This chapter is all about their pasts. If you want, you can skip it. But, if you are confused on what is happening between the characters, you better read it.
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Jess
Since I'm the only child, I always got what I wanted for as long as I remember. I had maids following me around to cater to my every whim. I was a spoiled brat. Cuifen was the only person in the house who could tolerate me.
When my dad inherited the company, I was already six years old. He is the first son. He has a younger sister, Jackson's mom. He and my mom trusted Cuifen to take care of me when they're away. But, whenever they arrive home, they always put all their attention on me.
I thought, at that time, the world revolved around me. As I grew up, it was the same. In school, teachers would let me off the hook if I did something bad. Whenever I see my friends holding a toy I like, I get it without even asking.
It got even worse in middle school and high school. Boys would follow me around, carrying my things, giving me their lunch, preparing my table and all that. Girls crowd around me because of the boys and they did whatever I asked of them.
As a teenager, I was taught by my mentors to handle different kinds of businesses. Manipulating people was my specialty. I never cared about how hurt they would be. I kept people I needed around me.
I had extra classes after school to improve my skills in every subject. I was the top of each class I attended. Not because the teachers favored me, but because I really worked hard for it.
Lei and I became a couple in high school. I've known him since I was four. He was the only student in school who was richer than me. He was good looking, too. I fell for him. It's not because I needed him, I really loved him. It was the first time I got manipulated by someone else. I changed a lot because of him. I wasn't the spoiled brat I was once. I wanted to please him all the time. My parents saw the difference and they were happy. Although they didn't know the reason.
It was almost summer break of our senior year. Jackson and I decided to hold a party for all our friends. Of course, we've invited Lei. In the middle of the party, an uninvited girl came storming in. She approached me and slapped me, saying I was a bitch. I was stunned and confused at first. But when she saw Lei, she went near him and kissed him in front of all our friends.
He tried explaining it was just a girl from the dare his friends made him do, but I was young and angry, I broke up with him that night. He wanted to follow me to New Zealand, but his parents wanted him to study in the US.
After that, I was back to my old manipulating self. In New Zealand, I met Vic. We instantly clicked because of similar interests - parties. I went out with different guys to forget about Lei. Vic, on the other hand followed me around to get guys. He wasn't the kill-joy kind of friend, he actually let me do what I wanted to do.
It was easy for me to get a guy, break up with them and move on. But, it was still difficult to forget about the boy from high school.
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Mark
I was born and raised in the US. With my parents being Taiwanese, they never forgot to teach me the culture of my home country. I was able to adapt to different cultures fast, because we moved to different places a lot.
My parents moved to the US after getting married. My father is the second son of one of the richest men in Taiwan. He inherited a lot of different businesses, most of them restaurants. Since he's used to the American life, he paid people to manage his restaurants in Taiwan, while he put up some in LA.
My dad wanted me to study business. I was mentored as a young kid to handle the business because I am the first son. However, as I got older, I felt I didn't want to be in that field. Since I have a younger brother, they agreed to let me pursue my dreams in Music.
Since I was a kid, I was always surrounded by people who love and care for me. The first relationship I was in was good, just that we were so young. The second was ok, but I had to leave her to come to Korea.
When I got here, I thought everybody would be as loving and caring as the people I know. I was wrong. The entertainment industry is harsh. Competition here and there. People use others to gain popularity, even between friends.
But, I was so optimistic all the time. I believed I would find the right person for me as long as I try. The guys I'm with, GOT7, they became my family here. They treated me as a real brother. They were the reason I never felt alone.
Girls....there were many. But because of our busy schedules, I really wasn't able to give them the attention they deserved. Most of them dumped me because of that. Then Lisa. She's a different story. Since she was in the same industry, I thought she would understand my lifestyle. She did, alright. But, I was the one who didn't understand her. I thought I found the love of my life when I was with her. I was wrong.
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Lei
I was born as a second child. I didn't have problems with that. My older brother, Jin-Ah, was my role model. He was smart, responsible and everybody liked him....well...except my mom.
