disclaimer ♪ i have underlined [start of flashback] because i was afraid that you guys would miss it it. it will not be underlined in the future unless i say so. thank you and happy reading!
♪ mi-rae p.o.v.
[start of flashback]
it hurts...
i felt wet.
i felt cold.
i felt numb.
i felt hurt.
i felt my heartache.
my eyes stretched open. the inside of my head throbbed uncontrollably and two blobs blurred my vision before the two white blobs disappeared and my eyesight became clear again. an unfamiliar bed. i lifted my head. an unfamiliar room.
the large room was decorated in a very minimalistic manner. the modern and clean-cut style protruding each and every corner of the room adding to the spaciousness. the bed i sat on was messy, with the blankets crumpled and the pillow on the ground.
i looked down to see myself wearing a large white t-shirt and over it a large unzipped black hoodie. my legs looked bare, but i could feel a pair of shorts underneath the oversized flanks of the top. my eyes flickered back up toward the foreign-looking room.
this isn't my room...
the foreign setting caused me to unconsciously touch myself.
what is this?
my cheeks were wet.
was i crying?
i tried to think back to what happened before opening my eyes, but i couldn't seem to remember. my mind was blank. i tried again, using all my strength to recall why i was in this room or the events before, but i couldn't seem to fathom the situation.
ahhh...mother died.
an unnatural memory out of nowhere seized my attention. just a moment ago, i couldn't think of anything, so why now?
unnatural emotions then start to swirl inside of me and i felt tears materialize in my orbs. the emotions almost seemed to be out of my control until suddenly i felt my body relax. it was almost like i had possessed.
i must be going crazy...
mother had died a month ago.
didn't i tell myself to be stronger?
although you would expect a child to grieve for years, her last words to me made me move on. she was a very warm person and always wished the best for me. her last wishes were for me to be happy.
'i love you and be happy.' was what she wrote in the letter addressed to me. the simple motif of happiness became what got me through every day. through these words, i used each second and minute of my life to live life to the fullest. the rules of life i was to abide by were those words in her letter. my head suddenly started to ache when i tried to recall the rest of the contents within the letter. the sudden pain made me wonder why my memory was failing me, but i quickly ignored the thoughts about my health and started to eye the alien room.
why am i thinking about the letter now, i need to get out of here...
breaking away from my thoughts my pupils searched the foreign setting. the unfamiliar room provoked question after question.
i need to go find my father...
father, who made my family whole. the one who held me when my mother died and the one that blamed everything on himself after she died. the one who cried in secret and drank till morning, only after putting me to bed and making sure i was sleeping peacefully.
my muscles ached as i rose from the unfamiliar bed. the moment my bare feet came into contact with the bare floor, i shivered.
it's cold...
i searched the room again for something to cover myself with. the room i stood in is the complete opposite of the room i have back at home. i looked over the muted colors in distaste.
as if this room wasn't cold enough... i want to get out of this place fast...
i walked towards the door carefully looking around the room, when something caught my eye. my feet led me to a closet. a mirror with black lining stood next to a closet, its edges as cold and clean as the rest of the room. but, it wasn't the mirror or the closet that caught my attention.
what..?
an unfamiliar reflection stared back at me, causing my expression to be filled with shock. my hair which was originally a coffee color had transformed into a light peach color. like my hair, my eyes had also transformed from light brown to a stunning icy blue. my features still looked the same, but that was all. it was as if my features had been enhanced with magic. i always knew that i was on the prettier side because i had inherited all the good genes from my mother and father, but the unique hair color and eye color i sported now was something unworldly.
i don't remember dying my hair...
i run my fingers through the peach locks. it doesn't feel like dyed hair though?
am i wearing contacts?
i took a step closer to the mirror to examine the beautiful color which radiated from my eyes.
...it's natural?
surprised, i take a step back.
is this some kind of dream?
i pinched myself and winced.
i'm still here...
the mirror reflected my bewildered appearance.
it still looks the same...
panic arose from inside me.
i need to find papa.
zipping up my black hoodie i headed toward the door. as i neared the door, i could hear unfamiliar voices arguing outside. i took a deep breath before taking a step out.
[end of flashback]
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♪ chunyoung p.o.v.
a sophisticated piano piece played the moment i pressed the doorbell. i looked down at the black suitcase in my hand that was mi-rae's, planning my sentences and world ahead of time. the suspense of waiting for someone to open the door, made me sweat a cold sweat, my other hand without the suitcase clutching onto my olive green pants. i was afraid of going to the ahn's. especially because ki-ha hate towards me, auntie hyorin and the bad memories in general. as i heard the door open i took e a deep breath before looking up to an unfamiliar face.
a new housekeeper?
the housekeeper smiled at me fully expecting me, from the notice received from the building lobby.
"greetings young master of the yoo family. welcome! i'm am the new ahn family housekeeper ga-yoon, i don't believe we've met before. how may i help you?"
the older middle-aged lady led me to the ahn's muted-colored living room. the modern and classy trend that was currently popular among the rich shown perfectly through every piece of decoration and home appliance in the house. the ahn's were leaders in the business and entertainment industry, so they also strived to be leaders of high society.
the housekeeper asked if i wanted anything, in which i promptly refused.
