RAINEBELLE STARED AT HERSELF, hard. Her doe-like blue eyes noticed the small blemishes and texture her skin possessed, lingering on a small scar on her right eyebrow. The bright vanity lights burned her eyes frankly but the brunette couldn't be bothered about glancing somewhere else. Branded makeup lay on her vanity table, colourful eyeshadow pallets, lipsticks and mascaras scattered around her. Gloom and doom clouded her mind, which caused her to sigh for the umpteenth time.
"Lisa, I don't want to do to Shinhwa, I didn't even agree to this," she exclaimed, the familiar words escaping her wine-hued lips for the millionth time.
Her makeup artist chuckled at Rainebelle's dramatic attitude, "Some people would kill to go there and your mother specifically ordered you to go." Lisa said as she patted a large fluffy brush against Rainebelle's cheeks, ignoring the brunette's blue eyes and turning into an annoyed glare.
"Well, I am not 'some people.' I don't want to go to a school filled with rich, arrogant, brats who only care about money!" The brunette exclaimed in defeat, red lips turning into an annoyed pout, throwing her head in her hands.
Lisa chuckled, shaking her head fondly at Rainebelle's dramatic attitude that was frankly adorable and annoying. The door suddenly burst open and her fashion stylist walked in, sharing a knowing look with Lisa. Lisa and Taylor were twins, verily like Fred and George from Harry Potter, conjoined to the hip. When one appeared the other always followed.
"Taylor," Rainebelle called out, dramatically throwing her arms up.
"Good thing you came, Belle was driving me crazy!"
Rainebelle threw Lisa a betrayed look, faux hurt entering her blue irises, smacking the blonde twin harshly and ignoring the dramatic gasp of pain. They were always like this with each other; dramatic, sarcastic and never spoke in a straightforward way.
Taylor chuckled and put her hands on Rainebelle's shoulder turning her to look in the mirror again. Depressed blue eyes and green eyes filled with mirth reflected in the mirror. "Why is my little Belle so frustrated?"
Ignoring the mocking tone; the kind you use for misbehaving children, Rainebelle started her long rant, the frustration visible through her voice. "I am going to Shinhwa, starting tomorrow, and it doesn't help the fact, that the paparazzi followed me here." She said angrily, burying her face in her hands.
Fame had been difficult to manage in London, which was where she was living before. People lined up in her school just to catch a glance at her, and everywhere she went, she wasn't left alone. The situation got worse with time and that was one of the reasons for coming to Korea. Her dad was Bulgarian but was raised in London, while her mom was Korean.
The twins sympathetically patted her back, while Rainebelle listed another reason not to go to Shinhwa, "What if the paparazzi disguise themselves as students and don't leave me alone? I don't understand why I can't be homeschooled. What if they are undercover and want to find out my deepest darkest secrets or something?"
"You don't have a dark secret."
"Yeah, your secrets are about as deep as a kiddy pool."
"Missing the point," The Williams heiress threw her hands in the air, throwing an aggravated look at the twins.
Taylor and Lisa shared a look. They would reassure her but honestly, the lengths paparazzi would go through was frankly disturbing. I mean they hid in people's garbage for crying out loud!
An idea formed in Lisa's head. "What if you like to wear a disguise or something? Like an episode of Hannah Montanna?" she voiced, turning the spinning chair around so Rainebelle was facing her.
Rainebelle deadpanned. Seriously? Out of all the lame ideas? This one? Just as she was about to voice her opinion on the utter idiocracy of it all, Taylor beat her to it.
"Honestly that's not the worst idea."
Rainebelle snapped her head to the blonde twin so fast, ignoring the sharp pain that formed on her neck. "Not the worst idea?" she echoed, partly wondering if her ears were working.
"Yeah, I mean think about it," Taylor thoughtfully twirled a blush brush in her pale fingers. "Paparazzi has followed you here from London, and obviously they will be hiding in nasty ass trashcans trying to find a brunette with blue eyes, and a disguise comes into the equation, they'll never know!"
The brunette rolled her eyes back so hard, she was partly concerned they would be stuck that way, "You mean like wigs and stuff right? Spoiler alert, wigs don't make you completely unrecognisable, I mean it's just like a celebrity getting their hair dyed. It's not that dramatic."
Lisa sighed deeply, acting as if Rainebelle was unable to understand a concept so simple. "Look, paparazzi don't know when and where you will be. I mean we have fired those moles earlier too. So they need to be on the lookout for the entirety of Seoul, and if you even look slightly well not like yourself, they won't even glance at you."
Rainbelle parted her lips and then closed them again, silently contemplating her choices. If she were to go to school normally, who knew what the paparazzi would do, but if she wore a disguise, and the chances of colliding with the paparazzi slightly decreased, well why shouldn't she? Despite thinking it was a lubricious plan, Rainebelle found herself parting her lips and letting out a sound of begrudging agreement.
Soon Rainebelle looked nothing like herself. Her brown hair was replaced with a silky straight red coloured wig that fell past her shoulders, and her blue eyes were hidden away, green contacts covering them. Little chocolate dotes spread across her pale face, on her nose on her pale cheeks.
Lisa was currently checking different frames for glasses, Rainebelle supposed to really 'seal the deal'. Once the light pink, translucent glasses with no power were on the brunette now redhead was surprised; she did look like herself when one really focused on her face but with one glace. . .the paparazzi wouldn't even dream of it.
"See now no one will recognize you." The twins both said in unison which was a thing they did a lot.
Rainebelle stared at her reflection.
¤¸¸.•'¯'•¸¸.•..>>
A boy raised with shaky fingers, a key clutched tightly. His mind was raising with his heart pumping loudly, he could have sworn his heart beating echoed in the halls. It didn't help the fact that all the other students were staring at him. Without wanting to, he opened his locker, his heart thumping with anticipation. He wished that he could hide his locker so, the students wouldn't be able to see what was inside.
There standing in its pride and glory was a skull. The dark abyss it had for eyes, wasn't any darker than the fate of the poor boy. The red colour reminded him of blood, and how much blood he was going to be leaking out of his beaten body when the students were done with him.
"Oh my, Min Ha! What are we gonna do with you?" A boy asked with fake sympathy, patting Min Ha's back. It was undoubtedly the most gentle touch he was gonna receive tonight.
