Welcome to Empire

SONG JIN HEE CRINGED AS SHE GOT out of her uncle's pastel pink van. He was the one who drove her to her new school. She took one glimpse at her new school and looked back at her uncle.

“*Sukbu,” she called him. “I don’t think I can do this. I don’t think I can enter that school.” (*father’s brother, uncle)

“Aigoo, this kid. How many times did I tell you that you shouldn’t call me sukbu. You should call me *gomo,” with his feminine voice, Song Shin Hyuk also known as Mama Shin corrected that made Jin Hee sigh. (*paternal aunt)

“Don’t be nervous, Jin Hee-yah. I know you can do it! Do well at school! Hwaiting!” Mama Shin threw her a flying kiss before driving his pink pastel van away.

She waited for her uncle’s feminine van to disappear in her eyes before facing the grand gate of her new school. She made a face while looking at the prestigious building of the said place. Jin Hee didn’t expect that when she took her first step on Seoul’s ground, she’d enter this prestigious private institution. The school gate was painted with luxurious black and there were some metals bent in different shapes and symbols, covered with golden paint—flaunting how grand, elegant and superior this school was.

She closed her eyes as she took a deep breath then she opened it again and stared at the school’s gate once more.

“You can do this, Jin Hee!” she encouraged herself secretly, trying to quench the nervousness that flowed through her body. She took a glance at the brochures and school directory that she was holding before she entered the premises.

Sumptuous, opulent and plushy cars got her attention as she walked on the school grounds. She saw some students assisted by their drivers in holding their bags—which made her think that they’re too lazy to hold it for themselves. They have two hands. Why do they need to have assistance in holding their bags? If possible, when they walk, they still need an assistant. Tsk, rich kids, she thought.

She shrugged and ignored it. It wasn’t her business to espy on people around her anyway so she continued walking and searching the Senior High building.

In front of her were some students talking about luxurious living and walking at a slow pace that made her feel a jolt of annoyance, wanting to kick their asses to make them walk faster.

“You’re not gonna believe what happened. Do you know that I lost a bet with my brother?” she heard the guy in front of her talking to his peers. “He bought one of my stock at the lowest value. Ugh, it really sucks. He’s so stingy.”

“Oh, really? How much did he invest in your stock?” asked the girl on his right side. Her wavy, long hair looked good in her ponytail. Looking at her from behind, she looked good in her uniform and long, white socks with two black stripes around the knee part. Their vests was color black with white edges on the collar, gray-colored V collar gilet shirt, wrist cuffs, side pockets and pocket on the left chest. Their left chest pocket bore the prestigious logo of the school. The girl’s skirt was about four to five inches above the knee and it was red, checkered with black and green lines with straight, neat plats. They also had different colors of the necktie—red for girls and yellow for boys with the school’s logo as the design—the logo of two lions with crowns facing each other and the knight’s spears forming ‘x’ and a bigger crown on top of the name of their school engraved on it. Empire Academy.

“One hundred billion won.”

She almost choked when she heard the guy’s answer. She should have been aware that they were all rich but she didn’t expect them to have that much money in their accounts and pockets.

“One hundred billion won?” the girl repeated. “That’s cheap! He really is stingy.”

“You know, once your stocks’ income grows higher, you can snatch back your stock from your brother,” the guy beside him said.

“Yeah, right.”

Jin Hee switched lanes from where she was walking, hoping that it was the end of business matters, but it got worse because of the two girls in front of her.

“Have you seen this?” one of the girls showed a necklace to her companion.

“O-M-G. That’s 22.5 ct. tw Yellow and White Diamond Heart Shaped Infinity Necklace in 18K white gold, worth 87,000 US Dollars! When did you avail that?!” her friend exclaimed in such surprise.

“Just yesterday,” the first girl said proudly. “And also this Prada bag of mine and the latest model of iPhone, these just arrived yesterday. Dad gave me these as a reward for my shares’ growing income in our company.”

“Gosh. You’re unbelievable,” her friend shook her head. “I wish my dad will do the same for me.”

Jin Hee gasped in awe. I can’t believe their stuff can equal the gold’s worth. This is crazy.

“I saw your new car earlier,” she heard a guy’s voice behind her.

“Yeah, right. Ferrari Pininfarina Sergio, it’s just worth 3 million US Dollars,” answered the other guy.

