Nobility - Jin

The bell rang and it couldn't have wrung soon enough. I grabbed my bag and basically ran to reach the school's entrance, racing ahead of the others and bursting through the doors and into the sunlight.

I took a deep breath of fresh air and smiled, because it was Friday. I was free! Well, at least until Monday.

I looked around, my eyes scanning the sidewalk only a few meters away until they settled on a single tall figure leaning casually against the bus stop sign in the shade and my smile grew wider. I bounded down the entrance steps and skipped over to where my boyfriend was waiting for me.

Kim Seokjin, heir to one of the richest and most powerful businesses and families in South Korea.

The rest of the girls and boys from my year shot us strange looks like they always did, not to be mean, but because they couldn't understand how Jin and I had even gotten into a relationship in the first place. We were from two completely different worlds.

He was an upperclassman, nobility, and I was a lowerclassman, fatherless, poor despite my single mother's efforts, and only able to attend school because I had gotten in on a scholarship. A peasant as most of the nobility would call me, but Jin was nothing like that. He would never be like that.

I jumped into his arms and he spun me around a few times before he got dizzy and had to set me down again. He hugged me from behind and rested his chin on the top of my head.

"Hi," he said, his voice muffled by my hair and I giggled. "Hi."

It was like this every day. Jin was a year older than me and had already finished school so he came to meet me after school every day during the week when his father wasn't home and he could do whatever he wanted.

"How about I treat you to ice cream today," Jin said, snatching my school bag from me and slinging it over his shoulder before I had time to protest, "To celebrate."

I looked at him quizzically, forgetting about the bag.
"To celebrate what exactly?"

He grinned, "It's Friday."

We started walking and I looked at him incredulously.
"You want to treat me to ice cream because it's Friday?"

He shrugged, "I think making it through another week of school deserves an ice cream. And besides," he shrugged again, "I'm hungry."

We stopped at a small ice cream shop and sat on the bench by the sidewalk in front of it.

"You know, there was another reason I'm treating you to ice cream," Jin said, popping the last piece of what was left of his ice cream cone into his mouth.

"Happy three months," he beamed and I felt his smile warm me, brighter and warmer than the sunshine around us.

There was ice cream on the corner of his mouth and I licked it off before kissing him and giggling at his stunned expression.

"I love you," I said against his lips and I felt him smile. "I love you too."

It had only taken two weeks of us knowing each other for Jin to be the first to say The Three Words. It had been very different in the beginning.

Like most of the Lower Class I had disliked Jin, simply for the fact that he was Upper Class and I had thought him to be stuck up and selfish like most of them were. I had first met him walking home from school. I remembered it clearly.

He had been sitting alone on one of the corners of my route back home, looking depressed. Being nobility and from a family as powerful as his, the other kids avoided him or sucked up to him. He could never make any true friends other than the six boys he had grown up with, but they were all younger than him and were attending boarding schools in other countries. Naturally I had gone up to him to see if he was okay.

When I realised who he was I hadn't reacted the way the rest of them did. I didn't run away, or avoid him or kiss up to him the way the other girls did because they only pretended to love him for his money.

I had scolded him, shouted at him in fact, telling him to stop sulking because the rest of us had it a lot harder than he did and that he should be ashamed for being so self-centred.
He had only looked at me the whole time, not defending himself, his eyes enormous from shock, but also delight. He didn't even flinch when I smacked him with my school bag.

He wouldn't leave me alone after that. I had been the only girl to ever treat him like a regular human being and he wasn't ready to let go of that. I just thought he was a nuisance and tried to avoid him, yelling at him to leave me alone which only made him increase his efforts until it became almost like a game.

It was during the second week of this game that he finally kissed me and told me he loved me. I wasn't the same after that. I was happier, bubblier and less introverted. Being with him seemed to bring out the best in me.

He seemed to make me forget about the hardships of being poor and stopped me from sinking into the depths of misery that came from hopelessness and helplessness, and my mother was always grateful to him for that.

"I actually got you something," Jin said quickly, jumping up and fumbling in his pockets to produce a small ornate wooden box. I stood too and took it from him, curious to see what it was.

I slowly opened the box to see a silver chain and a glimmering pendant in the shape of a heart. I realised that all the little sparkles were small individual diamonds coating the outside of it and I felt my heart soar and sink at the same time.

"Oh, Jin!" I gasped, standing on my tip toes to kiss him tenderly on the lips, and even then he still had to dip his head a little, before I punched him hard on the shoulder.

