Chaebol: Prince (COMPLETED - 2nd EDITING)

Chapter 2: Reminiscence (AMBW)

Her mind recounted the two most important days in her life. She remembered the first day they met. She remembered the day they arrived at Harvard. They were so young and so inexperienced. Joon's father paid for his tuition and she had an all-expense paid full academic scholarship. The day she received the scholarship letter in the mail, it was like a gift from God.

They never missed a beat. Nearly everything they did from day one was together. She was always afraid of not making the grades she needed to keep the scholarship and she knew that she would never be able to afford to live and attend classes here without financial assistance. Joon was never concerned about money because he was the son of a Chaebol. Even though he was illegitimate, his father made sure he wanted for nothing.

In South Korea, a Chaebol is an extremely powerful and wealthy business magnate usually owned and operated by a family. The Seong Family had ties to exports/imports, grocery chain stores, hotel chains, real estate, retail stores, and internet technologies development. They were one of the top 10 richest families in South Korea.

Even, though Joon was a bastard son, he was the only male heir to the family fortune. The position as heir meant that his life no longer belonged to him, it belonged to the family title and social status. His main job in life was to become well educated, highly successful, and represent the family in an honorable manner.

Kiah played a big part in his actions to become well educated. When everyone else was asleep, she would study an extra two to three hours per night to stay ahead. While other students partied and enjoyed their college years, Kiah sacrificed her fun time and personal life to secure her education. Her sacrifices were not in vain. She was ranked number one in her class because of her tireless dedication to accomplishing her goals. The only person who came close to her GPA was the same person who studied with her, Joon.

Because they had something to accomplish, it was easy to maintain their focus on their goals. With each passing year, they encouraged one another more and more. Not one day passed without Joon by her side. Even though she knew he began to have strong sexual feelings for Kiah when they were in their fifth year of college, he did nothing to become a hindrance to her. She was so thankful to him for not trying to destroy her focus and determination. Her mother was proud of her daughter's accomplishments. Kiah made the Dean's List every year and people began to marvel at how well she performed.

In her fifth year, Kiah started receiving all kinds of sponsorships and scholarships. She was a young, single, childless, African American woman who was making a name for herself as a Harvard student.

She represented the hopes and dreams of many people of color, young and old. Because she was a superstar Harvard student, she was asked to speak on junior high, high school, and some lower college campuses. Kiah spoke at community centers and any place where she could spread a message of hope. She inspired others to shake off the stereotypes about black people being lazy and unable to thrive in academics. She represented a hope for other students to become Harvard graduates.

She shared her struggles and her sacrifices. Kiah encouraged the younger students to set their goals high and never allow anyone to tell them that they could not accomplish a goal because of the color of their skin or their ethnicity or religion. Kiah was on fire. Her dynamic and powerful speeches propelled her during her college career. The growing success of an economically challenged young black woman in an Ivy League college fostered countless encounters with others who were trying to go where she already was. Not too many people took note of the tall lanky young Korean man who was present for every single speech Kiah gave.

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Joon knew his father was only interested in his college successes. His father would not tolerate any level of failure. When Mr. Seong found out Joon placed second in his Master of Business Administration Degree program, he refused to speak to his son for a month. He told Joon he should be embarrassed to place second behind a woman. The next day after the conversation with his father, Joon attempted to use his credit card to pay for his lunch and was told that the card was declined. He was completely humiliated to find that all his spending privileges were suspended.

The look of sadness on his face was heartbreaking. Even though he was in the top 1% of his class, his father was not happy with him. Kiah remembered paying for their lunch and she watched him walk away with his head down.

"Joon, don't beat yourself up. We've been friends for eight years. You've always been there for me when I needed something. I'm glad that I'm finally able to do something for you."

"Kiah, you don't understand. No matter what I do, it's never good enough for my father. He is always looking for a reason to cut me down. I'm so tired of feeling like my life is under his thumb. I'm really tired of him."

"Just remember that pretty soon you will be on your own. When you get a job and start making money, I believe everything will change. Just hold on and don't give up on yourself." She was always so encouraging.

"How do you do that?" He asked in complete surprise.

"What are you talking about?" Kiah smiled.

"You always know what say to make me feel better. I know my life would've been hell if I had never met you. You have been the greatest comfort in my miserable life since I moved to the U.S." Joon replied in his cute quirky way.

"I'm just glad that we've been friends all these years," she smiled.

Thinking about how she was always there for him made every hurt feeling fade away.

*****

Joon and Kiah sat on the couch in his apartment. They reminisced about how much they had accomplished since the first day they met. They spent much of their time helping one another cope with life. They knew everything would soon change so drastically.

She knew Joon would soon return to Seoul. Kiah looked at his face. She didn't know how she would live without him. She could not remember the last time they were apart. Soon she would start her life and she wasn't sure if she would ever see him again.

"Hey, are you ok?" He asked.

"How am I going to live without you?" She couldn't resist the urge to ask.

"I promised you that my going back to Seoul won't change a thing. No matter where I live or work, I will always remember you. You are my best friend. My everything. As soon as I start earning my own money, I will arrange for you to come and spend some time with me in my hometown. I want my family members to know who helped me get through the time I spent away from home." He assured her.

"I think it would be really awesome to travel to South Korea. I just hope your family will feel comfortable with me?" Kiah stated with uncertainty.

"Don't worry about that. When they find out how you protected me, they will be indebted to you." He replied.

"Joon, don't say things like that. Our friendship can't be summed up as a debt. Your family doesn't owe me anything. Friends are supposed to be there for one another regardless." She insisted.

"I still owe you. Before I came to the US, I was so worried about living here. You made my life a breeze." He sighed.

"In that case, we are even because I can say the same about you." Kiah smiled at Joon as she had done many times before. She was so glad to have him as a friend. Joon looked at Kiah's face. He was amazed that she stayed by his side this whole time. He could not believe that such a wonderful and faithful person stayed by his side throughout his entire stay in America.

She was a cute, funny, and sweet woman. Joon was 6'3" tall. He had been tall and lanky his whole life. Kiah was 5' 3". She couldn't be compared to anyone because she was the embodiment of beauty and radiance itself. Joon spent the past couple of years taking note of the fact that the cute young girl he met in high school had blossomed into a beautiful full-figured woman. Her silky cocoa colored skin grabbed his eyes. He always found himself fighting the urge to stare at her and touch her. Every time he looked at her, he felt like his heart would jump out of his chest. He loved her so much.

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