"Love no one but your children"...
...𝙊𝙍 𝙄𝙉 𝙒𝙃𝙄𝘾𝙃
The residents at Hera Palace will stop at nothing for their children and themselves to rise to the top.
{Fem!oc x Multiple}
{Fem!oc x Joo Seok-hoon}
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2 Months Earlier...
Ko Yer-rim stood in her red heels in front of the grave.
She had decided to bring flowers for him today as it was a special occasion. She didn't dress up for it, well to her standards she didn't, with her buttoned-up red shirt, tucked into her high-waist black jeans. It was getting dark but she remained still, not moving.
Her secretary, Kim Misoo, stood by the entrance of the cemetery watching her. She wondered what her boss was thinking about for all those hours, standing in front of his grave for so long without one flicker of emotion in her eyes. Misoo always admired Ko Ye-Rim, and stood behind her no matter what. She had vowed to never leave her side.
Not after she saved her like that back then.
A phone started to ring in the car behind Misoo. She hurriedly grabbed it and rushed to Ko Ye-Rim. "Ma'am", she stated to grab her attention. Ko Ye-Rim simply raised her eyebrows to acknowledge her while she stared at the grave. Misoo took this as the sign to continue, "Kang Ma-ri is calling."
Ko Ye-rim rolled her eyes in annoyance, "Why?" she asked.
"I'm not to sure ma'am. There are no scheduled calls or meetings with her. Should I answer?" Misoo said. Ko Ye-rim only kept quiet as she continued to stare ahead. Misoo knew that meant to ignore her, so she declined the call. "It's getting dark and cold ma'am, I recommend we start making our way back" she softly said. Ko Ye-rim handed her the flowers and made her way back to the car, while Misoo fixed up the grave.
When Ye-rim got to the car, she got into the backseat and heavily sighed. She despised going to visit, not because she felt guilty or sad, but spiteful and angry. Sure Ye-rim didn't miss him, but he occupied her mind more than she prefers. Even after he was dead, he still affected her, and she still couldn't stop him. Maybe that was why she was always angry when she came here.
Kim Misoo opened the door and got into the driver seat. She looked at Ko Ye-rim through the rearview mirror and questioned, "Do you want to head home or to the office ma'am?"
"Where's my daughter?"
"Home. She arrived there just seven minutes ago." replied Misoo, after checking Ae-ra's location.
"Home then." mumbled Ye-rim as she stared out the window, unable to get Park Ji-hoon off her mind.
---------
Ko Ye-rim took off her coat and tossed it at one of the maids, as she walked in her house through the passageway entrance. She yelled for her daughter, "Ae-raya!". As she continued walking one of her servants offered her slippers to wear. "Ae-raya!" she yelled again.
"Yes!" yelled out Park Ae-ra from her room. Ko Ye-rim heard shuffling and walking coming from a distance and turned around to see her daughter. She was wearing black silk pyjamas with her hair done in a neat bun.
"How many times must I yell for you?" exasperated Ko Ye-rim to her daughter. She rolled her eyes playfully in reply and hooked arms with her mother.
"Where were you eomma, you took longer than usual to get home?" questioned Park Ae-ra chirpily, as they sat down in the living room sofa. Ye-rim sighed as she leaned back into the couch,
"I had extra meetings with the Art professors, so I ran a bit late." she slipped out the lie easily as her daughter nodded her head in understanding. "Why are you asking me that anyway, Misoo tells me you got home later than usual?" she questioned, wanting to shift the attention off her.
"I stopped by Jenny's place. She kept on complaining about this one girl from her school, it's actually really funny to see she can't take care of someone lowly as her." laughed Park Ae-ra.
Ko Ye-rim smiled in amusement as well. She always thought of Kang Ma-ri as too much of a suck-up, to both her and Cheon Seo-jin. "Are you still going to your lesson tomorrow?" asked Ye-rim. She remembered because of the thought Cheon Seo-jin.
"Yes. But why do I have to go to Ms Moon's practice instead of Mrs Lim's." whined Ae-ra. Ko Ye-Rim knew where this was going and she didn't like it. "Mrs Lim used to play cello with Cheon Seo-Jin and even sing with her!" complained Ae-ra while she tugged on her mother's arm. "Can i practice with her instead?" begged Ae-ra.
"No." answered Ko Ye-rim without hesitation.
"Why?" cried out Ae-ra.
Because I don't trust Cheon Seo-jin.
She had wanted to say that. But she didn't want her daughter asking questions. So instead she opted for "Because I am the best cello play in Korea and almost the world, and I know what's best for you. Or do you doubt me?" said Ye-rim easily. And it was true, she was. The competition which Cheon Seo-jin had 'won' all those years ago, giving her that bloody trophy, there was a cello competition, which she had won, and all the following ones.
"No." mumbled Ae-ra, knowing better. She let out a sigh and stood up, mumbling something about going to bed. She kissed her mom on the cheek then made her way upstairs.
Ko Ye-rim didn't feel bad about denying Ae-ra's request. She knew it wasn't genuine and that she only wanted to hang out with Joo Seok-hoon, as he practiced at the same place as Mrs Lim. She wasn't an idiot.
As Ye-rim got up off the couch to make her way to bed, her phone went off. One notification than another followed.
The first one was of the Hera Palace meeting taking place at Cheon Seo-Jin's place. Ye-rim rolled her eyes thinking of seeing, and all the others in fact. But the second notification was the one that got her to tense up, her hand tightening around the phone as she read over the message from the last person she wanted to talk to. Or even face.
"I need to talk too you. Alone."
-JD
---------- A/N ----------
Little introductory chapter for Ko Ye-rim, and yes she is mysterious as hell! This was just to give you a sneak peek of all the secrets she's holding. Next chapter we'll see her dynamic with the actual characters.
