When the solar light enters through the curtains on a Monday morning, I have it more than clear: I hate the mornings. Correction, I detest them. My body feels heavy and I have the desire to murder the person who invented high school.

"Get up, Ara, you have to go to school." My father says in a friendly tone.

My dad calls me like that, Ara. I don't like my name. Areum is a horrible name; it sounds like if it's for an old lady. My mother had chosen it, but my dad took pity on me and called me Ara or Ari. I don't understand why they didn't give me a name like Soojin or a prettier name like Yeri or Chaerin. But no, they had to chose the worst name in history.

I groan.

"Can you turn off the light?"

There's complete silence and then, my covers disappear from me, and as much as I try to cover myself, I can't. I grumble while I turn into a little ball, trying to find warmth again.

"Alright." My father says, holding my bed covers on his hand. "If you don't get up, I'll flip the matress."

Damn it.

My father and his authentic ways to wake me up. He's the constant reminder I get telling me that I should live alone, since I would be late everywhere. I don't even know why the alarm I put yesterday didn't ring, I'm sure I set it last night.

I get up from bed, dragging my feet on the cold wooden floor, and I go into the bathroom. I yawn and I look in the mirror. The image frightens me.

My hair is a disaster, equal to the makeup on my face. However, I manage to fix it a bit. Yesterday night I went out with Taehyung; since I couldn't keep denying on seeing him because of the supposed "exams" that don't exit. I needed to spend more time with him; talk to him and spend the day together.

We went to the movie theater, and then we went to his house for our broad session of kisses. But nothing happened after that thanks to my father's call, who demanded me to come home. Either way, nothing would've happened.

Isn't it safer to stay at your boyfriend's house, that your father has known for years, than to go home at a late hour on a bus? I personally think yes, but my not my father.

"Areum." He says, leaning on my doorframe. "How was last night?"

Here we go again...

"We didn't do anything, so I didn't need the protection." I sigh. "Thank you."

He nods, satisfied.

"No problem."

These crazy conversations only exist in my house. Hyerin and her mother always talked about this topic, but that's because they're women. I didn't feel comfortable talking about sex with my dad, who thinks that I should stay a virgin until marriage.

Since my mother passed away, my dad turned overprotective and started to treat me like if I was a jewel. He took care of me all the time, and he never took his eyes off me. He doesn't trust anyone with me, and I don't blame him. I'm lying to him shamelessly, and I know it's wrong.

My father was always sure that I would turn out as an incredible young lady. Or at least that's what he would tell my aunt. She was worried about her brother, my father, so she decided to do him a favor: thanks to the big fortune he made with his business, he started to pay for a private school for me.

Ladies Glorious Institute.

That's where I met Hyerin, the only exception to the rules: while everyone followed the strict orders of the place, she was a free spirit... in many ways. She always said what she thought, she did what she wanted, and she defended us from the rich kids that would always want to make us feel inferior. Of course, however, that got us into trouble sometimes.

My father doesn't really like the fact that Hyerin is my friend, but in the end he ended up accepting her. I don't even want to know what would happen when he finds out about her job...

"It's late!" My dad screams from downstairs.

"I'm coming!" I exclaim with an apple in my mouth.

I take my bag, descending from the stairs rapidly, trying not to trip.

He opens the door and smiles.

"Ready?"

I sigh, defeated.

I get into the car, and with only a blink of an eye, we're at the school.

"Don't come late today." My dad says in a demanding tone when he parks the car. "I need you at the bar because the new waitress isn't coming today."

I sigh. I was supposed to have plans with Taehyung today, but I know that he won't let me go, because he needs a hand at the bar.

I don't want him to notice how I would like to do something else today, much less the desire I have to strangle the new waitress.

"Sure." I say with a smile. "I'll see you later."

I get out of the car before he's able to see the clear disappointment in my gesture, and I walk towards the entrance of the school.

By instinct, I look around, even though it's always the same: girls that look at me over their shoulders and that when they see me, they roll their eyes.

They all think they're better because of their thin legs and perfect faces. For having money, they think they're better. The only girl that doesn't look at me that way is Hyerin, who on the contrary, has never been bad with me.

Even though she's one of the prettiest girls in our class she's always been good with everyone; even those who don't deserve it.

I'm simply excluded from a lot of things because of my appearance: I'm small, my legs are short and not as thin like the rest.

I hurry my pace until I reach my locker, in which I put a few things inside, and then walk to my first class.

Once I go in, I observe Hyerin's empty seat and immediately, something doesn't feel right.

I sit in my seat and wait for the next five minutes, but my friend never arrives. It's strange, she never misses class. Receiving credits to enter university are necessary, and if you are absent, you might lose those important credits. She's never risked that, because it's one of the things that matter to her the most: having a future, and not having a job she can't get out of.

The teacher enters the classroom and starts her lecture with calmness. And while the teacher writes, the only thing I can think of is what type of trouble my best friend has gotten herself into.