He almost fell to the ground right then and there. No one was gonna save him from his cursed fate tonight, instead, all the students would be laughing and mocking him. The students got another amount of satisfaction from torturing him, so why would they help him? He looked outside the window, to see a girl with blood-red hair outside, the sunlight hit and she almost looked like an angel. He wished she was an angel sent here to save him but that would have been wishful thinking.
"You bastard!" The pretty boy shouted bringing him out of his thoughts, as if Min Ha had done something blasphemous.
The pretty boy shoved him towards two other guys. This was it, he was gonna die tonight, he wondered if anyone would miss him, probably his brother and mother would. The girl from earlier came into his thoughts. He could imagine her, putting a flower on his gravestone, with her eyes watery. What was he thinking? He didn't even know her.
Punches were thrown all over his body, and remembering the red-headed girl, he got a sudden burst of energy in his heart. He knew he was gonna die tonight so why not at least know the name of the girl before he does? Like a prey running from a predator, he ran.
"Get him!"
"Let's go!" The boys shouted.
¤¸¸.•'¯'•¸¸.•..>>
THE SCHOOL itself was grand; almost like a mansion. The school stretched for miles, even acres, with grand marble-stoned buildings that shone like an angel when the light hit, the perfectly paved roads that didn't seem to have even a scratch on them, tall neatly trimmed hedges, an array of reds and browns added greenery to the atmosphere.
Rainebelle or Belle as she was going to go by in her disguise, lingered around the entrance, a nervous buzz lingering in her stomach. In the yonder, a helicopter flew over, the loud sound irritating Belle's ears. The redhead was surprised to look at a group of girls squeal as it did so, rushing about in an unknown direction.
Belle (boy, that was going to take some time to get used to) wondered if she should have chosen a different name, momentarily glancing up at the sky in thought. Just as she was about to take another step, a loud screech made the redhead jump back.
Wide brown eyes stared at her in horror, small strands of hair dishevelled, and falling on her eyes from her neatly trimmed straight bangs. She jumped down from her faded pink bicycle, crinkling the plastic bag which held gym clothes.
"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," The girl said frantically, bowing her head.
The pale girl seemed to be too apologetic, and Belle lost count of how many times she bowed. Belle let out a chuckle, trying to make the girl more comfortable, as she placed a hand on her shoulder.
"It's okay, please calm yourself."
"I'm sorry..." The girl continued, her nerves getting the best of her. "I... I checked my watch, and almost crashed into you... I-I'm sorry, "
"Accidents happen," Belle smiled warmly at her, and when the sunlight hit her, a hallo-like structure formed on her head. "You are?"
"Geum Jandi," The girl muttered, slightly dazed by the redhead.
"It's nice to meet you. I'm...Belle,"
Jandi nervously smiled, shifting her weight from one foot to another. "Do you know where I can deliver these clothes to Lee Min Ha? "
The girl shook her head indicating she didn't know, Jandi let out a sigh of frustration.
Belle glanced at Jandi for a moment, before brightening and shuffling through her purse. She picked out a pamphlet given to her when she was registered in the school. She flipped through the pages in a hurry before handing it to Jandi.
"Here, this might help you,"
Jandi's jaw almost dropped to the floor, eyes bulging out like a fish, as she flipped through the pages, eyeing the school's great exterior, and all of the facilities the lavish school offered to its rich students.
Belle stared at Jandi, amusement filling her body. She looked like a child in a candy store, eyeing the delicious sugary treats.
"I'm new here too," the redhead continued, trying to make small talk. "Um, maybe we could walk together? Until you find Min Ha?"
Jandi's eyes snapped to Belle, unable to believe her ears as she slowly nodded her head. She thought Shinwa would be filled with rich, arrogant brats that had their beds filled with their riches, hearts filled with greed and arrogance but...Jandi was pleasantly surprised to find out she was wrong.
They walked together, Jandi's hand on her bicycle as she led it. Students stared and pointed, clearly because Jandi didn't look like she belonged there and looked at Belle with awe.
Jandi tried to hold her head high, ignoring the judgement stares and Belle offhandedly put her arm around her shoulder, making the shorter brunette almost jump. Jandi gave Belle a grateful look, sheepishly bowing her head, the heat making its way to her cheeks.
They passed by classrooms which were polished and clean, mahogany desks gleaming in the sunlight which had no blemish; a sight unbelievable to Jandi's eyes, all too familiar with her own classrooms with scribbled walls and desk which had stretches, pen and marker marks. They passed the enormous gym area, filled with all the things you could possibly need, so unlike Jandi's own school which could barely afford a couple of basketballs.
A magnificent smell made Jandi's mouth water and her feet automatically made their way there. Belle glanced at Jandi in surprise before following her. She gaped open-mouthed at the scenery in front of her. The cafeteria didn't resemble a cafeteria in the slightest. There was delicious food, all prepped like a five-star restaurant on gleaming silverware and white plates. It was nothing like the cafeteria in her old school, where you had to push and shove your way past sweaty people and would be lucky to make it there before the bell rang.
There were all sorts of cream cakes, and chocolates for dessert all on display like how it would be at a bakery. Jandi forcefully swallowed her spit, before turning to the redhead.
"Is this a school?" Jandi asked, brown eyes wide with awe. Belle suppressed a smile forming on her lips and nodded gently, thoroughly enjoying Jandi's presence and reactions.
The serene quietness that blanketed the cafeteria suddenly disappeared, a sudden chatter emerging between the students.
"Hey! The roof! The rooftop!"
"Lee Min Ha is at the rooftop now!"
"What? Really?"
"Is he putting on some kind of show?"
"No, he's covered with blood."
"Oh?"
Belle furrowed her eyebrows, not quite understanding what they were talking about.
"Lee Min Ha?" Jandi repeated, in confusion before a light bulb turned on in her head. "Lee Min Ha!" she exclaimed, sprinting into a run and disappearing from Belle's side.
Belle raised an arm to stop her, but the girl had already vanished, almost as if she was not there at all. The redhead let her slender fingers develop into a fist and drop to her side, letting out a deep sigh. It was inevitable that they would part and yet it felt colder once Jandi left. Chalking it up to her attachment issues, Belle forced her feelings away. People moved from her side, rushing in what seemed to be in the same direction as...Jandi? But...why?