"You know I don't like it when you buy me expensive things because I can't get you anything in return!" I scolded but he only leaned down to kiss my forehead and my heart didn't feel so sunken anymore.

"Just being my girlfriend is a gift," he said and I rolled my eyes, "That's so cliché."

He chuckled, "I know. But it's true." He took the necklace from me and moved behind me to fasten it around my neck. I lifted my hair to get it out of the way for him and let it down again when I could feel the cool pendant against my throat.

"It's beautiful," I murmured, and Jin took my hand.

"Not as beautiful as you are."

I hit him again. "Cliché!" But I laughed and then he laughed and we started walking again.

We stopped at an arcade and spent a couple of hours there before going to the grocery store. My mother had given me a list that morning of things to buy, simple things like bread and milk and eggs, never anything fancy because we couldn't afford it.

Jin pushed me around in the shopping cart, insisting that I was a princess and reminding me that we were celebrating, and pushed the cart right along the edge of the aisles so that I could just grab what I needed off the shelves as we zoomed past them.

We stopped at the paying counter and Jin plucked me out the cart and gently set me down. The cashier just smiled at us and Jin ended up paying for the groceries, despite my protests.

"You don't always have to keep paying for those, my mom gives me money," I murmured, taking the shopping bag from him as we walked back outside.

I stopped walking and hung my head.

"I don't want to be a burden to you, Jin."

I suddenly felt his arms wrap around my waist, pulling me to him and closing any space that might have been between our bodies. He used his hand to tilt my face up to look at him, smiling down at me with adoration and love in his eyes.

"You're not a burden," he flicked my forehead and I giggled before he dipped his head, bringing his mouth to my ear.

"You're my girlfriend," he said softly and I shivered before resting my head against his chest, over his heart. I could hear it beating and I smiled.

"Besides," he said and I felt his chest hum against me cheek as he spoke, "Buying groceries for you is the least I could do to repay you for the light you bring to my life." His words made me feel as though I were full of light.

"You're mother too," he added, "Since she, you know, made you I guess?"
I laughed at that and had to pull away from him.

"The sun's going down," I stated, pecking his lips and turned my head to face where the now deep orange sun was slowly disappearing behind the buildings surrounding the street.

"Oh. Just give me a sec," Jin said and quickly disappeared back into the grocery store. He came back out after five minutes, carrying another shopping bag and we both made our way to the closest bus stop.

We held hands until the bus that would take me home pulled up. Jin quickly handed me the second shopping back.

"It's a cake and flowers for your mother," he said before I could ask, "I just figured she should celebrate too." I felt tears of happiness and gratitude prick my eyes.

People suddenly started pouring out of the bus, which meant I had to go soon, so Jin cupped my face and kissed me before hugging me tightly.

"Thank you," I said, my voice muffled by his shoulder and he kissed the top of my head. It was time to board the bus. I looked down at him from my seat next to the window.

"I'll see you on Monday," he called up to me and I nodded, kissing the glass window as the bus pulled away from the stop and Jin got further and further away.

"I love you," I said softly, leaning my head against the window and closing my eyes.

When Jin got home one of the maids was waiting for him.

"Your father wishes to see you, Master Seokjin," she said, bowing respectfully and Jin sighed. He was definitely home, the only place where he was called by his full name.

He grimaced. If his father wanted to see him it couldn't be good. He made his way to his father's office, knocking softly.

"Come in," his father said from the other side in a voice that was full of authority and commanded obedience. Jin entered the office and his father looked up from his enormous ornate desk and smiled?

"Seokjin!" He exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "My son!"

"Father," Jin bowed wearily and his father clapped him on the shoulder.

"I have good news for you, son, for us! Very good news! Here have a drink." He transferred a glass of brandy into Jin's hands and Jin took it wordlessly even though he didn't even like alcohol.

"Good news?" he repeated cautiously and his father handed him a photograph of a girl, tall, slender and beautiful with large doe eyes.

"Choi Sooyoung," his father said in answer to Jin's confused expression and Jin handed the photograph back.

"Who is that?" he asked and his father's face lit up like a lantern.

"She is your future wife."

Jin almost dropped his glass and nearly spat out the brandy in his mouth.

"What?!"

His father pretended not to notice.

"She is attractive, intelligent and most of all obedient. A fine woman to marry," he beamed and Jin could only listen with disbelief as his father continued excitedly, "And not only that, but marrying into the Choi family will bring an enormous income into our own family in the long run. They have property and business shares in Canada and Los Angeles so we'll be flying down to the US on Monday to make it official."

"Um, father," Jin felt that he needed to bring his father back to reality and carefully set his glass down. "I'm already in a relationship remember?"

His father's wide smile disappeared in an instant.

"Oh yes," he said dryly, "That poor little peasant girl you're so fond of." Jin balled up his fists in anger.

"Don't talk about her like that!-"

The room echoed with the loud crack of his father's hand as it struck Jin across the face.

"Know your place," his father snarled, dropping the friendly pretences as Jin staggered back and held his rapidly brushing cheek. "I will talk about her however I want. You know I don't approve, Seokjin and quite honestly, I thought I raised you to have better taste."

Jin balled up his fists again, but kept his mouth shut, clenching his jaw.

"You're my only son, and the future heir to the family empire and I will not have you defiling our family's name and nobility by marrying a filthy street urchin!"

Jin saw red as his father paced the room, waving his arms dramatically, "Just think of what the other families would say! It'd make a mockery of us! Kim Seokjin marrying a lowerclassman?!"

"But she's more than that!!" Jin protested.

"And what makes you think that it's actually your heart she's after?" his father retaliated, "Maybe the only thing she loves is our family's fortune!"

"You know I don't like it when you buy me expensive things because I can't get you anything in return!"

"She isn't like that," Jin said firmly and his father waved his hand dismissively.

"Even so. I will not approve, Seokjin. I've let this continue for far too long and I want you to end it as of immediately."

Jin felt as though his father had just struck him again.

"But, father you can't be serious?!"

But the look his father gave him was completely serious and Jin fell silent.
His father sighed.

"I had wanted this meeting to be a light hearted and happy one. This was supposed to be good news. I had hoped you'd see reason but it seems you have left me no other choice but to force my hand."

"But I love her."

His father looked at him incredulously.

"Do you think I loved your mother when I married her? Her property and inheritance were a huge investment to me and I needed an heir."

His father sighed again, walking up to Jin and looking at him as though he were an insolent child.

"No one marries for love anymore, Seokjin."

"I won't leave her." Jin's jaw set tightly and he crossed his arms defiantly and flinched when his father raised his hand to hit him again.

The blow never came however and when Jin opened his eyes his father lowered his hand. He sighed.

"Just think about it this way. The future income our family will lose should you decide not to marry Sooyoung will have to be gained by tearing that poor hovel of a suburb your girlfriend lives in down and using the property to build a luxury resort and business towers. That future investment will amount to about the same in the end."

Jin felt like a bucket of ice water had just been poured over his head.

"But those people will have nothing if you take their homes away! She'll have nothing!"

"That's life," his father snapped, making his way to the door and leaving Jin standing there looking like he was about to throw up.

"I won't make the decision for you. You're a grown man now," he paused in the doorway. "But just think about what's best for her. I mean, if you really love her as much as you say. I want your decision by morning."

And then Jin was alone, empty, just like the door frame.

I walked out of the school building and into the sunshine and immediately looked for Jin, excited to see him after the two days of weekend, but for the first time since we'd met, I couldn't find him.

I frowned. Maybe he hadn't seen me yet which was why I couldn't see him? I walked down the steps and to the bus stop where he normally waited for me, but it didn't matter where I looked; Jin wasn't anywhere to be seen.

I felt panic begin to build itself up in my chest. Something had to be wrong. There was no way Jin would just blow me off; that just wasn't the type of person he was.

I decided I needed to get to his house and see if he was alright, so when the school bus arrived I immediately climbed on and told the bus driver I needed to get there urgently. I had never been to Jin's house before, but he had described it to me on many occasions and I knew his address.

It took ten minutes to get there and I barely had time to thank the bus driver before I was flying across perfectly trimmed and manicured lawn, passed sculpted shrubs and sparkling fountains and through an enormous and ornate front gate that was open for some reason.

His house looked like a palace because it was enormous. Jin had said that, but I hadn't ever imagined it to be that huge.

There was a sparkling Rolls Royce parked in the courtyard, not in any of the many garages so maybe it belonged to visitors? Could that have been why Jin hadn't pitched?

I was broken out of my thoughts when, from behind the mansion, a jet roared to life and I wanted to slap myself.

Jin had a private jet.

Of course Jin had a private jet! He had told me once before.

