“WHY ARE YOU HAVING A RELATIONSHIP WITH A GIRL?!”

Hae Soo couldn’t help but crease her brows while looking at her mom’s outburst. “You know damn well that this is not good for our family’s reputation and it’s not good in the eyes of the public that the heiress of Grande Geum is a lesbian! This is a total disgrace in our name and our image!”

Min Ah is also shocked seeing her aunt’s outburst. When she noticed that Hae Soo was mute in the whole duration of her aunt’s outburst, she cleared her throat and decided to answer her aunt. “A-Auntie, the photo—tha-that girl is actually our best—”

“Why?” Hae Soo finally broke her silence. “Why are you acting like I made a huge crime because I love my own best friend even if she’s a girl? I disappoint you? Really?” her voice started to crack as she chuckled sarcastically. “I should have known. I should have known that it’s a bad decision coming back to this country. I should have known that at the end of the day, I will never, ever get the acceptance from you because you only cared about you and your company’s reputation. For you, it’s better to accept and forgive the man who cheated on your own face few years ago than accepting your only daughter who turned out to be a closeted lesbian!”

“Hae Soo!” already had enough with the conversation, Hae Soo turned her back on her mother.

“H-Hae Soo!” Min Ah followed her suit.

She was about to opened the door but it opened itself and revealed the man who’s already in his late 40s, looking at her in a shock face but the happiness bubbling inside him is visible to his eyes—a total opposite to Hae Soo who’s looking at him, full of anger and loathe.

He was her father, the father that she used to look up with adoration.

Now, she looked at him with full of loathe.

“Hae Soo-yah,” he called softly.

“Don’t. Fucking. Touch. Me,” she spat, every word is dripping with poison. She bumped her shoulder on the man and stormed out of the office with Min Ah trying to calm her down.

ღ

“Hey, are you okay?” she looked at Min Ah who’s now offering her a cup of coffee. They’re now sitting on a cemented bench facing the Han River.

She’s indeed home… but she couldn’t feel it.

“Are you disgusted?” she asked too, making Min Ah raise her brows in question. “Are you disgusted about me… your own cousin… being a lesbian?”

“To be honest, I already felt that there’s something between you and Ji Yeon the way you look, talk and express towards her. But since I don’t wanna jump into conclusions, I kept my silence,” Min Ah took a sip on her coffee before continuing. “When you admitted it in front of Aunt Ha Yoon, I am shock, of course. But I’m not disgusted.”

Has Soo’s face lit up. “Really?”

The former chuckled at her as she playfully. “Of course, silly. I even thought you’re Asexual because you’re swooning over this 2D dude who doesn’t exit in real life named Kaneki Ken. But I think this is better since you like an actual person than a 2D dude in a romantic way.”

Hae Soo chuckled as she lightly knocked her cousin’s head. “*Babo, I’m not swooning over him like you do with that Jang Ryu Jin guy and his so-called band. I just like how the creator drew Kaneki and made his character, that’s all. I appreciate artworks and stuff, you know.” (*babo—stupid/fool)

They just kept on giggling until the fell into silence.

“How do I look when I’m with Ji Yeon?”

“Hmm, you look… you’re smitten, I guess?”

“Right.”

They fell into silence again.

Hae Soo gulped as she stared on her coffee that slowly became cold. “Is it really hard for her to accept who I really am? I’ve been a good daughter to them, to her. I never did something bad except I have an attitude problem. But why… why is it that it’s hard for her to accept what I am today?”

“You know that a good, perfect reputation is important in business, Hae Soo-yah. For us, we understand your situation but what about the other people? Your parents’ business partners and affiliates? Your investors? Competitors and everyone around you? If they’ll know your situation, they may or may not trust you anymore being the heir of the company because you know, most people are homophobic and they’re not open in this kind of situation. They may or may not also use this against you. Business is between wealth and honor. Love has the lowest percentage in business world. Your dad is the founder of the company and your mom is the CEO. Of course they want what’s best for you and your reputation to boost everyone’s trust as well as your wealth. This is the real world now, Hae Soo. This is our world. Being yourself is a huge weakness. You know you can’t live from riches to rags. So it’s either you’ll be a perfect fake in front of many people or being on your true self and be weak, inconsequential and a failure,” Min Ah said.