Eventually, curiosity got the best of her and her feet padded away, following the enormous crowd of students. They climbed up maybe two sets of marble titled steps, and Belle wondered why the students in front of her, picked out their latest phones from their latest designer bags, eyes glinting with devilish amusement. They made it to the enormous rooftop and the crowd of students gathered all had their phones up like the paparazzi, with wide smiles of amusement and eyes like the devil.
Belle's gaze slowly travelled from them to a student standing dangerously close to the edge. Taking a closer look at the boy, Belle realized that he looked badly beaten and bruised. Blood was dripping down his forehead, and nose, eyes gleaming with a determined expression as he regarded the crowd coldly.
Jandi stood in front of him, telling him something. Just then, the boy let himself go, falling down the ledge to his death.
.
.
.
.
Well, he tried anyway. Just before he lost consciousness, he felt not two but four arms on his shoulders, making him dangle from the dangerous drop.
¤¸¸.•'¯'•¸¸.•..>>
SMALL VAPOURS were emitted from the tea held in Rainebelle's grasp. She slowly blew on it before taking a sip, sighing in pleasure, regarding the weather outside. She was out of her disguise; back to her real self, which made her feel a hundred times lighter.
The weather outside was pleasant, with luminescent rays of the sun reflecting off the greens of the trees and grass. The Williams mansion which stretched for miles, all gleamed as a result. The yonder stretched above them, a dreamy blue colour with white clouds that floated gracefully.
The door was thrown upon and Belle glanced up in surprise, placing the cup on the coffee table. Lisa barged in, a frantic look on her pale features. Her hands held a buddle piece of newspaper that she almost threw on the table, making it shake.
"Lisa, what are you doing?"
Lisa unfolded the newspaper and almost shoved it on Belle's face. Belle almost jumped back in surprise before her blue irises focused, on reading the title of the news article.
𝕭𝖗𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝕮𝖔𝖒𝖒𝖔𝖓 𝕾𝖙𝖚𝖉𝖊𝖓𝖙, 𝖂𝖍𝖔 𝖎𝖘 𝕾𝖍𝖊? 𝕬𝖗𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖔𝖈𝖗𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖈 𝕰𝖑𝖎𝖙𝖊 𝕾𝖈𝖍𝖔𝖔𝖑 𝕾𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖍𝖜𝖆 𝕳𝖎𝖌𝖍 𝕾𝖈𝖍𝖔𝖔𝖑'𝖘 𝕸𝖚𝖗𝖉𝖊𝖗?
Rainebelle didn't understand what was so upsetting about this article, it wasn't as if--. She spoke too soon. The next line in bold writing stated.
𝕳𝖊𝖗𝖔𝖎𝖈 𝕾𝖍𝖎𝖍𝖓𝖜𝖆 𝖘𝖙𝖚𝖉𝖊𝖓𝖙. 𝖂𝖍𝖔 𝖎𝖘 𝖘𝖍𝖊? 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖌𝖎𝖗𝖑 𝖜𝖍𝖔 𝖜𝖊𝖓𝖙 𝖆𝖌𝖆𝖎𝖓𝖘𝖙 𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝖈𝖑𝖆𝖘𝖘𝖒𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖘 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖘𝖆𝖛𝖊𝖉 𝖍𝖎𝖒.
Well, the article continued, and she saw Geum Jandi and herself in the article when they were trying to save the boy. The whole point of the disguise was to not draw attention to herself but that failed miserably. It was a good thing that her face wasn't too clear, otherwise, she would have to deal with a new line of conspiracy theory articles. It would have headlines like 𝖂𝖍𝖔 𝖎𝖘 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖌𝖎𝖗𝖑, 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖜𝖍𝖞 𝖉𝖔𝖊𝖘 𝖘𝖍𝖊 𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖐 𝖊𝖝𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖑𝖞 𝖑𝖎𝖐𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖕𝖔𝖕𝖚𝖑𝖆𝖗 𝖘𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖊𝖗 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖘 𝕽𝖆𝖎𝖓𝖊𝖇𝖊𝖑𝖑𝖊 𝖂𝖎𝖑𝖑𝖎𝖆𝖒𝖘? or if they want to do more scandalous articles then it would have been something like 𝕮𝖔𝖚𝖑𝖉 𝕽𝖆𝖎𝖓𝖊𝖇𝖊𝖑𝖑𝖊 𝖂𝖎𝖑𝖑𝖎𝖆𝖒𝖘 𝖕𝖔𝖘𝖘𝖎𝖇𝖑𝖞 𝖑𝖎𝖛𝖊 𝖆 𝖉𝖔𝖚𝖇𝖑𝖊 𝖑𝖎𝖋𝖊? 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖘 𝖘𝖊𝖊𝖒𝖊𝖉 𝖙𝖔 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖙𝖆𝖐𝖊𝖓 𝖎𝖓𝖘𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 𝖋𝖗𝖔𝖒 𝕳𝖆𝖓𝖓𝖆𝖍 𝕸𝖔𝖓𝖙𝖆𝖓𝖓𝖆. 𝕭𝖚𝖙, 𝖜𝖍𝖞?
"The whole point of this disguise was not to draw attention to yourself!" Lisa said in frustration.
"Well look at it this way...I saved a student..." Belle added albeit it was a weak defence.
Lisa glanced at her, calming down ever so slightly. "Yeah, good on you for that."
"Thanks."
An awkward silence enveloped the room, and both the girls suddenly ran out of words to say.
"Tea?" Belle offered.
"Yeah sure," Lisa nodded.
¤¸¸.•'¯'•¸¸.•..>>
BELLE rushed through the grounds of the school, hurriedly tying her hair in a messy ponytail. She adjusted the bag carelessly thrown over her shoulder, and just then crashed into someone, making the person drop their belongings.
The redhead tried not to frown; she was already getting late for class and now on top of that, this happened? It seemed like the forces above didn't want her to attend her classes. She knelt down, carefully adjusting her skirt and picked up what seemed to be the school pamphlet... A new student? she guessed, before standing up and her eyes met with familiar brown ones.
