Coeus High is a luxurious school standing tall in the heart of the city of Seoul. It was established for uber-elite successors, a symbol of their luxury and power. They celebrate their connection and royalty, they find their compatible suitors, adhering to their firm belief rich blood's legacy should continue unharmed.
The winters were getting their grasp over the city. Seoul, it's not even a polar country. How could its air still be that cold and hopeless?
"Bring....," the alarm bells, its call failed at managing to my attention.
I kept staring out of the window, there was nothing but fog covering making it impossible to see both streets or the starry expanse of the black sky.
It went off after a couple of minutes, only to continue again a minute later. I took a deep breath stepping down from my chair which is placed near the only window of my studio apartment.
I slammed hard over its switch, it went quiet again.
"What a hassle?" I thought, moving to the bathroom.
I blow-dried my hair after a shower, they're brown, silken and reach over to my shoulder. I combed them trying to do the side parting. The scar on my neck starts catching my attention as I tied my hair in a scrunchie.
I slowly move my fingertips over a straight line scar on my neck. "How could I forget about you," I mumbled, took the scrunchie out of my hair and let them flow around my neck freely.
"Where did I put my blazer?" I thought looking around the room. And decided to through the dark brown cupboard fitted in a corner of the room, a black blazer which seemed gaudy between my faded t-shirt was hanging in it. "Lee Dasom," was embroidered over the right pocket of it. Would my life have been better if this was my real name?
I sighed wearing it over my white blouse, and a red check skirt.
I ran my eyes towards the watch. It was past five o clock already.
"I should leave commuting there is not a joke either,"
I mumbled unfolding my black socks that were running unto my knees.
I pressed my transportation card, boarded the bus to the school, shifted quietly to the back seat and put my black earphone on "La Bohemia" and started playing. I leaned my head softly on the window of the bus.
"It's funny to be alone in this big city when all you can do see is people," I thought, with a scoff as the streets to the school were filled with people, some were driving, some were looking over their phones as all they had was their phone.
I picked up my bag and pressed the stop button as soon as I noticed a white wooden gate, a golden owl was sitting above it, shining bright like the sun. The tires of the bus screeched as the driver applied the brake.
The road leading to the school was covered with Porsche cars some were opting for their out-of-world sports cars too.
"They know how to show off," I mumbled, looking over at the street.
A two-storey building sitting between a moat, the arched white bridge over the moat was making a lunar escape, and a green carpet of grass was spreading around the building extending as far as one could see. We live in different worlds. The school was making the statement.
A statue of Coeus holding a book in their hands was in the centre of the building. I took the curved stairs to the first floor sliding my hand over the golden handrails of the stairs. The girls who were walking ahead of me continued their conservation.
"We're signing a commercial contract with Valerie Cinema" it'd be a multi-million deal," she commented.
"Lucky for you, your father is an actor, my parents are opening an art gallery for me it'd be over millions. I think it's time I joined the art business of our family," she said.
They gave each other a sharp look as we finally reached the hallway.
"You don't have anything to tell Hera," they asked, turning to the other who was busy with her phone all the time.
"My family can't be compared to yours you know that also I have an important meeting with the Director we'll catch up later," she replied, leaving towards the principal's office.
"That bitch she thinks she's the only chaebol here," they commented with a pinched face.
They were in my class, and we all shifted to our designated seats. My name was engraved on the upper left corner of the last seat in a row.
"New admission," they both asked, approaching me as soon as I settled myself.
"Yes," I replied, with a forced smile.
"Park Yoo-jung you must know my dad he is Park Geon-hee he's a superstar," she introduced herself, it was evident as she can beat off any supermodel when it'll come to fashion her hair were dyed brown and curled those were reaching the middle of her back, school dress it was following over her each curves her black striped stilettos, were matching those black dangling diamond earrings of her.
"I'm Kim Da-eun, you must have heard about Royal Jewelers, we own that company," the other one introduce herself and extended her hand to shake, a blue diamond was shining over her first finger, claiming her powers over you. It most certainly hid her beauty and those dark brown eyes shined bright when she'd talk to you with a professional smile an eloquent she was. She must've learnt her etiquette from Victorian women.
"Huh," I mumbled, shaking her hands.
"What about you?" they asked, rolling their eyes.
"I'm Lee Dasom, my father is a lawyer," I replied, with a shaky smile.
"Lawyer!" Yoo-jung scoffed. "That's new," she added.
"Partner or a representing lawyer of which firm," Yoo-jung asked, folding her hands against her body.
"Uh…, it's an American firm," I replied, blinking hard.
"Huh, that's why," Da-eun replied, running her eyes down towards me.
"Why did you transfer to the school in the middle of the semester?" Yoo-jung asked, widening her eyes.
"Nothing special," I replied, with a forced smile looking at the floor.
"Don't do this gal, we're friends we won't tell anyone," Yoo-jung continued with flattery, trying to imitate an American accent.
"Yaah! If your introduction is over, why don't you just shut up, eh!" a guy, who was sitting on the first seat of the adjacent row berated us.
I looked above, he was already staring at us. Our eyes met, it was as trivial as one could think. He looked down avoiding my gaze.
He was a trap, the Greek god of beauty and sin, his brown eyes were lifeless. The blazer which he rolled up above his sleeves was showing his platinum watch and those short black hairs were combed back.
