New Journalist Violet Preston has longed for a position at "Wake Up World", a local journalism and news center for gifted writers. She aced the interview but on day one she did not expect to freak out, faint, and fall in love with the most handsome man on the team, Allen "Mickey" Dayne: her supervisor! Will she play it cool or find out that the best stories are love stories?

Gun-Ho received a call from Professor Jien Wang.
"President Goo? Are you publishing my book in Korea?"
"Yes, I am working on it."
"I received a call from a young man who speaks fluent Chinese. He said once I approve publishing my book, he will work on translating my book into the Korean language."
"That's good."
"I was told that there is a president who is running the publishing company, but the actual owner is you— President Goo. Is it true?"
"Think about it, Professor Wang. What was the name of that publishing company?"
"GH Media? Oh, that's right! It's your company. GH is your name initials."
"So, did you approve publishing your book in Korea?"
"Of course I did. As soon as I heard that they will give me 7% royalty plus 3,000 dollars in advance, I approve it right away. I need money. Moreover, I am honored to have my book published in Korea. Thank you."
"Don't mention it. I thank you, Professor Wang, for allowing us to publish your book."
"I have one concern though."
"What is it?"
"The book is more like a scholarly book; it was not written for fun reading. I'm not sure if it will sell."
"Of course it will because the book was written by the famous Professor Jien Wang."
"Hey, cut it out, man."
 
"How is Seukang Li doing?"
"He has been extremely busy since he moved to Shanghai. He will be like that until he gets familiar with the new job."
"Of course."
"Oh, since Seukang Li's bureau oversees publishing books and media stuff, I can ask him to introduce a good Chinese publishing company to you. What do you think?"
"For what?"
"If your company has a good book that was published in Korea, you can publish it in China too."
"We handle foreign books mostly, so it won't be necessary. However, if we happen to have a book written by a Korean author, I will ask them."
"It would be nice if we can do a joint venture with you for a publishing company, but China doesn't open its door in that field."
"Really?"
"Well, books can greatly influence the thoughts of people in China. I guess that's why they don't want to open the door to the world in that particular field."
"My publishing company is a start-up company. I don't really get involved in the operation. I invited a lady president and she is running the company."
"I think women would probably do a better job in the publishing industry since they are more delicate and sensitive than men."
"I was told that many book readers are women as well."
"By the way, I've already sent the publishing contract to GH Media. I will send the original contract by EMS."
"I hope your book will hit a jackpot, so we both can make money, and you can become famous."
"Haha. Let's have our fingers crossed."
 
Moore Investment brought two versions of the business plan: English version and Korean version.
"Thank you very much."
Gun-Ho picked up the Korean version of the business plan.
"It's pretty thick."
"It's 50 pages thick."
"What about the English version?"
Gun-Ho looked at the English version; it said 'Joint Venture Company's Business Plan.'
"It's about the same."
Gun-Ho opened the Korean version.
"Business Outline, Products, Estimated Demands, Sales and Production Plan, Investment Plan…"
"Please take a close look at the plan for the raw materials' supply and demand, and estimated financial statements."
"Okay, I will. Let me take some time to go through this, and I will give you a call."
"We've consulted with the plant manager and the chief officer of the research center before completing the plot plan for the factory."
"Oh, is that right?"
"As indicated in the conclusion at the end, if you target China and other Asian markets, the company will grow larger than GH Mobile."
"You mean the new joint venture company?"
"Yes."
"Let's add one more thing to the conclusion."
"Sure."
The two staff from Moore Investment pulled out a pen and paper to write down what Gun-Ho would say. The watches that they were wearing and half-covered by their white shirts looked like high-end expensive watches.
"If we will target the Asian market including China, we will have to change the joint venture's name to something else. I suggest GH Chemical rather than Dyeon Korea."
"Yes, sir. I will make the modification right away."
 
"Do you have extra copies of the business plan?"
"Of course. We always prepare extra copies in case our client needs more."
"When you return to Seoul, could you send one copy to Attorney Young-Jin Kim at Kim & Jeong Law Office? One English version and one Korean version, please."
"Sure, we will."
 
Gun-Ho received a call from Min-Hyeok. He said he would visit Korea soon.
"My grandmother passed away. I need to come to Korea to see my family for a few days."
"Really? I am so sorry to hear that, Min-Hyeok. Once you arrive in Korea, come to see me in Asan City. Why don't you make your return to China on Sunday? We will have a high school reunion in the Gangnam Station area on Saturday."
"Meeting our high school classmates? I don't want to see them."
"Why not?"
"They are a bunch of condescending jerks. When I worked for a small company and when I studied for the government job exam, they looked down on me. Especially, Won-Chul Jo and Suk-Ho Lee, they treated me like I was invisible."
"Just come, and you buy the second round at the union. They are our friends who will come to your future wedding."
"Oh, that reminds me of my mom. My mom will start nagging again. She wants to set up a meeting with girls so I can marry soon."
"That's nice, right? You and I, we will have to get married soon before we get older."
"Well, actually, I have someone. But don't tell anyone, okay?"
"Really? That's great. Who is it? Is it someone I know?"
"She is an English teacher in Shanghai International School. It just happened like that."
"Oh, nice. Congratulations. I am envious of you!"
"Thank you."
"Did you meet her when you were in college?"
"No, she is Chinese."
"Chinese?"
"She is actually a Korean Chinese. She studied in the U.S. though."
"Really? You can settle down in China once you marry the Chinese lady. That's good."
"I don't know. I am not sure if it is okay…"
"No, it's good. We are living in a globalized world. International marriage is good."
Gun-Ho wanted to tell Min-Hyeok that he was also dating someone who was Japanese.
 
After getting off the phone with Min-Hyeok, Gun-Ho felt uneasy.
"I think Min-Hyeok will get married soon. Am I the only one who will be left as a single at my age?"
Gun-Ho missed Mori Aikko. He felt like Mori Aikko would run towards him anytime soon with a bright smile.
"I am wondering what Mori Aikko is doing now. Is she on a trip for her dance performance in other provinces? Or is she working at the bar in Shinjuku City?"
Gun-Ho sent a text message to Mori Aikko. Texting in English was actually the best way to communicate with her since they didn't speak the same language.
"Mori Aikko, I love you. I am missing you right now."
Mori Aikko replied to Gun-Ho's text message right away.
"I love you, Shacho-san. I miss you too. I am in Nara, Kinki right now. There is an event I participate in Yoshiki-en. I will be back in Tokyo next week."

This is the story of a poor young man whose poverty even shreds apart their family willing to climb his way through society and into the top. A very realistic novel that moves away from fantasy and sci-fi and focuses solely on the issues of society and life.