"Oh...Jandi?"
"Yeah, forgive me for bumping into you," Jandi bowed.
"It's okay. I didn't expect to see you here," Belle walked beside Jandi, tightening her ponytail and quickly applying lipgloss on her lips.
"Yeah well...it's kind of a long story," Jandi admitted sheepishly, keeping her head down.
Belle wasn't stupid. There were numerous articles, magazines and news reporters all publicizing and emphasizing the suicide attempt that occurred at Shinwa, thereby ruining the image of an organisation that so obviously fostered only the rich and wealthy, the news spread like wildfire destroying the image of a clean, pristine and polished school it tried to make itself out of be. A place where the rich were free to be themselves, without any consequences, hearts like monsters that lacked empathy, hiding behind the Shinwa School tag.
Perhaps it was Mrs Kang, the school principal's way of trying to calm the fire. Although Belle couldn't quite wrap her head around how inviting the girl who bravely helped a fellow Shinwa student would help, it could...maybe?
"Well, where are you going?" Belle asked.
"Oh um, the swimming pool."
"Well I have to get to my English class, so maybe I will see you later?"
Jandi nodded eagerly, a bright smile on her face. They parted there, Belle rushing towards her classroom.
She opened the mahogany door, fully prepared to receive the stares of her peers and her teacher but was surprised to find...no one?
Huh, this was strange. It was ten minutes past the time class was supposed to start.
"You won't find anyone here," a voice said, shattering the silence that blanketed the classroom. Belle startled, turned towards the source of the voice to find pretty brown eyes staring into hers. She was shorter than Belle and had a head full of the prettiest curly locks of hair Belle had ever seen.
With a bright smile, the girl sauntered her way in front of Belle. "I'm Jin Sohee. It looks like you are in the same class as me."
"Hey, I'm Belle," The redhead introduced herself, slightly dazed as she glanced around her surroundings. Empty desks stared back at her, devoid of any human presence.
"All of the others are outside, waiting for F4's entrance."
"F4?" Belle repeated in confusion, tilting her head curiously. The name didn't ring a bell in her head, the unfamiliar word sounding more like some time of a boy band.
"Yeah, F4, don't tell me you don't know them?" Sohee tilted her head, her pale features morphing into curiosity.
"I don't know them," Belle shook her head. "Should I?"
"I wish I could throw this at their faces, a girl who doesn't know them!" the classroom echoed with chuckles. "Bet it could calm their ridiculous egos. No worries. I'll show you!"
There was a huge crowd gathering at one of the entrances. The students were talking animatedly, acting as if a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was happening. Girls animatedly whispered with one another, giggling with rosy cheeks while the boys just stood there. Sohee held Belle's hands in hers, leading her somewhere in between the crowd, stares following them as they did so.
Dead silence enveloped the atmosphere suddenly, the girls turning more and more eager as each second went on.
The glass doors to the school opened, in slow motion, four boys waltzing in, acting as if they owned the school. In the front of the group was a tall boy, with hair that was perfectly curled that swayed in the wind, a pale countenance in a cold and aloof expression with his hands in his pockets in clothes that in no way resembled the school uniform, real grey, cream and black fur decorating the collar of his coat. Perhaps he was the leader of this weird almost cult-like thing?
On his right, was a boy who held the same expression as the curly-headed one. He was blonde, and dressed in white attire that again, didn't resemble the school uniform. His brown almost hazel eyes regarded the crowd with no emotion; almost like a statue on display.
On the left, were another pair of boys, one had sleeked hair, dark like a raven's feathers, with delicate features, and dressed in a suit, pressed to perfection. The other had reddish-brown hair that came down to his neck with bangs that hid his eyebrows and he held a careless look on his face.
They were handsome alright. And judging by the way, all the girls stared at them dreamily, they were the it boys of the school.
Sohee squeezed Belle's hand, grabbing her attention. "The one in the front with the curly hair is Gu Junpyo. If you are a Korean citizen, even a 3-year-old knows of the Shinhwa Group: he is their successor, Gu Jun Pyo, the F4's leader."
Belle nodded thoughtfully, eyes drifting back to the Shinwa heir.
"The blonde one, Yoon Ji Hoo is President Yoon Suk Young's grandson. "Do you know the Su Am Art Center?" Sohee glanced at Belle, eyes shining with inquisitiveness. Belle slowly nodded, eyes stuck to the one who seemed to walk out of a Disney movie. "They own the Su Am Cultural Foundation, a European soccer team, and a Major League team."
"The black-haired one is So Yi Jung, he was the youngest artist to debut at the Biennale and is a gifted ceramist that appeared like a shooting star. UNESCO selected him as one of the best young artists."
Belle's eyes drifted to Yi Jung, thoughtfully tilting her head, wondering if her mom perhaps knew him. Just then, his gaze seemed to dart in her direction making her widen her eyes in surprise. Before he could prolong the eye contact, Belle broke it immediately, darting her eyes to Sohee.
"Song Woobin, the one with reddish hair is a blue chip in the construction business and is the successor to Il Shin Construction. There is even a rumour that half of Jeju Island is the company and that this company is a huge construction conglomerate."
Belle's eyes flickered to Woobin who was already glancing at her.
"Rumour has it, he's part of the Mafia," Sohee dropped her voice to a whisper.
The eye contact with Woobin didn't break and it made Belle swallow, her throat turning dry. The redhead's eyes fluttered shut and she opened them again, to find Woobin still hadn't changed his line of sight. A couple of girls followed his line of sight and stared at Belle, eyes wide in distaste and envy, lips turning into a frown. Noticing this, Sohee widened her eyes, and Belle hurriedly broke the eye contact, cheeks turning into a shade of pink.
Suddenly, the curly-headed one—Gu Junpyo— abandoned his aloof expression and instead, his eyes gleamed with irritation and turned to his right. Belle followed his line of sight to find a boy, who almost trembled as Gu Junpyo's sharp gaze landed on him.
"Is, there a problem?" The boy timidly asked him, not even daring to raise his eyes, lips quivering; the boy seemed so scared, almost like the Shinwa heir would devour him. His frame sagged down, almost like he wanted the Earth to bifurcate and swallow him whole.
