CHAPTER

“This is better,” I whispered to her. Valkyrie Mexica, that’s her name. I remember it now. She was one of my childhood friends back in the countryside. But we separated from each other when our family business blooms in China. My family migrated here and we never contacted each other anymore. However, it’s such a good thing to reconcile with a friend from the past.

I remember how irritated she was to me back when we were just six years old.

“Mexica! Mexica! I have new toys!” said six years old me to a girl. She looks small and malnourished. “I don’t like that!” she screamed and push me away, leaving me and my toys on the muddy ground.

I smiled and get back my toys even if it’s dirty. “Why? My father said this is the latest lego and only four people in the world can get this one,” innocently, I said.

“I don’t like lego! And it’s already dirty! Ew!” she screamed again, with that high-pitch voice of hers.

“It’s okay. I can make this clean,” I said and went to her.

“What are you doing?” she asked, horrified.

As I step forward, she also keeps on stepping backward. Using my dirty hands, I wipe my lego toys on her white dress to make it clean. However, I didn’t finish cleaning my toys when she suddenly cries. What did I do?

“Shh, shhh, stop crying,” I shushed her up because her mother will surely beat me up if she found out. “I… hate… you…” she said in between sobs.

“I just wanted to play with you,” I said, choking back my tears when I saw her damp face. Even so, she still looks gorgeous and beautiful. Her pale white just like Snow White skin is so adorable. Her curly and brunette hair is unfathomable. I just wanted to play with her because she’s so beautiful. And I like beautiful and neat girls.

“Don’t play with me anymore!” She shouted and push me again. I ended up on the sticky and muddy ground. “But we didn’t even start playing…” I stated.

“Who wants to play with you? You’re so dirty!” She shouted.

“You’re dress is dirty too!” I shouted back.

“That’s because of you!”

“I just wanted to play…” I whispered.

“Go play with Vaughn!”

“I don’t like him!”

“Same goes with you. I don’t like you to play with me!”

“But I like to play girls with…” I halted. Do I have to tell her that she’s beautiful? No, maybe she will punch me and says I’m disgusting.

“Why do you like to play girls? Wait… are you…” Her eyes widen from her thought. What did she think of me? Before I can conclude, she asked me.

“Are you gay?!” she asked with those big eyes of her.

“What’s gay?” I asked, confused.

“You know, liking your same gender.”

I shook my head. “I’m not gay.”

“You are!”

“I don’t like someone who has the same gender as mine. I like someone. I like you.”

She suddenly started laughing her ass off and pointed her finger to me. “You like me, huh? You’re crazy.”

“What’s wrong liking a girl?” I asked again, confused.

“There’s nothing wrong liking a girl, but it’s wrong if you like someone who already has someone in her heart.”

I cock my head. “I don’t understand.”

“Let me show you. Here he goes,” she whispered and winked at me. She suddenly feel ecstatic after our shouting and scene a while ago. She keeps on murmuring and blaming me for how I ruin her dress for this day. It’s not that I want to dirty her dress, I just wanted to clean my lego toys for her to play with me.

“Vaughn!” She shouted and gestured her hands, saying hi, and run towards him. Vaughn is one of the most hated people in my black notebook. He always gets attention. Whenever I joke, he steals it and everyone laughs except me, because that was my joke I murmured to myself, and he just says it out loud for everyone.

Vaughn. I hate him. Everyone loves him in our neighborhood at that time. Unlike me, who comes from a wealthy family, he is the complete opposite. His father is just a farmer while her mother is just a maid in our mansion. Nonetheless, he gains the respect of my circle of friends, including Mexica.

“How about Vaughn?” I asked Mexica and gave her a cup of water. She was seated across from mine. She felt better now, I think. She drank it before answering me. “I don’t know. When we came to this country, I cut my ties off to my friends.”

Good. “Are you feeling better now?” I asked her. She looks away and hides her lingerie on his wardrobe as soon as I eye it.  She answered, “Yeah.”

“Do you like this place?” I asked her again, arms on my chest, confident and steady unlike before.

“Why do you ask such things? Of course not,” she answered, angrily.

That temper. Tch.

“I can get you out of here,” I said, playfully and crosses my legs, hands spreading on the sofa.

She didn’t answer and keeps on looking away at me. It’s like she’s shameful of her situation right now. She used to play tricks and bully me in childhood. Guess the world turned upside down now, huh.

“If you answer my question.”

“What question?” She asked.

“Have you had sex with a random man? Just like prostitutes?”

She seemed hurt by my question. I get it. So she does… maybe she doesn’t have a choice. She’s trapped in the ginsaeng house.

“No,” she answered, which, surprises me.

“No, I hadn’t. Why do you ask?” She eyes me suspiciously.

I told her, “Don’t play tricks with me just like before. You can’t get here if you had poor performance.”

“Think whatever you want. I don’t care,” she said it, coldly.

“Of course, I care, because I’m going to be your next master, Mexica,” I said and stand up in my seat. Her eyes widen in shock.

The door swung open and a smirking old Chinese man appears in my sight. We shook our hands to close our deal. I’ve never imagined this situation, but I think it’s a nice deal if we talk about Mexica. Finally, I can get her heart. I’ll think about shaving my beard next time, as what I’ve promised, just this once, for her, my childhood crush.