ISLA
"I am a chaotic angel and you are a peaceful devil…"
ONE MONTH AGO
I've been really distracted lately with my studies after I finally agreed to come to my mom's wedding next month. I didn't dislike the idea of coming to South Korea just to attend her wedding, but she even told me to think about transferring there to continue studying my course.
"You can continue studying your chosen course in SADI," she said.
"SADI?" I asked cluelessly. "Are you talking about the top-ranked international university in Seoul?"
"Yes. If you attend there, your future will surely be secured," she continued. "Think about it."
I turned around to look at her while I'm still sitting on the office chair. "I'm pretty sure that you know how much their tuition fee is…"
My mom remained silent while staring at me. Is she being serious?
"SADI's tuition fee for international students costs about $4,500 which is almost 240,000 in Philippine peso. I don't think we can afford that expense just for my studies," I explained to her. "I'll stay here and finish my studies."
"But–"
"Don't worry about me, mom. I can take care of myself," I told her as I turned my back on her and continued answering my activity sheets.
"I understand." I listened to how her footsteps sounded as she walked out of my room, and then the door gently closed.
The day before her flight to Seoul, she informed me about Mr. Woo-jin's sudden decision when it came to my transfer at SADI. I have no idea that he was the founder of that university since I don't really pay attention to further details.
"He really wants to provide you the best education and that's why he decided to offer you a slot for free," my mom explained. "All you need to do is to finish your junior year here and then apply as a senior student in the same course at SADI."
I sighed quietly before looking at my mom's eyes. "Do you really want me to live with you there?"
"Of course, baby. I do." She approached me and held me in her bosoms. "I don't want to be separated from you ever again."
I can't seem to blame her for what happened to my dad. After all, she is my mother… even if she had left us and came back a little later to tell us how much she regretted leaving our family. I think she already made up for it.
PRESENT TIME
It has been a few hours already since the wedding event. Before going straight to their honeymoon destination which is in the Maldives, my mom asked me if it would be okay for me to check out of the hotel and begin staying at this penthouse that her husband had just recently purchased for me.
Since I'm not going back to the Philippines in the meantime because I also agreed to finish my college with the same course in SADI, they thought it would be nice for me to have a permanent place to live. But, buying me my own penthouse is too much not to mention I'm just his stepdaughter.
Nevermind. I'm thankful though.
And now, I can't believe I'm already walking inside a very luxurious penthouse. I also came alone at the penthouse since I heard that Ji-hoon went to meet with his group of friends, while Eun-woo was nowhere to be found. I guess they have their own worlds.
When I finally reached the fifth floor where the main entrance was, I was completely clueless while standing in front of the closed door. The surrounding area has been decorated with so many beautiful indoor flowers. They’re fragrant as well and it was my first time smelling natural fragrances from flowers.
The place is beautiful… but is there even someone available to talk to?
I waited for about a minute before trying to knock on the front door where I could see a keypad. There’s still no one answering. So, I took my phone to contact my mom and tell her that there was no one answering the door.
However, when I was about to press the call button, I heard the sound of one of the elevators behind me – since there are two elevators – and saw a beautiful woman carrying a bunch of shopping bags from different signature apparel brands.
“WELCOME!” She managed to greet me with a smile even though she already looked like a walking clothes hanging rack.
Out of kindness, my body voluntarily tried to help her, but she just rejected it nicely. “Good evening, ma’am. I’m the–”
“Let’s skip the formalities. You may call me Soo-jin and I know who you are.” She suddenly put down all the shopping bags and panted for a few seconds before smiling at me. “You’re Isla.”
I smiled at her back. “Yes. But, may I ask how did you know me?”
"My brother told me you'll be coming to stay here," she explained.
Brother? Is she talking about Mr. Woo-jin? Wow. Just like the rest of her family members, she's fluent in conversational English.
“Well, let's go inside now, Isla.” She carefully picked up the bags again while I was just watching her.
"You seem to have trouble with all those bags. Are you sure you wouldn't need any help?" I asked her. "I'm willing to help."
“Well, then… could you please kindly open the door for me?” I quickly did what she asked me and he successfully got inside the apartment as I followed her inside.
I carefully observed what was inside the room and what I first encountered was a bathroom, and a kitchen which is already connected to a dining room and the living room. I was too stunned to speak after seeing what the interior design looks like.
In the double-height living room, a daybed covered in a burnt wood-designed fabric and accented by a black and white throw pillow is joined by several vintage pieces, including a shiny black-colored vase-style side table and cocktail table, and grayish-blue sofa.
