Chapter 1
~•~ CHAPTER ONE ~•~
Meesoon blinked her eyes open groggily and stared at her alarm clock. Her eyes were puffy and red from all the crying she had done the night before.
She got out of bed and walked over to her mirror.
How pathetic, she thought to herself as she entered the bathroom.
Yang Meesoon was her full name.
She had once had a happy family and a loving boyfriend, but everything changed when her grandfather died. Her father, being the eldest son, had to become the family heir.
Then her parents died in what everyone called an accident.
But Meesoon knew it wasn't.
Her boyfriend had also mysteriously disappeared along with the rest of his family, leaving behind a girl broken by grief and fueled by revenge.
A maid knocked on her door, cutting through her thoughts.
"Yes?" Meesoon answered softly as she washed her hands.
"Breakfast is ready, Miss, and your grandmother is waiting for you downstairs."
"Tell her I haven't had my bath yet," Meesoon said gruffly.
"Yes, Miss."
The maid left, and Meesoon groaned before stepping out of the bathroom. She grabbed her bathrobe and sluggishly went back inside.
After taking her bath, she dried herself before proceeding to dry her hair. She sat at her dressing table and stared at herself in the mirror for a long moment.
"Gwaenchan-a, Meesoon. Jal doel geoya(it's okay, Meesoon. Everything will turn out fine.)
She sighed before applying some concealer to cover her eye bags and dark circles. She tied her hair into a ponytail, put on her school uniform and shoes, grabbed her bag, and left her room.
A maid took her schoolbag from her as she headed downstairs.
"Good morning, Granny," Meesoon greeted as she sat down at the dining table.
Her sharp-eyed grandmother immediately noticed her puffy eyes and sighed.
"Did you cry again? Because of him? When will you grow up, Meesoon?" Grandma Yang asked softly but firmly.
"I didn't cry, and I didn't. Why do you care? I know very well how much you hate me, so drop the act. Don't pretend like you care!"
Meesoon yelled as she stood up.
"Yang Meesoon!" Grandma Yang snapped.
The maids around them flinched in fear.
"I'm done here," Meesoon said, dropping her spoon onto the table with a clink.
Grandma Yang's expression hardened.
"Escort the young miss back to her room. She's on lockdown until I say otherwise."
"Not as if I care anyway," Meesoon muttered before storming off to her room.
Grandma Yang sighed deeply.
Ever since Meesoon had lost her parents and beloved Jaeshin at the age of twelve, she had changed drastically. Only her best friends, Daya and Seo-No, could cheer her up, even if only for a little while.
A phone call suddenly interrupted Grandma Yang's thoughts.
She immediately picked it up.
Her expression changed as worry and sadness filled her face. She stood up and quietly left for her room.
Meanwhile, Meesoon sat curled up on her bed, her hair scattered across her face and her eyes glassy with tears.
She was going through her pictures and diary when her cell phone suddenly rang.
It was a video call from her best friends, Daya and Seo-No.
"Girl, why aren't you in school yet?" Seo-No asked. She was a warm, bubbly girl and a total fashionista. Her father had once been a politician before becoming a businessman, while her mother owned several of the largest department stores in Korea.
"Were you grounded again?" Jang Daya asked.
Daya was the daughter of one of the richest men in the country.
"Well, apparently, yes. I'm on lockdown mode," Meesoon replied, sounding almost angry.
"Calm down, girl. Did you upset your grandmother again?" Daya asked.
"I only told her a piece of my mind. I don't see what's so big about that."
"Shibal! A piece of your mind basically equals everything that's on your mind, Meesoon!" Seo-No exclaimed.
"Whatever!" Meesoon rolled her eyes. "Why are you smiling like you won a jackpot, Daya?"
"She's happy because she finally got a date with Min Hyuk!" Seo-No teased. "Turns out he had a crush on her too."
"Gosh! What the—"
Meesoon was interrupted by two knocks on her door.
The small smile on her face disappeared immediately.
"Go answer the door, Meesoon. We should probably get to class. Bye! We love you!" Daya said.
She and Seo-No blew kisses at her before ending the call.
Meesoon managed a small smile before getting up.
Another knock landed on the door.
"What the fuck do you want?" she growled as she opened it.
It was her grandmother.
Grandma Yang's eyes were red, and her face looked unusually sad.
"Meesoon, come," she said quietly before walking away.
Meesoon groaned and followed her downstairs to the living room.
"What is it this time?" she asked, flopping onto a chair.
Grandma Yang took a deep breath.
"Bad news, child. Your aunt passed away."
"Which one? I apparently have lots of them."
"Your favorite aunt, Hyeri, is dead."
Meesoon froze.
"Aunt Hyeri...?" Her voice trembled. "Dead? How?"
She swallowed hard before whispering,
"Why her too?"
Tears immediately began falling from her eyes.
"The autopsy results state that she was poisoned, along with her daughter, Bo Soon."
"Bo Soon is also dead?"
"Yes, my child. I know how much you loved her."
"The same person who murdered my parents murdered my aunt too!" Meesoon cried. "How come you don't see this? How come I'm the only one who sees it?"
"No, child. You're just being paranoid."
"Paranoid?" Meesoon stared at her grandmother in disbelief. "Now I'm paranoid?"
Her voice rose.
"Your children are dropping like flies, and all you can say is that I'm paranoid! Grandma, you're old, not senile. All of this points to only one person, and I know you know who it is!"
She half-yelled, her hair falling messily over her face.
"Calm down, Meesoon. Screaming isn't good for your health, and you know that."
"I'm tired."
Meesoon's voice cracked.
"Why does everyone I love keep dying?"
Grandma Yang's expression softened.
She pulled Meesoon into a hug.
"You'll be fine, Meesoon. You love me, and yet I'm still here, aren't I? Relax. Everything will be fine."
She gently rubbed Meesoon's back.
"The funeral is tomorrow. Are you going?"
Meesoon nodded weakly, still crying in her grandmother's arms.
"Mmhmm."
