Prejudice

I

"You have got to be kidding me..." Irene muttered under her breath as soon as they pulled up to the Manoban's residence.

This was going to be terrible. She cautiously grabbed her Louis Vuitton purse and clutched it to her body. After stepping out of their Maybach, she was just standing in front of their driveway. She cast an uncertain glance back at her mother, who looked equally as dismayed as she did. Irene took off her Prada sunglasses and assessed the house a little closer.

Well, it was no mansion. That much was for sure. It was so... Small. She didn't even know they made two-story houses of that dimension. They didn't have those where she was from. It was a little bland white place with only a few trees in the front. Suburban living never appealed to her and this was every reason why. From the looks of it, Irene didn't even think this accommodated have pool in the backyard. And they only had one car in the driveway. She couldn't even name the brand, it was so foreign to her. And even if it wasn't all that fancy, why the hell was it in the driveway? Don't these people have a garage? Irene's grimace worsened the longer she stared at the place she was forced to stay for the summer.

"Cheer up, ladies!" Woosung persuaded them as he shut his car door as well. In this late June, he wasn't exactly thrilled to have to be here either. However, it was necessary. For reasons he couldn't disclose just yet, this was where they were going to be for the next few weeks.

"You said they had a nice house..." Irene reminded him bitterly, taking in the view of the establishment in front of her. While expecting to go on a real vacation, ending up here was not at all what she envisioned. Disappointed would've been an understatement.

"And it is. This is a nice home for Seungwon and his family," Woosung insisted, guiding Irene towards their sidewalk by her shoulders. In truth, Seungwon home was a little on the smaller side. However, it was all that the Korean family of three needed.

Irene sucked in a reluctant breath and slowly inched towards the front door. She tried to get herself in the right mindset for this. Politeness would be necessary. With a home like that, she figured this family would need all of the kindness they could get. Woosung rang the doorbell and all three of them heard shuffling from behind the door. Moments later, it opened.

"You made it!" Seungwon exclaimed theatrically, pulling all three guests into an all-consuming bear hug.

This was way too personal for Irene. As soon as he released them, she stepped back a few feet. After brushing herself off and straightening out her blouse again, she just stood over to the side and watched her parents interact with the strange man. While trying to play nice, she wore the most unimpressed expression. They were only in the doorway, but she let her eyes roam inside, past the man's large frame. Things were even less enticing inside. It looked way too homey. She was used to everything being clean and pristine.

When they got the okay to come inside, Irene did so tentatively. She was unsure of her surroundings and didn't want to stumble upon anything she wasn't ready for. Keeping her arms folded over her chest, she passed through the threshold and gazed around. Upon entering, she was met with blue walls. There were several picture frames depicting family photos. These people seemed really close-knit. The living room area wasn't exactly ideal but she figured she could manage.

"Sooyoung! Lisa!" Seungwon called obnoxiously loud. Thus far, he was the only one to greet them. Opting to yell for them once more, Seungwon stalked over to the staircase. He cupped his hands over his mouth to amplify his voice. His booming voice startled Irene, who resorted to staying by the front door for precautionary measures.

Lisa was busy trying to make herself look presentable enough to meet the new guests. She heard her father's call for the second time and tried to speed up the process. As she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she figured she looked good enough. Even though she'd literally just rolled out of bed not even five minutes ago, she didn't necessarily look like it now. She slipped on a tank top and some shorts quickly and ran a hand through her disheveled hair before rushing downstairs.