[Yoo-gwang is out. Yoo-gwang is out. You may return after five minutes.]
"Nice."
It was so good to hear that the guy was out, but he would still be back in after five minutes. I would love nothing more than to get him kicked out again. Just then, I saw Sullin standing in front of an elevator. The female member of the Chinese team from Run and Run. Perfect height and perfect body, as well as a beautiful, well-proportioned face. She got onto the elevator as I ran after her. I stuck my arm in between the doors, preventing them from closing.
Ding-
The elevator doors reopened and I got in. Sullin's eyes widened as soon as she saw me.
"Oh!"
Wait, wasn't that Korean? Anyways, I smiled at her.
"Hello~"
"Oh, hi…" Sullin said shyly. But wait a second. She can speak Korean?
"Oh, you speak Korean?"
"Yes…hehe…I lived here for a while when I was a child."
"Oh."
I didn't know that. No, wait. I think I read about that in an article somewhere before.
"I'm a huge fan of yours, Sian!"
"Yes, yes," I said, with a big smile.
"May I shake your hand…?" Sullin asked bashfully.
"Yes, of course," I said sticking out my hand. Sullin took it, and she blushed. Did she like holding my hand that much? Hehe. Well, aren't I popular? But just then, Sullin attacked. She came forward as if to hug me and all of a sudden, her left arm swung around me. She soon had her hand on my name tag and…she couldn't rip it off. Of course, she couldn't. Why? Because now her left arm was in my hand.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Oh…" Sullin had a panicked look on her face. She probably was not expecting me to react so quickly.
"Were you trying to rip my name tag off?"
"Well, I…I just…I'm a huge fan!" she cried out, but I didn't fall for it this time. I yanked her back into my arms and this time, it was me who swung her left arm around until I had Sullin's name tag in my hand. I immediately ripped it off.
Rip!
"Oh!"
"Sorry," I said, swinging her name tag back and forth. I couldn't believe she would attack me by pretending to be my fan. But just then, Sullin began to cry.
"Waahaa….haaaa…."
'Oh…'
Shoot. She looked so adorable just now. I just wanted to scoop her up and put her in my pocket.
"Sian, you're so mean!"
"Uh…"
Ding-dong.
The elevator stopped on the second floor. As soon as the doors opened, I got off. I knew if I stayed any longer with her, I'd probably end up ripping my name tags off for her.
[Sullin is out. Sullin is out. You may return after five minutes.]
"But wow. Her curves though."
I felt it while we were hugging. They were amazing. How can I put it? It was like two pillows you just wanted to bury yourself in…no, stop. Anyways, I turned to leave when I saw two men come from around the corner. It was Ji-jin and Yoo-gwang.
"Sian!" Yoo-gwang shouted, running over to me. Ji-jin grabbed him by the back of his pants to stop him. He turned to me with a smile.
"Hey, Sian. What are you doing here?"
"Oh, hi. I just got Sullin's name tag."
"Oh, that was you? Good job!"
"Thanks."
"Don't compliment her! I lost my name tag because of her! Tell him!"
"About what?" I snapped. Yoo-gwang visibly drew back. Nice to know that he listens when I use my murderous wrath at least.
"Yoo-gwang, will you stop? Quit blaming Sian. She's a girl. You should be ashamed of yourself."
"And why do you keep taking her side? You're not even close with her!" Yoo-gwang said, sounding sad.
"I've met her twice," Ji-jin said, giving me another smile.
"Well, you suck. I'm telling everyone how mean you are!"
"...."
"Well then, you two keep talking. I have to go."
With a wave, I turned to go, but the two men started walking with me.
"Let's go together, Sian. It's dangerous for you to be alone."
"I'm fine," I said, initially being polite. If I were to be honest, I would've told them to fuck off, but there was a camera.
"There's no need to feel bad."
"Right."
Fine, they can do what they want. I'll use them to distract Luyoung if I run into him again. We soon arrived at the reading room. There's usually a lot of students in here reading, but today it was completely empty. Was this okay? Eh, whatever. The show producers rented it so they can deal with the fallback.
"Any good books?" I said, looking at the books on the shelves. Books. It may be hard to believe but I am an avid book-lover. How else would I have become the best of the best? I got where I am by doing back-breaking training but also by mastering as much as I could.
"I sure did a lot."
Yeah, but I only read about twenty books in my former lifetime. After that, every time I went near one, I would end up ripping it. But just then, I saw it. A box.
"I found one," I said, with a smile. But when I read the card, it said 'Gotcha!'
"Are you kidding me?"
I threw the card at a window the card got stuck in the glass. I began walking again and found another box hidden in one of the desks.
"Wow."
That's two now. I opened it. Another fake card.
"Seriously?"
I threw the card again and this one, too, got stuck in the window glass. I walked some more. But just then, I heard Ji-jin and Yoo-gwang shout.
"Aaah!"
"It's Luyoung!"
They started to run away while we could hear the sound of feet stomping as Luyoung ran into the room, but it wasn't just Luyoung. Jang-chun was with him as well.
"Oh."
I hid behind the desk, watching the whole thing. Ji-jin and Yoo-gwang managed to make their escape (had they always been that fast?) but Luyoung and Jang-chun ran after them just as quickly.
Zoom!
Ji-jin and Yoo-gwang passed right by me.
Zoom!
So did Luyoung and Jang-chun. How did they not see me? Well, now I was stuck to the ceiling. The VJ that was following me was also looking around, trying to find me. And that's when I saw it. One of the tables way over there had a small box hidden in one of its compartments! It really does help to look from higher places. I immediately made my way over to the box. And the VJ found me immediately.
"Sian, where were you?" the VJ asked curiously.
"Oh. I just went somewhere."
"You just disappeared. You scared me…"
"Sorry," I apologized. Then I opened the box. A card was inside. And this time, it wasn't a fake. The words were intriguing as well.
[Summon the enemy.]
A card that would allow me to call an opponent of my choice to my location. Perfect.
"I want to use this."
"Now?" the VJ asked, shocked. Just then, off in the distance, we heard the sounds of stomping and crashing before hearing the loud sound of name tags being ripped off. From the shouting, it sounded like it was Ji-jin's name tag. Soon, Yoo-gwang's cries joined in as well.
 [Ji-jin is out. Ji-jin is out. You may return after five minutes.]
 [Yoo-gwang is out. Yoo-gwang is out.]
Yoo-gwang was now out of the game. Thank goodness.
"Yes, now."
"But there's two of them over there," VJ said, pointing. It was Luyoung and Jang-chun, holding up the name tags. Ji-jin and Yoo-gwang must have struggled a lot because their clothes were all ripped. Soon, Luyoung and Jang-chun saw me and approached me with big smiles on their faces.  
"Yeah, that's why I want to use it."
 "...."
The VJ looked confused, but then, he spoke up.
"Who do you want to summon?"
"Sullin."
"Okay."
The VJ called the producer and soon, Sullin was called to the scene.
***
…
The atmosphere was filled with tension and confusion. I was standing along in the reading room, facing three members from the Chinese team: Jang-chun, Luyoung, and Sullin.
"Sian, I'll just take one okay?" Jang-chun said, making his way over to me. Luyoung smirked in response, but Sullin pouted.
"I want to take Sian's name tag."
"You?"
"Yeah. She got mine earlier," Sullin said, showing her back to us. Everyone nodded.
"Alright, go ahead."
"You two take care of her then."
"I'll do it," Jang-chun said, standing in front of me. The confidence was evident on his face. No doubt, he thought that I was an easy mark. Does he not watch the news?
"Hey, Sian," Jang-chun said.
"Yes?"
"I know you're good at fighting."
"Yep."
"But I have plenty of experience in martial arts. I doubt you can beat me."
"Hmm..."
Bet I could.
"I'll show you how good I am."
"Go ahead," I said, rolling out my shoulders and stretching my fingers. Wait, why did I stretch my fingers? I'm not going to hit him. I guess it's a habit. Anyways, Jang-chun got into his position to rip my name tag off. Then, he spoke up again.
"But, Sian?"
"Yes?"
"Would you like to grab some dinner me with tonight?"
"Ooooh~" Sullin. Luyoung remained quiet. But then again, he doesn't understand Korean.
"Dinner? You want to get food?" I asked. Just asking. I wanted to see if he knew what he was getting into.
 "Yeah. Just a simple dinner. Do I still make you uncomfortable?"
"A simple dinner doesn't sound appealing to me."
"Hehe."
Jang-chun smirked as if he'd been expecting my answer.
"Oh!" Sullin gasped, covering her mouth with both her hands as she blushed. No doubt these two were interpreting my response differently from what I meant. Anyways, Jang-chun continued talking.
"I didn't expect you to be so straight forward. Fine. I don't mind getting straight to the point. Does this make us an interracial couple?"
"What?"
What the hell is this guy saying? Wait a second. Does he think I meant that I want to sleep with him? Wow, this pervert. Just then, he dropped his voice to a whisper so only I could hear.
"I'll reserve a room in the best hotel in Seoul. Since a simple dinner isn't appealing for you, I'll make it as spicy and hot as possible. I'm quite skilled in bed, you know. Hehe."
"Crazy bastard."
I grabbed him by the head and pushed him down. He was now flat on the ground with his back exposed to me. I reached down and ripped his name tag off.
Rip!
I must have ripped too hard because a piece of his shirt came off with it.

