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Dread.
Was what Haneul felt as she walked up the marble stairs of Gushiken Manor, knowing very well that she is about to enter a life that she had tried hard to leave. She noticed cameras waiting by the side of the stairs, cameras aren't uncommon at these kind of events, though she wondered why there were so many this evening. Some seem to be waiting for particular people, maybe celebrities' or a certain CEO's son that has his own fanpage. She knows no one will be looking out for her, despite her fathers attempts to get her into the public eye so that it would give his company more publicity, she had always tried to stray away from it. People are never that interested in ceo's/rich people's children unless they are hot, a future heir or they do something terrible that ruins their family's image. Haneul was none of those.
An usher checked their invite before showing them to their table. The event hadn't started yet so it gave Haneul time to find people she actually liked. The place was huge, it had decorations everywhere showing off the grandness of the event. She could easily loose track of where she was in the main hall but in a way that was what she wanted. She had been to Gushiken Manor to many times while growing up, it's a place she hated more and more with each visit, hoping it would be the last time each time she went. As she walked through many chatting bodies of well dressed people, trying to keep out of notice, she had bumped into a wall of sequins who turned around, glaring down at her.
"Sorry." Haneul bowed, apologizing.
"You better watch out next time." The girl spat, eyeing Haneul. "This is exactly why you should never come back, Park Haneul." She said before walking off, leaving Haneul baffled.
Nothing about the sentence she said makes sense.
How does she even know my name?
As she continued to walk in caution, she heard many whispers of her name by random people she either vaguely remembers or doesn't know at all. She isn't sure why her name is suddenly a fascinating subject, but she doesn't exactly want to know why.
"Well Seori I guess we're gonna Park ourselves here now that we found ourselves a Haneul." A familiar voice said as an arm wrapped around her.
"That was the worst joke I have ever heard in my life." Another scoffed. Haneul turned around swiftly at the sound of the voices she knows too well.
"Sungbin! Seori!" Haneul beamed as she saw her friends, pulling them both into a hug.
"We missed you sweetie." Seori said before Haneul released them from her arms. Sungbin dragged her to a nearby couch, sitting her down in between the two. Sungbin and Seori are twins and had been her best friends since birth. Their dad is a medical doctor and their mum is the ceo and founder of a pretty big beauty company, a company that Seori would be the one to inherit.
"These events have been absolute bum without you." Sungbin starts off as Haneul giggles at his comment.
"They've always been absolute bum." Hanuel agreed, earning a hum of agreement from both of the twins.
"But also a lot of shitty things have happened. I would love to tell you everything but it would literally take years." Seori said, grabbing a glass of something from a waiter and offering it to Haneul. She took the drink, knowing she was probably going to end up giving it to Sungbin after a sip.
"Yeah lets just enjoy this night, well at least try to." Sungbin suggested, taking the drink in Haneul's hands and downing it all in one go.
"I was going to drink that you idiot." Haneul argued.
"Pfft no you weren't." He smirked knowingly. She wanted to at least try it first.
"So how's life in the real world going?" Asked Seori. Haneul had felt guilty when she decided to basically run away from it all, knowing she was going to leave behind two people she loved dearly, but they were the ones who supported her dreams, and pushed her onto doing it. She makes sure to have dinner with them a few times a year to make sure she doesn't loose contact with them, as they are the only things from this world she really wanted to keep.
"Pretty good actually, I have a job at a bubble tea store." Haneul bragged, the twin's faces lighting up.
"Like an actual job?! Like one you had to apply for?" Seori gasped.
"You have a store job!? That sounds like so much fun!" Sungbin exclaimed, making Haneul laugh at their amazement.
"Haha yep, I love it." She said. "Like I get to see different people everyday, make drinks for them, and my boss literally lets me do whatever I want." She explained to her friends.
"Do I need to make a booking if I would like to visit." Seori asked.
"Uh wha-no just come by anytime you feel like it." Haneul said. "You can just walk into the store and order it."
"Wow did you hear that Seori? It's like a normal store." Sungbin chimed.
"It literally is just a normal boba store." Haneul blurted.
"We will come and see you one day then." Seori smiled, looking excited to visit the store. She knows as a fact that these two order coffee at cafes, knowing exactly how they work, making her wonder why they had that reactions. "What is boba exactly?" Seori asked, the question that literally answered her question.
"It's a drink with tapioca pearls at the bottom. Think of the store as more of a cafe that sells a specific type of drink." Haneul explained. Her friends nodding along. Sungbin resulted in simply searching it up, showing it to Seori who seemed amazed by the product. Haneul however was more amazed that they hadn't tried it before. As the conversation settled down, Haneul looked around the room, spotting people she didn't want to see, but also spotting some that she did.
