Chapter 34
Eric POV
People look at dreams like something that takes time.
But here I am.
On the day school resumes.
I stood at my window, looking out, and sighed slowly.
The room was quiet in the kind of way expensive houses always are silence polished smooth, untouched by struggle, guarded by thick walls and distance. Outside, the grounds stretched wide beneath the morning light.
Long trees stood in neat rows. Stone pathways curved through trimmed gardens. Water moved gently through the fountain near the center courtyard, reflecting the pale sky above.
Everything here looked like wealth had built it carefully.
Sometimes I still could not believe I lived inside it.
My mind drifted slowly to things that had mattered.
My parents.
who knew the child they treated badly because of skin color, and because it was not theirs, would be the one to save me.
I stared harder through the glass.
There was something bitter in that truth.
The child they looked down on.
The child they wounded.
The child they tried to make feel lesser.
Would become the one who rose.
But victory does not always feel sweet when pain came first.
Then my mind went to Aria.
She had the sweetest plans.
She used to speak about the future as if it had already agreed to be kind to us. She also wanted to settle down in Korea after watching lots of K-dramas. She would say things so seriously that I could never tell if she was joking or building an actual life in her head.
I could almost hear her laugh now.
Who knew she would not be here to witness this moment?
Who knew some people would give you warmth, then leave before winter truly began?
Then my mind went to Nicholas.
Why am I thinking about him?
Why does he matter now?
I frowned at my own reflection in the window.
Of all mornings, why today?
Why him?
I shook my head sharply.
"Eric, focus."
My own voice sounded strange in the quiet room.
"None of this matters more than the future."
I said it again, firmer this time.
"Live. Study well. Thrive. Support Laurel."
That was what mattered.
Not past.
Not wounds.
Not feelings I had no name for.
I walked to the bathroom and had my bath slowly, letting the warm water settle the storm inside me. By the time I finished, the mirror was fogged over. I wiped it with my hand, then dressed carefully.
When I stood in front of the mirror fully dressed, I froze.
All I could see was Aria's face.
Smiling at me.
Proud.
Soft-eyed.
Heaven knows how much I missed her.
If I was told she was an angel in disguise of a human, I could not doubt it. She had been way too kind for this world.
A single teardrop slipped down my face.
Hot.
Real.
It landed against my jaw and brought me back to the reality in front of me.
I wiped it away quickly.
"Not today," I whispered.
I styled my hair, adjusted my collar, straightened my blazer, and walked out.
As I moved toward the living room, I saw Laurel in the kitchen, making toast.
Even doing something simple, she looked like someone important.
She was already dressed for work, sleeves neat, posture straight, hair tied back cleanly. The kitchen around her was sleek marble and glass, polished enough to reflect light. Everything in the house looked expensive, but Laurel somehow made even luxury look ordinary.
She turned when she heard me.
Her eyes moved over me once.
"You look nice," she said.
I smiled. "It is all thanks to you."
She smiled back.
It was really rare to see her smile big like this.
I knew she was truly happy.
Maybe because of me.
Maybe because despite everything, I had made it this far.
"I will drop you off," she said.
"No," I replied immediately. "Your company is quite far from my school, and I am sure you have meetings."
"I can take the bus."
"No."
Just one word.
Flat. Certain.
She placed the toast down and looked directly at me.
"The school you are going to has huge standards," she said. "You can't allow someone who isn't up to you feel like they can do something to you. That way they stay hiding forever."
I blinked.
Only Laurel could make school sound like war.
Then she reached for a key resting on the counter and tossed it toward me.
I caught it awkwardly.
"Take my other car," she said.
I stared at the key.
"But I'm not fully an adult."
"You know how to drive well."
"Yes, but"
"You also took the exam, which you passed."
"But this is Korea," I said.
She came closer to me, close enough that I could smell her perfume clean, sharp, expensive.
"Do you know why they set rules, Eric?"
I looked at her carefully.
"Why?"
"Because it is meant to be broken."
I almost laughed.
"And people who break one to protect themselves did nothing wrong."
She said it like law.
Then she turned and walked upstairs.
I remained standing there, key still in my hand.
I understood what she meant.
Going to a school like that, bullies usually feast on the weak, the poor, the powerless.
They move toward hesitation.
They recognize insecurity.
They attack whatever looks easy.
But once you show them you are not someone to be messed with, they stay far away.
Fear often respects confidence more than kindness.
"Thank you!" I shouted toward the staircase.
"Wait," she called back.
A moment later she came down again, holding something small.
A bracelet.
"Hand," she said.
I brought my hand forward obediently.
She fastened it around my wrist with calm precision.
Dark leather. Silver clasp. Elegant enough to be expensive, simple enough to look effortless.
Then she looked at me.
"You have less than ten months to spend as a high school student."
Her tone softened by only a fraction.
"Meaning protect yourself well till I get to you, no matter the situation."
I nodded.
Then I hugged her.
She stiffened for half a second, then patted my back twice.
Classic Laurel.
"Go," she said.
I smiled and stepped away.
Outside, the driveway curved through the front gardens like something leading to a private resort. The villa stood tall behind me glass, stone, height, silence. A home built for people who never had to ask permission from life.
I entered the car and drove to school.
Seoul looked different in the morning.
Especially with students walking in school uniforms.
Friends chased each other across sidewalks.
Groups gathered at corners laughing too loudly.
Cars dropped children at gates.
Traffic lights blinked over busy roads.
The city felt younger somehow.
More hopeful.
More alive.
And the funniest part was that this was a way to a dream.
A life ready to unfold itself.
I stopped at a light and watched two boys race each other across the street while a girl shouted after them. A group of girls stood near a bus stop fixing each other's ties and laughing. Someone nearly dropped a drink and screamed dramatically while friends clapped.
Ordinary things.
But ordinary things become precious when you once thought you would never have them.
For years, survival had been the only future I knew.
Now I had classes to attend.
Homework to do.
Lunch breaks.
New names.
Possibly enemies.
Possibly friends.
I tightened my hand on the steering wheel and looked at the bracelet Laurel gave me.
Protect yourself well.
I could still hear her voice.
Then Aria's laughter crossed my mind again.
Then Nicholas.
Again.
I groaned aloud.
"What is wrong with me?"
The school gates finally came into view.
Tall.
Elegant.
Imposing.
Students streamed inside carrying bags, confidence, and lives already in motion.
I parked slowly.
For a moment, I just sat there.
My heart beat harder than it should have.
What if I don't fit?
What if they know where I came from?
What if I fail?
Then another thought rose quietly.
What if I don't?
I looked once in the mirror.
Adjusted my tie.
Lifted my chin.
Opened the door.
The air outside was crisp.
Several students glanced toward the car immediately.
Some looked at the car.
Some looked at me.
I closed the door behind me and started walking toward the gate.
Every step felt louder than it should have.
Every breath sharper.
But I kept walking.
Because dreams may take time.
But sometimes, if you survive long enough
They wait for you at the gate.