Lee Sian, the strongest person under the heavens in old china, was reborn as a very overweight woman.

Now, behold as you watch the change that is about to occur!

"Eomeoni(Korean for mother) I have a headache can I please not go to school this morning?" Pierce cried out.

"I'll have to ask your abeoji(Korean for father)" Mrs.Son Replied 

Mr.Son overheard their conversation and burst into Pierce's room in anger.

"Nonsense Pierce! You're going to school Pierce it's just an excuse you have exams today! No slacking!" Yelled Mr.Son

Pierce was hurt by his father's words, but he got up immediately to get ready for school. His dad's car dropped him off for school. And he entered the building with his head down. 

A few hours later during Recess, Pierce was standing by the wall not wanting to play with anybody else. His headache was getting worse. His vision blurred Pierce suddenly collapsed and began having a seizure. All the students gathered around him in fear. 

His teacher too was very concerned. "Everybody get back and calm down! Somebody get the school nurse I'll call the paramedics" Shouted Ms.Kim. 

The nurse came she placed a pencil in Pierce's mouth to keep him from biting his tongue and a few books under his head. 

A few minutes later the paramedics arrived. They picked Pierce up slowly putting him on the stretcher. By the time they got there, the seizure had passed. But Pierce was sleeping and all his vitals were normal. 

The school and the hospital alerted Pierce's parents. Mrs.Son rushed to the hospital, it was impossible to get ahold of Mr.Son he had a series of meetings. Mrs.Son waited patiently until a nurse came to get her. 

"Ah Mrs.Son, Pierce is in room 103 he's resting now but we need you to sign a form to run a few tests. Also the doctors would like to do a CT Scan if you could just sign" Said the nurse. 

"Yes, yes I will sign them all just please tell me what's wrong with my son!" Mrs.Son said concerned and in tears. 

She signed the forms and stayed by Pierce's side. Until it was time for the CT scan.

A few hours later the results came back. 

"Mrs.Pierce, we have a diagnosis. We need to speak with you urgently!" Dr.Chul exclaimed. 

"What is it!? Is he going to be okay!?" Mrs.Son cried worriedly. 

 "Mrs.Son you'd better sit down.

Mrs.Son sat down slowly with tears in her eyes. Her assistant was standing beside her she was so scared she didn't need to be alone in this moment. 

"Mrs.Son, Pierce is suffering from a brain tumor, and it appears that his fall caused a small  aneurysm in his brain, this is extremely rare. We suggest that you see a specialist right away!" 

"Oh my God! No! No no no nooooooo he doesn't need a specialist he needs the best of the best! You find the doctor now! Help my poor Pierce, please! He just told us this morning he wasn't feeling well, this is all my fault." Mrs.Son cried. 

"The best is in America, his name is Doctor Gregory Starr, he's nearly impossible to book, he's always so booked!" Replied Dr.Chul

"Did you, or did you not say that this is an urgent matter!? Get us in to see this doctor This week!" Shouted Mrs.Son 

"Yobo(Darling in Korean) I heard it all, you've done so well, I have connections in America, we'll get  Pierce in to see Doctor Starr, tomorrow afternoon. He wasn't able to fully clear his schedule but at least we'll be able to get Pierce in to see him!"

In that moment, Mrs.Son ran into Mr.Son's arms and cried. They were so hard on their children not realizing that  they should listen to their kids more. And would never make this same mistake again because it left a burden in their hearts with all the, "what if's."

That night Mr.Son, Mrs.Son and Pierce all flew to Malibu, California. The next morning they would meet Doctor Starr at the hospital. 

Pierce was admitted in the hospital in a private room, awaiting to hear from Doctor.Starr. 

"Good Morning, I know it's early, I received your charts from South Korea. I need your permission to operate as soon as possible the brain tumor is pretty large as well as the aneurysm is very close to the tumor, this is a rare case but for the sake of Pierce, he needs to be operated on immediately!" Assured Doctor Starr. 

He went over the worst case scenarios and explained in detail why they should operate so soon. Soon after the papers were signed Pierce was rushed to the Or (Operating Room) 

Pierce woke up the next day, he still had a headache but felt much better, his parents were so happy they wanted to thank Dr.Starr. 

That day was a cold day to the hospital. The staff was Mourning to the loss of Doctor Starr. As soon as he told Pierce's parents the surgery was a success he headed home to rest. But the next day he never returned. 

Doctor Starr's home caught on fire at his arrival. Pierce was heartbroken that he never got a chance to thank him for saving his life.

Alan Iverson, Tracy McGrady, Dwayne Wade.
These were the best players of the year 2000, known as the best of the best slasher players. A slasher is a player who excelled at driving the ball to the basket. 
"That's it, D! That's it!"
.
.
.
FIRST HALF 38 VS 38 UTAH VALLEY

