Alexander Cho is the handsome only son of one of the biggest conglomerates in South Korea. But his world violently spins into darkness after he is forced to split up with his foreigner lover and contend with the shocking crimes of his family's busin...
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12th
Dear Diary,
A few minutes after Alice and I landed in the Incheon airport, Alice had expressed her regrets about not eating before we left home early that morning. My poor girlfriend was too busy working on her assignments on the plane that she didn't have anything to eat. So of course, I had the foresight to have the flight attendants prepare food for her to go while she was sleeping.
"Alex, your phone's been ringing for the past five minutes. Don't you think it could be an important call?" Alice murmurs to me as we head towards the baggage claim. Thankfully, we had arrived in Incheon on time: I've had issues in the past flying with first class getting to Korea on time because of delays. That's usually why to come, my parents would order a private plane to avoid the hassle. However, to avoid raising suspicion about my relationship with Alice, I went with avoiding taking their private plane. The goal was to keep this as low-key as possible until the evening of the gala.
Then the plan would be complete.
"No worries, jagiya." I readjust my shades and force a smile that I'm hoping to God is convincing. I calmly gesture towards the food court. "We should find a place to sit so you can eat."
Alice doesn't take the bait of my gentle distraction. "Babe, I'm just worried it could be your parents and I don't want them to get angry with you."
I slow to halt in the middle of the airport. Alice stops as well. Meanwhile, a couple with two children scuttling at their sides skirt around us, one a girl and the other a boy, sending cursory glances towards Alice and I.
"엄마, 저 여자 왜 저렇게 생겼지?" I hear one of the couple's children—the boy—ask. He couldn't have been more than seven years old, with ears too large for his face and stuffy cheeks that told me that his parents most likely gave him whatever he wanted and when. In the brief moment that the little boy glances back, I see curiosity—fascination, even.
*Mommy, why does she look like that?
But the mom yanks back the boy, snuffing out the excitement beginning to rise. She sends a perturbed look Alice"s way as if it's her fault for drawing the boy's attention. But as soon as she sees me glaring, she hurries on with her husband, never looking back.
I turned to look at Alice. If she'd been affected by the event, she didn't appear so. "You're worrying again, Alice. We said no more worries as soon as we land." I take out my phone to promptly shut off the power in front of her. The caller ID has no name as I never bothered saving Seong Jae's number in my phone, but I recognized the numbers scrolling across the screen as coming from her new phone. "It's no one important. I promise."
It's too bad I couldn't block her, for want of raising my father's suspicion. But that wouldn't stop me from continuing to ignore her calls.
