stared at the man across him.
"Is this all?" he asked and when the man nodded, a suspicious look was reflected in his beautiful face. The documents in his hands contained just a single picture of a black-haired girl and one-page of basic information about her. Her background was even stranger because she wasn't even from a middle class family. She was a poor, orphaned girl working a part time job and was living with her two siblings.
"I'm sorry, young master. Even I know nothing about how and why the master chose her. All I know is that the girl herself is unaware about this as well."
"What?"
"The master said that the girl doesn't know anything about this and that it will be your job to court her, bring her home and marry her when the time comes. Also, he said that it is your job to take care of her from now on, no excuses."
Upon hearing the man's words, Kira smirked like a villain. His face was filled with disbelief with a tinge of rebellion. He was thinking about what on earth this old man was trying to make him do? What the hell was he thinking?
At that same moment, Rei took the papers that Kira dropped on the table and a smile suddenly carved on his innocent-looking face as soon as he saw its contents.
"Zeri Kim, huh. She's our new classmate," he said in a mischievous voice making Kira's head snap in his direction.
"What? I don't remember seeing her."
"Haha, she's been our classmate for about a month now and you haven't even noticed her? Why am I not surprised?" Rei chuckled as he looked at Kira's face which was full of suspicion. Well, he couldn't really blame him. It was such a shock that the old man chose not a princess, nor an heir nor a first daughter for his beloved grandson. However, Rei could already feel the mystery behind this girl. It was because she already caught his attention the moment he first saw her. He could only describe her as invisible in terms of her presence, as if she was a quiet ghost and now that the master actually chose her, she was now even more intriguing than ever.
"Let's go back. I want to see this girl," Kira said as he moved towards the door.
"So, you're willing to marry her?"
"It's not like I have a choice."
"Even if you don't like her?"
Rei's question halted Kira for a moment, but he still looked unaffected as usual. Well, Kira was known as a playboy. He wasn't one to commit to anyone and he treated all the girls the same way, as if they were all the same person. Nobody knew that all this time, the only reason Kira involved himself with girls was because of his grandfather. He knew that this day would eventually come so he tried to find a bride for himself but no matter how many girls he met, he just couldn't take anyone seriously.
"This is only for the sake of grandfather."
His heartless answer made Rei forced a smile on his face. He knew that to someone like Kira, marriage was nothing but a task for him to fulfill for the sake of the family's bloodline and for the sake of his dying grandfather. Kira was well aware that his grandfather was already quite old so he couldn't blame him for being desperate to the point where he even threatened Kira, telling him that he would donate everything to charity if he would not listen to him.
"But what if she rejects you?"
"Do you think a girl exists in this world who has the guts to reject me?"
Rei could only simper and shake his head upon hearing Kira's reply. However, he knew that Kira's statement wasn't at all an exaggeration. He had been around Kira for most of his life and he had seen him work his charm on people many, many times. No girl could ever ignore him and girls still wanted a piece of him even when they knew what kind of guy he was.
"How about we have a bet?" Rei said with a serious and mischievous face. "If you can't make her say 'yes' within a month, you lose and then you'll have to grant me a request."
"Nonsense."
Kira's abrupt answer made Rei stare intently at him, conveying his seriousness. On the other hand, Kira was suddenly feeling pissed off. He thought that his friend was just spouting another absurd joke to him but he was actually being serious?! Did this guy really think that I wouldn't be able to make that girl say 'yes' in that time?
"One month, huh? What makes you think I can't get her within such a long period of time?"
"Just a hunch."
"Aren't you just looking down on me?"
"You know I'm not."
"Well, fine then. Get ready for the consequence."
"Deal."
Rei's certain answer made Kira shake his head. He didn't expect this person to have such faith in that girl that he could only smirk at him.