Although he always played tricks on me and teased me, he still saved me many times from our very strict parents. I wasn't that smart as a kid. It was hard for me to understand the lessons. Jin-Ah was always the patient one. He would teach me until I could get it.
Aside from being that, I was also a mischief. I liked playing around all the time instead of studying. My friends and I would put dirt in my mother's shoes, vandalize my dad's cars, among others. And Jin-Ah always took the blame for it.
So, when he died, I was at a loss. I was just six. Everything changed so fast. My mental state was affected. I destroyed things in the house, I burned down the tool shed, I physically hurt my friends....
Because of that, I was sent to the US where I was admitted in a rehabilitation facility for kids. I was tutored to cope up with school. My parents took me back to China and I attended a regular middle school.
That's when I met Ah-Cy and Jackson again. Since we used to play together as kids, we became fast friends. When I saw Jess, I immediately fell for her charms. She was smart, beautiful and very much my ideal type.
Before school closed for summer during our senior year in high school, my friends dared me. There was this girl from another school who was playing hard to get. Yes...I was arrogant. I was confident I could get her. I did. I was able to prove to my friends I was still the best. However, the dare backfired. I lost Jess because of her.
She left me and went to New Zealand. At that time, I was once again mentally unstable. I felt I was left by the only person I trusted. I wanted to follow her but my parents wanted me to go to the US. There, my violent self came out again. I was almost put to jail for almost burning up the whole school because one certain professor failed me. My parents immediately paid for the damages and the school let me graduate.
I had girls...but no serious relationships. Compared to Jess, they're nothing.
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Jackson
Jess and I were inseparable even when we were young. Since we had the same age, we always get tutored together.
Once a month, our parents would let us go to this lake resort and we'd stay there the whole weekend. There, we met the sons of the owners, Jin-Ah and Chenglei. We immediately became friends. I always anticipated the end of the month just to be with my new found best friend, Lei. During those times, since our parents weren't around, we were able to do everything we wanted.
We liked playing tricks on Jess, but when Jin-Ah came we would run as fast as we can to our hiding place. He was always the mature one, telling us not to hurt girls or make them cry. So, Jess followed him around to avoid our pranks.
But, all those stopped when Jin-Ah died. We didn't see Lei for a long time after that. We were surprised to see him in middle school. I asked him once where he'd been but he wouldn't tell. We went back to being best buddies.
However, because of what happened between Jess and him, I started avoiding him. Even though we were really close, Jess is still my cousin.
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Jin
My stepmother always abused me secretly when I still lived in my father's house. Nobody knew what she was doing to me when noone was around. She would threat me all the time so I would take the blame for my brother's mistakes.
Although I hated him, I still felt responsible as an older brother to educate and protect him.
When I 'died' and was sent to Korea, I was both happy and angry. Happy because I was finally out of my stepmom's reach. Angry because I was just thrown away by my own father.
I stayed with my aunt, my mother's sister, in Daegu. My father never forgot to bribe her to keep quiet about me. My bank account was always full. My aunt decided to move to London when I finished primary school. Even when I was away, I never for once forgot what my family did to me back in China.
So, when I was finally an adult, I tried to invest my money in stocks, and different businesses. I've opened small cafe's around Europe when I turned 20. My goal at first, was to get my dad's attention. Maybe, I thought, if he saw me working really hard he would accept me once again.
But, I was wrong. When he knew I was making my own money, he cut down the fund he gave me. I was furious. More so when I found out Lei is inheriting the whole company. That father of mine didn't even leave one small piece of land for me. That's when I decided to work myself up so I could take him down.
Just when I was about to go back to China and start a business there, I was offered by a big company to be an artist. Singing and dancing were two of my passions, so I took it, changing my name to Kim SeokJin. Kim's a common surname in Korea so I just chose it.
Between my career and my businesses, I pay people to update me about what's happening with my family. Coincidentally, Ah-Cy moved to Korea. I heard about her and Lei and their past, so I just grabbed the opportunity.