Just as Stanley said, Utah Valley was a very particular team to play against. Their tedious organizational power was what made them survive the first and second half so far. 
Utah Valley's Ben Aird focused on taking advantage of the fact that Leon was not present on the court, he had already scored 16 points, whose game average was 10 points. Dominic Sanders, who was playing in place of Leon was proving to have a hard time.
"Oh man, not again!"
Once again, as Ben Aird added another 2 points, Utah Valley took the lead. 
Stanley, who momentarily showed a sign of frustration, began to clap to cheer him up. Dominic, who was barely a sophomore, needed as much help to stay mentally positive. 
"Damn, again?!"
A voice similar to Stanley's came yelling from the other side of the benches. 
Utah Valley's coach Dick Moss seemed to be very frustrated at Lillard's amazing ability to put pressure on his team. It had been over 3 minutes since Lillard and Aird were in a showdown. 
But seriously, it was incredible. Left. Right.
When Lillard decided where he wanted to penetrate, it's as if Moses was splitting waters, considering how defensive players would move left and right. Dominic, as well as Utah Valley's Isaiah Williams, seemed to be mentally crushed. 
It could potentially be worse than that.
"How on Earth can he do that?"
"Hmm?"
Darn, without me noticing, Korean came out again. 
I looked around my surroundings to see where David was, then turned my attention to Leon.
"I think Lillard is incredible."
"Haha. That's a given! Watch his first step carefully."
"First step?"
"That's right. His first step after his pull up is exceptional."
First step refers to the movement a player with the ball would make when they decide which way to play toward. This was a very important skill for a player who wanted to break through defenses and Leon believed Lillard had perfected this skill. 
Is this another physical ability-based skill? From what I know, the first step was highly dependent on one's agility level and muscle flexibility.
So, a lot of it has to do with and one's natural body elements.
"Why's that?"
"Just because. There hasn't been a case where someone successfully dealt with a 1:1. Could it be because of their first step?"
"It's possible. Then watch Lillard's play closely."
"His physical ability is different?"
"Hahahaha. Huh? Oh! Hold on a minute."
After a fierce fight for the rebound, Artemis shoved the ball with his body momentum to Kenwah. Kenwah Mobley was Davion Berry's backup, however, he was also a senior. 
Since he was lacking in skill to play as a professional, he was planning to get his Ph.D. It may be possible to meet Kenwah in a few years as an accountant.
Anyway, Artemis' hustle caused everyone on the bench to get out of their seats. 
Once again, Lillard immediately shot from the 3-point line and scored. How many shots had he consecutively made?
*FWEEEEEEE*
"Whew! You're on fire, D!"
Davion Berry ran toward Lillard and jumped in the air for a body bump as the other players joyfully smile and hyped each other up.
I had been feeling this all day, but I really enjoy this free and open-minded feeling.
"Anyway, again."
After hearing the game plan, Leon returned to me and continued our conversation from earlier.
"I do admit there is a certain amount of physical ability involved in a good first step. But, that's not necessarily the most important element."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Lillard's first step's deception is excellent."
"Hold on. D, what did you say?"
"De. Cep. Tion."
Deception was a word that was generally used in baseball, which referred to one's ability to deceive or hide their actual intent. 
Leon claimed that Lillard seemed to be great at this ability. But defensive plays relied on a player's ability to correctly predict one's movement by paying attention to their opponent's knees and feet, or dribbling pattern. 
If an offensive player could successfully confuse the defense, it will make it easy to evade their defenses.
Defensive players were always in a passive position since they'd have to turn their bodies if their opponents successfully outplayed them. So, a defense player would be considered good if they were able to read their opponent's movements accurately. 
*FWEEEEE*
As Lillard gained possession of the ball in an offensive play, spectators jumped from their seats and started to whistle and cheer. 
He had been playing on fire throughout the game and it seemed to have spread to the audience.
Following Leon's advice, I paid very close attention to Lillard's movement. I watched from the defensive players' perspective. When is he going to put his foot forward?
"…"
After a few pivots and shoulder fakes, I started to count. I was thinking he would move forward after I count to 3. 
'One, tw-'
"What?"
But Lillard moved to the left, in a completely different timing and direction that I expected.
I may have only been 1 second off, but Isaiah Williams put all his focus to the right side. Lillard confidently and easily jumped, made a mid-range shot and nailed it.
A fantastic first step followed by a pull-up jump.
Just as Leon said, that was Lillard's special ability that'll pull him into the NBA.
"Whew."
"Why?"
"If it were me, I wouldn't have been able to react to that."
Leon put his hand on me as I gave a frustrated look.
"Haha, well of course! Anyone would say that if they were put in front of Lillard."
"…"
I did feel a little better but realizing how long my road ahead was made me feel a bit impatient.
However, nothing good will come from rushing into anything.
I first needed to figure out exactly what I needed to work on.
"But wait."
"Hmm?"
"You're a pretty smart guy!"
This was the first time I've ever heard of "first step" or "deception" from anyone. Leon gave me a strange look as I was in admiration for what he had just told me.
"Doesn't everyone know this stuff? Do you not learn these things in Korea?"
"…"
Ever since the SAT's were finished, all I did was attend practice, went on runs and did a weight training program.
Even if I made plans so I could be as far away from the cellphone as possible, half of the day flew by just like that.
"That's it!"
"Oww! Hey! I'm still injured. Did you forget?"
I apologized to the startled Leon and motioned toward David. As he made his way to me with a puzzled look, I asked him to do me a favor.
"I want to get books that have to do with basketball."
"Books?"
"Yeah. They probably have those, right? How much would they cost?"
"…"
David slowly put his hand on me with his lips tightly sealed.
"Yeah?"
"You just used Korean."
"Oh right!"
How petty. Does he feel good for ruining a moment?
He took my dollar bill like an old man and put it in his front pocket.
"Hmm, well. Is it really necessary to buy books?"
"What?"
"You could just use WSU's library. If you ask Stanley, he'd probably let you do that."
"Oh, that's a wonderful idea!"
I turned my head and looked toward Stanley as I glanced over to the electronic scoreboard.
Should I ask him after the first half is over?
"Damnit, Hey!!! Focus!"
Nah, I'll just wait until the game's over.
"What on Earth are you doing?!"
If we were to lose today's game, I should just wait a couple of days.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

END GAME RESULTS
WSU 74 VS 68 UTAH VALLEY
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I felt a little sorry for Barron, who was waiting for me to eat dinner, but I felt like my arm was going to fall off. That's because I had an 800-page book on the history of the NBA along with dozens of books pertaining to basketball wrapped around my arms.
The middle-aged curly-haired librarian, Vedah, gave me a weird look because of how Stanley and I were overly excited about getting books. 
But on the way home, Stanley seemed to have really taken to heart how motivated I was.
In 3 days, WSU will be leaving as they advance to the 2nd round. I wasn't able to travel with the team, so Stanley gave me all his NCAA and NBA DVD's for me to watch while they were gone.
After running and weight training, I was planning to stay home all day and watch these videos. That's also why I bought a huge pack of popcorn seeds.
Just thinking about all the popcorn in the pantry got me all excited. 
"Whew. This is tiring."
"So early… what was all that?"
"Hmm? Oh! They were books."
"Books, huh? What in the world? You've really gone mad! You're going to spend all your time at home reading books? Go out on dates!"
*SMACK*
"Woah!"
Anna smacked the back of Barron's head as he tried to persuade me to meet girls. Just like that, she smacked him.
"He's not helpless like you!"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm saying he doesn't go running around chasing girls! Am I right?"
What am I supposed to say in this situation? I had no problem making Barron look like the bad guy. But I felt bad for him.
I started to think about the kiss with Sally, so I tried to distract myself.
If only she wasn't Stanley's daughter, I wouldn't reject Sally's display of affection.
"Anyway! I'm planning to study this weekend too. Wanna study together?"
"I wouldn't mind. Tonight?"
They pointed to a white box that was visible from the living room, sitting on the kitchen table. Both of their faces brightened up as they exchanged happy looks with one another. 
"Pepperoni and cheese!"
"And Mountain Dewwwwwww!"
We all hurried over as if nothing else mattered as we were ready to devour this fantastic combination. 
However.
"What?! This is anchovies. They sent us the wrong one!"
"What? Barron! Did you not double check?"
"Of course, I did! With this nose!"
"What?"
"This gigantic nose has never failed me."
"…"
Anna glared at Barron, not having anything to say to him. It's been over 30 minutes since the pizza was delivered, so there was no way to ask for an exchange. 
"Pft... hahahaha!"
As we all burst out into laughter, not caring about anything else, we poured ourselves drinks and enjoyed the anchovies and pineapple pizza anyway.
A good day came to an end for me.

A South Korean high school graduate moves to the United States with ambitions of becoming a professional basketball player. Follow along in his adventure as he grows not only as a player, but as an adolescent into an adult. See how he faces  challenges that comes from racial difference, language barriers, and struggles involving what it means to be part of a basketball team.

With a pleasant mixture of fictitious characters along with real life figures, high schools, Universities and basketball teams, this is one adventure you don't want miss!