“Not bad. It’s hot and slick!”

Her eyes almost fell from their sockets when she saw how simple and nonchalant they were while talking about their opulent items and money. She bet her cheap 300 pieces sticker collection of Sailor Moon that his car was superbly more expensive than one of the biggest malls in Jeollanam-do.

“You see this?” she turned her gaze to her right side and saw one guy raising his hand to his two friends like he was showing something.

“Hey, that’s the world’s most expensive watch as of this year!” the guy on his right side exclaimed in astonishment.

“Yep. This is the 18 Million US Dollar Jacob & Co. Billionaire Watch. You know, there were only two of us here in our country who availed this watch. Do you know who the other one is?” the guy asked the two of them.

“Who?” curiosity was driven the two to ask.

He smiled proudly like he owned the world,—“Yoon Baek Hyeon.”

“Hey! That’s crazy!” the two responded in shocked English.

“Don’t you think I pull it off better?” he also asked in English as he fixed his cuffs to emphasize his superb expensive wristwatch.

“Hey, lend it to me!” the other guy almost pulled his wrist off just to get the watch.

“No, let me have it first! Me first!”

Jin Hee felt that she could hardly breathe from what she heard. The students in Empire Academy were beyond the qualities of an ordinary student. They were full of indulgence. For commoners, those things were hard to find and having those things were already a dream come true but for these people, the elite ones, those were just ordinary things that they could have and could get in a snap.

People may ask her: Why was she here? Is she rich just like them? Is she one of the lucky ones? Is she an elite?

No, she’s not.

She’s not one of the business heirs, stock heirs and those who were sons and daughters of rich politicians, lawyers, doctors and any other rich professionals and personalities.

She’s just an ordinary student, an ordinary person. She’s in a low class.

Yes, she’s a commoner.

She came from a simple family in Jeollanam-do. Her mother was a housewife—she just worked in the house taking care of her, her brother Jin Young, and her father. But sometimes, she sold Jeollanam-do street foods during the day in their neighborhood. Her dad was a driver of a food factory. He delivered different kinds of canned goods, dry goods and other forms and brands of snacks on mini marts, convenient stores and malls in Jeollanam-do. Her brother Jin Young was in 7th Grade and he was also an achiever in his class. They were just a normal family—content with what they have.

But then, life is not always sunshine. There are always nimbostratus or cumulonimbus clouds that will pour heavy rain.

The factory where her father was working went bankrupt and all of the employees, including her father, didn’t get even a single cent from that company. Almost all of their everyday life expenses, school fees and allowances depended on her father’s salary in that company so it was really hard for their family once he lost his job.

Jin Hee decided to stop schooling and help her mother and father instead. It had been hard for her to make the decision since she had been dreaming to finish her studies and help her family. She wanted her family to live a comfortable life and she wanted to give them what they deserve—to all the sacrifices and hard work they made to give her and Jin Young a comfortable life. She wanted that she would be the one to pay Jin Young’s school fees once she finished her studies. That’s all she dreamed about—to be successful for herself and to help her family.

Unfortunately, her parents didn’t allow her to do it. They didn’t want her to stop schooling and work to help the family. They accepted her uncle, her father’s brother’s offer that he would be the one to take the obligation of schooling her in Seoul since he didn’t have any son or daughter. She was happy about the offer and the idea that her uncle would take the obligation of schooling her and that her parents would never worry about her school fees anymore. It would lighten their burden. But she was hesitant. Yes, studying in Seoul was a big opportunity for her but she didn’t want to leave her family in Jeollanam-do.

But in the end, they convinced her to continue her studies in Seoul with the aid of her father’s brother.

She left Jeollanam-do with a promise that she would graduate and become successful and she would give her family a comfortable life someday.

“What is this, sukbu?” Jin Hee asked her uncle Song Shin Hyuk, her father’s younger brother. He runs a small salon and restaurant in Apgujeong. He is also living with his beauticians and staff which he considered as his ‘sisters’—Shin Hye, Su Ji, Ji Woo, Yoona and Dasom—yes, they’re guys with feminine personalities and they named themselves after those beautiful celebrities and K-pop stars.

They were talking in his living room. Jin Hee was sitting in the single couch, massaging her right shoulder when her uncle Shin Hyuk or they used to call him ‘Mama Shin’ (that’s actually his feminine name) emerged in front of her, holding a brown envelope with a crown sticker on the opener.