Now Belle understood what was going on. F4—(seriously, they couldn't have picked a better name?) — were a group of the worst type of people that overpopulated the Earth; they were bullies, scums of the worst kind.
"I'll give you three seconds."
"Huh? What?" The poor boy seemed to grow more scared and confused by the minute, Belle pitied him; the boy was like the deer and Junpyo, the lion. And the lion did seem hungry.
"Three."
"Two." No one dared to move, almost like time had stood still. Belle could feel the nerves growing in her stomach, at the suspense.
"One."
Junpyo took the juice, given by Woobin and poured it all over the white shirt of the poor boy, staining it a bright orange. No one moved, all intently watching the scene like it was an interesting movie plot.
Belle hated it, yet her feet seemed to be stuck on the ground, unable to form a retort. She couldn't believe the sight in front of her; it was so ludicrous that it stunned the Williams heiress.
"What a crazy bastard! Are all these people on mute or something? Why are they just standing there not doing anything?" a familiar voice exclaimed as the crowd slowly dispersed, the boys had already walked away. Belle was still rooted to her spot in shock at it all.
"Oh... My... God... I can't believe what I'm hearing." one of the girls said overdramatically, acting as if Jandi had broken a centuries-old vase in front of multiple people.
Sohee tugged at Belle's sleeve. "We should get going, we will be late for class."
Belle swallowed, trying to register what had just happened in front of her. The redhead slowly nodded, eyes drifting to Jandi, who seemed to be having a hard time with three spoiled classmates. Before the redhead could intervene and perhaps save Jandi, Sohee had already begun tugging her away.
"Is that normal here?"
"Unfortunately, yes, this happens a lot. At one point you just become desensitized to it," Sohee admitted with a shrug, pale fingers playing with the ends of her curly hair.
"Why doesn't anyone say anything? Why don't the teachers intervene?"
"Well Junpyo is the son of the principal and they are rich chaebols, no one dares go against them."
A deep rage began brewing in Belle's stomach. They would bully people just because they had the power and influence. How dare they? Belle's fingers formed into fists, nails digging into the soft skin of her palm. These were the worst types of people and the ones who represented the worst of humanity; making people miserable just because they could. It was blasphemous, ludicrous, insanity, and all of the above.
What had she gotten herself into?
LUNCHTIME HAD rolled around, and a deep hunger had developed in the pits of Belle's stomach. Keeping the events that occurred that day on the side, Belle stepped inside the cafeteria and sighed internally.
The cafeteria was like a war zone, the richest of the chaebols, in the middle, the girls gushing over their sparkly manicures, their latest phones, and their designer bags, while the boys talked about their latest brand cars and suits. The ones who were comparatively lower income were in the far corner on the right, glancing at them with eyes wide embedded with envy and distaste, disregarding their own riches. The ones on the far left, who seemed to be disconnected from them, Belle guessed them to be scholarship students who kept their gazes to themselves.
The pristine walls of Shinwa housed a bunch of cliches. Money didn't guarantee anything after all.
She grabbed some food from the cafeteria which looked beautifully and artistically designed, rather than food made to satisfy hunger but that was rich people's perk, the redhead thought, before shaking her head to herself.
Having a tray in hand, Sohee walked along beside her, engaged in animated conversation by her side, holding her own tray. Continuing to scan the cafeteria, Belle spotted Jandi. The shorter brunette at her side followed her line of sight.
"Oh wait, isn't that the Wonder Girl or something?"
Belle turned to Sohee with knitted eyebrows. "What do you mean?"
"Oh my god, yeah she is," The brunette exclaimed, grabbing Belle's arm and guiding her in Jandi's direction. "Ever since she saved that freshman on the rooftop, everyone calls her Wonder Woman."
In her busy state of stuffing her mouth with rice, Jandi glanced up at the approaching couple. There were grains of rice scattered around her face, her mouth hanging open.
Belle resisted the urge to chuckle at her cute state, and Sohee introduced herself to Jandi, already taking a seat next to her, chattering away. Her gaze was bewildered and she smiled, listening intently to Sohee.
"Is that homemade?" Belle asked eyeing Jandi's lunchbox in curiosity. Rice was formed into small circular shapes that were unlike anything Belle had tried before.
Jandi nodded, "They're rice balls."
The redhead tilted her head, eyes focused on the riceballs, as her face morphed into a child-like curiosity. Sohee, too, stared at the riceballs, mouth already salivating on the sight of them, completely ignoring her own lunch.
"Can I try that?"
"Me too,"
Jandi glanced at both of them, eyes reflecting her surprise. She flickered her confused gaze between them, before slowly nodding her head and passing them her lunchbox.
She picked up the lunch with her chopsticks as if it was a specimen of interest, looking at it intently. Against the bright sunlight, the white grains of rice glistened, making her mouth water as she looked at them. She slowly and carefully took a bite and Jandi watched her with bated breath, slowly leaning towards her.
Belle's expression changed into one of awe and appreciation which made Jandi realise a breath she didn't realise she had been holding.
"They're so good. They're pretty too." Belle complimented, quickly eating another one.
Sohee tried one too and a huge smile graced her face in appreciation which made Jandi feel at ease. She had never thought she would see, not one but two rich heiresses try homemade riceballs and actually enjoy them.
"Oops. What kind of smell is this?" an annoyingly high-pitched voice said, which made Belle look at her. "It's so foul."
The redhead couldn't stop herself from curling her lips in distaste, eyes turning into a pointed glare. They were those girls.
"Oh... My... God." another voice said dramatically in broken English. "Terrible."
"Ginger, Sunny, Miranda, go away," Sohee whined, lips turning into a frown as she ate another riceball offhandedly. The trio of girls glared at her in return.
"Shut up," The three exclaimed in unison which made Belle cringe visibly that she didn't bother hiding.
The gods above were obviously trying to test her patience sending these pesky girls away. The redhead tried to focus on eating her own lunch, fork playing with the vanilla cake she got for dessert.
"Transfer student, why are you eating such a terrible lunch box? Can't you see that?" The girl, which Sohee whispered in her ear was Sunny pointed her sparkly finger at the food that the school was offering.
