Chapter 1: Life Changes

 

“No…..no…..NO! OH MY GOD! ARE YOU THAT FUCKING STUPID?” Lizzy Song threw her left purple pump at the maid. “How many times do I have to tell you, that’s NOT how you organize my clothes? Everything is to be COLOR coded, ALPHABETICALLY, and by the FUCKING SIZE!” she sat back down and rubbed her temples. Deep breathing wasn’t working these days. She shook her head and took a deep breath. She turned to the maid and waved her hand.

                “Just, get out!” the maid was frozen in fear. “I SAID GET THE FUCK OUT!” she threw her other pump at her, and struck her in the face, her cheek began to swell and bruise immediately. She ran out of the room crying, slamming into the door, and then the wall on her way out as she blindly stumbled forward, trying to find her way through the labyrinth of a house through her tears.                                                            

                  Jessie Tyler ran into the servant’s quarters, tears cascading down her face as she stumbled towards her bed. This was the last straw, that bitch had gone too far this time.

                As she packed her suitcases, she thought about all the times she had suffered at the hands of that egotistical, perfectionist, little bitch. She turned to see her supervisor, Becky Henson, a middle aged stocky yet graceful woman.

With every hair in place, her clothes crisp and clean she was the picture of perfection when it came to the boss type. She was the head of the servants in the Kwon household. She ran a tight ship, but somehow, Jessie had gotten on her good side. She could tell that Becky was disappointed in her.

                “What do you think you’re doing, child?” she asked, observing Ji Yeon’s frantic packing with little interest.

                “I thought I could handle it Becky, but I can’t! I just can’t!” she dissolved into tears, her emotions and the pain finally getting the better of her composure.  

                “It’s only been six months, and you’re quitting already?” Becky raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “I thought you were stronger than this, Jessie.”

                “I can’t take it anymore! That’s the sixth shoe this month, this time I taste blood. I’m leaving before I get half the mind to kill that little bitch!” Baek Hi shook her head.

                “You wouldn’t have survived her mother then,” she explained as she walked around to the other side of her bed and sat down. “Her mother threw a cast iron wok at my head, nearly split me open,” she chuckled at Jessie’s astonished face. “I wasn’t gonna let that little girl get the best of me, rich parents or not, so I stuck to it, boy was she pissed.” She laughed out loud at the thought of it. “She was so surprised that I was still there the next day, she threw a tantrum in her room, destroying almost everything until her mother entered the room and slapped some sense into that little pistol.” She glanced over at Jessie. “She never threw another tantrum. Trust me, this one’s time will come, and it will come like hell’s fire. She’s ten times worse than her mother, just you wait and see.” She moved stray strands of hair out of Ji Yeon’s face and smiled.

                “I still don’t think I can stay here, though, this will be my twelfth hospital visit in the last two months. The doctors think I have an abusive boyfriend!” Baek Hi laughed. She waved Jessie over, and put her arm around her shoulders.

                “Ah, whatever, do as you wish then. Enjoy school, or what will be left of your school life once she figures out you quit,” she shook this comment off.

                “I’ll take care of it somehow.” She closed her final suitcase, and stood up. “It’s been an honor to work with you, sunbaenim, but I must bid you farewell.” She gave her a short bow, and left.

                Becky’s smile faded as the door closed. She waited until she could no longer hear the echo of her footsteps, and raised herself off the bed. She slammed open the doors of the servants’ quarters, and marched down to Lizzy’s room. There, she slammed the doors open and ordered the maids polishing her school shoes to leave. Lizzy flicked her hair back and looked at Baek Hi with a smug little smirk on her face.  

                “Wipe that look off your face you little piece of shit.” Becky snapped as she approached her. Hee Sun looked up with the most innocent look on her face possible.

                “Why, Becky, whatever do you mean?” she asked, batting her eyelashes and flashing the sickest, fake smile she could muster. Becky wanted to slap her across the room, but knew to hold her tongue, whether she felt she should or not, it was her duty to be polite to the family.