Many of the old books stacks fell to 100 dollars, but there were still no bids.

The old and new books were different; once old books were deemed to have no knowledge value, they would often become worthless paper.

The current price for waste paper was 210 dollars per ton. These stacks of old books were, at most, about 220 pounds. Even selling them as waste paper wouldn’t make much money, and would surely end up as a loss.

The two huge units, containing over 100,000 books, were slowly auctioned off from morning all the way until the late afternoon.

In the mid-afternoon, Li Du, Hans, and Godzilla ate some dumplings. A smart Chinese vendor had brought his cart to sell some fast food. Business was booming for him. The treasure hunters were too lazy to go out for lunch, so they just bought food from him.

With the afternoon auction over, Godzilla loaded the books into the truck. They had bought a total of 4,000 books. It was quite a hassle to load them, with the compartment space stuffed to the brim.

Seeing that there was still some time left in the day, Li Du said, "Let’s go back to Flagstaff."

Hans wanted to stay. "We’ve worked all day, especially Godzilla. After moving all those books, he’s definitely tired out. Let’s just stay in Phoenix and have some fun for the night."

Li Du shrugged and agreed. He knew that to Hans, a big city like Phoenix was much more attractive than a small town like Flagstaff.

They drove to a motel, and Li Du’s phone rang. He picked up the call and heard Sophie’s voice. "Hi, Li, where are you at?"

"In Phoenix. How about you? Are you off from work?"

Sophie said, "Yup. I went off work quite early today, and wanted to invite you to dinner to thank you for the help lately. You’ve done so much for me. But since you’re in Phoenix, next time then…"

Li Du immediately changed his tune."It’s like this, Sophie: We’re actually on the way back to Flagstaff from Phoenix. We’ll be back by dinner time." 

He gestured while he said that, and Godzilla quickly turned the steering wheel and drove the truck onto the highway.

Hans sat helplessly in the shotgun seat, his exciting night for today gone.

Sophie said joyfully, "That’s great, what would you like to eat?"

Li Du replied happily as well, "I’m fine with anything."

Hearing that answer, the female doctor was troubled. "Anything? Then I don’t know what to choose, because I don’t know your palette."

Li Du was about to answer, when Hans waved to him and mouthed: "Pause!"

Although he didn’t know what that guy was trying to pull, Li Du still had some trust in Hans, so he told the female doctor that he’d call back later and hung up.

"What’s wrong?"

"Sophie’s asking you out for dinner?" Hans replied with another question.

"Yeah, what’s wrong?" Li Du asked without thinking, and then froze for a moment. "D*mmit, you were eavesdropping on us?"

Hans rolled his eyes. "My ears are good; you can’t fault me for that. Listen, me eavesdropping isn’t important. If you want to ‘improve’ your relationship with her, then the next step is important."

Li Du mumbled, "Why would I want to ‘improve’ our relationship?"

Hans waved and said, "Alright, alright, then just pretend I didn’t say anything…"

"Stop, stop, stop. Big Fox, continue, continue." Li Du gave a fake smile as he spoke. He did have some affection for the female doctor, and indeed hoped that he could have a more established relationship with her.

Hans rolled his eyes again. "Next time, in front of me, don’t act like you’re some saint, okay? When it comes to issues about women, don’t expect to be able to hide anything from me, okay?"

"Ok-ok-ok!" Li Du nodded like a woodpecker.

"I know Sophie—her whole family are devoted Christians. Since youth, she didn’t spend time with boys. I bet that the first guy she’s ever asked out to dinner is you."

Li Du smiled gleefully.

"So that means—in her heart—you’re not just an ordinary man, and unordinary men do not do typical things. Moreover, they do not have typical dates."

Li Du said, "Right, right, so what should I do?"

"What should you do? Show off the best side of you! It’s like how a lion displays his strength when seeking a mate. When I’m seeing my mate, I’ll display my eight-inch cannon…"

"F*ck you! Can you be serious!" It was Li Du’s turn to roll his eyes.

Hans said, "I am being serious. What’s the best side of you that you can show?"

Li Du thought for a bit, and said, "My kind side, my brave side, my responsible side…"

"F*ck you! Can you be serious!" Hans threw his exact words back at him.

Mr. Li felt wronged. Those were his serious answers.

Hans said, "It’s cooking! Your cooking skills are outstanding. This is a rare trait among men!"

"And then?"

"And then are you an idiot? Grab this chance to show off your cooking skills! There’s no need for restaurants. Just bring the ingredients, go straight to Sophie’s home, and enjoy the homely atmosphere. It’ll definitely bring your relationship up a level!" Hans said confidently.

"Wouldn’t that be too forceful?" Li Du asked hesitantly.

Hans said, "If you don’t want to, why not just learn from Helene Hanff and Frank Doel, and communicate with letters for 20 years before meeting?"

"What?"

Hans was stunned. "You don’t know? The New York writer, Helene Hanff, and the antiquarian bookseller for Marks & Co, Frank Doel. Their story, a famous romance novel, ‘84 Charing Cross Road?’"

Li Du rubbed his nose and said, "I’m not that interested in romance novels."

"You have a d*mn master’s." Hans turned scornful.

Godzilla, who was driving, wore a despondent expression. "The topic changed real quickly."

They got back on track, and Hans began imparting upon Li Du his tricks for dating.

Two hours later, the sky was turning dark. Lights from many households began switching on, and Sophie heard someone knocking at her door.

"Hello, I’m here." 

Sophie bounced up and ran to the door. She opened it and saw a bouquet of snow-white tulips in front of her, with Li Du right behind them. 

Sophie was surprised. She looked at the fresh flowers, and then pointed to her cheeks and asked, "For me?"

Li Du shook his head. "No, don’t misunderstand, these are for the piano in your house. White tulips match pianos."

Sophie generously accepted the fresh flowers, and then used the tulips to cover her mouth. She giggled, "This must be some idea from Hans, that rascal!"

Mr. Li smiled, but it wasn’t out of awkwardness. The female doctor had hit the mark. It was indeed Hans’s idea—including that sentence.

Seeing that his expression changed, Sophie smiled even more joyfully. She ran back inside and placed the flowers into a vase, and focused on displaying them on top of the piano.

Then, she turned back and said with a slight smile, "My piano says, ‘thank you,’ and she will allow her owner to invite you out to dinner."

Li Du brought a cardboard box in. "Um, can we not go out for dinner? How about I make our meals instead? I’m good at cooking up Chinese dishes. I also know some Thai, Japanese, and Korean dishes.

Sophie widened her eyes. "That won’t do. It should be a treat from me to thank you for all of the help."

Li Du said, "You might not know that I love to cook. I especially like watching people eat the food I’ve made, so if you allow me that opportunity, it would be the best way of saying thanks to me."

Sophie stared at him suspiciously and asked, "Is that what Hans taught you to do as well?"

"No! I’m not Big Fox’s child!" Li Du didn’t know if he should laugh or cry. "I’m telling the truth!"

"I’ll gladly accept it then," Sophie said.

"Sure!" Mr. Li said cheerfully.
 
 
 



They love gold, and they love silver. Even more so, they love gems that dazzle, like stars across the skies. 
Firearms, jewelleries, and precious metals; A collector’s world will not be complete without antiques.  
Storage auctions, old goods trade, re-estate sales and gold-digging. But the truth is, if one wants to make money, then the supreme way is through searching for the legendary treasures. 
Holding the fort, there’s an ocelot, a wolf, and an Andes condor. At the side, there’s a loyal hound, an irascible ape, and an African honey badger. Who said that you can only rely on humans when treasure hunting?! 