"I see it," Jandi said uninterestingly stuffing her face. The redhead tried to suppress the smile that threatened to form on her lips. Geum Jandi was one heck of a personality.
"Then why?"
"It's impossible for me to eat a 50,000 Won lunch."
"Then, you're planning to continue eating this foul lunch?" The girls inquired, their attention focused on the lunchbox of Jandi with great distaste, not too keen to avoid any social blunders. It seemed like these girls almost wanted to pick a fight with Jandi or something.
"I'm planning on that," Jandi offered them a quasi-polite smile, trying not to show her annoyance that was growing at their presence.
"It's F4!" some people shouted eagerly and rushed out of the cafeteria. Belle tried not to grimace; these people really did seem to have no life at all. It seemed these people got their life force from looking at F4 who couldn't seem to care less about them.
"F4!" The girls asked, an eager expression evident on their faces, before sprinting away. "Mi Suk, quickly."
Sohee rolled her eyes.
"Is it okay if I eat one of those?
A voice again disrupted something that had occurred frequently during the day. Jandi observed a set of large doe eyes looking at her with delicate features and a polite smile. She blinked in bewilderment before consenting.
Jandi hadn't even thought she would be talking to one girl let alone three. It was an unexpected development.
Belle smiled at the new girl; she was happy for Jandi who seemed to be attracting attention and making friends quickly.
"It's F4!"
"Where?!"
This was a regular occurrence. People reacted to F4 with the same enthusiasm as if they were a popular boy band; many girls ardently desired to catch their eye, clumsily tripping over their feet for even a brief glimpse. Belle could understand this level of passion for performers such as those from One Direction, where even the most hesitant of admirers would make an effort to garner attention from Zayn or Harry. However, F4 were simply high school boys.
Everyone at Shinwa really needed to learn the art of chilling.
Just as F4 made their stupid entrance, they were stopped in their tracks by a girl. The girl was cute, her delicate features twisted into nervousness, refusing to make eye contact with them. In her hands was a delicious-looking cake with white frosting, and a big red cherry in the centre.
"Gu Junpyo Sunbae-nim," the girl's timid voice, echoed around the silent atmosphere which tried not to shake as Junpyo's piercing stare landed on her "I baked this myself to give this to you. Please accept my heart." The girl said as she bowed, raising the cake higher.
Gu Junpyo's expressionless eyes lingered on the cake.
Giving cakes to these boys? Who bullies other people? Who caused freshmen to almost commit suicide and die? They had fans? Belle found the whole situation to be morbid and frankly disappointing. She didn't know what she had been expecting. The students here at Shinwa worshipped the very ground the boys walked on, it was obvious they would have admirers.
A sour taste developed on Belle's tongue, eyeing the whole situation. She swallowed, trying to shake off the feelings developing in her heart.
Junpyo took the cake, which made the girl's smile widen as she peered up at him through her lashes. The Shinwa heir held the cake in his right hand for a second, eyeing it with faux curiosity.
Belle noticed shocked gasps escaping from the crowd, and she saw Ginger dramatically faint. All the girls were upset that "their Gu Jun Pyo Sunbae" had accepted a girl's heart which was not theirs.
Heat rushed to Belle's cheeks, and made her freeze. He wasn't about to...
Junpyo glanced back at the joyful girl, holding eye contact with her.
Belle swallowed, feet already leading her in the front of the crowd, ignoring Sohee's hiss of confusion. The crowd glanced at her in confusion, and whispers rose among them. They watched her with hawk-like eyes, as the redhead effortlessly glided across the floor, holding herself like royalty.
Before Junpyo could do what was on his mind, as he raised the hand with the cake on it, he was stopped by a tight grip on his wrist. His brown cold eyes made contact with Belle's green contact eyes.
The crowd held their breaths as intense eye contact was shared between them, the atmosphere becoming increasingly tense with every passing second. Still locked in a stare, she proceeded to take the cake in her hand as Junpyo wordlessly communicated his warning for her to go forth with her planned actions.
The crowd gulped in anticipation, the rest of F4 watching curiously.
"Hey," Belle's voice became softer, surveying the girl with a gentle fondness as though she were delicate and could be shattered by even the slightest impact. The girl snapped her head towards her, head titled in confusion, eyes gleaming in perplexity.
"You deserve someone, who will accept your hard work, not try to smash in your face."
The redhead smiled softly and as the girl was shorter than her, leaned to match her height. She gently handed the cake back to the girl and ruffled the girl's shorter hair whose face morphed into confusion.
"Anyone and I repeat, anyone would be lucky to have you,"
The girl grew bashful, cheeks reddening as she ducked her head down.
Belle's smile slowly dropped, turning to see Junpyo glaring holes in her head with his jaw clenched.
Sohee stepped up from the crowd, all of the attention going to her. She swallowed, as she felt the piercing stares of her peers and she glided up to Belle, looking nothing short of an angel. Her warm fingers entwined with Belle's as her face held an apologetic smile.
"Forgive her, please. She's new. She doesn't know.
Belle's eyes snapped to Sohee in disbelief and anger. Belle had done nothing wrong and yet...why was Sohee making it out like she did? That made Belle's pale face redden, and the fake freckles littered across her face turn brighter.
"Come on Belle let's go,"
Sohee widened her eyes in a warning and, with a single pull on her hand, swiftly drew away from her classmates and the boys. The stares of everyone followed them.
"Are you crazy?" Sohee hissed, her velvety voice turning stern once they were far enough.
"No, I'm not. I'm not going to stand here, watching someone bully another."
"Look, Belle, you are new. You don't know how things are at this school but don't get entangled with F4. They are trouble. You don't want to get in their bad books. Trust me."
"I can't just watch them bully someone! I ... can't."
Sohee's face turned softer, "I know it's wrong but...trust me when I say this, Gu Junpyo is the devil. He won't rest if someone flies under his radar."
AFTER all that drama, Sohee tried to change the dark thoughts looming in Belle's mind, all creative ways of murdering the Shinwa heir. Rage had started shimmering under Belle's skin, her anger turning boiling hot at what the Shinwa heir could do and get away with.
It wasn't fair.
Yet life wasn't fair.
