Love Tragedy | Hierarchy

01

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"Have you heard from Chaerin?" Yoon Hera asked Lee Woojin who sat down his cup of tea and shook his head. "I haven't heard from her. It's been about a month."

There were usually five with Jaei gone to America while Chaerin was in London. The three were hanging out where they usually did during school. The Yoon girl was worried about the Moon girl because the semester had just started and she hadn't heard from her. It wasn't like the Moon girl to miss the first day of a new semester. Her parents wouldn't allow it. Shockingly not even from her boyfriend. "Everything going okay between you two?"

Woojin sighed as he uncrossed his legs. "Since she left with her mother, I've tried to fly out to London to visit her but she always ended up 'sick' or busy with other things regarding her mother. I even wrote her letters but none have been sent to me."

"She and Jaei left around the same time after your birthday. What if...?" Hera trailed off as she got an idea inside of her head. "She and Jaei are with each other in America. I always felt those two were closer than to me."

"She's in London. My dad still speaks to her dad and he confirmed it with me" Woojin corrected. Then his phone vibrated beside him and saw that he had an incoming call. The contact name 'H' caught his attention as he picked it up. "I'll be back."

Hera watched Woojin leave and then turned Rian, fiddling with her necklace. "Do you think it's Chaerin? He's been more on the phone lately, maybe it could be her! Maybe he's probably picking her up from the airport, right?"

Rian shrugged his shoulders. Before Chaerin left, he did notice that her demeanor changed heavily. It was like all the bubbly life was sucked out of her leaving a soulless person inside. But it wasn't his place to comment on it or ask her about it. So, he just left it alone and didn't want to protrude on her personal life.

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Incheon airport was always crowded. Chaerin hated that. She dragged her suitcase along the incheon floor, not looking up from her phone and possibly bumping into others by mistake. Her heels clicked as she walked closer and closer towards the exit of the airport. Outside she saw a familiar car and the person rolled down the window, making her smile.

"Kim Rian. Nice to see you again."

Chaerin has been friends with Rian just about the same amount of time she was with Woojin. The two met naturally in middle school, without their parents intervening. It was even better that she knew two friends that were going with her to Jooshin. At Jooshin, she met Hera and Jaei there, completing her friendship circle.

The car ride was silent except for the tapping on the screen from Chaerin's phone. Chaerin set her phone down in her lap as she sighed looking out the window of passing buildings. It was nice to be back in Seoul after being in London for three months. "Thanks for picking me up Rian."

"I was surprised when you called me and not Woojin" he expressed in shock and paused once he saw Chaerin's jaw clench of the mention of Woojin's name, causing him to worry. "Everything okay between you two?"

"Yeah, but I could ask the same about you and Jaei" she retorted back, giving him a challenging look that read 'don't push me farther.'

If it's one thing not to do, Rian didn't want to cross Moon Chaerin. Yes, he might be the king at Jooshin, but even him and his friends know not to cross the Moon girl or else things might turn ugly. Because if it's one thing Chaerin does best, it's holding grudges just to get revenge later on.

"I see. Sorry for asking."

Chaerin reached inside her purse and reached for her headphones. A plastic medicine bottle caught Rian's eyes as he got a glimpse inside her purse. He quickly turned his head back towards the window as he heard a click from Chaerin's purse close. He knew it wasn't the right place or time to bring it up, fear of angering her.

Rian's car stopped in front of the gates of Chaerin's house. The maids were already by the gate, holding it open for her. Some other maids grabbed her suitcases from the trunk of the car as she opened the car door. "Thanks for the ride. I'll see you at school."

The maids bow at Rian before his car drove off. Chaerin walked inside of her home and it felt like everything was the same. It was cold and desolate, with her parents being gone most of the time. She knew her father was busy helping Assemblyman Lee with his presidential campaign, as her mother hasn't had rest since London with her cosmetic company. From what she heard from her mother, she'd be going to Japan in a couple of weeks.

"Welcome back Moon Chaerin."

The maids bowed at her as she walked up the steps to her room, the room she was fearing of going into. Before Chaerin left for London, she had a meltdown in her room destroying everything inside her path. Her hand grazed the knob of her room door, twisting it while holding a breath.

Her room looked exactly the same from before her meltdown and when she left. Her curtains are no longer torn, no scratches in the wall, and no broken glass was scattered against the floor. It was like the incident that keeps replaying in Chaerin's mind never happened. She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She plopped down onto her bed and reached for her phone to open the message that she's received.

Yoon Hera: jaei came back yesterday. are you still in london? we all miss you, especially woojin in particular! hopefully you come back we're meeting at the track tomorrow.

Chaerin stared down at the text that Hera sent her. Was she ready to face them? Woojin in particular? She swallowed the anxiety crawling at the back of her throat and decided that she was going to have to face him eventually.

Luna Note: i know, this chapter sucks. but first chapters are always so hard for me and it will get better, trust me. but i'm saving writing chaerin's meltdown scene for later on in the story.