DISGRACE ──── ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ ✔️

21 ── ᵇʳᵘᵗᵃˡ ᵒᵘᵗ ʰᵉʳᵉ

ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ

The day had been chaotic from start to finish. Mi-hee had barely wrapped her head around pretending to be Kim Rian’s girlfriend at school—plastered smiles, calculated interactions, and endless whispers in the hallways. As much as she hated the attention, she had to admit that Rian handled it all with an ease that irritated her.

By the time the school day ended, she was ready to collapse. But just as she was about to slip away unnoticed, Rian stopped her in the corridor.

“You’re coming home with me,” he said matter-of-factly, leaning against the wall with his usual smugness.

Mi-hee frowned, crossing her arms. “Why would I do that?”

“My mother wants to talk to you,” he replied. His tone left no room for negotiation.

Mi-hee sighed. “Fine. Let’s get this over with.”

In the car, the atmosphere was unusually quiet until Rian’s phone buzzed with an incoming video call. It was Mrs. Kim.

No pleasantries, no greetings—she dove straight into her agenda. “Now that you’re going to stick by Kim Rian,” she said, her voice clipped but calculating, “I’m curious to see how you’ll take control.”

Mi-hee stared at the screen, her face impassive, though internally she rolled her eyes. Of course. This is what power looks like to these people—manipulation, domination, control. Mrs. Kim wasn’t so different from her own father, and it was almost laughable how predictable they all were.

The call ended abruptly, leaving a silence that hung heavily in the air. Mi-hee glanced at Rian, who seemed unbothered, staring out of the window. She shook her head, wondering how he lived with this day in and day out.

When they arrived at the Kim Mansion, the driver announced that they were to go straight to the house per “her orders.” Mi-hee didn’t even bother asking whose orders—it was obvious.

Inside the lavish lobby, they were greeted by staff who informed them about a lecture series involving professors from prestigious international schools.

Mi-hee raised an eyebrow, about to question the sudden academia focus, but Rian spoke first. “Let’s take a break before diving into that.”

His voice was firm, and Mi-hee nodded in agreement. Today had been overwhelming, and she couldn’t imagine sitting through an intellectual marathon on top of everything else.

But the staff immediately disagreed. “Sir, the sessions are of the utmost importance. Your schedule has been arranged to optimize—”

Mi-hee studied him quietly, noting the tension in his jaw. The staff hesitated but eventually bowed slightly and left the room.

As they walked down the hall, Rian mumbled, almost to himself, “I’m just eighteen, and my schedule is packed from dawn till midnight.”

Mi-hee paused in her step, surprised. For some reason, she hadn’t expected that. Sure, Rian was a privileged, insufferable heir, but a twenty-four-hour packed schedule at his age? That was brutal.

She leaned against the wall, processing. If I were him, I would’ve run away by now. The thought was fleeting, but it startled her. Woah, did I just… empathize with him?

Her conscience piped up, reminding her of her commitment to honesty. If she felt something, she was supposed to acknowledge it. No more hiding behind walls of apathy.

“This is harder than I thought,” she muttered under her breath.

Before she could dwell too much on it, Rian had already disappeared down the hallway. Mi-hee followed slowly, her thoughts in disarray. Maybe, just maybe, there was more to him than she had initially believed. But she wasn’t ready to admit that yet—not even to herself.

ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