It wasn't fair that since Gu Junpyo was a billionaire could get away with anything. Even attempted murder. It wasn't fair that he could do anything he wanted without consequences. It wasn't fair that he had a silver spoon in his mouth and a tower of riches that gave him such a big ego.
And what about his mother? Were his mother and father proud of raising such a nuisance to society? Why hadn't they disciplined him? Were they really OK with making such a spoilt brat the next heir to the Shinwa business? A person who was a menace, cold and ruthless. A person who harboured no human qualities.
Gu Junpyo was coddled, conceited, inexperienced, and a person who believed he could reign supreme. It was time for someone to bring him down from his pedestal and ground him in reality. With bruises covering his body and wounds, perhaps he would learn the true meaning of compassion.
It was inevitable that he would eventually need assistance. A time when his friends, wealth and parents wouldn't be able to help him. Sadly, when the time of his passing arrived, he may have had the knowledge that those around him wished for his downfall and felt that he never accomplished anything of note. The day he would realise he would forever be remembered as a tyrant, people remembering him for his bad attributes. That would be the day he would truly understand being a human.
Sohee broke her train of thought, handing Belle an ice cream cone. The redhead glanced at it in apprehension, a smile forming on her lips at the sight of the sugary treat.
"Thanks,"
"No problem,"
They walked together in the garden of Shinwa. It made Belle sigh in peace, her dark thoughts disappearing like the night does when the sun rises. The glow of the sun, the gentle breeze that carried the smell of flowers, and the crunching of the lush green grass provided Belle with warm comfort.
Her gaze caught Jandi and the new girl - Min Ji - the newest friend the girl with the bob cut had made. Jandi and Min Ji were both laughing joyfully and having fun. Min Ji was moving around in an almost dancing motion, her demeanour childlike. Jandi's happiness was apparent, making Belle's face light up with a smile as she ran over to be with the girls.
Just when she was a couple of feet away from them, Min Ji tripped from the ledge, landing harshly on the ground. What made it even worse was that her ice cream had crashed with an expensive-looking shoe. Gu Junpyo's.
Pure fury burned in the eyes of the Shinwa hair, trying to control his wrath.
No, no no no...
"Su... Sunbae. I apologize, Sunbae Jun Pyo." Min Ji stammered, eyes glazing over with unshed tears. She snapped her eyes shut, a shiver crawling up her spine, already fearing the consequence of her actions.
"You're sorry?" Gu Junpyo emphasized the word, his words etched with mockery. He straightened his back, towering over the small frame of Min Ji. "If everything works out by saying sorry, then why would there be laws in the world and why would there be police?"
"I'll buy you the same shoes for you right away."
"You, do you have more money than me?"
"Excuse me?" Min Ji's doe eyes turned as wide as saucers, her skin paling with each second that went by.
"Even if you did, you wouldn't be able to. These shoes were made by a craftsman in Firenze, so how would you buy me the same ones right away?"
"I apologize. Then I'll do whatever I can."
Belle had become aware of a particular skill among those born to affluent families -- the art of spoken persuasion, or more specifically, the ability to manipulate words so that one could be convinced to do something they may not have desired originally. hey would pose particular phrasings and then carefully observe any reactions, waiting to see if their intended target was ensnared. This craft was often conducted with thinly-veiled anticipation; if one were to succumb to its influence, there was usually no escape.
Junpyo was engaging in the same activity, using his icy voice to ensnare Min Ji and possibly derive sadistic gratification from it.
And the worse part was that Min Ji had fallen prey to it.
It was sickening.
"Whatever you can?" Junpyo barely suppressed the evil grin that almost formed on his lips. Gu Junpyo; the heir to Shinwa, was a lot of things. Handsome, wealthy and had a persuasive charm but one thing that no one prided him for was his art of subtlety and manipulation; his brain was wickedly smart, having the words and the charm to trick a person into doing his bidding.
Nobody quite saw how manipulative and smart he was in this aspect. Or how ruthless he could be when he wanted to be.
"Yes."
And the doll-faced girl fell right into his trap.
Junpyo placed his leg forward not even bothering to glance down.
"Lick it."
"Excuse me?"
"I told you to lick it."
Belle snapped her gaze to Junpyo in shock and disbelief. The redhead had seen a lot of bullying but this? This was a level of bullying Belle was unfamiliar with. Jandi stiffened up, and her wide eyes met with Belle's, a silent plead shone in the warmth of her brown eyes.
Sohee elbowed Belle's side in a warning. Belle flickered her gaze from the shorter brunette to the tall curly headed male.
The redhead had two choices: remain silent and sink to the same level as Gu Junpyo, or speak up and face the consequences; yet her self-respect would remain untarnished, glimmering and bright.
And she knew what choice she was going to make.
Her feet had already followed through with the decision of her heart, Sohee in her surprise, just gaped at her, and then rushed towards her, just as the other boy gazes landed on her.
"Sunbae..." Min Ji looked very conflicted as she trained her eyes on the ground, lips quivering as a lump grew in her throat.
"Didn't you say that you'd do everything you can?" Junpyo accusingly asked, still unfazed by how the girl was trembling before him. He weirdly enjoyed it, watching someone almost sink to their knees in despair, reminding him of his superiority.
Just then his cold eyes darted to Belle's and a wicked smirk spread across his lips. "You can't back out of your words, after all, people should know what happens when someone comes in the way of the almighty Gu Junpyo," his intense eye contact with her remained, making Min Ji flickered her gaze between them.
The boys looked over with interest, to see what retort would come out of her mouth. Before Belle could start her essay of words that were just itching to come out of her mouth, Jandi beat her to it.
"Won't you stop? Hey... did she fall because she wanted to? If she apologized, then that's enough." Jandi said firmly, her petite frame shaking with restrained fury as all the eyes looked at her. The doe-eyed Geum placed a protective hand in front of Min Ji, eyes shooting glares.
If looks could kill, Gu Junpyo would be ten feet under.
Yoon Ji-hoo watched the scene with an emotion akin to amusement while the other two boys intently watched, without blinking as if afraid they would miss something.
"What is this? Hey, second year. I don't think it's been long since you've been here, but American style is restricted here. Your words are a little short." Junpyo mockingly stated, cold eyes meeting Jandi's fierce glare.