Hae Soo couldn’t help but sigh. She didn’t expect that this will happen.

She even regretted that she came back to Korea.

She just want to live a life, to live her life—away from this so-called business world.

As of this moment, all she want to do is to go back to New York and live her peaceful life again there with Min Ah and of course… Ji Yeon.

‘Ji Yeon.’

She shook her head and heaved a sigh again. “I don’t wanna think about it for now. I’m physically tired from the trip and mentally tired from that shit.”

“What do you wanna do today?” Min Ah asked with her arms crossed over her chest.

“I don’t know. I don’t wanna go home yet. Maybe I’ll just go to the bar and have a booze? But I don’t know much about the bars here in Korea.”

“Ah, right! You should come with me later!” Min Ah flaunted a grin, which made Hae Soo frown.

“Where are we going?”

“It’s Michaelangelo’s concert here!” she responded excitedly. She grabbed her fancy Chanel bag and fished something out of it—turns out, those are two concert tickets. “I bought their ticket from New York when I knew they’re having a concert here. In all honesty, I was planning to come here in Korea even just for a day to attend their concert that’s why I availed the Super VIP standing on their concert. Then, I don’t know, maybe my gut feeling that I should buy another ticket because I might bring someone there and my instinct is right! I will bring you there!”

Hae Soo shook her head begrudgingly. “You know that I’m not interested in boy band concerts. You know too well that I don’t like crowded places such as concerts.”

“What do you wanna do then? Drink the day away, making yourself depress over your issues with your parents? It’s bad for your beauty and body, you know? So instead of doing that, why not join me in watching Michaelangelo’s concert? I know you can’t resist it. You love music. You love singing,” Min Ah flaunted her toothy grin towards Hae Soo that the latter couldn’t help but roll her eyes as she looked away from the former’s stupid face. “Whatever.”

Min Ah felt so triumphant as soon as they went inside the car, seeing Hae Soo holding one of Michaelangelo’s SVIP concert ticket.

‘She really damn know me too well,’ Hae Soo shook her head as she drove the car away.

ღ

Happy loud yells, cheers, chanting and illuminating lights from the lightsticks held by fans greeted Hae Soo as she and Min Ah settled their selves in their respective spots. Min Ah availed the SVIP Standing where in just one jump, they could finally step on the stage.

It’s so loud from where she’s standing that even if she covered my ears, she could still hear the yells and chanting from the fans around them.

Hae Soo had never been to concerts, honestly. She find loud, crowded places irritating that’s why she never attended one.

It’s her first time. And it’s irritating.

“Argh, so loud!” she let out and exasperated sigh as she looked at Min Ah who’s also shouting together with the fangirls around them while waving the official lightstick of the boy group she’s stanning. Hae Soo finds the lightstick weird—if it’s not with the halo-like ring and the wings side by side of it—she might thought it’s Cardcaptor Sakura’s shaft. “I told you that bringing me here is such a bad idea! It’s irritating!”

Her cousin’s eyes squinted when the latter finally turned her head. “What? I can’t hear you!”

Rolling her eyes, Hae Soo just crossed her arms over her chest andc kept her silence. It’s useless for her to talk anymore because of the loud shouts and chanting the fans around her, and even her cousin Min Ah, are making.

“Michaelangelo! Michaelangelo! Michaelangelo we love you!”

The shouts, yells and chants even grew louder when the five guys holding their instruments emerged on stage and started playing their respective instruments.

♪ Just stop your crying

It's a sign of the times

Welcome to the final show

Hope you're wearing your best clothes

You can't bribe the door on your way to the sky

You look pretty good down here

But you ain't really good

If we never learn, we been here before ♪

Hae Soo quirked my brows when she watched the guy singing at the center of the other four members playing instruments.

‘This must be Jang Ryu Jin, the main vocalist and Min Ah’s ultimate bias,’ she thought.

In fairness to this guy—in her opinion—he’s not just good-looking but he also have a nice voice.

But she felt something about this guy… a sense of familiarity.

♪ Why are we always stuck and running from

The bullets?

The bullets

We never learn, we been here before

Why are we always stuck and running from

The bullets?

The bullets ~ ♪

Fans blaring shouting filled the stadium and Hae Soo’s ears when Michaelangelo’s leader and vocalist, Jang Ryu Jin started to sashay his way towards Hae Soo’s section while waving.