Dear Diary,

A singer, a dancer, a rapper, or a dj?

My parents already has ideas of what I will be in the future.

It is like in a story from a book, "The warrior is born, the guardians are awaiting for his powers to awaken, then his destiny is fulfilled", he saves a mysterious woman from burning alive", the story from my favorite book, "Austin The Warrior Prince", by D.D Alvis, the greatest author who ever lived. In my Opinion.


I love books!

I read Warriors of the Cross by Austin Hernon. 
Warriors of the Cross by T.R Graves they have the same name but different plotlines and series of books.

I am passionate about war and history, because I'm a geek, and I love to read. 

I also love sports!

I love baseball, basketball, volleyball, Tennis, Rock Climbing, Snowboarding, Swimming, and Running. I especially love surfing. I surf almost all year, having to live by the beach, gives me the chance to go out into the water the whole day during Summer.

Yes, summer my favorite season.

I get to wear my favorite bikini, go out with friends, or stay in and barbeque, best of all to see the boys scattered along the beach.

I love fishing too.

I play VR games, Online games, I live stream all my game sessions, and I have a million of viewers everytime I play. 

It's not my only routine, I also do beauty blogging, I do youtube videos of my lifestyle, my fitness and eating habits. I have a website for clothes, styling, and since I rollerskate and skateboard, and ski, I also have a blog that journals all my hobbies and documents all my travels. My website is www.chelsey'sBigWorld.com
My Youtube channel is Chelsey Everyday, I chronicle all my makeup tutorials, my advise columns, I talk about mental health, Anti-bullying, and self love, I am a big supporter of LGBTQ, and I respect all races, religion, and all kinds of belief especially Veganism andveating only Organic food.

I travel with my parents, they are retired and all we do all day is be busy blogging, cooking, gardening, Golfing, sipping wine at dinners, hosting all sorts of parties and events, hosting pool parties, cocktail parties, Dinner with the governor, and Prime Minister, my Dad's the former CEO of the biggest tech Company in the continent.

I am only in highschool, but I have the best education one can ever dream off, I took up ballet lessons, piano lessons, Japanese Culture, French Cuisines, I speak 5 languages, German, English, French, Japanese, Korean, and I am now studying Mandarin, and Cantonese for my Foreign Exchange Student trip next year.

I have the busiest schedule, you won't even begin to imagine how to start my day.

I don't have breakfast, I do intermittent fasting, I drink a green vegetable smoothie, I eat brunch sometimes with my friends, with always avocado toast, and Dalgona Coffee, the trending drink right now.

I also do Tiktok videos with my dogs, they are annoying as fuck. But I love them.

In the evening, I make a video of how I wash my face, I put on moisturizing mask, colagen mask, and use a depuffing jade roller. I do the Guasha face massage technique for the face after, which I really love.

I have a dream too, I am planning to take up acting, modelling, and be a NASA engineer and go to Mars someday. A little ambitious, but I take care of myself, I sleep 8 hours every night, I don't drink iced water, it makes my stomach bloat, and plain room temperature water is the best for digestion. I study Science and Math they're my favorite subjects in school. I tutor all my classmates, and I have the best grades, so I will definitely be a scientist one day.

Lastly before I go to sleep, I do a little room tour and here is my west elm bed, and I love anything beachy and tropical, only whites, blues, and green in my bedroom. I have a little night light that I keep the light on, so I could see the stars at night, when I open the windows. I love the smell of the ocean and rain.

I love flowers and gardening, I love growing my own vegetables, my Mom is a chef, so she works hard on her garden, that is why I help her too in taking care of it. 

I also have the habit of keeping my crystals and salt lamp near the window so they could recharge their healing powers when the moon is up.

So I don't have a boyfriend yet, but if I do, I would very much like the tall dark handsome, funny guy type.

My Mom tells me not to date anyone until I am 18, so Guys beware. My Dad tells me also to always look my best.
That is why I exercise everyday, I do yoga and pilates, I run at the beach each morning. I don't usually eat takeouts and junk food, but I endulge in carbs. I love chocolates too.

If ever I will have a boyfriend, I will make them know my worth. I will not let myself go, all out. My faith is stronger than my desires. I will keep my virginity until Marriage.

God that was so hard, because I haven't met someone who will love me as myself.

Boys think I am weird, I am perfect, and boring, but I am who I am.

I hope someday I will meet someone nice who will respect and love me for me.



Xoxo

Chelsey

She is the girl everyone wants to be best friends with. She is every boy's dream girl. She has the best looking house at the beach. Only thing missing, is the best Summer of Chelsey's Life.