                “Don’t play stupid, I know what you did to Ji Yeon; what the fuck is wrong with you?” Lizzy rolled her eyes.

                “She kept getting things wrong. Simple things. Easy things. Things a retard could get right.” She shook her head. “I couldn’t take it anymore. It was driving me nuts!”

                “And instead of handling it like a normal human being, you threw things?” Lizzy opened her mouth to answer but Baek Hi cut her off. “I’m sick of this, Miss. Song that is the eighth maid in three months! Nobody wants to work for you because you are an unbearable person! Do you even listen to your therapist?” Lizzy shrugged.

                “I fired him. I don’t like being told what to do.” She examined her cuticles. Becky could do nothing but shake her head.

                “One of these days, Miss, you will get your comeuppance, and when it comes, I will be there to watch your downfall.”

                “Is that a threat, Miss. Heung?” she raised an eyebrow and leaned forward.

                “No Miss, but I can tell you this,” she leaned forward, close enough so that they were almost touching noses. “Karma finds those who deserve it, and Karma’s a bitch.” She stood up, smiled, and walked away. Hee Sun was left to sit there and ponder what had just happened.

                In another part of Seoul, Eli Smith had just woken up. He threw off his blankets and headed towards the bathroom. He turned on the water and undressed. As he stepped in to the shower, he shivered.

                “Ah! Water is cold this morning.” He dived right into the cold stream of water, releasing himself into the bathtub. He knew his mother disapproved, but it was too early for him to care.

His parents had finally received the insurance and inheritance from the death of his great aunt Eugena. The selfish hag had actually cared enough about her great niece that she gave everything to her, instead of giving it to charity or giving it to her own daughter. He figured it was because she didn’t think his dad was capable of taking care of his mom, like she had stated every single time he had ever met her. Thus, they had the great idea, that he would attend YoungHwa High School. This was an elite school; it only accepted students with the highest academic marks. And if it wasn’t academics, they were either really good athletes, or filthy rich.

                “I don’t want to go to this school! I’m fine where I am!” he had fought with his parents from the moment they had brought this up three weeks ago.

                “Son, listen to me, you will go nowhere in society with a community college degree, let alone just any high school diploma. Going to YoungHwa High and then Young Hwa University would give you a great chance! A chance that we never had! You could be successful, beyond what we dreamed we could ever grant you.”

                “Dad, I don’t want prestige, I’m fine working at the shop with my friends, graduating in MY school with MY friends, not some snooty school for stuck up rich kids!” he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head as his mother slapped him with a  rolling pin. “Mom! What was that for?” he whined as he sat there rubbing his head.  

                “Do you really want to be stuck working this noodle shop the rest of your life? Do you?” she cut him off before he could answer. “Your brother owns his own business, and your sister works at the noodle shop AND the café to make ends meet! They work their asses off to have what they have, I want life to be just a little easier for you, so can you just do me this one favor? Please, Eli, for me, your mother?” she took his hands in hers as she pleaded. He could feel that time and labor had not been good to her. Her hands were rough and dry with kneading dough for noodles all day; he could feel the tension in her arms from chopping vegetables and washing dishes. He lowered his head in shame.

                “Fine, I’ll do it.” His mother clapped her hands.

                “Oh, Eli, you have no idea how happy you have just made me!” she hugged him tightly, and quickly ordered his school uniform.

                As he broke the news to his friends, he grew even sulkier.

                “Yo, man, that’s wack! Why would they make you do that kinda shit?” Danny Emmens stood upright, raising himself from underneath the Ford Fiesta he had been fixing.

                “So that I can have a better chance at life and success than they had, blah blah blah, family honor, blah blah blah, I don’t give a shit.” Eli wiped the grease off his hands with an old rag, and threw it into the pile in the corner.

                “Well, at least they are thinking about your future, it’s not like my parents gave a damn about what happened to me when they threw my ass in the streets.” Mikey Vickson spoke up as he finished calibrating the engine. “They are giving you a great opportunity that we don’t, and won’t get, so take it.”
Teddy Richards approached Heejun from behind and put his arm around him.