"please sit, young master yoo."
"thank you, actually...i was wondering if miss... ahn was here," i say, hesitating before sitting down on the perfectly bright white couch.
a part of me wanted to stay standing because of how nervous i was, but etiquette is etiquette. "what-ifs" and etiquette details roamed freely in my mind, as i nervously placed my feet into a proper sitting position.
"oh, you must've heard that the young lady was returning," housekeeper ga-yoon replied. her voice made my attention direct back towards her. "i've been informed by mistress hyorin that the young miss is to arrive at noon today."
what...?
"mistress hyorin also told me that the young lady will be picked up by friends, so no need to arrange anything for her... honestly, she's quite troublesome at this age, only thinking of hanging out with friends and disobeying her parents."
the older middle-aged lady smiled at me with her pearly white teeth. although on the outside she seemed innocent, i knew all to well that in high society no one should be trusted.
ahhh... i see how it is...
i quickly stood up and thanked housekeeper ga-yoon for the information and headed to the door. her voice sounded again as i reached the door.
"young master? did you need to give miss mi-rae that black suitcase? i can help you hand it directly to her when she arrives!"
i smirk.
hand it to her? directly? don't make me laugh... you mean you're going to hand the suitcase directly to auntie hyorin?
i turn back towards her.
"it's alright. it's nothing that housekeeper ga-yoon should worry about." i turned away heading to the door once more. i make an emphasis on 'housekeeper' which surprised her.
"wait."
her voice sounded again.
"are you sure you don't want to wait for the young miss? if you think you will be bored talking with this old lady till noon, mistress hyorin will be returning in an hour, she would love to have you over. "
her intentions were clear as day, so i simply answered, "it's alright... tell auntie hyorin i'll come over another day."
"...of course, younger master yoo. have a pleasant day."
a gust of wind blew past me the moment i exited the building.
autumn is going to be here school... five days till the beginning of the new school year...
i lowered my head as leaves danced past me. i had always suspected mi-rae struggled at home but..
"...she never talked about it, so i never brought it up," i whisper to myself.
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♪ mi-rae p.o.v.
[start of flashback]
"i just need to talk with her!"
"it's clear she doesn't want to talk with scum like you!"
following the voices, i made my way down a staircase. halfway down and i could see the owners of the unfamiliar voices.
a boy with the same salmon-colored hair as me and blue eyes, and a boy with dark blue hair and blue eyes, stands there. the salmon-colored hair boy tackled the dark blue hair-colored boy to the ground. the living room they were fighting in was a large modern classy room, much like the bedroom i had woken up to. the only difference was the large glass windows that showed the skyline of seoul as the sun set. the two boys are so focused on the fight they don't seem to notice my existence.
what should i do? should i stop them?
i pondered for a minute but decided to mind my own business and to try to find a way out of the foreign setting. the conversation of the boys caused me to stop in my tracks.
"you don't know what she did!"
"what? she became your friend? was that it? no one even wanted to be your friend in elementary school because you never talked!"
"she used me..."
the blue-haired boy voice cracked. the boys who were now standing and facing towards each other stopped fighting for a minute to catch their breathes.
i can feel my heartache and twist, emotions swirl inside of me causing it hard to breathe.
am i sick?
i clutched my chest as i heaved for air.
why am i feeling this way?
why do i feel hurt?
why do these emotions feel so alien, yet so...familiar?
"mi-rae!"
[end of flashback]
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♪ mi-rae p.o.v.
i jolted awake.
"mi-rae!"
a worried ki-ha stared at me with concern.
"ah..."
my arms lifted my torso off the warm sheets of the bed i was laying on. i looked around at the gray settings.
it's the hospital...
"did it happen again?"
he nodded.
"i must of forgotten to take my medication on the plane," i said while adjusting my hospital robe.
ki-ha ruffled my hair, "you need to be a lot more careful, ok? i'm starting to wonder how you lived alone in the states."
i laughed, "there was a nanny with me, remember?"
we talked about my studies in the states as well as many other interesting topics. although ki-ha was older than me, he always felt very close and easy to talk to.
"there was also a band that my friend bought tickets for right after finals... i'm sad we won't be going to the same school though."
ki-ha gave me a reassuring smile, "i'm sorry i couldn't keep you in the states for much longer, but i'll try at least to get you into a school you like."
we hugged each other deeply. i felt his hands weave through my salmon-colored hair. i take a peak as his hair, which was the same color and closed my eyes.
"welcome back, little sis."
he gave me a little squeeze.
"i'm... happy to be back."
[end of chapter]
[the room mi-rae was in]
[the ahn's main apartment]
hello author here!
this chapter took longer than i expected mainly because i wrote this chapter in the present tense as with my "who made me princess: dawn" story. i kind of regret writing these two stories in different tenses, but what is done, is done. if you find any mistakes or words that are still in the present tense, please let me know!
i'm also sorry that this chapter is mainly flashbacks and a little boring, but it'll get better i promise. and, you'll need to direct each and every word in this chapter because each detail will give you a hint on what is to come next!
lastly, hope you liked the ki-ha and mi-rae brother-sister moment.
Thank you so much for reading and voting!
-shar
word count: 2338