“I don’t know, my niece. But I am so excited to know what’s inside of it! Hurry, open the blind item!” he was grinning ear to ear, clapping his feminine hands.

He’s more excited than me, huh? Jin Hee thought.

She looked at the envelope and opened it. Mama Shin was also anticipating about what’s inside the brown envelope so she quickly opened it and got the papers inside of it. She saw complete documents, student’s handbook and her identification card to her new school, quite shaky because of the emotions building inside her. She put the ID, the handbook and the documents back inside the envelope, then she pulled out the letter and read it.

“Congratulations… you passed the first ever scholarship entrance exam of Empire Ac—” she paused, still processing everything that she read in the letter. Her jaw dropped and looked at Mama Shin who was standing in front of her with a shocked expression on her face. “What?! Empire Academy?! Is this really true?!”

“No, no, my niece. That letter is bluffing,” Mama Shin answered sarcastically as he rolled his eyes. “Of course, it’s true. You took that school’s scholarship exam, right?”

When she and Mama Shin were looking for an affordable secondary school, they saw some flyers just around the street that Empire Academy would be conducting its very first scholarship entrance exam—they wouldn’t need to pay the tuition fee, nor any other fees in that school—they would just need to pass the exam and enter the top 20. Of course, Jin Hee grabbed the opportunity because it was free, so she took the said exam.

After taking the exam, she was already hopeless that she could pass it because its coverage were all advanced and some of the subjects had not been offered or she hadn’t take them up in her previous schools.

“That’s why this beautiful auntie of yours is very happy for you because you passed that school’s scholarship entrance exam! Good thing you inherited your beautiful gomo’s intelligence because you passed!” he said in an enthusiastic, feminine voice. He suddenly held her by both shoulders. “So, tomorrow, we’re going to buy your uniform and I want you to look pretty so that the boys from that school will notice you. No one knows, you can catch someone’s interest because you’re pretty and he will court you in no time!”

She made a face. She had no intention about what her uncle talked about. It wasn’t that she didn’t have time for love, it was just that studying washer main priority.

And I guess, getting a boyfriend is not a requirement to graduate and have your diploma, right? she thought.

“It’s not like that, sukbu… I-I don’t think I’m suited for that school! The kids who were studying there are rich, richer, richest! I’m not one of them, you see,” she sighed. “I don’t belong there.”

“Stop calling me sukbu,” Mama Shin cringed. “I’m too pretty to be called sukbu. Call me gomo.”

“Uh… g-gomo.”

“Much better. Oh, honey. Don’t push the opportunity away. It’s bad. Besides, you want to help your parents, right? So you have to go there! You don’t have to worry, grab the opportunity!” he said. in Hee sighed as a response. “And speaking of rich, you must not tell the whole school population that you are just a scholarship grantee. Remember that. Never tell them that you’re from the lower class because if they know it… shhhk! You’ll be dead meat, my dear niece,” he motioned like her neck would get severed if anyone discovered the truth of her status.

She grasped at her neck desperately. “Sukbu—I-I mean, gomo! Stop scaring me!” she sighed once more. “So what should I do to conceal that I’m a scholarship grantee?”

“You will pretend you are a nouveau riche,” he said, emphasizing a certain foreign word.

She frowned like she just heard some sort of alien word. “Nov-Nouveau—what?”

“Nouveau riche. You must pretend that you came from a family who suddenly became rich,” he answered casually.

“What? I should pretend? Should I lie in front of that many people? I can’t do that!” she protested.

He looked at her seriously. “If you want to help your parents, all you need is a lie in order to survive in that school. That’s it, Jin Hee. That’s what you’re going to do to study and graduate there peacefully.”

“Why me? Why?” she groaned as she whispered to the air while looking at the sky. “*Weomae abeoji.”

(*It’s a Jeollado dialect and expression when you find something annoying, another term for ‘What the…?’, it’s literal translation is ‘Goodness father’)

As she looked around, reality hit her that she was already in the place—and had nothing left to do but to suck it up and continue walking towards the unfamiliar jungle where there would be unspeakable dangers inside.

She frowned while staring at the school directory that she was holding. Call her a dummy but she really sucked at reading maps or directory or whatever because she really got lost even if she had one. She preferred verbal or vocal directions than written or illustrated ones. She can easily remember directions if you’ll going to instruct her than letting her read a freaking map.