                “Monkey is right, dude, take a chance! Who knows, you might actually like those snooty little rich girls!” he wiped his greasy hand all over Heejun’s face before he pushed him away. He shook his head as he wiped off his face with the end of his sleeve.

                “No way man, I hate those kinds of girls, they’re just gold diggers looking for a free ride in life. I ain’t like that man!” his friends laughed at him as they discussed what would become of him.

                “You’ll become some corporate bigwig and forget all us little people,” Danny chided as he wiped his imaginary tears with a greasy rag, and then proceeded to throw it at Heejun.

                “Or he’ll marry some rich broad and become her little servant.” Mikey piped up. Eli just shook his head.

                “Look guys, nothing is going to change, I’m still gonna work here, your still gonna be my homies, and ain’t no rich bitch gonna change me.”

                “Oh really?” Teddy stood up and stood just inches away from Heejun’s face. “Do you swear?” he asked, leaning in closer.

                “Yes, I swear, I won’t change, not for anyone.”

                “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” Teddy warned. “Because sometimes, we can’t help what promises we break.” Heejun just shook his head.

                “I won’t change, I’m Eli now and I’ll be Eli when I get the hell outta that place, I swear.”

                “Whatever man, it’s your call,” Teddy held up his hand, and Eli slapped it back as they brought it in.

                He rinsed his hair as he finished his shower. As he stepped out of the shower, a blast of cold air hit him like a ton of bricks. He had forgotten to shut the door.

                “Aw, shit!” he quickly washed his face and brushed his teeth. Then he ran out of the bathroom and located his uniform. His dad had ironed his uniform and had it neatly lying out on his chair in the corner of his room. He smiled sheepishly as he caressed the fine fabric. The golden lapels were engraved with  the initials, “Y.H.” he threw on his undershirt, then his dress shirt. He made sure to properly tie his tie, and then carefully buttoned up his overcoat. It was a navy blue, with black trim. The tie was striped with matching colors. He combed his hair to make himself seem more presentable, but he just felt like a moron.           

                “Well, here goes nothing.” He picked up his knapsack and marched down the stairs. He entered the kitchen and looked on the counter. On the counter was a lunch box. His mother had spent two hours preparing it for him.

                “But mom, you don’t have to make me lunch, I’ll make my own, or get a cheeseburger or something,”

                “Nonsense! My son is going to a fine school! I won’t let you poison your body with that garbage! You’ll eat healthy food that I make!” then she proceeded to knock him on the head with the rolling pin. He picked up his lunchbox, rubbing his head more out of pity than pain.

                “It’s about time you got your ass up!” he turned around to see his sister, Tiffany Smith  standing in the middle of their living room. “Come on, get moving! I’m opening the café today, we need to get going! Aish! You think on your first day to a prestigious school you’d hurry up!” he shook his head as the initial shock wore off. He nodded and hurried out the door.

                As they drove to the school, his sister began to give him advice.

                “Now, first of all, don’t pass gas in front of people, cuz believe me bro, you stink to high heaven, either end, trust me. Second, don’t speak unless spoken to, unless that bitch starts shit, then beat the fuck out of him and teach him a lesson. Third, don’t slack off, study, you start flunking school, I’ll beat the good grades into you, understand? And lastly, have fun lil bro!” she concluded as she rolled up to the school. He nodded in agreement, and looked up at the school.

                YoungHwa High School was a behemoth. Its size alone was intimidating enough to make him want to bolt. But if he tried, Tiffany would kick his ass. He swallowed hard, and gathered his things. She put her hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry lil bro, I got your back.” She said, giving him a reassuring pat on the back.

“Really sis?” she nodded.

“Now get the fuck out of my car before I throw your ass out!” he scampered out of the car as he sped off. He took one last look at the outside of his new school.

                Well now look what you’ve gotten yourself into. He thought to himself as he passed through the gates. Here goes nothing. And as he passed through the giant oak doors into the school, he hoped he was right.

END OF CHAPTER 1