Chapter 2: Moonlight Academy
Sleep was an already foreign concept to me, but a 19hr flight had worsened my insomnia symptoms. I tossed and turned in bed until I had began to see light peeking into my room. My plan was to inhale as much caffeine as possible to prepare for the day ahead of me. I sighed as I rubbed the tire from my eyes as I got dressed.
I make my way towards our family dinner table, amazed at how bigger everything felt in the house when you weren't 6 years old. I hadn't been back in our Korean house since I was 6 years old. I sit at the table as our head maid, Belen begins to bring out breakfast. Belen and the other staff around the house had been with us for years.
I turn towards the sound of footsteps starting to descend the stairs, meaning that my father was awake. He was sipping what I assumed to be a Jack Daniels from his coffee mug. When my father was not working he was drinking his sorrows away.
We will never be the same again after what happened many years ago. I stand, ready to leave before he had one of his drunk episodes again. My bruises from his last hadn't fully healed yet.
He looks up at me and staggers his way towards me. His cup had slipped from his hand, shattering on the floor, the ember liquid spreading towards me. He grabs my face and begins to mutter incoherent words at me. I pry his fingers off of me and dash out of the house. I rush towards the car that my chauffeur was waiting for me in.
I beg our driver to hurry and he speeds away. I sit back in my seat, breathing heavily from what had just happened. Frustration and sadness bubbled up but I take a deep breath, repressing any emotions to take over. Crying was also a foreign concept to me, I had not shed a single tear since I turned 6 years old. I notice a castlelike building coming into view. The gigantic sign read,"Moonlight High, Home of the Knights" Moonlight high was a 10 story, white brick building which looked more like a museum than a highschool.
Our driver had wishes me good day at school as he drops me off. I take a deep breath, almost smelling the privilege and condescendingness that I guessed would ooze from the students attending here.
My first course of the day was Language and it takes me an unnecessaringly long time to locate the classroom. Eventually I find it on the third floor at the end of the hallway. I knock on the door and a tall, lanky woman in a pantsuit slides the door open. Her name tag reads Teacher Kim and she towers over me like a building. She peers at me through her reading glasses and smiles, wrinkles forming at the edges of her mouth and eyes.
"Ah, you must be our new student. Lee Haruna?"
"Yes, Good morning, I go by Haru." I bow out of respect as she lets me in the class.
She gathers everyone's attention and asks me to introduce myself in front of the class. I look towards the crowd of dazed-eyed teenagers and give a half-smile. I didn't want to introduce myself, but it was a stupid formality.
"Hello, My name is Lee Haru. It's nice to meet you all."
Everyone greets me and I find a seat in the back of the class, near the window. It seemed like the best option since the seat next to it was not occupied.
A pretty girl that sits in front of me turns around and smiles at me.
"Hi, I'm May! It's nice to meet you!"May had long black hair that hovered at her waistline. Her eyes were round and bright, and she had a dimpled chin. We shake hands as I smile back at her, happy that someone so friendly was sitting next to me. Ms. Kim resumes lecturing the class, telling us to take detailed notes because it would be on the upcoming exam.
I start taking notes, and I felt someone's eyes burning into the side of my head. I look up to find a boy staring at me. I look away, embarrassed. What was he staring at? I look up again a few seconds later, and he is still gazing at me. I half-smile and resume my note-taking, trying to ignore his staring throughout the rest of the class.
I am battling my eyes from falling asleep. I didn't have the opportunity to eat or drink anything that would help me stay awake because of my father this morning. This day had just gotten longer.
The bell rings as Ms. Kim dismisses the class. I gather my belongings, dreading having to try navigating my way towards the canteen.
All of a sudden I feel my arm being dragged out of the classroom.
"Let's hurry before the good seats are taken!"May exclaims as she pushes through the crowded hallway. I follow her blindly, too shocked to pull my arm back or even say anything. May seemed like a really outgoing person. After receiving the lunch given to us, May leads me to a balcony seat in the canteen, it was secluded enough where no one would bother us, but also nice that we could see the whole canteen under us. May and I begin conversing until loud screeching interrupts our conversation.
A large group of mostly girls being to crowd near the entrance of the canteen. The intensity of the screeching was making my ears hurt. I look to May in confusion, hoping there was a good enough reason for these people to be yelling.
"May! Why are they all yelling, whats happening?" May rolls her eyes towards the group of people crowded near the entrance. The group begins to split down the middle as a group of 7 boys entered. The line for the food disappeared and the group of 7 boys had taken over first spots in line for the meals.
"Oh the popular boys, their families all practically own the school since they are on the Board. Everyone obsesses over them because of how influential and powerful their families are. The one with a beauty mark is Baharan, The brunette is Mateo, The one with the cheekbones is Jackson, and The ones over in the back are Yujin, Yong-Sun, and Yeon-Seok." I look over at the group of boys as they made their way to, what seemed like, their own designated area.
"The most popular one of them all is Lim Dae Hyun, his father owns the 3rd biggest company in Korea, DH company. He isn't much of a snob, but he is known for being a player." May continues.
But I'm not listening anymore the moment she mentions DH company. That company is my father's rival. The rivalry between our two companies ran deep and even the thought of the DH Company was enough to make my father go through 7 bottles of Jack Daniels or any liquor he could find. My father hated the DH Company, mostly because of their involvement in what happened to my mother.
"Hello, are you even listening?" May asks, waving her hand in front of my face. I was so lost in thought that I hadn't realized I was staring at Lim Dae Hyun.
"Of course I am, anyways what were we talking about before?" I say, switching the topic, not wanting to discuss anything about Lim Dae Hyun
After lunch, I had biology, and unfortunately for me, May wasn't there. I sat at the back of the room again and waited for the teacher to arrive.
I looked out the window and tried to gather my thoughts. My father must not have known that Dae Hyun was attending here, or he would've sent me somewhere else. From the corner of my eyes, I see the group of 7 boys walk in, one of them approaching me. I close my eyes begging that it wasn't who I thought it was.
I open my eyes to find Lim Daehyun leaning close to my face across from my desk. I jump a little at how close he was in proximity to me.
"Hey Beautiful, what's your name?"
I just stare at him and try to stifle the laugh of absurdity building in my throat. I could not believe that this is what Moonlight Academy had to offer, disappointing at best. This was the school's most prominent player?
"I think it's common courtesy to give your own name before asking," I retort, ignoring his advances altogether. He looked shocked that I replied that way. The prominent smirk on his face disappeared and was replaced with a scowl. I smirked at him and turned my attention back to the window, and tried to contain my smile. This cool girl act of mine was obviously staged, but it still felt good.
Before Dae Hyun could say anything, the teacher came and started the lesson. But before he left he whispered, "Careful Haru..you don't know what you are getting yourself into."
Wait, what?
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone