A rose.
Just a normal flower right? Well in Daehyun's school it meant so much more than that. If any of the girls got a rose in their locker, it meant that one of the most popular boys in school was interested in them. A regular red rose was typically something to get excited about, because you'd be whisked off your feet by Dohyun or Jihoon, the sons of two high class businessmen and women that owned two of the top companies in the country. But if you got a rose golden flower from Seojun; you were immediate royalty. He was the son of Minjun Chul, one of the top actors in South Korea and Hana Chul, an iconic supermodel known around the world.
His status and reputation were no joke. Girls and even guys, fawned over him like he was some sort of prince. Getting that rare rose meant you'd have the chance to experience what it would be like to date him; some sort of blessing. But almost all of the relationships they got into never lasted long. They'd date the girl for a few days and then just drop them like flies. Most of the girls already knew this would happen, and yet they still went along with it just to relish in the popularity. Daehyun thought the whole thing was pathetic.
Daehyun had worked hard to get into Chamsae International School as it was one of the top schools in Seoul that would guarantee him entree into one of the 'SKY universities. What he didn't expect when he got there is that the students would be running around like chickens with their heads cut off over 3 spoiled men who used them for their own enjoyment. Even the faculty let their antics slide because they knew how prestigious they were and if they spoke against them, their parents would interfere with the school.
By his second grade, Daehyun decided that he wouldn't let Seojun and his group's craziness affect his studies or goals and decided to completely shut them out of his life. Whenever he saw them, he completely ignored them and minded his business. They barely ever exchanged words anyways. The only time they did was when Daehyun accidentally witnessed Seojun breaking up with a girl.
He was heading to class and wanted to get a drink from the vending machine. He noticed Seojun and the girl standing by it and immediately stopped in his tracks. If he went any further they would see him, so he hid, deciding to wait until they were gone.
"But, but you can't break up with me. We've only been dating for a few days." The girl sounded broken. It was rare for Seojun to even ask anyone out so she was taking it a lot more seriously than him.
Seojun didn't say anything back to her, just gave a bored look and flicked some of his black hair out of his eye.
Daehyun then heard a loud thwack. He froze. The girl had really slapped him. She was crying and shouting angrily.
"I thought you cared about me!"
Seojun gave a chuckle, then pushed his tongue against the side of his cheek. He looked irritated. "Are you new here or something? I never gave a shit about you, I don't give a shit about anyone."
That shut the girl up quickly; because she already knew that, but still fell into the delusional trap. Still took whatever they had together too seriously. She let out a painful sob then ran off, careening passed Daehyun.
Daehyun watched her run away quietly. His heart was heavy, but he didn't know what to do. It was too late before he noticed Seojun was behind him. He glanced back. Seojun was giving a pleased smirk, like he thought whatever had just happened was funny. Daehyun wanted to punch the stupid smile right off of his face.
"Is hurting girls amusing to you or something?" Daehyun snapped at him.
Seojun's eyes fell on him slowly.
"I hope you know that you're a horrible person." He continued.
"And who are you?" His voice was smooth, curious.
"None of your business."
And with that Daehyun walked off, leaving him alone in the hall. That was the last time they talked to each other. Even though Daehyun was lucky enough to get into the school, he wasn't on the same level as them. He didn't come from money or get everything handed to him by his parents. He got where he was through sheer hard work and determination. That's what made them different from each other. It would always be that way.
"Scared for the upcoming exams?" Yeri's voice wormed its way into Daehyun's thoughts.
He glanced up from his notebook and met her challenging gaze.
Yeri Park, one of few students in the school Daehyun was always competing with to be top of the class. It was a healthy competition between them that pushed them both to do their best.
Daehyun smirked and tilted his head. "What makes you think I'm scared?"
"I've just noticed you've been spending longer in the library after school for your evening studies." She twirled her hair boredly.
"Oh? So you're watching me now?"
"Of course, I always have to keep an eye on the competition."
"Geez, can you two get a room already?" Daehyun's best friend Tanaka appeared behind Yeri then. He was half Japanese and half South Korean but lived in Japan for most of his life. He'd transferred to Chamsae at the same time Daehyun had just entered the school and was immediately bullied for being half Japanese. Daehyun's heart was uneasy always seeing him alone and he needed friends as well, so he decided to talk to him. Since then they were always together.
Yeri blushed at him. "Ew, why would I ever sleep with him?"
"I don't know, you tell me." He muttered as he sat beside Daehyun.
"You're such an idiot." She huffed and then stalked away.
"Damn, what crawled up her panties today?" He chuckled. "Anyways, what are you working on?"
"I finished my homework so I'm just planning a story I want to write before my next class." Daehyun replied.
"Boring. Come on, it's break time let's go to that new PC cafe I was talking about. It's close by."
"I'm not really in the mood to play video games right now."
He groaned. "Fine, then can we at-least get something to eat. I don't know how you can go so long without eating food."
Daehyun sighed and closed his notebook. "Fine, but I already ate so I'll just come with you to get something."
"You ate without me? Aish, you're a horrible friend."
Daehyun chuckled and stood up from the floor, brushing off his pants. "I'm just going to go put my notebook back in my locker. I'll meet you by the cafeteria."
"Fine, but you better come quickly I'm starving!" Tanaka called after him as he went down the hall towards his locker.
When he arrived he noticed that the lock was open and the door to it was slightly ajar. Daehyun froze. Did someone break in and steal his stuff? He quickly yanked it open and something fell in front of his feet.
He could feel everyone's eyes lock onto him before he even managed to look down.
Time moved slowly as he glanced down at what fell. His heart pounded in his ears and his body turned to ice.
It was a rose.
But not just any colored rose. A rose golden one.