The artwork – The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli – is above the fireplace which is near the 1950s table lamps which seem to be from an antique auction, and lastly, the custom-made silk rug.
"Have a seat and I will have to bring these to where they really belong. I'll be right back…" She left me in the living room and went somewhere further inside the apartment.
I sat down on the sofa and made myself comfortable while waiting for her to finish her business with the bags. A little later, she went back to the living room while wearing the prettiest smile I've ever seen.
“I’m sorry about that.”
“No, it’s fine. I don’t mind.” I smiled back at her.
Then, she went straight to the kitchen. "Would you like to have a drink? We have all kinds."
"All kinds?" I talked to myself. Does that mean they have liquors too? Damn.
"What would you like, Isla?" I saw her peeking at me from the kitchen.
"Oh, can I please have some water?" I said as I scratched the back of my head. "I don't really drink."
She gestured OK before going back inside the kitchen. After a few seconds, Soo-jin went back to the living room holding a glass of water and handed it over to me.
"Thank you." I slightly bowed my head before watching her take a seat on the opposite sofa.
"It's nice to finally meet you in person, Isla. You know, my oppa (older brother) mentioned about you several times before this day."
Soo-jin calling Mr. Woo-jin oppa, it could mean that he is her older brother. Then, that means Soo-jin will be my step-aunt. How should I address her?
"If Mr. Woo-jin is your older brother, what should I be addressing you?" I asked her, just in case.
"I don't like being called imo (aunt) by younger people. Even Eun-woo and Ji-hoon never call me that," she murmured.
"What do they call you?"
"They call me noona (older sister) because I asked them to," she explained. "So, for you… call me eonni (older sister). Will that be fine?"
"Yes. It's totally fine with me. I just have to get used to it," I said with a smile.
"You should stop calling Woo-jin oppa mister. Start calling him appa (dad), dad, or stepdad. It will make you guys more comfortable with each other, trust me," she added.
I hope it's that easy for me to call somebody else my dad. There's only one man in my life that I would want to call my dad… so, I'm not even sure about this one.
"May I know what he says about me?" I asked cautiously.
"Are you talking about Woo-jin oppa?" She asked and I nodded in response.
I hope it's not a negative thing.
"Well, he said that it will be a wish come true for him to have a daughter," she replied. "As you can see, he only has two sons and they're both firstborn."
I was caught off-guard with that one. I thought Ji-hoon is his youngest son?
"Oh, by the way… have you met them already? Eun-woo and Ji-hoon."
"Yes. Mr. Woo-jin even mentioned Ji-hoon as his youngest son," I revealed.
Soo-jin scoffed as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Oppa did that? Whoa…"
"Why?" I asked her in curiosity.
"Well, it's not a big deal actually." She crossed her legs. "I think Woo-jin oppa only said that because Ji-hoon is his second firstborn."
Second firstborn… That sounds complicated.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked her.
"Look, I'm not supposed to tell you this–"
I immediately shake my hands in front of her. "You may not tell me. It's okay!"
"Hmm…" She was speechless at first. "No, I will tell you."
NO WAY!
"But, pretend that you didn't hear it from me. Okay?" She added. I nodded so hard at her like my head was about to fall off its place. Lol.
In the end, Soo-jin told me that Eun-woo and Ji-hoon have different mothers. Eun-woo's mother is Chinese-Korean which means he has blood of both nationalities. Meanwhile, Ji-hoon's mother is Turkish, and that's why he doesn't look purely Korean.
After our fun facts conversation, Soo-jin decided to show me my bedroom inside the apartment. As we walked to my room, I noticed the other three rooms and wondered why there were so many rooms.
"Eonni," I called her. "Why are there so many rooms?"
"Those are your step brothers' rooms," she mentioned.
WHAT?!
I thought I'm the only one who gets to live here! Mr. Woo-jin never told me about living with my stepbrothers. I thought my mom also said this penthouse was bought for me! What is going on?!
We finally arrived at the last room on the dead-end of the bedroom hallways and as soon as the door was opened, I saw a wide room embracing the clean, modern style interior that takes a turn toward trendy mid-century modern design with a warm, cozy color scheme. I didn’t even expect how wide it is for one person to occupy.
Soo-jin entered the room and started looking around as if she was checking something in every corner. “Come in and see for yourself.”
As I got inside, the first thing that caught my sight was the bathroom. I can't believe I have my own bathroom. I also have my own cabinet and study desk with a set of monitors, a keyboard, and a system unit. Then, I saw the generous balcony that truly left me mesmerized, offering a brilliant bird’s-eye view of the city and the beautiful Han River.
