I handed the signed documents to secretary Kang without taking my eyes off the computer monitor.

Days have passed after the incident at the hospital and as expected I have been so busy these past days. I did not bother attending Mr. Kim’s funeral at all.

I heard gossips about me being heartless by being absent, I mean father has also been absent my entire life. I guess that makes us even?

“Is everything going well with our boys?” I inquired as I browse the internet and saw a lot of good feedback for the anticipated new boy group that will debut next year through Dream Sync Entertainment the company I have built through years of hard work.

“The debut preparations for the boy group, "Harmony Heights," are progressing exceptionally well. The promotional campaign has been meticulously planned, and we've secured prime slots on several major TV shows for their debut performances.” She replied.

“Excellent. How's the fan engagement looking?”

“We've initiated a robust social media campaign. The teaser videos we released garnered an overwhelming response, driving significant engagement across platforms. Fan anticipation is high, and we're observing a steady increase in followers on all official accounts.”

We continued conversing for a few more minutes.

“This might not be something to concern you but there was some man that was protesting in front of the building when you were overseas about 2 days ago. I did a background check on him and turns out he is the father of some trainee who did not made it through the final group.”

“Hmmm.  Who was it again?” I inquired.

“Yoon Hyun-Seok, the one with bleached hair.” She replied as she handed me her tablet with the picture of the boys during their early training days.

“Ahh, this one. Isn’t he the one who secretly sabotage one of his co-members?” I asked as I give her back the tablet.

"Yes, we handled the issue quietly as you requested, to avoid hindering their futures since they're still young. But I discovered that Yoon Hyun-Seok ran away from home, and his father is protesting for us to find his son and let him debut."

I glanced at her, encouraging her to continue.

"Our legal team handled his father and got a restraining order issued. But I've been receiving threatening letters lately."

"Do you think it's connected to the father?" I leaned back, giving her my full attention.

"I have a feeling it might be him. Since he can't come close to the company, he's sending the letters to my house," she said, looking worried.

"I advised you to move closer to my house and offered to cover your rent. But you insisted on staying in your old neighborhood for family memories. Now, with the lack of security there, you're having a hard time finding the sender of those letters." I nagged as I recalled how annoyingly stubborn, she was before.

She shifted from being an overly professional secretary to a more casual one in front of me.

Helping herself to snacks from the platter on my table, she mentioned, "That house holds a lot of good memories. I can't just sell it to live near you. Besides, you don’t like it when I come over to your house on weekends," as she nonchalantly munched on the snacks.

I moved the platter away because I hadn't restocked those snacks yet.

"Why would you even want to come to my house on weekends!" I snapped, then started counting my chocolates and gave her a glare for eating too many.

"That's what I'm saying! If I lived near you, I'd want to hang out on weekends," she said, trying to grab another chocolate, but I stopped her. She pouted.

Ugh. Bring back Secretary Kang! I didn't want this Kang Soo-Jin who's been pestering me since middle school!

"You!" She pointed at me, and I glared back.

"Always be careful, got it?" she exclaimed, gripping my shoulders.

"It should be you who needs to be careful, not me! You're the one receiving threat anyway," I said, realizing she had managed to take another chocolate from me.

"Oh, it's because the letters are for you," she said casually, popping the chocolate into her mouth.

"Ah, another threat for me," I said casually. I was used to threats; the higher you climb; the more people want to bring you down.

She coughed a bit at my remark about being used to threats.

"What? That's why I practice martial arts in my free time. So, I can defend myself."

She then straightened up and put on her professional face again.

"I'll make sure to put an end to those letters so you don't have to worry about your safety. And as your friend—"

"Not your friend," I cut her off, glaring.

"Ahem. As someone you know, I'll need to move to your house tomorrow since it's the weekend," she said, gradually making her exit.

"Hey! How did you come to that conclusion?!" I snapped, but she ignored me.

“No. I’ll provide a housing for you but not my house.”

My blood pressure!

She's Kang Soo-Jin. We went to the same middle school. Out of nowhere, she started pestering me, asking to be her friend. I declined, thinking if I pushed her away, she'd eventually give up. But look how long she's been working for me. She started as an intern in this company when it was just starting, and slowly climbed up to where she is now.

