+Destiny's Lectures+
The Test
As soon as she stepped outside the airport’s automatic sliding doors, Seoul’s evening winds greeted her cheerfully, brushing past her face and caressing every strand of Bom’s hair.
Dara watched how her friend took in a deep breath, cherishing everything about Seoul’s atmosphere. Bom even had her eyes closed for a better feel of the atmosphere.
Seoul’s fragrance...
She missed it.
“Take it easy, Bom. You’ve been away for only four years. Seoul hasn’t even changed that much.” Dara let out a few chuckles as she was about to hail a cab from the taxi bay.
As she was waving her arms about, she saw a few sets of beaming lights but the vehicle that caught her attention was a black limousine standing out from the line of public cabs. Eerily,
Dara seems to remember it from her childhood days.
“Uh—Bom?”
As she heard her friend call for her, Bom happily skipped forward with her luggage, expecting to find a taxi ready to transport them but as she realized that it was a familiar black limousine especially with the emblem of the ministry of education imprinted on the front hood, Bom froze in her spot and felt cold sweat pouring out of her whole being. On the other hand, Dara slowly brought her arm down, gazing at her friend in complete worry.
Bom was meticulous enough not to make her arrival known, but she can’t hide anything from her father, can she?
The ladies held their breaths as soon as the midnight black vehicle stopped in front of them, with the driver stepping out.
He was a man in his mid sixties wearing a black police officer’s uniform complete with the cap and the batch of golden medals and paraphernalia resting on his right chest. With his hands clothed in white gloves, he gave the women a stern salute.
“Young miss.”
“A-Ahjusshi!!”
=o=o=o=
Not knowing where they were going, Bom stayed put beside Dara in the passenger’s seat of the spacious black limousine. The last time that they were given a ride by the prestigious vehicle was when they were still little kids so that explains Dara’s fascination as she dug through the ice box of the mini bar on the right side of the vehicle. All kinds of limited edition liquors can be found inside, some even had the year 1890s and later on.
“Whoa~ these are amazing!” Dara cannot help but gaze in awe, feeling free to take a wine glass from the secret cupboard and poured a little taste test while Bom was busy thinking to herself, gazing towards the back of her father’s trusted body guard and chauffer who was
behind the wheels, separated by a see through, bullet-proof glass from them.
Bom’s father had it sound-proofed with an option to turn on the speaker in case the topic he was discussing with whoever he was riding with was a confidential one.
But all this was making her uneasy.
To put it into right words, suffocating.
Everything she does in her life will either promote or taint her father’s image as a representative of the country. Inhaling the scent of the all-too-familiar vehicle, as well as the feeling of being a daughter of such an important person gave her the feeling of being imprisoned her whole life.
That’s why she wanted to get away from this all.
But no matter what she does... she will always end up being the ‘Minister’s Daughter’.
Everyone knows her because she was the Prime Minister’s daughter.
Not Park Bom.
That’s all she is—a shadow following her father’s footsteps.
“Ahjusshi,” Bom started, clicking the speaker on so that the driver can hear her speak.
“How’s father?”
The man glanced at the young miss through the rear view lens for a short second before focusing on the road once again.
“Busy, as usual.”
That’s what she thought.
“A-Ahjusshi...”
Bom pursed her lips in hesitation.
She wanted to explain that what ever happened for the past few months was a misunderstanding. The way how the news broke out was biased.
“The real reason behind my suspension was—“
“Young miss.”
The man cut her off immediately as soon as he realized what she was trying to do.
“I have known you since you were little and watched how you blossomed into what you are today, guided by the beliefs and virtues of your parents.” he breathed. “I have no reason to doubt your decisions. What ever reason that the incident came out how it did was because of the people who are trying to pull you down. For now, you must only build your confidence in order to strike back and prove them wrong.”
Hearing the man’s words of wisdom, Bom was speechless. Indeed, she doesn’t need any explanation for the people who are closest to her because no matter what happens, they believe in her and they will always stay by her side.
Bom eventually breathed out a smile, then turning towards Dara who gave her a wink of encouragement.
A few moments later, the vehicle came to a halt.
“Here we are.”
When the ladies turned their attention towards the window, they saw an obviously expensive condominium erected in front of them. The golden lights emitting from the building gave the vibe of a new adventure.
“T-This is...?”
“I believe your father made some arrangements during your stay here in Seoul, my lady.” the man smiled as he stepped out of the driver’s seat. “This is just the beginning.”
=o=o=
“Park Bom, huh?”
The clock struck ten in the evening and still Park Jae Sang could be seen together with Choi Seung Hyun, spending some quality time together in a japanese restaurant having a few shots of sake together with some sushi.
“The prime minister’s daughter.”
Seung Hyun replied, mouthing a cigarette that was sitting in between his long, slender fingers and took it to his mouth, inhaling a puff.
“I’ve read her profile.” Jae Sang raised both brows in astonishment. “I can say she’s really something. She spent some of her secondary years taking up accelerated drills in the U.S.—Auburn School.” the man explained, shoving a tuna or two in his mouth that was sprinkled with wasabi. “Didn’t you spend your younger years there as well? You were under a scholarship, right?”
Seung Hyun turned his head up to the ceiling before puffing out that cancerous cloud of nicotine in the air.
“Yeah, but we’ll see how she will handle things her own.”
