What if he suddenly appears? What if he catches me like this? Surely that would leave me on minus hundred points…
Instantly, Aera let go of his neck. The student dropped to the floor coughing. Aera turned to the other students watching. "What are you waiting for? Scram!" She growled.
The students scurried away as fast at their legs could. The female student rushed to help the male student. As they were about leaving, Aera spoke up. "You both stop."
The students halted in their steps and turned falling on their knees. "Please have mercy!" They chorused their heads touching the ground.
Aera crouched down. "I'm not going to kill you. I just need a bit of information."
The students looked up at her with teary eyes. "What information?" The male student asked.
Aera inclined her forefinger towards herself indicating that they should lean forward. "Do you perhaps know a male student that wears glasses? Those big frames ones. He's about my height, just a bit taller."
"There are a lot of male students that wear framed glasses…" the male student said in a low voice.
Aera's eyes sparkled. "He stutters too. He has brown hair…"
And those doe eyes that makes my heart flutter everytime I think about it.
"That must be Lee Dohyun." The female student blurted. "Dohyun?" Aera asked with a raised brow.
The female student nodded with certainty. "It's definitely Lee Dohyun."
Aera ears twitched. She moved closer to them curious to know more about Lee Dohyun. "Is he not in school today?"
"Dohyun never misses a day of school, he has been a lot busy with our Korean teacher." the female student replied.
That could explain why she hadn't seen him for days now. He was busy and she was so worked up.
She waved her hands dismissively. "You can leave now." She stood up.
Lee Dohyun… what an exquisite name.
Jisoo put out her cigarette. She turned to Aera finally speaking, "Choi Aera, don't you have some explaining to give us? You just returned from the US and you're not spending time with us. What kind of a friend are you?" She asked her voice hoarse.
Aera glanced their way the a faint blush on her cheeks. She walked towards them. "Sorry. I was looking for someone."
Jiwon raised a brow. "Who? The person that burnt you?"
Eh?
Aera's cheeks flushed brighter. "No- I.. that's.." she suddenly couldn't find the appropriate words. She pulled out a chair and sat down.
Seolhye narrowed her eyes scrutinizing. "Suddenly speechless?" She turned to the rest. "I told you she has fallen again."
"I- oh my goodness! Look at this, you three smoked this much?" Aera stared at the heap of cigarette butts speechless at the three of them.
"Trying to change the subject huh," Jiwon said dropping her nth cigarette. "That trick won't work on us.."
Aera grinned sheepishly. "That aside, do you guys know a Lee Dohyun?"
"Let me guess, it's the name of the guy from the three days ago." Seolhye said with a smirk.
Jisoo sat up straight. She stared squarely st Aera. "You haven't fallen for another one again have you?"
Jiwon chipped in. "you don't plan on pursuing him do you?"
"I've told you guys before. I'm done chasing men, they should be the one chasing after me not the other way around." Aera replied through her teeth.
The three of them simultaneously scoffed.
"Choi Aera, how many guys have you pursued?" Jisoo asked irked.
Aera raised three fingers. "Three."
"How many agreed to date you?" Jisoo asked again.
Aera toyed with the burning cigarette entwined in her fingers. "None. Inwoo had a girlfriend: Yosub suddenly dropped out and Chulsang wanted to double date."
Jisoo raised her hand and flicked Aera's forehead. "And you've fallen for yet another?"
Aera massaged her forehead mumbling silently. "It's not like I'm going to chase him this time around…" she looked up at Jisoo. "Besides, he's still in highschool. I'm not gonna chase an undergraduate." She added with certainty.
"You made all that ruckus for someone you weren't going to chase huh." Seolhye said and gave the rest a 'I told you' look.
"Well—" Aera's phone buzzed interrupting the conversation. She glanced at the caller id. Her eyes lit up immediately. "Father." she said picking up the call.
"You're home already?…. Right now, I'm coming right now." She said and hung up.
"Our parents are back?" Jiwon asked.
By 'our parents', they referred to Aera's parents.
Aera stepped on the cigarette. "Yeah, I got to go, father's sent a car… I'll contact you guys later, let's go to a bar!" Aera said and sprinted away like a mouse being chased by a cat.
Jisoo watched her residing figure. "Is it just me having this feeling of Deja Vu?"
"If you're talking about the feeing of being ditched, yeah, I feel it too." Jiwon said.
"Just when we thought she'd finally seen the light." Seolhye added with a sigh.
Having grown with Choi Aera from childhood, the three of them were fully aware of what to expect.
