Inheritance [M.T]

chapter one

The skies were tinted cotton candy pink as the sun began to set. It was like she'd always been stuck in her own realm of imagination, never really paying attention to the people around her. That's Kim Aerin for you. Your typical asian who always had a book with her, as well as her phone and earpiece. She never really was the type to reach out to people. For she came to realise how cruel the world was, at a very young age. Her mother left her the moment she realised that her low-paying job could not feed both her own daughter and her drug addiction. And now, the lady's off with a man who had an income twice of that of her ex-husband's, Aerin's father.

Regardless, she never put the blame on anyone. Aerin wasn't someone who could properly display her emotions. Or to present them to other people without feeling afraid. Afraid of being hurt, afraid of being used, like her mother had done to her. The nights where she found her room in a mess. the small glass jar that was once filled up to the brim with coins, now shattered, with only its glass shards as its remains. But she never gave up. And neither did her father. Aerin's father remarried to a woman who had a son, with her ex husband. Their stories were frighteningly similar. Their backgrounds were messy, complicated to the point where they wanted to leave. And so they did. Years after they remarried, they chose to move to South Korea. Specifically, Seoul. The city that easily attracts tourisms in packs of thousands yearly.

Life here was way easier than it was in America. Though the stereotypes seemed to have embedded themselves into her head, she convinced herself that it was just an Asian America. Just, not as troubling because of her past that she had chosen to let go. A few months after they had moved, her now step brother was scouted by a talent agency. Then recognised by one of the largest entertainment companies in South Korea. JYP Entertainment. Her brother, Jackson Wang.

"Psst.. Aerin!" A familiar voice whispered as a paper ball hit her side. She turns over, running a hand through her hair as brushes it away from her face, furrowing her eyebrows, placing the stack of books that were in her arms, back unto the book trolley. There, her eyes met with her brother's, along with six other guys who were seated at a table altogether. She lets out a soft huff, taking off one side of her earpiece as she walked over to the table, nodding her head, gesturing for him to carry on with whatever it is he had to say. "Meet my friends. This is Jinyoung, Jaebum, Youngjae, Yugyeom, BamBam and Mark." Her eyes trailed along as her stepbrother named each and everyone of them.

They all seemed to have distinct features that differentiated themselves from each other. For example, for Youngjae, it was his otter-like appearance that was decently adorable. As for Jaebum, it was his narrow eyes that made him look a slight bit intimidating, which was soon eliminated the minute he smiled. BamBam, who had child-like features, but dressed so maturely. Then Yugyeom, who has a heart-like facial structure and a bright smile that accompanied his voice that made it obvious that he was the youngest. Then there was Jinyoung who smiled with his eyes, little wrinkles forming at its sides as he waved, looking up from his book. Lastly, there was Mark. He seemed soft spoken. His eyes were.. well, beautiful. There wasn't much that Aerin could have identified, for the male's gaze  was more so fixated on his phone than anything else.

"Why are you here?" Aerin asked with a sigh, her eyes trailing back over to her brother. "Well.. We need your help with this song-" Mark's phone cuts off Jackson as it began to vibrate out of control. "It's Grandma. Gotta go. I'll see you guys tomorrow." He says simply, shoving his phone into his pocket before he pushed in the chair and left the store. His voice left an impression on her, that he was truly the one who was intimidating. "It's for our next album. And we need some lyrics." Jaebum spoke up, finishing what Jackson had started. But her attention was carried away at the fact that she was never really acknowledged by the eldest male. "Jackson told us that you were pretty good with words. And so, we wanted to give it a shot and ask you for help." Jinyoung said, adding on to their request.

Absentmindedly, she agrees with a nod. "Text me whatever it is you need. I'll get it dome after work." With that, she left the table, bowing to Jackson's remaining friends as she went back to pushing around the book trolley.

Rude.

It was clear that the girl had minimal patience for this. Maybe she was used to her mother treating her this way. But never had she ever experienced this from another person. She was annoyed, more so than angry. It was upsetting. Aerin had the habit of overthinking on a lot of things. She felt that it made her seem more normal. More sane, if she thought things through thoroughly. But with this, came an unhealthy habit.

She immediately shakes her head, as if that would help her get rid of her current thoughts. She let out a soft sigh, letting her time drag on at the bookstore before it was finally time to leave for home. And just her luck, it was raining. With an annoyed groan, she walks to the bus stop with her phone in her pocket, earpiece still attached, untangling her flannel from her waist, covering her head with head. She stands there, clueless as to what she was going to do. She looked down to her watch, seeing that bus intervals were always inaccurate during this time. She could feel her phone vibrating in her pocket because of messages probably coming from her Father and Step mother.

It was right there, that her life changed forever. With a firm tug, she crashed into someone's chest, now under an umbrella. She hears a soft chuckle as her heart began to pound with fear, as her eyes widened once the grip the stranger had on her wrist tightened. She looks up, to meet the eyes of a familiar man. "Mark? What are you doing?" She asked, struggling to break free from his grasp. "Listen, there are agents all around us. I need you to pretend. I'll drive you home and explain everything. Walk with me like you love me." He whispered these harsh words like bullets out of a gun, while maintaining a soft gaze. Out of fear she obliges, letting him plant a kiss on her forehead before he joins their hands, walking her to his car.

What did she just get herself into?