The Sunyang Affair

2.1

After having stayed in Korea for some time, there were different things that Ha Rin had learned. These lessons were made easier by attending intensive language learning classes to teach her Korean, so that she would actually understand the conversations around her and not only snippets. 

First, there were not many people here who looked like her here. There were barely any people with skin as dark as hers or hair as coily as her own. Even though there were not many dark skinned people in Switzerland as well at least she saw them every now and then and it made people stare at her less. It was hard for Ha Rin to be invisible, when she desperately tried to hide her sadness and yearning for her parents. People stared and at times she did not know whether it was because of the family that was now taking care of her or because of how she looks. The only thing she did know was that even though she tried to hide, there were still eyes on her. 

Secondly, nothing in this world is for free. Even though she knew that Jin Yang Chul is a businessman, she had not realized to what extend that exactly was. Nothing he did was without anything in return, be it for his children and wife or herself. The reason, he was taking care of her was because of a promise her parents had made to him, a guarantee of sorts. In the event that something happened to them, he would take care of her. In return, she would, when she was of age, gift him one of their assets with a minimum worth of 10 million USD of her choice. Meaning that how much he would get out of her, greatly depended on how much he could get her to care for him. 

There were other terms and conditions. Such as Anna having to graduate from a high level university with at least a Master's degree, her not having any major mental and physical health concerns and her choosing the asset, she would give him  in front of a witness, known to their family. Most importantly, she has to be capable and prove herself to take over the family business. There would be enough money sent to cover for her living expenses every month. 

If it was only that, Jin Yang Chul would not be taking such good care of her. He would not be personally tracking her progress in the Korean language, let her sit next to him for all events and attend all meetings that were not highly sensitive. Since she would be the heir to all the assets left behind by her parents, she would be taking a lot of decisions concerning how and where the money flowed to. That  means that, if Jin Yang Chul bound her tight enough to the Soonyang Group and the Jin family, the Soonyang would be able to make use of the vast global connections that belonged to the von Battenburg family. 

This put Ha Rin on an edge while it also relieved her at the same thing. She did not know what was more frightening someone taking care of her with an agenda hidden from her or knowing that she was nothing but a tool to further his business. Ha Rin would occasionally wake up at night frightened and gasping for air. 

It did not help that she had earned the attention of the rest of the Jin family. They had already been watching her from the moment, she entered the family home and  had taken on the the name Jin Ha Rin. It was tame at the beginning until somehow the information about her family background leaked. They could not wait to sway her young mind to their side. Seeing how wealthy her family was, how she was the only heir and how young she is, they wanted to manipulate her to their side. Having her on their side meant having a big backer in succeeding the Soonyang Group. The options they would have and the doors that would open, if she chose to side with any of them, seemed infinite. 

The different branches would try different methods in order to get her and observe her. Jin Dong Ki tried to bind her to their side by organising playdates with Jin Ye Jun for her. She would often go out with her shopping and going to museums and theme parks. If they become best friends, Ha Rin would look favorably on the second branch of the family and give them their support. 

Jin Young Ki was more devious. He tried to matchmake young Ha Rin with Jin Seong Jun. Jin Seong Jun would often accompany her for her language classes and help her with assignment, pick her up from her classes and be a reliable shoulder for her. Jin Young Ki had it all planned out, Jin Seong Jun would first be a kind brother like figure to her that she could rely on and when they got a little older these feelings that were cultivated in the early years would evolve to become romantic. They would get married and by then their interests would be aligned and it would solidify Jin Young Ki's and Jin Seong Jun's positions respectively. 

It had to be said that Jin Dong Ki and Jin Hwa Young were envious about Jin Young Ki having a son and thus being the only branch that could effectively and tightly bind Ha Rin to themselves. Jin Hwa Young tried to be a sister like figure toward Ha Rin in order to stand out from the first and second branch that were trying to be mother like figures towards Ha Rin besides their primary plans. She would often accompany Ha Rin shopping and would gossip with her. With Ha Rin on her side, Jin Hwa Young would no longer be in the shadow of her brothers when it came to the family business. 

With Ha Rin accompanying Jin Yang Chul for most of his business meetings and seeing how much he seemingly cared for her, their intention to mind Ha Rin by their side grew even more. This is when Ha Rin learned her third and final lesson, that shook her world view. This family was too different from her own. They were strict towards each other and schemed against each other. In order not to become a puppet moving at their will, Ha Rin had to become cunning. Otherwise she and the assets her family left behind would be swallowed whole by the Jin family. 

She would follow Jin Yang Chul and learn as much from him as possible. She would make herself indispensable for him, so he would not easily sell her out to his children. It was also a way to protect herself and affirm her decision, who better to learn cunningness and greed from than the most cunning and greedy of them all, Jin Yang Chul. 

She would go on playdates with Jin Ye Jun to learn as much as she could from the second branch. She would let Jin Seong Jun take care of her in order to grow faster. She would go shopping with Jin Hwa Young to here all the gossip about the family members. She would do all this while keeping herself at a distance. After all keep your friends close and your enemies closer. 

It was easier said than done. Ha Rin would occasionally slip up and reveal too much. It was difficult to keep oneself at a distance while approaching others. She would talk about her interests, friends and family. She would play dumb and never get too deep into her own feelings or the extend of their family business. The change in herself would frighten Ha Rin. She saw how she slowly morphed into one of the Jin family members and while she did not like it, she was too weak and dependent on them to have any other options. 

She lived life as one of them to survive until one day a boy stood in the way of Jin Yang Chul as they were making their way to the Medal Reward Ceremony. He stood still with his eyes wide open, as he looked at both Jin Yang Chul and herself. He was her age, maybe a little younger. She did not know him but had gotten used by the stares she would receive by now. He slowly touched Jin Yang Chul's jacket, before looking back at her. He continued doing so until an older woman presumably his mother called him out and pulled him to her. "Do Jun"

(1449 Words)

Author's Note: Happy New Year everyone!!