"The class hasn't even started," Yoo-jung replied, turning to him.
"You should know who to against uh, don't you be smart if my ranking dropped today because of you," he announced, looking directly at her.
"Very well," Yoo-jung left, exhaling heavily as she tried hard to control her anger, they were not tantamount.
"That's Park Hyun-woo, don't mind him, he's just an amenable student," Da-eun said discreetly.
"Huh," I mumbled, again showing my disinterest.
"See you later," Da-eun replied, and moved back to her seat.
I left the room quietly putting my hands in the pocket of my blazer and taking the stairs to the terrace.
"I should've prepared for these questions, what a beginning?" I thought with a downturned head and opened the wooden door of the terrace.
The breeze was cold there, a guy whose back was visible in the slight fog had filled the air with the smoke of his cigarette. He was tall and athletic and was quite busy thumping the ground with his shoes. I moved quietly toward the edge of the roof terrace and rested my hands over the glass panels of the balcony rails and started to look down.
The hallways were filled with students who were talking, laughing and running around as they had no worries, and knew no boundaries.
"Life can be mean," I smirked.
"Didn't someone tell you, that not everyone can get here," I heard a voice after me?
"What?" I veered, narrowing my gaze and turned to him. His black eyes were contrasting with his bright face which was shining like a cursed full moon.
"Restricted space," he said, throwing the cigarette butt on the ground and crushing it with his white sneakers.
"Huh, thanks for the information," I replied, and turned back.
"Yes, and that means get-out," he said, after me.
"I'm not in a good mood, why don't we talk later about this uh," I argued, with a sigh and turned towards him.
"Yaah! Don't you hear me you're running mine now, huh" he shouted.
"But I think you've to leave now," he said, grabbing the collar of my blazer tightly.
"Now," he said, clearly.
"Let go, off me," I asked, looking directly into his eyes.
"You seem to be mistaken, love!"
"But you do what I say this is my school?" he insisted, maintaining eye contact.
"And I-don't-care," I said, grabbing his hand, and throwing him on the ground, arching his body in the air.
He groaned hardly as soon as he fell to the ground.
"I grew up with men like you, Uber-elite or what they are same," I said.
"And don't ever lay your hand on me again I hate it to death," I adviced fixing my collars,and left him there.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?" he shouted after me.
"Uh, it was nice meeting you too," I said and slammed the door after me.
"Come back you bitch," his voice faints slowly as I stepped down the stairs.
"So let's get you introduced to our new student, come here," Ms Ruby Lee called my name. She is a middle-aged historian and our homeroom teacher.
"This is Lee Dasom, nice to meet you all," I said and moved back to my seat.
"That was indeed an extremely short introduction, any hobbies, any dreams," she asked, shrugging her shoulders.
"No…," I replied, sharply.
she relinquished easily.
"Fine, let's get the class started then," she said and moved after a white podium.
Lee Woo-jin entered the class without permission, breathing furiously, causing the upheaval.
"What's with him?" This dialogue started to run around, proscriptions Ms Ruby's advice to focus on.
"What the hell happened to you," Song Hera asked, moving to Lee Woo-jin whose knuckles were scratched and bleeding.
"Who did this?" Hera shouted, turning towards the class holding his hand.
"This is class Hera later," Ms Ruby insisted.
"Can't you see he's bleeding, he is playing at 'French Culture Week' this month, it is the most important thing now," she argued, holding his arm?
She was a chic and haughty heiress, you can't help but feel intimidated.
"Don't worry about Hera! The one who did this will pay for it," Woo-jin continued, taking his hand out of her grip, and moving up to the platform.
"You've one week come back to the terrace and ask for your apology very sincerely, or else consider yourself sued, for millions at least," he announced, meeting my eyes and moving back to his seat which was behind Hera's.
The whole class started discussing instinctively, how someone could hit him at his school.
"Well interesting turns of events, I'm doomed," I thought with a sigh and hid my face under my book.
***
"You're not going to the cafeteria," Yoo-jung asked, during lunch.
"No, I don't have an appetite" I replied, and opened the history book, after sneaking up on Woo-jin, who was busy with his cell along Hera. They shared a giggle.
"My head hurts, things aren't supposed to go this way," I sighed.
"Is studying that important," Won asked, turning towards my seat.
"Shouldn't you be practising how you're gonna apologize," Woo-jin said, moving to my desk as Hera left along Da-eun?
"You're desperate when it's just starting," I replied, turning to him and closing my book.
"You don't understand, you would have noticed before noon to help you think through this, I think charges of 50 million Won, would be great, or you could rather apologize, I'll back off easy and interesting," he replied.
"Well your family's level is degrading lately, they can't even get a simple apology and fifty million is very suitable to your worth," Hyun-woo commented, standing from his seat while putting his hands in the pocket of his black pants.
"And you're the one concerned about someone's worth in their family, and don't mess around unless you want to apologize instead," Woo-jin replied, turning to him.
"Why don't you try?" he said and left the class.
"After her," Woo-jin replied, gazing at me with a forced smile.
"I'm looking forward to it," I said, meeting directly his gaze.
"My job will be done here in a week."
"Otherwise the apology would be very expensive for both of us," I thought, looking at him with a smile.