Min Ah is already a crying mess beside her while holding her phone towards Ryu Jin when the guy stopped in front of them. He kneeled like a prince as he continued singing. Hae Soo blinked twice.

‘Is it me or he’s really looking at me?’

♪ Just stop your crying

It's a sign of the times

We gotta get away from here

We gotta get away from here

Just stop your crying

It'll be alright

They told me that the end is near

We gotta get away from here ~ ♪

Everything happened to her six years ago and everything happened between her, her mom and her dad earlier flashed on my mind. She even remembered how her classmates, acquaintances and even her own cousin envy her for being such a perfect rich girl with a perfect rich family and social background. She couldn’t help but laugh in her mind bitterly.

People only care what you look like, how rich you are, how good is your reputation and how grand is your social status but they don’t really care about what you think and what you feel.

What’s sad is that even her parents will do everything just to maintain their perfect figure and good reputation in public…

…and totally forgot what their daughter really want to be.

She slowly outstretched my right hand to reach the handsome face looking down at her. He smiled as he leaned closer, enough for her hand to reach and touch his soft cheek.

‘Ji Yeon… I need you. I need you here with me.’

♪ Just stop your crying

Have the time of your life

Breaking through the atmosphere

And things are pretty good from here

Remember everything will be alright~ ♪

‘Ji Yeon…’

“Kyaaaaah! Ryu Jin!”

Hae Soo was stunned of what she did. She was dead pre-occupied when she did it. She thought she was facing Ji Yeon but it turns out to be the handsome main vocalist Min Ah idolizes.

What stunned her the most is the handsome main vocalist touched her hand that is resting on his cheek as he smiled at her.

♪ We can meet again somewhere

Somewhere far away from here ~ ♪

ღ

“Waaaaaaah!”

Hae Soo could feel she’ll become deaf sooner or later because of Min Ah’s loud shouting. She want to break free for her cousin’s hold but the latter is too strong and her hold is too tight. She even shook her like a fucking doll.

What the fuck.

‘Aren’t she tired of shouting in that 3-hour concert? Goddamn it,’ She mentally complained.

“I’ve been their fan since their debut and I’ve seen them personally a couple of times but I’ve never laid a finger on them like you do and Ryu Jin never held my hand like you do! Waah, I’m so jealous!” not to exaggerate but Hae Soo felt that her arm is going to get pulled away from her body the way her crazy of a cousin kept on pulling her arm. She had enough so she managed to break free from her cousin’s hold.

“Aw! If you want to whine, just whine. Don’t pull my arm like that,” Hae Soo hissed as she rubbed soothing circles on her abused arm.

Her cousin pouted. “Why did you do that? Don’t tell me you’re a closet fangirl of Michaelangelo and you’re not planning to tell it to me?”

“Are you kidding me?” She made a face. “I don’t even know them and I don’t even give two flying cents about them and be their fangirl. They’re the least priority in my life.”

“But why did you do it to Ryu Jin? Why did you touch his cheek like that?” Min Ah childishly pouted in front of her.

“I don’t know either. I was pre-occupied when I did it,” Hae Soo muttered and sighed then she looked at Min Ah who’s now smelling her right hand, making her brows crease. “What are you doing?”

“I’m smelling Ryu Jin’s scent in your hand,” she kept on sniffing the former’s hand. “Ah, his scent is so manly.”

Hae Soo cringed as she pulled her hand from from Min Ah that made the latter pout. “Stop it Min Ah, you’re acting like a freak.”

Min Ah kept her pout etching on her lips as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Let’s go, I’m starving.”

Hae Soo rolled her eyes as she fished out her car keys from her pocket. “You really do have the audacity to order me around, huh?”

Min Ah only answered her a giggle as the latter hopped inside the backseat, watching the fancams she took earlier. “Omo, Ryu Jin is really, really handsome.”

Hae Soo noticed the white Rolls Royce car entered the parking lot. She stared at it for a second before shaking her head and went inside the driver’s seat.

As soon as she went inside her car and maneuvered her car, a guy with an orange hair went out of the Rolls Royce and holding his white facemask.

“Shall we return, sir?”

“Yes, I’m done here.”