As she stood frozen, her mind reeled with the unspoken message hanging in the air like a challenge. "Is that their way of getting rid of me?", she thought, a cauldron of anger and confusion bubbling within her.
The words "You'll be leaving when you're done with high school" echoed in her mind, a harsh reminder of her predetermined fate. "As you know, I have a lot of things in store for me that will undoubtedly benefit the country," he continued, his voice a monotone hum that grated against her nerves.
Her gaze drifted to her phone, her eyes glazing over as she struggled to process the conversation. Shock and amusement wrestled within her, the insanity of Eunji's intentions almost laughable. But the laughter remained trapped in her throat as Eunji spoke up, her voice a gentle melody that was swiftly cut off by Chaeyoung's bombshell.
"I'll do it if you don't get married to Eunji", Chaeyoung declared, her voice devoid of emotion, a chilling calmness that seemed to draw the air out of the room. Jongnan's eyes narrowed, his face twisted in rage. "What did you say?", he growled, his tone laced with a warning.
Chaeyoung's attempt to repeat herself was aborted by the resounding slap that sent shockwaves through her body. The sting on her cheek was nothing compared to the fire that ignited in her eyes. "If you know what's better for you, you'd listen to me", Jongnan snarled, his rage a palpable force that seemed to suffocate her.
Eunji's voice, a saccharine sweetness, cut through the tension. "No! Honey, she's just a kid! You didn't have to hit her!" Her words dripped with false concern, a stark contrast to the venom that Jongnan spewed. "'Kid'? She's eighteen! She needs to start acting like the President's daughter. Sometimes I wonder how she's even called my daughter".
The storm that brewed in Jongnan's eyes finally broke, and he stormed off, leaving an uncomfortable silence in his wake. Eunji's smile, a cold, calculating curve of her lips, sent a shiver down Chaeyoung's spine. "If you know what's better for you, I suggest you'd leave and not make matters worse... for me, your father, and our unborn child", Eunji said, her voice laced with a subtle menace.
As Eunji departed, Chaeyoung stood alone, a single tear rolling down her left cheek like a betrayal. But her lips curled into a mirthless smile, a dry chuckle escaping her lips. "Just great", she muttered to herself, the words a mixture of resignation and disgust. With a tired sigh, she turned and trudged back upstairs, the weight of her reality settling heavy on her shoulders.
No one truly knew Park Chaeyoung; instead, people recognized her as the President's daughter. It wasn't that they didn't want to get close to her, but rather Chaeyoung herself preferred to maintain her distance.
She didn't want people around her solely for fame, luxury, or other benefits, much like Eunji's calculated approach to her relationship with the President. Seeking solitude, Chaeyoung turned off her phone to avoid further disturbances.
Imagine bearing titles like the "Queen of Diamonds" and the "Stunning President's Daughter" without receiving genuine care or affection from her father or anyone else, except for Joon.
After switching her phone back on, Chaeyoung decided to reach out to him. "What exactly do you want to help me with..?", she texted, her curiosity piqued. The wait for his response felt like an eternity – two minutes that seemed like an entire day.
Joon's reply was thoughtful: "Well, I want to get to know you better and I think you need someone too. Blocking everyone is not an option and that's just not you." Chaeyoung's curiosity got the better of her, prompting her to ask, "And who do you think I am?" Joon's response was empathetic: "Someone who needs a shoulder to cry on."
Chaeyoung tried to push him away once more, texting, "Look, I'm going to say this one more time – stay away from me. I don't need help with anything and neither do I need help from anyone." This wasn't because she disliked Joon, but rather because she didn't want him to get entangled in her troubles, especially in a world where rumors could easily affect him.
Joon's response was understanding and reassuring: "Trust me, I know how you feel...even when I don't want to... See you at school." With that, he went offline.
Joon had always been a caring individual, with a deep understanding of people's pain. His compassionate nature had made him a target for bullies in his previous school, who would call him names like 'sick kid' and 'motherless child'. This was one of the reasons he had transferred to a new school.
As the day progressed, Chaeyoung found herself in a new situation at school – she was escorted to class by bodyguards sent by her father. Despite being the President's daughter, Chaeyoung wasn't exposed to threats, as no one dared to target her.
Chaeyoung raised an eyebrow at the three imposing men in black standing outside her. A message from her father popped up on her phone: "I don't trust you, so you'll be escorted around the whole school from now on. Better not try anything foolish."
Chaeyoung let out a loud laugh. "He's way too immature. Let's go. I'm getting late", she said, stepping into her limousine with the bodyguards following closely behind.
At school, Chaeyoung drew attention as usual. However, the presence of her bodyguards inside the school premises surprised everyone.
As she walked down the hallway, scrolling through her phone, Joon approached her. "Hey, how a-", he started to ask before being interrupted by two bodyguards who stepped in front of her. "Step aside", one of them said firmly.
