Everything Was Forced ➳ hwang hyunjin × oc

001 | ᴇᴡꜰ ✓

Chapter 1: The Half Brothers
↺ 2014, seven years ago

Huge smiles were plastered on every student's face as they chatter with their families and friends. It's their graduation day, after all. The torturous high school life has finally come to an end.

However, this is just a temporary celebration since college is just around the corner. The path to success would be rougher as many disappointments await.

It will, of course, require lots of strength and courage that not everybody has.

But, let's not worry about that yet and focus on the present day for now.

"Mom! Dad!" An eighteen-year-old Seungmin happily shouted as he runs toward his parents.

"Aigoo! Our little one finally graduated!" Hyunsik smiled, patting his son's head.

"Congrats, Seungmin! You did extremely well throughout your high school years. All your efforts got acknowledged by everyone in this school. I am so so proud of you!" Miyoung, his stepmother, complimented.

"I'm glad you are, Mom. These achievements are all for you and Dad." Seungmin said as he removed uncountable medals hanging around his neck, handing them to his father with a huge smile afterward.

"Oh, dear! Look at all that sweat!" Miyoung exclaimed, rummaging through her handbag to get some tissues.

"Come here, sweetie." She told Seungmin, who went in front of her with a gentle smile on his face.

She then rested her left hand on Seungmin's shoulder, using the other one to wipe his sweat.

Miyoung has always been a kind and loving mother to Seungmin despite him being her stepson.

Indeed, she was outraged when she knew that her husband got another woman pregnant just months after her. She would throw a fit everywhere, expressing her anger and pain in several ways.

However, she's not the type to hold grudges for too long. Although it took a while for her to accept the reality, her anger eventually subside. In fact, she came to love Seungmin.

How can she even hate an innocent child who knows absolutely nothing? It's not like he's the one to blame.

"Tsk tsk. What if a girl approaches you and you're this sweaty, huh? What a turnoff!" Miyoung said, earning a soft chuckle from her stepson.

"You don't have to worry about that, Mom. No one dares to come near me anyway. It's more peaceful with such distance. I mean, gender aside, I don't like interacting with people in the first place." Seungmin said.

"Whether you like it or not, you need to work on your social skills, son. It will help you survive college. You may not make genuine friendships there, but it will surely serve as an opportunity to secure strong connections in the future."

Miyoung replied, giving a realistic advice to Seungmin.

"Professional life aside, you really need to stop with your tsundere agenda. How can you get yourself a girlfriend if you're always acting that way?" She asked, hinting a playful tone just in case it might hurt his feelings.

"I agree with your mom. Stop pushing girls away before they can even approach you. Don't you want to know what love feels like?" His father asked in a serious tone.