Chapter 1

Pyeongchang-dong, 9:30 A.M

"Linie," I called her.

She looked at me and raised an eyebrow. Weʼre here now at Yunaʼs garden. Watching butterflies fly in whatever direction. I didnʼt get here last week because I did a lot. Furthermore, Mom and Dad left yesterday. Sabi nila: Hindi raw ako pwede umalis hangga't hindi rin sila nakakaalis.

"Yes?" she said.

"Why does this milk taste like medicine?" I asked as if disgusted with what I was drinking.

Pauline took my drink and tasted it. She said it might really taste that way. A few minutes passed, silence enveloped us. I leaned back in my chair and looked at the grey,cloudy sky.

"I want to experience dating a poor man," begin by Eunice.

I straightened up in my seat and spoke, "Eunie, it's hard to date a destitute guy when you're in a wealthy people circle, especially since your family is a 'millionaire'."

"Absolutely! A millionaire with a luxurious villa and mansion here in Korea," Bea joined the conversation.

Pauline laughed, "That's okay, little Eunie."

Eunice looked straight at me and sniffed,"Marry me, Jenli." Eunice said.

I looked at her directly and smiled a little, "But I'm not underprivileged. I'm opulent like you," I said shamelessly. They all laughed because of that.

"Isa ka rin! Hahaha! A rich woman that has an opulent mansion filled with priceless arts and antiques. Your house looks like a museum na!"Bea again.

"You really love arts, 'no?"Pauline said. Ever since I was a child, I have been really interested in art. I remember when I was a teenager, Mom and Dad would accompany me to a peaceful place and let me paint what I had in my mind. I love that place,there I always sit on the lawn with rose petals. I hope I can bring that time back. I also dreamed of becoming a full-fledged Museum Director. But sadly, I did not fulfill that. They don't want my job to be like that. So even thought it was painful for me,I just chose to follow what they wanted. After all, this is just for them...

I nodded to Pau. I almost burst into tears at these thoughts so I blew a little air out of my mouth and shook my head.

"Jenli, can you get the scrunchie in my room? Please," Eunice pleaded like a kid. I just nodded aggreably.

When I got to her room, my hair all over my body suddenly rose because of the cold. She may have forgotten to turn off the aircon. But even if the aircon is not turned off, it is still cold because its glass door is open. The air from the outside and the air from the aircon will meet.

"Where can that be?" I asked myself while looking for her hair tie.

After a few minutes of searching, I still could not find it. As I sat down on the end of the bed, I could see the breathtaking panorama of the sky. I went to the balcony and slipped my two hands into the pocket of my pants and enjoyed the distressingly cold breeze. Unfortunately, the weather is gloomy today.

"Hey, didn't you see?" I was surprised when Eunice suddenly appeared and spoke.

I just shook my head. She wrapped her hand around my arm and smiled, looking somewhere. When I looked in the direction where she was looking, I saw two men and a woman sitting in their chairs, drinking coffee . The woman smiled sparingly at Eunice. I avoided looking because the woman suddenly looked at me and waved as if she was very happy to see me, causing her companions to look at me as well.

A man reading a book very seriously caught my attention. He just looked at me for a moment and went back to reading. He didn't even smile at me.

He was wearing a standard-issue gray t-shirt and ratty white short, reaching to the knee. I couldn't look closely at his face because he was far away.

"The woman who waved at you is my friend. The two men with him were her brothers," Eunice explained as we went down stairs. I could see her polka-dotted hair tie attached to her hand so I laughed without her noticing. As we continue to descend,I don't know but my heart is pounding as I think of that man.

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:)