Linda stepped out of the arrival gate with her suitcase rolling unevenly behind her. Her head throbbed from the long flight, and her stomach felt painfully empty. All she wanted was a warm meal and a damn bed to finally get some sleep.
Around her, the arrival hall moved at its usual pace. People pushed luggage trolleys, some greeting family with brief, weary hugs, others waving quickly before heading toward the exit. A few couples reunited quietly, smiling as they collected their bags. Most travellers simply walked past, focused on getting home.
Linda paused, taking it all in. A new state, a new beginning. She had moved away from Busan and come to Seoul, hoping she'd finally be free from all her past traumas.
A heaviness pulled at her chest, quiet, but unmistakable.
She had been severely bullied in her old school, all because of her skin color. But honestly, it could have been much bearable if it was just that. The previous night, she had found out that her parents, the ones she thought were her real parents the whole time were not actually her parents. Pretty pathetic.
She felt small in the crowd of people as her eyes scanned her surroundings, painfully aware that she stood alone where others had someone waiting. She had refused Mr. Lee's offer to accompany her, wanting to handle the trip herself. Well maybe she shouldn't have been so stubborn and just give in to his offer. Too late to regret now though.
She tightened her grip on her suitcase and headed toward the exit, her face expressionless. She wasn't the type to show her pain in her facial expressions.
The moment she stepped outside, the sky cracked open, almost like her presence has summoned a change of weather. Rain poured down in heavy sheets, soaking everything instantly.
Linda tensed. She had no umbrella nor jacket. Nothing to protect her.
With a tired exhale, she lifted her small box of clothes over her head. It barely helped, water still ran down her arms and soaked into her clothes. She spotted a tiny, rusted shade attached to a pillar and dashed toward it, dripping and shivering. It barely covered her shoulders, but it kept the worst of the rain off.
When the rain finally stopped, she stepped out again.
Her clothes clung to her and her hair stuck to her face. Her legs felt heavy as she moved toward the taxi lane.
Then, when she least expeced it, a midnight-black luxury car, sleek, polished, undeniably expensive__swerved carelessly toward the curb and stopped just a few steps from her. Its tires slammed into a puddle, splashing cold, dirty water all over her.
Linda stopped dead, gasping as she looked down at her now messy clothes. Her breath trembled. Anger, sharp and hot, surged beneath her skin.
The car door opened, and a young, strikingly handsome man stepped out. His looks carried the kind of confidence that came from never hearing the word "no"—tall, well-dressed, hair styled perfectly, his features almost unreal. His hazel eyes landed on her drenched state for barely a second before he turned away as though she weren't even worth noticing.
Linda scoffed in disbelief, then.... without hesitation, walked toward him, trying to steady her voice.
"Sir, You just drenched me. Did you not see that?" She asked, trying to be polite as possible. She just got here and didn't want to stand out too early on.
The man didn't respond or even look her way. He simply continued speaking to the assistant beside him. Were people in Seoul always this rude or was this man just a terrible jerk.
"Tell the logistics team if they mess up my schedule again, they're finished." The man said finally, and then he slid into the back seat, completely ignoring Linda. The driver started the engine.
Linda clenched her jaw, she was already in a bad mood, and this bastard just made everything worse.
Without thinking twice, she stepped back and kicked the side mirror with all her strength.
The mirror snapped and hung by its wires, shocking both the driver and everyone else in the car. The driver and assistant gasped. Linda stepped back, ready for whatever came next.
The young man burst out of the car, shock written across his face.
"Are you insane?! Do you know how much that costs?!" he barked.
"If you can drive this carelessly," Linda said coolly, "you can afford to fix a mirror."
"You..." he snapped, pointing accusingly, "you black woman from some forgotten place! You broke my car! Even if you worked your whole life, you could never afford it."
"You spoiled child," she shot back. "Your car splashed me from head to toe, and you nor your driver even cared to apologize, what? You fucking expect me to give you a handshake instead? I don't give a damn about your expensive car, your driver can pay for it, it's obvious he got that shitty personality from you, splashing water on someone and not even having the nerve to step out and apologize."
The man scoffed.
"People like you should be grateful I even spoke to you. If you wanted money, you could have asked."
He pulled out his wallet and tossed a few bills at her feet. "Take that and pay for the laundry, and don't ever let me see you again."
Linda stared at the money on the wet ground, humiliation and anger swirling in her chest all at once. This man was an absolute jerk, the worst of the worst kind she had ever seen. A spoilt rich brat, the kind she so much craved to beat to a pulp.
"You're insane!" she exclaimed.
Her hand moved before she could even think. She slapped him, hard across the face.
The sound echoed through the parking area.
His two bodyguards rushed forward immediately, to protect their young master.
But Linda moved faster.
One grabbed her arm; she twisted sharply and drove her elbow into his jaw. He stumbled back in pain.
The second swung at her; she ducked and swept his legs out, sending him crashing onto the wet pavement.
Both men stared at her from the ground, stunned and speechless.
Even the spoilt brat now looked frozen, really shock. He clearly hadn't expected her to overpower both guards so easily.
Before anyone could move again, headlights cut across the pavement.
A sleek silver car rolled to a stop.
The door opened, and a composed man in a neat suit stepped out.His presence was calm and quietly authoritative, nothing like the rude rich brat.
He went to Linda first.
"I apologize for whatever trouble my young master might have caused you. You've had a difficult day," he said softly. "Please accept this small token of my apology. I hope this would be enough for the laundry."
He offered her a small, crisp envelope, respectfully, bowing politely.
Linda looked at him, speechless. "W...who are you?" She asked, confused, all her anger vanishing in an instant.
"I'm Secretary Kim, and that there is my young master. Please accept this miss." Kim insisted.
Linda hesitated, but reached to collect the envelope without having any idea of what was inside.
Then secretary Kim turned to the man, his expression stern."young master," he said, with a steady voice, "you're coming with me, we have to talk. Unless you want your father to hear about what happened here."
The man stiffened.
"I told you not to interfere in my affairs," he hissed.
Secretary Kim placed a hand on his shoulder.
"And I told you not to create scenes in public. Paparazzi don't need more stories."
The man clenched his jaw, caught between fury and Kim's quiet authority. Although naturally, he was supposed to have authority over secretary Kim, but because Kim was his father's personal secretary, and his father had given Kim the authority to manage his affairs, he didn't dare go against him.
The man turned back to Linda, his eyes sharp and angry. "We'll meet again," he muttered. "Bitch."
He slid back into his car. And both vehicles pulled away.
Linda stood alone, chest rising and falling as she curiously looked down at the envelope secretary Kim had given her. What the hell had just happened? Slowly, she opened the envelope and brought out the single paper which was inside.
Her eyes widened when she saw what was written on it, it was a damn cheque of 5 million won.
"What the hell!"