I sighed and looked at my computer screen, reading the latest article about me and my parents. It accused me of neglecting my mother, needing financial support.

I knew this would fade away soon as new controversies arise. I checked the comments, seeing people throwing shade as if they knew everything.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to focus on other tasks for the day.

***

As I walked, I heard whispers filled with judgment and dislike. "Look at her audacity, just like her mother," someone said. Another voice brought up my father, making me feel bad about my family.

"I don't want to be near her; it's gross," someone else commented. And they talked about rumors about me and Jiso's boyfriend, too.

But even with those mean words, I stayed strong. I did well in school, but I didn't make friends. Instead, I gained a lot of enemies. I don’t like being bullied, so I quietly stood up to the bullies. They showed off in front of others, but I worked quietly behind the scenes. I found their weaknesses and used them to make them leave me alone. That's how I graduated without any problems in my school record.

I even heard some gossip about people getting problems and leaving school after being around me, like they were cursed.

Those thoughts filled my mind as I drove home after a long day. They made me more determined.

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. Sometimes, a nighttime drive is the best time for deep thinking. Secretary Kang is getting ready to stay at my house for a while. Although I don’t like sharing my house with someone but It'll give me peace of mind since the person sending threatening letters knows her address.

Thos nasty comments are popping one by one on my mind and the heavy feeling, I felt when I read the article is still in my system.

I won't let others decide who I am. Yes, I am my mother's daughter. I can't change where I come from—a child born from a mistake made by a married man and a woman who makes her living through her body.

A deep sigh escaped me, trying to let go of all these feelings.

I need to focus on the present. All the things I've achieved show how hard I've worked. I've climbed up from the bottom to reach success.

People who used to look down on me don't matter anymore. Their opinions don't change my life. And those who felt sorry for me should be the ones needing sympathy now.

I sighed again.

Let me be clear—I love my life now. I've made a life that many dream of. I go where I want, eat what I like, and enjoy doing whatever I please.

But my mother's stories to the reporters still bother me.

"Kimchi Stew, Beer, Netflix, and Chicken Wings," I repeated to cheer myself up.

"You're living the good life, Kim Aera!" I said, determined and hopeful about the future.

"I'LL LIVE LONG!"

CRASHHHHH.

It was too late when I realized that a dump truck coming unto me in full speed.

My body felt heavy, like I couldn't move. My head was spinning, making it hard to see clearly. A person was coming closer. Slowly, I realized it was the taxi driver I saw a few days ago.

I tried to talk, to ask for help, but my voice wouldn't work. I felt scared.

The driver looked at me through the broken window. I hoped he'd call for help, but he didn't do anything.

I was worried. What was he going to do? Was someone else coming to help, or was something else wrong that I couldn’t, see?

The man grabbed a big piece of broken glass from the window and pointed it at my neck.

"You ruined my life!" he yelled, his voice full of anger, laughing in a scary way.

"I don't even know who you are," I said, my voice full of pain. I pushed myself to speak because if I was going to die, I should at least know who killed me.

"Ha! You don't even remember me! I'm Yoon Hyun-Seok's dad! I gave you a wild ginseng and asked you to take care of my son!"

"I don't have to remember every insignificant person I meet," I said, smirking, even though I was coughing up blood.

Now I remembered him. He was Yoon Hyun-Seok's dad, the one who caused trouble at the company because his son, who was still a trainee, didn't give him money.

“Shut up!” He said as he gritted his teeth and pulled my hair, exposing more of my neck. Then, he put the piece of glass close to my neck. It was just enough to cut my skin with small movements.

I was really scared at that moment. It wasn't like when I got threats sometimes. This fear felt old, like something I'd felt a long time ago, but I couldn't remember when.

"It's your fault Hyun-Seok won’t give me money!"

This useless father had the nerve to blame me for his problems!

I have to make it through this so I can show him what he deserves. Just you wait!

I have to survive! I'll do whatever it takes to survive.

I said these words in my head, hoping someone would hear me calling for help with my eyes closed.

Suddenly, when I opened my eyes, I saw another person coming closer. It looked like a young kid, and then everything went dark.

**Will I survive?!