A few weeks passed since then. It was now the middle of October, and autumn was in full force. Alexa and Bretton acted like best friends again, at least at school anyways. It was almost like they never stopped being friends. A lot of people didn't like the amount of attention Alexa received from Bretton and most began to distance away from her whenever possible.
Today, Alexa walked through the front door of the school with a smile. She wore her normal school attire, except she sported it with stockings and some leg warmers. Her hair was braided over her right shoulder with a purple ribbon twisted in with her hair. 
Alexa pulled her drawing book to her chest. Alexa was waiting for Bretton, so they could eat breakfast together. "Maybe I came a little too early," She said to herself in a whisper as she looked around the school halls. She was standing in front of the library placing her back to the wall. Lauren was the first to show with the normal giggles and hugs. "Hey Lexa, you're early. Did you come to help in the library?"Lauren asked, pointing to the door. 
Alexa smiled and shook her head, "Actually, I'm meeting Bretton for breakfast."Lauren grinned, nudging her lightly," Has he asked you out yet?" Alexa blushed deep red pressing her finger to her lips."Don't speak nonsense."Lauren smiled hugging her again, "You're so cute when you're embarrassed. Maybe, that's why he liked you from the get-go," She gigged as Alexa smacked her playfully in the arm.
Sighing, Alexa looked at her. "I thought you were my friend. You're supposed to help me out of jams, not put me in them."She said with a playful, mad face and an added giggle.
"Jams are good, especially on muffins," Bretton's voice rang out as he popped out of nowhere.
Quickly spinning on her heels, Alexa turned to look at him, "Morning."Lauren laughed, "Have fun," She waved, walking into the library. Bretton looked at Alexa, "She could have came to."Alexa smiled and shook her head, "No, It's fine. She helps out in the library most mornings."
Bretton smiled and held out his hand for her to take, which she did. They both smiled at each other and began to walk towards the lunchroom. Bretton, catching her up about things and Alexa telling him about her plans to enter a contest/ scholarship program for mangakas in japan. 
"Bretton!" A voice called out as they rounded the corner. This voice made Bretton quickly let go of Alexa's hand. "Marcus? What are you doing here? Didn't you finish school?"Bretton said while sending hand signals to Alexa, but all Alexa could do was stand there.
Marcus looked past Bretton to Alexa, "Is she following you again?"He asked, clicking his tongue." Bretton blinked and turned his head to Alexa. "Sorry we will meet later, I promise I'll make it up to you." He said to her, BUT speaking in Korean. At first Alexa was surprised then she was suddenly glad she learned Korean from her dad.
Thinking of something quick. She had to make it seem like she was mad. Sooooo Alexa was saying the first things that came to her mind in a sassy way. "Don't let this ass control you, oh… and you are way sexier than him…"She said in Korean, rather loudly before turning and stomping her feet as she walked off. Once she made it around the corner, she smirked and flipped her hair over her shoulder heading to the library.
When it finally sank in, Bretton let out a small laugh watching as Alexa strutted off. Marcus watched Bretton then sighed. "Is this why you missed our rehearsal session?" Bretton was lost in confusement. What has Alexa done to make Marcus dislike her so much? Bretton tilted his head, "What do you mean? Alexa had nothing to do with it, all she does lately is cuss me out in korean," He let out a chuckle. Marcus raised an eerie brow," Really? Then what did she say?"Bretton put his hand on the back of his head and walked down the halls."She called me an ass and some very extensive words I'd rather not repeat," He explained, flipping the words a bit.
Marcus chuckled, "What did you do to her that made her follow and cuss at you?"Bretton shrugged, "I didn't give her a reason on why I ended our friendship two years ago." he said calmly but looked at Marcus with a serious gaze.
Marcus looked at him with a smug face, "Well, we did fine without her."Bretton sighed glancing in his direction."But why should I still avoid her? We already got signed."He stated, raising a brow. He always wanted to ask Marcus this.
Shrugging, Marcus sighed, "Be friends with her… I don't care, but don't let her get in the way of rehearsals. Also, remember the contract states that we can't have romantic relations. It can mess up the image with the fans," He said, placing a hand on Bretton's shoulder. "Don't mess this up for just a girl," He said before walking away without another word.
Bretton was so confused by Marcus; He was so hot and cold with the subject of Alexa. Letting out a sigh, Bretton shrugged mumbling in Korean, "What he doesn't know won't hurt him."Bretton turned and quickly began to look around for Alexa, but before he could find her the first bell rang. Grumbling, Bretton kicked the floor in defeat before heading to class. He would find her after.
When the first class ended, Bretton rushed through the halls to find Alexa. When he laid eyes on her, he smirked. Quickly sneaking up behind her, he grabbed her hand pulling her under the stairs, out of view. He pulled her close and quickly pecked a kiss on her lips.
Alexa stood speechless, her eyes darted to Brettons. Just as she was going to speak Bretton swiftly pecked her lips again and again. 
Alexa quickly covered her lips turning away from Bretton. "Bretton! What are you thinking?"She asked. Her face was glowing bright red.
Bretton was leaning in to steal another kiss but Alexa quickly moved away, with a small giggle," We are going to be late for class."As Alexa spoke, the bell rang. Alexa blushed and quickly kissed his cheek. "Now get to class…"She said in Korean before running away, down the hall.
Bretton grinned and gently touched his cheek where Alexa kissed him. He smiled ear to ear and walked to class.
Alexa got to AP Chemistry and sat next to Lauren, pulling out her books. Lauren looked over at Alexa and gave a Cheshire grin. "OOOoooo… Girl, You got it bad…"She said playfully. Alexa looked at Lauren clearing her throat. "W-what are you talking about?" She looked in the opposite direction then back at her. "Got what bad?" Lauren giggled and scooted a bit closer. "You, my girl, are in L.O.V.E." She spelled out Love with a grin watching Alexa turn red and hide her face.
Alexa shook her head. "N-no… It's not… I don't even know what love is," She muttered.
Lauren dramatically sighed falling onto the chem table. "Alexa, You've read and made so many mangas about Love. Everything you're going through is just like in the mangas," She said dreamingly with a giggle. "You'll realize it."She stopped for a second before popping her head up quickly. "Oh yea! I found a website where you can publish comics and manga. It's a different format but it might be helpful in gaining viewers and gaining attention."Lauren stated as she jotted down the website."Just look through the comics there. You may want to try it."
Alexa looked over the paper and smiled nodding. "I like it! I'll def. Check it out," She smiled then turned to the front of the class beginning to pay attention as the teacher spoke.

After a rough start on life Alexa and her mother finally made it home to her father Alex. Creating a huge family and a peaceful life. Well... Somewhat. 

Alexa's life is in a state of peace. Taking up drawing and creating manga's (Japanese cartoon books), Alexa struggles with everyday life. Her childhood friend, crush, and world star, Bretton Choi of Panic at Midnight, Decides to part ways. Her new friend trying to pick up the pieces. After two years of his absence, what happens when he reappears?

This story is based around My first novel He's The One™

[[This chapter dives into their past a bit! Well, high school. About Halfway through the writing will be different, I hope it doesn't mess you up to much! <3 ]] 

Kaia swayed slowly to the music. She didn't know when or how Alex had pulled her into his embrace, or even when she had started dancing along with him. Her chin rested on Alex's left shoulder, while her left hand rested on his right shoulder. She could feel Alex's warmth through the palm of her right hand, which was placed in Alex's left hand. Her cheeks started to tingle with warmth as her mind stirred with the realization of what was going on. The area around the small of her back also started to feel warmer by the minute as she continued to sway along.

Alex looked at her and softly exhaled. Dipping his head down next to her, he suddenly whispered, "Kaia...look at me, please…" Startled, Kaia looked up. Kaia gazed up into Alex's mesmerizing blue eyes. His eyes looked like they did back in the old days. It only reflected her, like she was the only one in the world. Except for this time, there was a trace of longing and something else, which she couldn't entirely make out. Kaia slowed down as she heard the song ending. 

Noticing Kaia's attempt to break free from his embrace, he gently tightened his grip on her hand and pulled her closer. With a wistful smile, he said, "Let's keep dancing. I don't think we ever had a chance to dance since we married. Plus, the next song is our favorite..."

~~THE PAST~~

*NOTICE*, Please remember that the setting is mainly in the U.K. where the grade school system is different. 

 [1] According to Wikipedia, "Middle schools in South Korea consist of three grades. Most students enter at age 12 or 13 and graduate at age 15 or 16 (western years). These three grades correspond roughly to grades 7-9 in the North American system and Years 8-10 in the English and Welsh system."

[2] Upper Secondary School (in the U.K.) = high school (in the US)

**********
~THE PAST~
    
It was during Year 12 of Upper Secondary School (3rd/junior year of high school).

After almost 9 years overseas because of a study abroad program, Alex finally returned to the U.K. He originally planned to come back to the U.K. after finishing middle school (9th grade in terms of the U.S. or Year 10 in terms of the U.K.), but his parents insisted on having him attend at least one year of high school in South Korea before making a final decision to return. So reluctantly, as per his parents' wishes, he stayed in South Korea for another year. He never would've expected that following his parents' demands would be the best decision he ever made, as well as the reason why he wanted to return to the U.K. even more.

That was because the summer after his first year of high school, he indeed became hesitant to return to the U.K. His parents who had plans to pair him up with Mi Sung—a hailed goddess at her middle school due to her beauty, brains, as well as family backing—were thrilled by their son's change of heart. Little did they know that his plans would not only change again, but he would fall in love with the "wrong" girl.

Kaia and Alex officially met again during summer break in Korea. Kaia wanted adventure, and since her father had a business meeting with some directors for a movie contract deal. She decided to travel with him, making it out as if to learn the business. 

Kaia took every chance she had to site see and walk around the area she was staying at, her final destination being the beach nearby. She slowly walked on a cluster of boulders standing at the end. Watching the waves crash over and over.

The darkness closed around her. She heard someone speaking behind her, but it was Korean, so she didn't pay any attention. Then the voice started to get louder and closer. Kaia raised a brow and turned to see what was going on, only to be face to face with a guy. The main features being, beautiful blue eyes, and blonde hair. He wore a black wetsuit and carried a red beach towel.