To help his friend, Song Woobin leaned forward and whispered something to Junpyo.
"Ahh, is that so? So you're that wonder crap that they've been talking about? I was hoping for an S-line D-cup-sized girl when I heard Wonder Woman. That's a total disappointment." a mocking chuckle left the Shinwa heir's lips, eyes trailing up and down, almost as if he was sizing Jandi.
Jandi turned tomato red from anger.
Junpyo's eyes trailed Belle up and down, "Your friend looks more like Wonder Woman than you."
That crude remark threw Belle off course, the gears of her mind completely turning off, cheeks reddening in the hue of roses. Any witty remarks died in the redhead's throat, her throat turning dry as the stares on her lingered.
That was the game he wanted to play?
"I'm glad I let you down, " Jandi said sassily, making Belle snap back into reality. "Also do not disrespect Belle like that. She may be rich but at least she has respect unlike you."
"Is it your concept to not know your place and mind others' business? Why do you step into other people's affairs?" Junpyo fixated his attention on Jandi, attempting to unnerve her which was as effective as trying to heat tea with ice.
"She's not a stranger. She's a friend. In a wealthy person's dictionary, I'm assuming they don't carry words like "friend" or "friendship", do you?" Jandi sassed, putting the Shinwa heir in his place, making Belle internally cheerlead for her.
"Or things like respect, dignity, sympathy," Belle added, making Junpyo's furious gaze snap to herself. She gave him a teasing, cocky smile, raising an eyebrow whilst tilting her head.
"Friendship? Let's watch some of that powerful friendship."
Belle watched him with narrowed eyes like a hawk, knowing nothing good could come out of his mouth.
"Lick it."
The redhead gazed at him, her cheeks growing flush as her thoughts took an illicit turn. She swallowed hard, attempting to keep her focus on the situation at hand.
"What?" Jandi looked at him in disbelief, asking him that on reflex, wondering if her ears heard wrong. Belle glanced at Jandi, unsure of what the brunette would do. For the first time, a strange chill spread on the redhead's back.
Surely Jandi wouldn't succumb. . .
"If you lick it instead, I'll forget it ever happened."
Jandi had a dejected expression on her face, letting out a heavy sigh of defeat causing Belle to experience a chill as she slowly knelt down. Ji-hoo immediately kept his eyes on the yonder, refusing to watch such a brutal scene, while the other boys followed. Junpyo wore a pleased smirk as he observed the scene.
No, no, no. . .
Before Belle could part her lips to voice her disagreement, the events that followed happened too fast. Before Jandi could fully kneel, she quickly raised herself to her full height, shoving her ice cream cone in Gu Junpyo's face, the impact of which made the Shinwa heir topple backwards harshly on the crowd.
Belle's eyes bulged like a fish, lips parting in bewilderment, shock and pride. The redhead looked at the Shinwa heir whose shocked expression mirrored hers, a dollop of ice cream sitting on his nose that slowly dripped down the sides of his face.
Min Ji covered her mouth in shock, and Sohee did the same.
"What are you?!" Junpyo asked shocked, his fingertips laced with ice cream that he tried to wipe off his face.
"Do I have more money than you?" Jandi repeated, taking a step closer to Junpyo and not that he would admit it in a thousand years, scared him. "Did you earn all that money? What? Is minding other people's business my concept? My concept is not leaving people who leech off of their parents' back alone! Got it?"
The passion in her words increased more and more with each syllable, and it made Belle look at Jandi with awe; like she was watching a superhero. Geum Jandi had officially become her new hero.
Junpyo could only gap as Jandi dug threw her pocket and pulled out money that she threw at the Shinwa heir which was legendary.
Belle neglected to heed the words Jandi uttered; she was taken aback and mesmerised. She stared in awe at the girl with a bob cut and attractive doe eyes who had a fiery personality.
"But if the stain doesn't get out, then send it to us." Belle managed to hear the last of the sentence as Jandi placed the dry cleaning sticker on Junpyo's forehead as she walked off.
Sohee and Belle stared at Jandi, eyes wide. The shorter brunette could feel something awakened in her. The duo glanced at each other and nodded, before quickly following the goddess with the bob cut.
¤¸¸.•'¯'•¸¸.•..>>
Belle hurried through the corridors of the large estate, pushing herself beyond her limit. It couldn't be true. . .could it? Her wig hair flew behind her shoulders, eyes dried as the wind that hit her face irritated them.
A crumbled-up paper was on the floor which caught Belle's eyes. She quickly picked it up and attempted to flatten it. The eyes as dark as night stared back at her. The red card held the print of a skull with two bones behind it, crossed in an X formation. It was the type of sign you would see on the prints of dangerous chemicals.
No, no, no, no...
Belle's attention was brought to her phone as a chime echoed in her ears. She quickly opened it, and her knuckles grew a stark white at the tight grip she held her phone with.
Look at the poor commoner.
With pictures of her desk covered with offensive words scribbled on it and each picture held Jandi who was seemingly looking for something. Her belongings had been destroyed.
A fire erupted in the redhead's heart even more determined to find Jandi and end this madness. She quickly put her phone in her pocket and ran through the corridors.
"Do it more. More! Try to do it more!" she heard a familiar voice shout out and saw Jandi crowded with students. Jandi was adorned with an eggshell in her hair and a slimy substance covering her, while eggshells scattered about the floor. The students cheered enthusiastically as if they had been attending a concert. As she arrived on the scene, one of them poured flour on her.
"Hey, hey. Someone bring some oil. All we have to do now is fry her." a random student said.
"Then what is that? Squash pancake?" another student asked before roaring into cold merciless laughter.
That was the last straw that broke the camel's back.
Belle quickly stepped protectively in front of Jandi, her arms wide in front of her in a protective stance. The crowd of silence eyed her with curiosity and irritation.
"Try and fry her and I will put you in boiling oil and fry you like a French fry." Belle's honey-laden voice had turned sharp, like a dagger which made the students cower ever so slightly.
"Leave all of you,"
Belle's voice had turned grave like the ominous sound of doom approaching. The students exchanged apprehensive glances. Belle's visage was one of furious displeasure, her eyes blazing and her lips turning downwards in a scowl - this was enough to cause the students to shrink back and gradually disperse.