“Okay. So where am I going now?” she asked herself as her eyes roamed around, hoping for someone to lead her in the direction of the Senior High building so she could search for her classroom.

As soon she turned her head on the open field, she saw one student sitting down, staring at nowhere. She quickened her steps towards him but instead of asking him directly, she stared at his face for awhile. He had a pointed nose, slightly long eyelashes and thin, pinkish lips with—

What? He has white hair? I thought schools were prohibiting students from dyeing their hairs. She thought.

Anyhow, for her, he really looked like an Anime character. He reminded her of Inu Yasha, a Japanese anime though he looked like Sesshoumaru than Inu Yasha because of his emotionless face. Or maybe some other Anime character with a white hair that has a strict profile, she thought.

Ah, right! He looked like Kaneki Ken in his ghoul form!

She cleared her throat to catch his attention. “Umm, hello. Umm, I just transferred here today and this place is really new to me so I want to ask where the Senior High building is?”

He stared at her with cold eyes that made her gulp, trying to remove the lump of nervousness inside her throat. But even though she experienced such a cold look from him, she couldn’t deny that he was really good-looking.

“I don’t talk to strangers. Just move away,” he plugged in his white SONY headphones, laid down on the open field’s grass and drifted to his nap.

She clicked her tongue. Tsk. So much for trying to be friendly, huh?

“Weomae abeoji. You’re so rude. That will not make you handsome, Mister,” she murmured. I’ve never been treated like this in my previous school, not until today. She shook her head. “Aigoo.”

Wait, why did you add that ‘handsome’ thing, Jin Hee? He’s not even qualified for that word because of his rude attitude! Tsk. She internally knocked her head.

Shaking her head, she left him sleeping comfortably in the open field (wishing that he would burn from the sun’s UV rays because of what he did to her) and continued walking and searching for someone to talk to and to lead her the way.

She noticed something rush in front of her, which made her yelp in shock and fall to the ground. “W-What was that—” She frowned as she looked at it with intense eyes. “What? A rabbit? And… it has a collar. It must be someone’s pet I guess?”

She was about to touch it but it hopped away from her. “Hey wait! Wait for me!” she got off her feet and followed the rabbit hopping to somewhere she didn’t know. She knew it was stupid for her to follow that rabbit but if her instincts were right, it may lead her to someone, maybe its master.

It stopped below a bench and hopped onto the guy who was already sitting there. The rabbit made its comfortable spot on his lap before it closed its eyes. The guy silently caressed its fur.

“U-Umm, hi. Is that your rabbit?” she almost choked with her question. wait—what? Did you seriously ask that, Jin Hee? The rabbit obviously hopped on him so it means he’s the owner. You’re such a coo coo brain.

He nodded as an answer.

“Umm, can I ask something?” He nodded again as a response.

She frowned about the silent response from the boy. I wonder if he’s really that aloof to talk to other people or he’s a mute. Nah, too impossible. Maybe he’s just a silent type. “C-Can I ask if you know the way to the Senior High building or do you know exactly where the Senior High building is?”

“Saa… doko deshou?” he asked in a monotone voice and she can’t feel any emotion on that.

“Eh? What?” she muttered to herself. What is he talking about? Thinking that the boy did not understand what she was talking about, she cleared her throat and asked him again. “I was asking if you know the way to the Senior High building or do you know exactly where the Senior High building is?” when she thought that the guy didn’t understand her, she tried talking to him using her basic English. “Umm, Do you know where the Senior High building is?”

He raised his head and looked at her. Jin Hee gasped silently when she saw his face. Here’s another darn handsome guy we’ve got here. “Wakaranaishi.”

She scratched her head as her lips slightly twitched. Seriously, don’t I really deserve a proper conversation here? “Err… well, I-I just transferred here today so I don’t know where my classroom is so I’m asking you if you know the way to the Senior High building or do you know exactly where the Senior High building is?”

This is the third time I repeated that question. Ugh.

“Soo desu ka?” he slightly nodded. “Ore mo.”

What is he really trying to say? Seriously, I don’t really get him.

Before she could say a word, he stood up and left her without a word.

“H-Hey, wait up—” she sighed as she put her hand down when she tried to reach the silent male. What’s wrong with the people here? They’re so weird. “Nevermind. Maybe I’ll just ask someone else to lead the way.”

