The door of the Kim family's manor opened with nearly no sound. The living room was spacious, chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, giving the room a warm glow. The white chairs and walls made the entire building look like it could buy a state, and the glass walls, which could tint on command, glimmered under the setting sun.
The moment Jae-hyun entered the house, a young woman in her late twenties rushed down the stairs and hugged him. "Little bro!"
Jae nearly stumbled to the ground at the force of his sister. He hugged her briefly before pushing her away just enough to see her face, any more, and she would begin to nag him about not being loving enough.
Kim Jisoo, the princess of the Kim family, ex-major general of the Korean Armed Forces, and current president of the Kim Group.
She was a beautiful young woman, scouted for modeling, acting, and idol work more times than she could count, with long blonde hair and grey eyes identical to her brother's.
"Can you let go of me? Your perfume is choking me."
"So I smell bad now?!" She locked his head around her arm and ruffled his hair. A large grin spread across her face as Jae struggled to free himself. She knew all too well that he could pin her down in less than a second, but seeing him act like a baby around her was cute.
Jisoo finally let go of his head and stretched triumphantly. "Seems I won yet again, little bro."
Jae massaged his neck. 'What's people's problem with my neck? First it was Richard, now this…'
His thoughts trailed off as his sister stared intensely at him. 'Better not curse her even in my mind. No one knows if she has mind reading or something like that.'
Cracking his neck to the side, Jae passed his sister. Coming to a stop, he turned back to her. "We are leaving tomorrow, right?"
Jisoo smirked. "Yeah, better pack your bag, 'cause we're going back home."
Jae turned to leave, but she called out to him. "Jae, before we head back."
He turned his head. "Don't forget what Dad told you. Do not fight, and don't get involved with your old friends back home."
He waved his hand dismissively. "Aren't we moving back to Seoul? So what's the matter?"
"Jae, I'm being serious. I don't know what Dad will do if he finds out you're fighting again. Do you want Dad to kill himself?"
Jae-hyun didn't turn back this time. These were words he had heard over a million times.
Without a word, he started walking up the stairs, came to a stop, and glanced back at his sister's sad expression. "Don't worry, I won't sully the Kim family's name."
"Jae, it isn't about—"
Jae didn't let her finish and climbed the stairs.
He was born into wealth, or as some say, born with a golden spoon. Unlike what some media, especially manhwas and webnovels he loved reading, usually showed, he didn't want to run away from his parents because of their character.
Hahaha, like who in their right mind would leave millions of dollars and a comfortable life others were envying just to stay on the streets? Not him, at least.
But that didn't mean his family didn't bother him. If he said that, it would be a stinking lie.
In Korea, his family was part of the top three families in the country, so much so that he could skip the military with the achievements his father and mother had under their names.
The greatest doctor in the history of Korea, who not only saved the country during the war by single-handedly attending to all the wounded soldiers but also became a high-ranking member of the WHO.
And his mom? She was the daughter of the greatest clan in all of Korea, the Kim clan. She was also the head of the Global Taekwondo Association and the current CEO of the largest company in the world.
In total, his parents were incredibly rich, with a crazy reputation. Who in Korea didn't know the Kims?! Who didn't know the great Kim Ha-joon and Kim Ha-rin?!
Even his older sister was famous, the president of Kim Foods and the youngest major general before leaving the military.
If that wasn't enough, his family wealth ran back centuries; his father's family was a subsidiary of his mother's. The only reason they allowed the marriage was because of how great his father had become.
The Kim family, on the other hand, was so big that people in the US knew about them. They owned one of the biggest car companies, a clothing brand, a preserved food company, and, of course, an underworld company ruled by his grandfather, Kim Kwan, the head of the Kim family.
From a young age, everyone sang of his clan's greatness and warned him not to sully their image, well, except for his grandparents, who liked his rough side.
Since his mother was the only child of the direct lineage of the Kim family, all businesses would rightfully go to them once their grandfather retired, and as his favorite grandchild, Jae was under immense pressure from a young age.
Parents who wanted him to be the best so he could inherit the business as fast as possible. Relatives who showed him excessive affection because they wanted the money. Everything in his life was far too fake for Jae-hyun.
Jae-hyun opened the large door to his grandroom, which literally sparkled from the lighting.
Without a word, he collapsed on the bed, and at the same time, there was a knock at the door.
Jae rolled to the button by the side of his bed and muttered, "You can come in."
The door opened, and an old man in a butler's outfit entered. "Welcome, young master. Is there anything you would like to eat? The maids traveled all the way to South Africa to get the ingredients for the dish you've been craving."
Jae glanced up at the old man with white hair and beard. "Yeah, just cook that."
The old man was about to leave when Jae called out, "And!" He added, "Put a lot of spice this time. I have to get my tongue ready for Korean food."
The old man smiled and bowed slightly. "As you wish, my lord."
'So exhausting.' It was all so exhausting. This life. It was just grey without any light or color.
Dave, Richard, and Cat, they all had color to them, so did his sister, mother, father, and grandparents, but even they weren't enough to fill his colorless world, since their color wasn't meant for him, but for themselves alone.
Born into the greatest clan. Gifted with a face that caused more harm than good, a body that other guys envied, and strength and smarts that people prayed for. To an outsider, he was the definition of perfection....
But to him… life was just boring.