Kaia blinked looking at him then around her, wondering if he was actually talking to her. She read a few books, and her Korean wasn't that great. Only picking up a few words, Kaia shook her hands in front of her with a confused expression. "Wait! Slow down. My Korean isn't the best, "she explained not entirely sure if he'd understand. He didn't look Korean, so she hoped.

The male stopped and cleared his throat, "I was saying the waves become rougher at night. You shouldn't be on the rocks."
Kaia smiled lightly."His accent being strong and sticking out.

Surprised, Kaia smiled with a nod, "oh-- okay, thanks."The wind blew her soft curls around and over her face. Brushing some stray hairs behind her ears, Kaia began to climb back to the beach. 

Now standing beside the male, she looked over him. "Are you from the UK?" she asked tilting her head. The male nodded, "yea, from the sound of it you are too. Let's see; you have to be from the city. You don't have a country twang to your words."

Kaia nodded a big smile appearing on her face."Yes! I didn't expect to meet someone from the UK here, "She rubbed her arms lightly. Nodding, the male watched her. Kaia felt a bit awkward, so she held her hand out, "I'm Kaia." 

"Alex. "The male said, a smile finally forming on his face as he shook her hand.

It didn't take long for them to bond. They met at the beach almost every night, taking turns listening to each others iPods and talking. Every day they got closer and closer. Towards the final week of Kaia's stay in Korea, Kaia received a note to meet Alex on the boulders. 

Kaia stood there for hours. The night was chilly, and the wind from the sea didn't help. A depression fell upon her around the time she figured Alex wasn't coming. Kaia let out a sigh, but just as she did, she felt a hard shove as she went face first into the water. 

Kaia emerged with a gasp flailing her arms, only to be knocked back under by another wave. She was always sheltered, so she never learned to swim. The salt water made her eyes burn, wasn't as if she could see anyways. She tried to come back up, but another wave rolled her around underwater until she was slammed against the rocks. Then everything went dark.


While unconscious, the person who pushed her called out for help after a few minutes. Alex and a few school friends where little ways across the beach, so when he heard a cry of help in that area he quickly sprinted.

While waiting for emergency vehicles to arrive he done CPR. He didn't stop until she was in an ambulance. 

Alex went to the hospital, where they took Kaia and waited. Her father arrived shortly after. Seeing Alex, he was ready to explode, but the doctor came out with a report. Kaia's father turned to Alex, " Thank you for saving her, but leave and don't come near her again." His voice was harsh and deep. Alex had no other option but to leave. 

~~

It was the day before Kaia had to jump on a plane and fly back to the UK. She was dressed in a sparkly blue evening gown, and her hair was pulled up in a curly updo. She wore crystal-studded earrings that twinkled in the lights. 

Kaia accompanied her father to his business conference/event. There were many stars, directors, and other CEO's. One of them being Alex's father, who was followed by Alex. 

Kaia walked around with her father meeting different people. Alex caught sight of her first. He did a double take at first, shocked. Alex tapped his father lightly on the back of the arm leaning in."Father, who are they?" he asked pointing towards Kaia and her father. 

Alex's father turned his head and groaned, a look of disgust coming to his face."That's the Crestfalls; They own the rival company in the UK, "he explained before walking up. He pulled Alex with him as well. Even though Alex wants to protest, he followed.

His father smirked, "Crestfall! Have you met my boy, Alex! He's been studying to take over." Just the name Alex made Kaia's head jerk up to look. Her eyes widened, and she stood once again, face to face with Alex.  Their fathers went back and forth, but the two just stood. Staring.

After the event, Kaia was put on a plane and was firmly told to keep her distance from the sabors. He knew they met each other often and he swore to put an end to it.

~~

School started back two weeks after she returned. She didn't expect to see him again and yet; there he was in the front of her classroom as a transfer student.

 At first, there was avoidance between the two. Kaia was lectured many times to stay away from him, especially after they spent time during the summer. 

Kaia found it hard to stay away; sometimes she even caught herself staring at him. She sighed and leaned on her desk holding her chin up with her arm. 

Naomi who was seated next to her poked her in the side. "Kaia…" She whispered, breaking away Kaia's gaze. Blinking, Kaia turned her head to look at Naomi who was smirking. "You have eyes for sabor?" Just hearing this Kaia blushed sitting straight in her chair. "I don't know what you're talking about.."She said as she cleared her throat. Naomi couldn't help but to laugh a little before she stood as the bell rang. 

Naomi quickly grabbed her bag. "Are you coming?" She asked as Kaia stood from her desk. Kaia smiled slightly shaking her head. "Not today, It's my turn to help with the class chores." She said as she stuffed all of her books in her bag. The students didn't waste time leaving; soon the class was empty. Kaia walked to the front of the class to begin cleaning off the chalkboard. 

Naomi walked up beside her. "Well, I have to head out. I have a date tonight! I will call you after."She said with a small hug before skipping out the door. "Bye!" she said before fully leaving the scene. Kaia sighed softly with a smile. If only she could feel like that about someone… In the open. Her mind traveled to Alex, biting her lip as her hand circled the board with the eraser.

As Kaia cleaned the board, she hummed a particular tune. One that she and Alex had listened to so many times together. 

Alex stood at the classroom door, leaning against the frame as he watched Kaia. He had one of his earplugs in his ear, listening to the same song she was singing. He couldn't help but to smirk at the thought. She still thought of him, and this was proof. Alex slowly snuck into the classroom and up behind Kaia who was struggling to reach the top of the chalkboard.

 Alex smiled and reached up his hand taking hers as he leaned in speaking softly in her ear. "Boo." Kaia let out a screech as she shuddered and turned while holding her chest. Kaia took a deep breath looking at Alex who now cornered her to the wall. She blushed deeply, her eyes searching over him. "A..lex.."She muttered lightly, his name almost coming out as a whisper. Alex leaned in softly kissing her lips. 

Kaia's eyes widened as she gently clutched his school blazer pushing him back a little. "Alex! We can't do this!" She exclaimed, even though her heart ached for him. Alex leaned in closer, his arms wrapping around her. "Kaia, That's our song… Don't act like you don't have any feelings left," He whispered as he grazed her lips once more with his. This time she gave in and kissed him back. The song from his earphones could be heard louder as the room was really quiet.

Kaia Crestfall is the youngest CEO of Crestfall Industries, a leading business in the entertainment world. But despite being capable of such a high position, she still needs to constantly watch her back. Especially with a fiance who has ulterior motives…

One day, after calling her mom to call off the engagement for the umpteenth time, she almost gets run over by a car. Narrowly escaping death, she is pulled into the arms of the last person she expected to meet. The one person who had broken her heart...the one person who will brighten her world...the one person she should never be with… Why? Because he’s her enemy. But for some reason, while she is stunned by the man in front of her, he tells her, “Marry me…”

*End: Cliche synopsis plot (only as a set-up for the rest of the story!!!)*
*Start: The storyline after they get together* 

Despite many hidden secrets along the way, the secret relationship between her and the love of her life—Alexander Sabor—continues to grow. But as fate may have it, due to a dangerous man playing a dirty trick behind the scenes she is once again torn away from Alex. This time not of a broken heart from betrayal, but one of love and endurance.  

As you read, get ready for some cute and heartwarming, as well as some heartbreaking scenes. But a good story will always have its heart-wrenching twists and turns!

***“FLUFF” WARNING (a.k.a “the birds and the bees”): Chapter 7: The First Time & more to come in the future ;)


Special thanks to Editor/Proofreader
TomoChinYan
Cover Art: Tzviatko Kinchev

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