Thirsty

Park Jimin

         "Honey, I hope you try your best to make friends. I'm going to miss you so much, my baby." My eomma hugs me tight as she cries.
I hate this.
I don't want to leave my home and my family but I know as well as my parents that this is my only chance at attending a high class academy. We're too poor to even think of not taking this scholarship.
         I'm honestly not sure why I received the scholarship to the unknown university to begin with but eomma told me not to worry about it. I'm smart enough but not a genius, I'm athletic enough but don't play any sports except for dance. I just don't know why I was chosen out of all my more deserving classmates.
          The thing I hate most is that I'm leaving my home to another town near Seoul all alone. My family can't come with me as I'll be living in a dorm with other students. I tried looking up the name of the academy 'Kim Min Academy' but found nothing. Almost like it doesn't exist but I have my acceptance letter and scholarship papers right in front of me.
Right now I'm at the train station about to leave my life behind for a now uncertain future. It's terrifying. I hug and kiss my parents one last time the board the train that'll take me away from everything I know.
I make myself busy by listening to music and drawing during the 3 hour train ride. When we finally arrive it's almost dark. I exit the station to find a black expensive looking car waiting by the gates. A man in a dark suit and black mask covering his face approaches me as I grip my bags tighter.
"Park Jimin?" The man asks. His voice is raspy and well used. He sounds like a smoker but his complexion-that I can see-is impeccable. He's tall and broad as well unlike me who's short and soft.
"Y-yes." I stutter.
"Right this way, sir. Let me take your bags." He takes my things and leads me into the car. I know I'm not supposed to get into stranger's cars but what else am I supposed to do? I can't stay at the station all night. After I'm situated in the comfortable back seat the man climbs behind the wheel and drives up through a winding road that leads away from the city and towards the dark mountains.
I get more and more anxious as time passes and we still don't arrive. He takes us deep into the forested darkness for what feels like forever but probably just close to an hour. He stops when the road ends and turns off the car. I frown, glancing around to see nothing but blackness and trees. Oh my god! This is where I get murdered in the woods! Eomma! I'm too young to die...
The man gets out as I begin to panic. He comes around and opens my door, motioning for me to get out. I swallow hard and do as told. He takes my bags and just when I think I'm about to get abandoned in the woods, he walks over to a gate I hadn't seen. He unlocks a keypad and types in some kind of code and the gate opens slowly revealing a long walkway.
I follow behind carefully as we walk about 5 minutes to another gate only this one is huge and scary looking. He enters another code and the gate swings open revealing my new home. My jaw drops in shock as I take in the enormous almost gothic like style building that looks a little like a mansion. Statues cover the spotless grounds.

The man continues walking towards the doors and I stumble behind him, still in awe. We walk inside the buildings and our footsteps echo around the empty space as we wind down so many different turns and stairs that I'll never be able to navigate myself. I'll need a permanent map glued to my face in order to make it anywhere.
           Finally we stop and the man knocks on the door. "Madame, our guest student has arrived." He murmurs politely before the door swings open to reveal a stunning woman with a bright smile.