Chapter 1

Hell. This is the only word I can think of when I think of my life. My entire life, ever since my mother passed, waking up alone was hell because I already knew what was going to happen when I woke up. That was... until I met him. The light in my life, the sliver of hope I had left, Jung-Hoon.

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My eyes fluttered open as I felt a throb down my right leg. I struggled to sit up in the bed I was in before limping over to my first aid kit and changing out my bandages.

I held my breath as I unwound the bandaging around my leg, glaring at the purple bruising and swelling on my knee. Reaching over to the first aid kit, I dug around and picked out the medical tape and taped my knee together before wrapping it back up in a new medical wrap.

I put a lightweight on my right leg, testing it, before concluding that I had a broken limb.

I relaxed on my bed for a minute or two before deciding to change out the dressing of my new wounds from my last beating.

After digging around in my medical box for a minute or two, I found some rubbing alcohol and band-aids.

Taking off my top in front of the mirror next to my bed, I stared into my reflection. Messy unkept black hair, chocolate brown eyes, straight eyebrows, perfectly shaped lips, my beauty mark on the edge of my left eye, the light faded scar on my cheek, and the fresh cuts, bruises, and old scars dotting my torso. Looking into my reflection, there was something strange, something that wasn't there before. The girl look back at me through the mirror was missing something.

Ignoring the unsettling feeling in my gut, I hurriedly fixed myself up with the medical tape and medical wrap. I then, checking the time, raced down the stairs, cooked breakfast for my father and ran off to my first part-time job of the day at the boba store I worked at, "Tea Time".

As I (limp) raced into the building, washed my hands, pulled on my apron, and started helping with orders, I heard my manager ask me why I was late. Of course, he didn't ask in a rude or annoyed way; he asked in a concerned tone. Although I appreciated the kindness and concern he was showing me, I brushed it off with an 'I'm fine' and got back to work. As I walked away to the cashier counter, I glimpsed out of the corner of my eye and saw a worried look on my manager's face. The way he looked at me, with worry and pity, made me feel so guilty for lying to him. Sometimes I had thought about just letting it all out and just letting him comfort me, but always decided against it. Every time I lied to him, I felt like I was being punched in the gut, hard, but I always remained composed, collected, and held back my tears. Shifting my gaze to the customer who was waiting to order, I said in the nicest voice I could muster.

"Hello! Welcome to Tea Time. Are you ready to order, or would you like a couple more minutes to look over the menu?" There was a bright smile plastered on my face at the end. I stood patiently across from the customer, waiting for him to order, and keeping my smile plastered on my face.

After what felt like years, he looked up and ordered. When I finally caught a sight of his face, my eyes widened with recognition, and my breath caught in my throat. By the looks of it, he did too. I glanced away and took his order. 'He's just like any other customer. Calm down Eun-Jeong,' I repeated in my head as I took and made his order.

"Number 109," I yelled as I wiped the large winter melon tea in my hand and placed it down on the receiving counter. As Jung-hoon walked over and picked out his drink, he dropped a note into my hand, winked, and left. I rolled my eyes, unfolded the paper, and read its contents. It was an offer. An offer that would allow me to leave this hell of a life if I accepted.