Chaeyoung's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing?", she asked, annoyed that Joon was being blocked. "Sorry ma'am. We're just following orders", the guard replied. Chaeyoung's anger simmered as she scolded them, "Orders? He's not even a threat!".
The scene drew a crowd, including the principal, but the guards remained unyielding. "Sorry ma'am. We're just following orders," they repeated in unison, their robotic responses only fueling Chaeyoung's frustration.
"Step aside," she commanded, her voice firm but controlled. The guards' response remained the same: "Sorry ma'am. We're just following orders." Their repetition of the phrase seemed to infuriate Chaeyoung further, but she managed to keep her anger in check, for the moment.
Chaeyoung stormed out and headed straight to the rest room as the guards followed her and Joon looked at her. Chaeyoung turned to them when she realized she was being followed.
"What now?! Lemme guess, you were ordered to follow me to the rest room too", she said. "We're sorry ma'am. We're just following or-", they said before being cut off by Chaeyoung as she stormed into the restroom. "And stay out!", she angrily said behind the door.
"What's going on?", a student asked her friends at the hearing of Joon, "I don't know but I heard she's pregnant and the President doesn't want anyone to find out so he sent people to protect her or something and that's why she rushed into the restroom", the other said. "What?! Chaeyoung is-", the other student said out in surprise to what they had heard before being cut off by Joon.
"You heard that in less than fifteen minutes?", Joon rhetorically asked the student who said Chaeyoung was pregnant. "So that's how the rumors spread here. You all should be ashamed of yourselves; sharing fake news about someone for what? Out of jealousy? To make her feel worse than she already feels? No wonder she despises people", Joon said before walking away to class because he was five minutes late.
Ten minutes after Joon arrived in class, Chaeyoung followed, with her bodyguards, looking as tired as ever; she sat at the back seat and fell on her desk to sleep even though she had had more than enough sleep at home. Joon just looked at her and wondered what she was going through. Although he could feel people's feeling and could sometimes tell when people were lying, Joon never understood Chaeyoung and found her interesting.
Her dark aura had frightened him at first, making him unable to move, but now, he was warming up to that aura. "Joon, are you listening?", the teacher asked when she realized Joon being lost in thoughts. "Yes ma'am", Joon replied as he snapped out of his thoughts.
Chaeyoung opened her eye a bit to look at Joon; she overheard what he had heard and what he said about her when she had left. It turned out that she had a sharp hearing; no one had ever done that for her.
Chaeyoung decided to text Joon since she couldn't talk to him face-to-face without her guards considering him a threat. "Sorry about yesterday," she messaged, and then went back to her short nap, which she referred to as "meditation."
After class, Joon checked his phone and saw Chaeyoung's message. Despite its brevity, Joon smiled slightly and replied, "No worries. I'm not sure if it's possible, but can I see you anytime after school? There's something I need to tell you, and I can't say it over the phone."
Chaeyoung responded almost immediately, "Uhm...I guess I'll try. The tteokbokki shop?" Joon agreed, "Yeah," and continued with his day.
At 8 p.m., Chaeyoung sat at home, thinking of a way to sneak out and meet Joon. Given her father's strict security, she was practically under house arrest. "I guess I'm going for the classic," Chaeyoung said, deciding to sneak out through her window.
She locked her door, switched off her room light to make it seem like she was asleep, and put on a pink hoodie she had never worn before because her father preferred her being more lady-like.
Chaeyoung tied a long rope to her heavy bed and climbed down to the ground. "I swear if this is for nothing, I'll really kill him," she whispered to herself as she made her way out of the house undetected.
She ran for thirty minutes, avoiding public transportation to prevent being recognized. Chaeyoung was determined to find out what Joon wanted to tell her as she had the feeling it was important.
Chaeyoung arrived at the tteokbokki shop, panting heavily after running the entire way. Joon, who was already seated and waiting for her, quickly got up and approached her. "Did you run all the way here?", he asked in surprise. "You could have taken the bus", he added.
Chaeyoung shot him a look. "You should know I'm a public figure, and it's easy for someone to recognize me", she said, still catching her breath. Joon nodded awkwardly. "Right".
Chaeyoung's patience was wearing thin. "Hurry, I don't have much time before they realize I'm not home. What do you want to tell me?", she asked, her eyes darting around the area.
Joon hesitated, his words coming out in fits and starts. "This may be shocking...I know a lot about you...and...I know where someone important to you is...". Chaeyoung's frustration grew. "What?! Speak up. There's no time", she urged, her voice low and urgent.
Joon stammered, "Your father...I mean, the President's fiancée, Eun...Eun...ji...". Chaeyoung's annoyance turned to anger. "Look, if you have nothing to say, I'm getting out of here", she said, turning to leave.
But Joon's next words stopped her in her tracks. "Eunji is my mother," he said, the words tumbling out finally. Chaeyoung's expression changed from irritation to shock.