Is this really my room?
“So, do you like it?” I heard Soo-jin, only to find herself coming inside my bedroom again while holding a trash bag. I didn't notice she left me alone.
I looked at her in confusion and she approached me while still scanning the whole room. I couldn’t help but stare at her in complete confusion.
"What is that?"
"Oh, this?" She looked at the trash bag she was holding. "These are just used tissues."
"Tissues?" I questioned cluelessly.
"You know, man stuff." She winked at me after saying that.
And that's when I realized what she meant. I suddenly felt flustered and shy. Why did I even ask her about that? Gosh!
After I put my stuff inside my room, I went back to the living room together with Soo-jin. I watched how she prepared my dinner since it was just 9:00 p.m. I already ate dinner at the hotel, but the food is really not that good. That's why I'm eating again.
A little later, Soo-jin decided to leave the penthouse after she received a phone call. She was told to look for Eun-woo and keep him away from trouble. I don't exactly know what that means, but I guess he is a troublemaker.
"Wait, eonni!" I called her after she got out of the apartment. Then, she stopped in her tracks before looking at me. "Will Ji-hoon come here?"
"Oh dear, I have no idea. These guys tend to live outside than live here inside the penthouse," she replied. "Don't worry. I'll tell Ji-hoon to accompany you if he gets to leave early from hanging out with his friends."
I nodded at her and she just waved goodbye at me before going towards the elevator. I sighed heavily as I closed the main door and looked back at the whole room before putting both my arms on the sides of my waist.
How am I going to do with the following days now?
Even though I'm friendly and easy to approach, I’m still not that good when it comes to dealing with people and I will never be. I'm not even sure if I could get along with my stepbrothers that easily.
I headed back to my bedroom to take a shower before changing into a new one. After changing into my conservative type of PJs, I left my room and went straight to the kitchen to eat the dinner that Soo-jin prepared. After that, I washed the dishes. While in the middle of washing the dishes, I suddenly heard the main door open.
The impact of how it was opened was seriously loud after it hit the wall. I hurried to see who had just come in and I saw Eun-woo being brought by a woman. Could it be his girlfriend?
I immediately looked away from them after Eun-woo suddenly hugged her. I was so flustered that I froze at the moment and in my stance, now that I feel like their attention was completely on me.
This is so embarrassing.
I suddenly heard the woman speaking to me but in Korean. She sounded like she was asking me, I just don't know what type of question. She could be asking who am I or what am I doing inside the penthouse of her boyfriend?
I decided to look at them again and saw Eun-woo looking at me with a puckish forehead. He seemed flushed and obviously drunk mostly when he started to laugh like crazy.
I just watched the two of them stand there when he suddenly vomited and it made the woman immediately feel gross and overreacted by making noises of being grossed out. Eun-woo continued vomiting until the woman couldn't take it anymore and she left the room voluntarily.
“Hey! You can’t leave him be!” I called for the woman, but she didn’t even look back.
As I glanced at Eun-woo, he was already lying on the floor, trying his best to take some rest after getting wasted. "I can't believe you're going to be my stepbrother."
I sighed before quietly walking across him just to close the door and after that, I went back to the kitchen to finish washing the dishes, then I hurriedly went inside my room.
I ate the snacks which I brought here all the way from the Philippines while I was in the middle of binge-watching my favorite TV series. I didn’t even realize I had already fallen asleep and woke up in a shock after having a dream of falling from a great height. I decided to go out of the room cautiously to throw away the snack packs since I still don’t have a trash bin inside the room.
I quietly went out of my room and tiptoed so that I wouldn't create any unnecessary noises. Before I could even reach the kitchen, I noticed that Eun-woo was still lying on the floor near the door. I can’t believe he’s still asleep. It has been an hour already. Now, I’m being disturbed by my conscience that tells me I should help him.
Sometimes being kind is exhausting and dangerous.
I let out a sigh before finally helping my troublemaker stepbrother. I kneeled beside him and was cautious to even touch him. But, like trash, I need to keep him off the floor and loitering around the place. I supported him by placing his lifeless arm around my nape and then I held him by the waist. When I was about to help him get up, I noticed his weight was impossible for me to handle and help him stand.
So, I decided to wake him up. It would be easy for me to guide him if he’s conscious because he’ll be aware that he needs to move as well. I tried to gently pat his shoulders.