She kept on walking and searching for someone who could guide her the direction to the Senior High building (Jin Hee was also hoping that he or she was also in the same grade as her) when she found herself in the school’s garden. Her eyes roamed slightly before resting on a guy sitting under a tree with his arms behind his head, leaning on the tree’s trunk. She made a quick exhale before she walked towards him.

“Excuse me—eh?” she stopped and her eyes suddenly widened when she saw the guy’s face.

He opened his left eye and looked at her. With his posture, she could say he’s a badass, a tough guy. She also found him cold in the way he stared at her. “Huh? What are you looking at?”

“E-Err… we-well, y-your face—” she gasped when he suddenly stood up and slightly leaned his face on hers which made her took a step back.

“What’s your problem, woman? Do you have a problem with my face?” he asked in a cold, dangerous tone that would make kids hide under their blankets.

“Ah—that’s not really—ah!” she hurriedly opened her backpack to get her small mirror. When she got it, she faced it to him with her trembling hands. “L-Look at your reflection.”

He looked at his reflection in the mirror then he lightly touched his jaw and cheek. After a second or two, he shouted in a voice made her yelp. “WHAT IS THIS?! WHY THERE WERE SO MANY DOODLE SHITS ON MY FACE?! DID YOU DO THIS WOMAN?!”

Jin Hee shook her head many times, convincing him that she’s innocent. “No! No! I didn’t make it! I am telling the truth!”

“I am the one who made that!” they both looked at the tree’s branch and saw a guy who talked to them from an upside-down position while sitting on the branch. What the?

He kept on laughing while looking at them. “Hahaha! Success! Man, you’re so ugly! Hahaha!”

“Jerk! What the freak did you just do on my face?!” the guy whose face had been vandalized shouted at the guy on the tree’s branch.

“What? I’m bored, that’s it. Hahaha!” he jumped to the ground and ran away from the two.

“YOU BLOODY MORON! COME BACK HERE YOU PIECE OF SHIT!” the guy with doodles on his face chased the vandal, leaving her alone.

“A-Ah—w-wait—where’s the building…” she looked down and sighed in disappointment as she walked away from that place. So much for trying a good conversation, eh?

She came back to the open field to search for someone to ask and accompany her when she saw a red Holland rose just a few inches away from her feet. She picked it up and smelled it. “Waah~ what are you doing here? Did someone pick you up only to leave you here?”

When she was a child, she really had a fondness for roses. She planted so many roses in their house’s small garden in Jeollanam-do and some of the family’s neighbors picked some of their roses and put it on their chapel’s altar.

She sighed. She really missed Jeollanam-do. She really missed their small but warm, cozy house. She really missed her family. It was her first day of school and she really felt the so-called homesickness. It’s normal for people that they really felt it when they got stuck in an unfamiliar place.

She shook her head. Back to reality, Jin Hee! You gotta search for your classroom or else you’re gonna be late on your first day of class and it will be embarrassing for you!

She was about to leave when she felt something passed over her head and landed behind her. She felt her eyes widened and got petrified from where she was standing. What the heck was that?! Could it be a UFO?! A vehicle full of aliens? Are they gonna invade planet Earth?!But it’s still morning for the love of Pete! And there’s no way in heck that they’ll invade Earth at this moment! I still need to graduate! Weomae abeoji!

She slowly faced the “thing” behind her but the wind slapped her on the face real hard that she felt her eyes itch because of the dust and she felt the rose she was holding got swept up in the air. She winced and rubbed her eyes because it’s really itchy due to the dust and tears welled up in her eyes. She wanted to open her eyes but she couldn’t because of the freaking wind.

She felt her feet wobble, making her lose her balance but before her bum reached the ground, a strong arm suddenly snaked around her waist. The wind slowly stopped, became her cue to slowly open her teary, blurry eyes. She saw some rose petals falling down to where she was standing and saw the lad’s face just a few inches away from her. She couldn’t help herself but stare in awe at his heavy-lidded brown eyes.

She didn’t usually stare at other people’s faces, especially in their eyes because she found it rude. But there was something in this guy that made her stare into his eyes for what seemed like forever. It made her feel that she had just dove into the depths of him and she didn’t know if she could still rise up for air.

“Who are you?” he asked in a husky, calm voice.