I didn't bother to knock before I threw the front door open and ran straight into a girl dressed in a maid's uniform.

"How do I get to the jet?" I demanded, holding the girl's shoulders and she quickly explained with wide eyes before I took off again, following the directions she had given me until I came to a set of double glass doors built into a transparent glass wall that led outside to a small landing strip. Two men in black suits stood on either side of the doors.

"I need to get through!" I said frantically, but when I stepped forward they both moved to bar my way.

I looked passed them and saw about six figures making their way to the waiting jet. The figure walking in the front couldn't have been anyone other than Jin's father, because he looked like him. But the figure in the back, walking a few feet behind a tall and slender girl... I would have recognised him anywhere because it was-

"Jin!" I shrieked and the two men looked at me like I was crazy. Maybe I looked crazy? I felt crazy. "I have to talk to him!"

"Who are you?" one of them demanded.

"I'm his girlfriend!" I snapped but faltered when I realised that they were both looking down at me pityingly. What the hell was going on?
They both stepped out of the way and I burst through the doors and ran out onto the runway where Jin's father was already boarding the jet.

"Jin!"

He froze before he and the girl both turned and I wrapped my arms around his torso, tangling my fingers in his blazer and burying my face into his chest. He made no move to hug me back.

"You were supposed to meet me," I gasped, out of breath from running and I felt him freeze up, going rigid, and I looked up at him.

The look on his face turned my blood to icy water because it was emotionless, like he had put a mask on. It terrified me because he had always been so open to me, but most of all, his face was hostile.

"Who is this girl, Seokjin?" the girl behind him asked and I looked at her, gorgeous with slightly tanned skin, large dark eyes and perfectly curled hair, before I looked back at Jin.

"You need to go," he said coldly and I felt as though I had been slapped.

"Go?" I repeated, loosening my grip and stepping back so that our bodies were no longer pressed together. I felt as though I couldn't properly process what was going on.

"You don't belong here," he said in that same dead and cold voice.

"But why are you leaving?" I demanded, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to the US to get married," he said quietly and I froze, his words hitting me like another slap. What the hell was he talking about? My eyes found the girl again and darted between them both.

"Jin, I don't understand," I whispered; my voice was shaking and I looked back at the girl, "Who is that?"

"My name is Choi Sooyoung," the girl sniffed and I looked back up at Jin, frantically searching his face but it was blank, unreadable and cold. It was like the lights had gone out in his eyes.

His eyes were dead, like his voice.

"She's my fiancé."

Those three words reverberated through me, echoing over and over, filling me with cold and pain as my heart slowly started cracking.

His fiancé? He was getting married? To some girl that wasn't me? I felt a part of me die along with the love that had once been in his eyes every time he looked at me.

I released his blazer, my arms falling limply back to my sides and for a split second, the doors in his eyes opened and there was complete agony and self-loathing in them. But then the doors closed again, so quickly that I sceptical that I had even seen anything.

"All along," I whispered, backing away, the girl looking at me pityingly, like I was mentally ill, and Jin looking at me as though he felt nothing.

"You were just like the rest of them."

I ran, as fast as I could, back the way I came, bursting back through the glass doors and into the arms of one of the men in suits.

"Let go of me!" I screamed but he held onto me until I heard the jet take off. Only then did he release me and by then I had stopped fighting because I felt numb, like my soul had left me and my body had gone hollow. Like there was nothing left of me.

"The Young Master left this for you," he handed me a sealed envelope which I took from him almost robotically.

Why would Jin leave me anything when it was so obvious he had never truly cared for me? The thought was like a knife to the chest and I felt another crack rip its way through my heart.

I opened it and pulled out a cheque containing enough money for my mother and I to live comfortably for a very long time, and a scholarship to any college and university in the world. I nearly dropped it because my hands were shaking so badly. I was overwhelmed because the pieces just didn't fit together, nothing that had happened and was happening made sense anymore. Why would he do this for me if he didn't care?

I didn't know how the hell Jin had managed to get the scholarship for me, I hadn't even believed scholarships like that even existed. But there it was, in my hands.

There was one last piece of paper in the envelope, tiny compared to the others in size, and it had Jin's hand writing on it. I looked at it and my eyes filled with tears.

There were only two words written on it but they were enough to finally shatter my heart like glass and I fell to my knees, sobbing and clutching the papers to my chest that felt as though it were bleeding.

'I'm sorry.'