High Teen Society

Chapter 4: Black Balenciaga Backpack

The Park Manor was nothing short of extravagant, I'll tell you that.

My eyes nearly popped out when we got to the gates of the Manor. I thought I felt posh and high-class strutting around the Sim House in my bathrobe, but this was just a whole different level of luxury. The Manor's giant gates were made of wrought iron, each painstakingly handcrafted by a blacksmith so that each pattern was unique. It opened automatically to accommodate us.

Enfolding the path we drove on was a garden large and sprawling. Flowers of reds, yellows and whites seemed to be brought to life. The trees were the finest money could buy, a perfect scale and shape, the leaves the color of ever-green. A stone fountain trickled with water, and a few clay statues stood by, their eyes turned skyward, their hands covering their private parts.

Getting dropped off in front of the giant mansion all by myself was a truly humbling experience.

It was one of their butlers that had opened the car door for me. I thanked Jaejoon's driver before I stepped out. The butler was very tall, maybe around Ni-ki's height, and old, with combed hair and mustache as white as snow. He introduced himself as Haneul.

The grand entrance to the mansion was a wide staircase that led to a grand oak door with a gold knocker. The sides of the stairs were lined with red and yellow flowers. The bricks on the mansion were off-white. The roof was painted a dark coffee color. The Manor was the tallest structure in the area, the top floor of it being several stories taller than Gwanglim Academy. Each floor had a balcony with a balustrade jutting out, the balcony doors were all glass, as were the windows.

It was like something I'd see in The Great Gatsby movie.

Haneul escorted me up the stairs leading to the main door of the house. Once we got there, he said, "You must be one of Young Master Jay's friends."

Young master who now? Having such nicknames was extremely weird to me. You are not royalty, be serious.

"Why yes I am." I put on my best rich person's friend smile.

"This way, sir."

I was led by Haneul into a rather large foyer. I could already hear the voices and clinking of wine glasses coming from the other room, but they were muffled. My anxiety was starting to grow by the minute. Haneul asked me to wait a 'bit while they confirmed if my invitation card was legit, which I thought was absolutely ridiculous. But what do I know about throwing parties of this scale? Haneul came back after 10 minutes and offered me some champagne, which I just politely refused and said that I was not of age yet.

He then placed his right hand on his chest, bowed at me, and said, "May tonight be one of the best in your life, Mr. Sunoo." Right before he proceeded to open the doors separating us from the next room.

Blinding lights shone through the crevice of the doors, making my close my eyes. Once I opened them, I found myself standing in an enormous living room that was much more reminiscent of a ballroom. Suddenly all the muffled noises I'd been hearing became crystal clear to my ears.

"I'll be taking this, sir, would it be alright?" Haneul gestured towards the white wrapped gift box in my hand.

"Yes, thank you." I handed it over to him.

I began to take in my surroundings. There were large chandeliers in the ceiling and intricate designs of some sort of animal on the walls. The floors were carpeted with red rug, on which the paint and gold at the walls reflected. Tall windows lined the walls and let sunlight inside, which illuminated the hallways and the grand living room. There was a large staircase in the middle of the room, with a single marble column on each side of the staircase leading to the second floor. The room was pervaded with people of various age, appearance, and race, all wearing fancy-looking suits and gowns, tittle-tattling with wine glasses in their hands.