"Oh! Isn't that Chenle? I haven't seen him in so long!" Haneul said gesturing to the boy with brown hair that was surrounded by a pool of girls. "Let's go say hi." She suggested as the trio made their way to Chenle's table, shooing away some of the girls in the process.
"Haneul?!" Chenle stood up from his seat, surprised by her sudden appearance. "I haven't seen you in like...almost two years!"
"You've grown so much it literally makes no sense." She said, realising that she now has to look up at him. "And damn it's like you're a celebrity or something now." Referring to the group of girls with their phones up at him. Chenle, Sungbin and Seori paused, looking at her in disbelief.
"That was a joke right?" Seori asked, as Haneul looked at her in confusion.
"Haneul, I'm literally a kpop idol." Chenle informs like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Wow calm down I've been living under a rock for the past two and a half years." Haneul defended, putting her hands up, shocked at how much could happen while she was away.
"You're and idiot." Sungbin commented, slapping a hand on his forehead.
"I've been an idol since...even before we met!" Chenle revealed, making Haneul feel like her entire life is a lie, though it seemed to make sense as she's always known he he was popular, just not for being an idol.
"Oh...sorry" She said in realisation. "That's kinda funny. I had no idea." She laughed awkwardly.
"But hey at least you liked me for my personality." Chenle shrugged, not seeming to care that much.
"Dude you need to quit getting all the ladies, spare some for the rest of us." Sungbin looked over at the girls who ogled at Chenle dreamily.
"I have a feeling they'll end up drooling over that music show host anyways." Seori pointed out, lifting her chin up to where the people have gathered, surrounding a very good looking man wearing a slick black suit.
"Who is that?" Haneul had her mouth open, jaw dropping over the stunning man. She had never seen him at these events before, and by the looks of it, she doubts anyone else has either.
"Jaehyun!" Chenle yelled across the sea of voices. Despite his voice being dorwned out in the crowd, his friend still managed to notice, trying to weave his way politely through the crowd. There was a girl beside him who followed him the whole way through, a face that was no doubt familiar to Haneul. "Oh Jaein's here too!" Chenle exclaimed, looking at the girl.
"Hey--" Jaehyun started, before a girl cut him off, asking him for a selfie. He politely accepted, posing for the camera, and just like that, many other people had their phones out, flooding him with the same question.
"Damn sucks to be him." Jaein scoffed, before turning to the group. "Hey Chenle!" She greeted, earning a wave from the younger boy. "And Haneul! I didn't think I'd see you here!" She turned to Haneul, beaming a genuine smile, showing that she is happy to see her again.
"Same here." Haneul laughed.
"You guys know each other?!" Chenle blurted, looking between the two.
"it's a long story." Haneul waved him off, turning back to Jaein. "Why are you here by the way?"
"Ah my dad gets invited to these once in a while but Mr Gushiken found out that my brother and I are idols so he insisted that we come." She sighed, pointing at Jaehyun who was still entertaining the needs of his fans. "I mean if you're here I guess it won't be too boring right?" She said, looking at Haneul for reassurance. Hanuel shook her head, letting out a deflated laugh.
"Nah it's going to be boring no matter what." She stated. As if on que the lights began to dim, signaling everyone to go back to their seats. Haneul wished Jaein luck before making her way to the front of the room, sitting beside Jingwen at their VIP table. She leaned back into the chair, already finding everything painfully boring.
"Sit up." Her father ordered, making her bounce up immediately, back straitening. Haneul looked down at the table cloth, her mind trying to process the memories from her childhood that the phrase had brought up. The many things she tried to forget, the life she wanted to erase. She shouldn't have come, but she wanted to avoid everything that had happened after she ignored her fathers orders. She needed to keep everyone she loved safe.
She drowned out every word the female speaker was saying. Feeling her stomach lurch with regret and discomfort. Looking at the bold VIP sign on the table, she had just remembered, she had a place on top of a hierarchy. This world wouldn't simply let her go again once she came back. She was a queen being used as a pawn in a game that will never end. There for the gain of others without acknowledgement.
Haneul watched as Mr Gushiken walked onto the stage, her eyes falling on the table he had been sitting at, the one across from hers where they met with the last person she wanted to see. Beginning to sweat as she noticed the black eyes that had been staring into her, the smirk plastered on his face. The face of pure evil. On the opposing team he is a knight, one who is seen as a king, a knight that would do whatever it takes to take her away.
just a little insight into haneul's life.
hope you guys are having a good day :)