“Hey, I need you to wake up…”
I waited like a few minutes, but he’s still sleeping. He even snored loudly and shocked me to the core. So, I tried poking his head.
Still no response.
That’s when I decided to pinch his cheeks. But, before I could even touch them, he suddenly grabbed my hand. Then, he slowly looked up at me with a stern look seen from his dark brown eyes. I felt uncomfortable at the moment because of how he looked at me.
The only idea I came to think of was to stand up and stay away from him since he looked like he was fully aware of what was going on. But, his hand holding a grip of mine didn’t even budge.
I gulped nervously. “Can you please let go of my hand?”
He stared at me for a few seconds before he slightly shook his head saying, “No.”
After disagreeing with me, he suddenly held me by my nape before pulling me towards him and getting both our faces close to each other. I was caught off guard by what he did, the reason I wasn’t able to avoid it anymore.
He didn’t say anything and we remained to stare at each other as I could smell the alcohol from him. Although the smell was unpleasant, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He's just really like a w*****n character.
“You’re… ugly.”
What the fuck did he just call me?
“I can’t believe my step-sister is as ugly as you,” he continued before smirking and letting go of my nape.
I was too stunned to speak as I watched him try his best to balance himself as he got up from the floor, and just casually walked away going to his bedroom. Did I hear it right? He just called me ugly.
HE CALLED ME UGLY!
I hurriedly stood up from the floor and screamed like a crazy person as I charged towards him. When he turned to look at me, it was too late for him to dodge my attack and we both fell on the floor again after he caught me in his arms.
I heard his grunt at the same time I was over his body and gripping his shirt near the neck area. “Did you just call me ugly, huh? Did you?!”
His widened eyes tell me he’s pretty scared for his life right now while I’m overpowering him. “Not only ugly, but you’re also crazy!”
“Oh really?!” I scoffed. “You don't know what will happen to you for calling me ugly and crazy, you jerk!”
I quickly raised my hand, ready to hit him when everything escalated quickly and he held me by my waist, before turning me over. Now, he’s the one above me and I was lying on the floor, helplessly. My courage quickly went down to cowardness mostly after he pinned both my arms on the floor and both sides of my head.
He slowly smirked at me with a drunk lust seen from his eyes. “Tell me. What can you do now in this position?”
I could only breathe nervously while looking at him. The way he enclosed me with his arms and body felt like I'm locked up in a dungeon with him acting as the ferocious lion, ready to devour me. I don't know what's happening to me, that I cannot even speak and tell him to get off of me. I am at a loss for words...
The longer I stare at him the soon I realize his face getting closer to mine.
Is he going to kiss me?!
"Mhmp!" I grunted as I tried to turn my head away from him, but he was still following it. "No!"
At the same time as I said the word NO, I also heard a loud bang coming from something made out of a tin. And then, I felt the guy fall above me, the reason for me to scream out loud. However, Soo-jin came to my rescue.
"Hey, hey. Calm down," she said. "You're fine now."
I stared at her in complete shock while she tried to push Eun-woo over my side and away from me. I quickly crawled away from them with a horrified look in my eyes.
"Did you hit him…" I looked at the tin basin. "...with that one?"
Soo-jin looked at me with a laugh on her face. "Yes. Don't worry, he's not yet dead."
"I thought he's supposed to be," I said.
"What? How could you kill your stepbrother?" Soo-jin said. "Plus, he's my nephew."
"He's a perverted jerk!"
Soo-jin got up and took the tin basin before going to the kitchen to fill it with water from the sink. I decided to follow her.
"Why is he acting like that? He almost harassed me," I complained.
"My nephew can be anything except for being a pervert. He will never harass anyone, mostly women," she said.
"You didn't even see what he did to me!" I pointed out my index finger somewhere that would make her understand I'm pointing at Eun-woo.
Soo-jin turned to face me and gave me a plain reaction. "He's a drunk man."
"So, what? What if he's a man and he's drunk? He shouldn't have done that to me," I continued.
"Alright. I understand your frustration. And on behalf of him and what he did, I apologize." Soo-jin turned off the faucet from the sink before approaching me.
She held my hand and I remained to stare at her. "How about we let him make it up to you tomorrow?"
"And what is he gonna do?" I asked her.
"It would be a secret, honey." She held me on both my shoulders before turning me around. "Now, you go to bed while I'll take care of him and all the mess he did inside this apartment."
She pushed me away gently. I took a glance at her and she just smiled at me, so I ignored everything and went inside my bedroom to take some rest. What a nightmare.
