His Cinderella | Choi Soobin

One ♚

|| HYEWON ||

It's hard having a twin.

Same hair, same features, same height, same hair... From the top to the bottom, we're completely identical. But even if we look indistinguishable on the outside, my mother obviously has favouritism towards the other twin.

I was never the planned child. There was only one nursery, one baby bottle, and apparently only enough affection for one baby. That's why when the nurses told my mother she was also giving birth to another baby, she was far from happy.

Mother tried her best to like me, but I knew she didn't. Even if in public she pretended to treat us equally, behind curtains is where everything went the way she liked it.

"Oh my! Your child is so cute!" Mother's friends would exclaim while pinching Hanjin's cheeks. It always confused me as to how I never got complimented like that, because I always thought Hanjin and I looked the same.

"Mommy, why does your friend's never call me pretty? I thought me and Hanjin looked alike..." I would tug on mothers shirt once her friends would leave.

"Well, I wouldn't say you two are that similar. I mean, you have glasses and shorter hair when hers is long and gracious. You have freckles and tanner skin like your dad while Hanjin's skin is pale and clear." Mother would explain to me.

I was only 10. I never thought of myself as "ugly" before that day. But when my mother broke it down to me, I realized it. Even if Hanjin and I have the same nose, eyes, lips, jaw, height... She's just prettier in general.

So yes, it's hard being a twin. But it's even harder when your twin is popular and pretty, unlike you.

I haven't been 10 for 8 years now, but I still hold those same insecurities to this day. And the fact I'm in high school doesn't make it any better. At least in middle school, people tried to be nice about it, but now that we're growing into young adults everyone seemed to stop caring about being kind.

Hanjin and I were known as the "Ahn twins" our whole life. We came from a rich family and had quite a good reputation, so of course, we were popular. Although Hanjin always outshone me.

Every morning her desk would be piled with love letters and flowers. She was treated like a celebrity. I was never really that desperate to be liked in school, but I always felt jealous. It was like what the Jonas Brothers felt. But I wasn't Kevin. I was Frankie.

When we reached high school, Hanjin became even more popular and eventually ditched the whole Ahn twins thing, leaving me in a cold dark ditch to die in as she fluttered into a social butterfly that everyone loved.

The ditch wasn't so bad. I liked being away from the popular kids and the preppy jocks. But I still got pestered by people every once in a while who are desperate for Hanjin's number so they turn to me for help with no actual intentions to befriend me.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not bullied or super unpopular. I'm just... A background character. Nothing special in the story. And that probably makes Hanjin the protagonist, so there's that. I'm just a nobody, and I'll probably be one for the rest of my life.

I mostly just focus on my studies and prioritize graduating high school. I guess that makes another difference between Hanjin and me. Our personalities.

It's like we're polar opposites. I'm an introvert, she's an extrovert. She likes partying, I like staying home by myself. She's good at school, I'm good at... I can't really finish the last one.

I don't really get mad when people compare us anymore. In fact, I'm used to it at this point. It's shocking if someone DOESN'T compares us. And even if they don't like to say it out loud, we know that they're thinking about it.

Even in the hallways like right now, nobody flinches or even apologizes when bumping into my shoulders. I swear I'm starting to form a bruise on my arms.

Sighing, I head out the front door of the school only to be disappointed. As if the day couldn't get any worse, it was raining cats and dogs outside.

The rain is nice and calming, but not when you have to walk in it. Usually, mom comes and picks us up after school but this week she went on a vacation with her boyfriend in Jeju so she won't be here to drive us home.

I take out the black umbrella, holding it over my head before stepping out of the school, letting the raindrops touch against it. I'm only a few steps in when I hear the calling of the familiar voice yell my name. "Hyewon!"

I turn around to be met with Hanjin. She was panting for air while standing on the steps. "Let me share the umbrella with you, I forgot mine at home!" She says, more in command than a question.

"But there's only space for one person under the umbrella," I say quietly. I'm surprised as to how she even heard me correctly over the noises of countless students walking past us and the clouds crying down on us.

Her smile fades. Then she sniffles her nose while rubbing her eyes, making my pupils widen. "I'm sorry, take it," I say, giving it to her and making her tears instantly dry away like it was magic. "Thanks, Hyewon! I'll see you at home." She smiles brightly before skipping her way in the rain.

What happened just now? That's what I dubbed the 'Hanjin pity tears'. It's when she doesn't get her way so she sniffles once, and then if you don't follow her commandments she starts bawling her eyes out, playing you as the villain and herself as the victim.

It always gets me in trouble, since I'm usually the one who falls victim to it. The last time it happened it was because I wouldn't give her my completed homework right before class started. She started weeping as her life depended on it and told everyone that I called her a bitch. I was in detention for a week and grounded for a week by my mom.

It's just another way to show that the world favourites Hanjin over me. Mother always said the same thing every time her pity tears come out. "How dare you make your sister cry? Do you have no shame?!" She would scream at me.

Regaining my posture, I'm left with no choice but to walk home in the cold rain. My shoes slap against the newly formed puddles and I slowly feel my socks soaking up. A few students giggle at how pathetic I looked, but I was used to it by now.

As I said before, the universe revolves around Hanjin. I'm just a pest that gets into her way. So the only thing I can do is be an obedient pest utill the day I die.

But it's okay. As long as Hanjin is happy.