Fallen Crown

Chapter 1

Eun Sang stood in front of Young Do's suite for what could have been the hundredth time. At this point, she had lost count. It was never easy to bring herself to knock. Walking past that threshold symbolized submission; it reminded her that he was in control of the situation. She hated that. Eun Sang hated that she couldn't afford to ignore him. She didn't want to live her life as miserably as she had. She wanted a better future, not just for herself but for her mother who had worked so hard. Seeing how she was treated in Tan's home, how she quietly threw away her pride for her sake, Eun Sang couldn't turn around and throw her mother's sacrifice aside like nothing. If her mother could bear the burden of their situation, the least Eun Sang could do was bear her own troubles with equal resilience.

Taking a deep breath, she rung the bell. Maybe he wouldn't be there. It wasn't like it hadn't happened before. She learned that his father was a very demanding man who made him work whenever he saw fit, ignoring Young Do's personal schedule. Sometimes he had even left mid meal, never admitting how much it bothered him to have to yield to his father's capricious whims. She closed her eyes, hoping he wasn't there. Tonight she was too exhausted to humor him.

Young Do opened the door. He smiled at her in his usual cocky way, reminding her that he had the bull by the horns. He usually had to say nothing to convey his sentiments across as loud as if he'd shouted them. He made an exaggerated bow toward the inside, and she went in, rolling her eyes.

As usual, dinner was already served. The first few times she'd come to him, Eun Sang didn't eat. She found it impossible to share a meal with someone as detestable as him. He was at least gracious enough to not force the food down her throat or throw it at her as he'd done with the other people he liked to play with. Eventually she began poking the food. He'd somehow figured what she liked, possibly by observing her eating habits at school. She often caught him staring at her, something he didn't even try to dissimulate.

He pulled out the chair for her in his typical mocking fashion. Everything he did seemed like a joke, though he constantly swore it wasn't. Eun Sang sat, picking up her chopsticks and diving right in without waiting for him. If he often reminded her she was welfare, she might as well lack the manners he associated with poor people.

Young Do chuckled, seemingly amused, and took a seat across from her. He watched her for a long while.

"Aren't you hungry?"

He leaned back into the chair and crossed his arms. He bit his lip and smiled, as if she'd said something incredibly funny. "I think it's the first you've worried for me."

Eun Sang raised a brow at him. "That's not why I asked."

Young Do's smile widened. "You can't let me fantasize even this much?"

Something had changed in the months that had passed since she'd started eating dinner with him. In the beginning she found his words excessive, even annoying. She wanted to punch the smile off his face. Now, each time he spoke like that she got angry for different reasons. She was too scared to analyze what those reasons might be.

"What?" He scoffed. "Are you running out of things to say? You've always been good at arguing."

"I don't want to argue."

This seemed to surprise him. "So should we have a serious conversation tonight then?"

"If it's about Tan—-"

The humor drained from his face. "I told you not to talk about him."

"I thought Rachel might have told you—-"