****
The Choi family Villa stood on the slopes of Seoul's affluent Hannam district. An estate enclosed behind tall gates. From the outside it looked less like a residence and more like a private sanctuary exuding a feel of quiet, imposing and untouchable.
The driveway curved upward through manicured gardens lined with lantern-lit pines and cherry blossom trees. At its center, a circular fountain rose in elegant tiers, water glittering under the lights.
The villa itself stretched wide, built in a harmonious blend of traditional Korean hanok elegance and sleek modern architecture. Dark tiled roofs curved gracefully over clean glass walls.
"Welcome home Mistress," the servants of the Choi family greeted at once immediately they sighted Aera.
"Where's my father?" Aera asked Mrs. Kim. "The Chairman is in his study." She replied her head bowed.
"Great. Mirror."
A servant rushed up to Aera with a mirror in her hand.
Her father disliked seeing her dressed in such unrefined manner. According to him, it made her lose the endearing qualities she possessed as a lady.
Aera applied a bit of makeup to cover the bruise she had on her cheek. She also applied a bit of lipstick and eyeshadow to bring out her 'endearing' qualities.
Another servants passed her a tray filled with mint candy. She popped a few into her mouth to get rid of the smell of cigarettes.
Wearing a pair of blue flip-flops, she rushed to her father's study.
Inside, the air smelled faintly of cedar and polished marble. The main hall opened into soaring ceilings with crystal chandeliers, its walls lined with framed calligraphy and abstract art collected from Seoul, Paris, and New York.
Aera breezed through the halls arriving at her father's study at the far end of the hallway. She pushed open the doors and stepped in.
The Study held rows of leather-bound volumes, awards, photographs with world leaders, and relics of the Choi dynasty's rise. Her father was seated by the desk typing away. She entered and rushed to his side enveloping him in a tight bear hug.
"I've missed you so much!" She squealed.
Her father, Choi Wooram, laughed heartily. He pulled away from her hold taking a good look at her. "You've grown so big and beautiful! How many years has it been?"
"Two years. It has been two years." Her mother butted in stepping from the door a cup of coffee in her hand. She placed the cup on the desk by Wooram's laptop.
She gave Aera an accessing look. Her eyes shap and calculating. Aera winced under her burning gaze. "Mother, you're here…" she said with a sheepish grin and pulled her hairband letting it loose covering the tattoos on her neck in the process.
Choi Sehyun scoffed. She turned seating on the luxurious neon sofa her black hair swaying with the motion. "I get no hug? What can I say, the mistress always manages to get more attention than the wife."
Aera heaved a sigh. As expected of her highly esteemed mother. She'd probably sniffed out the smell of cigarettes lingering on her and chose to keep quiet. Her mother had a really sensitive nose. She could pick up scents a normal person couldn't.
The both of the were always busy but surprisingly enough they had the same free time.
"Complaining? Who was the one who brought in such a beautiful mistress?" Wooram asked.
Aera smiled.
"You always take her side." Sehyun humphed.
Aera and Wooram cooed. "Is someone getting jealous?" They teased.
Sehyun folded her arms. ".Get jealous my foot." She retorted.
Aera moved closer to her mother nuzzling her. "Then again, the mistress ought to remain on good terms with wife."
Sehyun pouted. "At least you know how to sneak into people's hearts."
"That she learnt from me," Wooram winked at her. The Chairwoman's cheeks flushed pink. "I guess she gets the shamelessness from you too"
"And I got the beauty from you both." Aera giggled.
"Have you adjusted yet to Korea? You haven't been here for years…" The Chairwoman said after a while.
"I'm faring well," Aera replied.
If beating up students and getting wild with Eun Jisoo and the others counted..
"I'm glad, after all you won't be leaving." The Chairman said.
Eh? I won't be returning? Aera suddenly sat up.
If I remain here then in no time, the entire world will be made aware of my status as the heir to Choi Global Holdings. Then I'd have to follow in and carry the family business lineage. Then, I'd have to marry an annoying Chaebol of a powerful group.
Aera's eyes shrank in their sockets. We might even have children loitering the place!
What if the kind of life I've lived gets leaked? What if I'm blackmailed with it?
And the person I'd have to spend the rest of my life with, he probably won't be wearing glasses, he won't have brown hair, he won't have those captivating eyes… worse, he won't STUTTER!
Aera could envision her future if that happened.
Doomed!
I'll be doomed if I don't marry Lee Dohyun. That would be the end of me, end of everything!
Eh? Why am I already thinking of marrying someone that probably doesn't remember me?
I don't care…. I can always get him to remember, we can always make new memories.
What matters is I like him, and I want him.
Not just anyone…
Just him.