The Best Kind of Love

One

"Mai. Time to get up." Nari said while opening my windows. I could hear her footsteps making her way towards me but I was too comfortable in bed, "Ir eona Mai!" She raised her voice and started to tickle my feet 

"Nari! I'm up! I'm up! Stop!" I laughed.

"I told you to get up the first time, Now get ready. You don't want to be late for your first day of school." I nodded my head but before she left, She stopped at the door to turn to me again, "By the way, Your eomma is here."

"Ah." I sighed and fell back onto my bed.

My parents were always away on business meetings abroad. Nari was hired to be our personal maid but I don't consider her that. She's been with my parents since way before I was born and since my parents were always busy with work, they trusted her enough to take care of me so I consider her my mother since she practically raised me.

As for my parents, they were pretty strict with me and had expectations. Although they were usually gone most of the time, I wasn't allowed to be out too much and had to keep up with my grades in school so that they didn't have to worry about me too much. Luckily for them, I was very shy and didn't socialize much. 

"Mai! Sweetie!" My mom screeched right when I walked into the kitchen to join her for breakfast. "So," She started as I sat across her, "It's your last year of high school, Are you excited?"

"Sure?" I said and thought about my school life through out the years. It's always been the same, school is school. As for my social life, I didn't really care for other people.

"Good morning everyone!" Hoseok interrupted.

I jumped in my chair at the sudden yell inside the kitchen, "Hobiah! You scared me!"

Hoseok walked in to greet my mother and sat on the chair beside me.

"Hoseokshi, How's your mother?"

Because my parents were business people, They didn't really trust anyone around them to have special relations with.  But after I was born, they built one special friendship with a couple who owned a company called Jung Industries. The couple also had happened to have a son who was my age and because they were the closest to being called family to us, their son, Hoseok, has become my best friend ever since. We went to the same school since we were young, So him walking in for breakfast so we could walk together was pretty normal for us.

"She's well, Eomeoni. She actually told me to tell you to please call her to have lunch today because she misses you." He said while pouring a glass of juice in his cup.

My mom then looked at her watch with wide eyes, "Aish I have to go. Arraseo Hoseokah. I will definitely meet up with her today. You kids be good now!"

Hobi gave her a small smile as she made her way out then turned to me, "One more year Mai and you can finally get out of this place." I turned to him and gave him a small smile. He was the only one who knew how much I wanted to get out of my parents hands. He knew that although I got everything I needed, it was nothing that I ever wanted. All I wanted was to be free.

I turned back to look at my food and sighed, "You know that won't happen."

"Seriously Mai? Do you really think your parents will disown you if you didn't do what they say?"

"Hoseokah, You know this family and this family business. At least for you , you want to take after your parents business but I don't."

He turned his whole body on the chair to face me, "Then what do you want?"

"That, I don't know... But I know that I don't want anything that has to do with what my parents do. I want to be able to see my family everyday.. to go home in a house full of love."

"You can do it you know." He said while he placed his hand on my shoulder.

"How? When all my dad talks about is me taking on the family business." I lifted my head to look him in the eye and can see all the concern written on his face, "It's easy for you to say but the burden that I'm going to carry with this family if I ever betrayed them.. I don't think I can handle it." The thought made my eyes well.

He slowly wiped the tear that ran down my cheek "I'll help you Mai. But only if you really want it." I shook my head and then he lightly placed my head on his shoulder to comfort me.