Chapter 1

Jessica was born in a poverty-stricken family. They lived in a small village where there weren't a lot of people around. Ever since she was a little kid, hunger was her every day's meal. Nothing else. She still remembered all the nights in which she had to swallow her own saliva in hope of filling up the stomach. It didn't work though. As if that wasn't bad enough, Jessica received whipping from her father as a weekly --no, daily ''allowance''!

Her father was an alcoholic. There wasn't a day where he came home being sober-not that she could remember. He was always drunk and violent. Her father would grab anything he could find to whip her. Then he would laugh maniacally. His laughter was the worst torture in the world! Jessica would always glare at him fiercely, and every time he caught that glare, he would kick right into her face; there was no exception.

Why? Why do I have to endure all these bullshit? Jessica cursed bitterly. She wished that her father would die!

Her curse came true. One night, he was drunk as always. He fell into the lake and drowned. That was what other people told her family. She didn't care too much about the details. All she knew was that her nightmare was over-or so she thought.

-----

After that event, Jessica anh her morther moved to Seoul. They were able to rent a small apartment located in a disordered neighborhood. She thought that they could finally start a new life, but she was wrong.

The lifestyle in Seoul was too complex for them. Everyone was extremely competitive and tried to overpower one another. If a person was uneducated , he or she couldn't expect anything more than a meal per day. Jessica wanted more than that. But she knew that she had to be outstanding in order to survive in this kind of environment.

''Umma. I want to go to school! Can I?'' Jessica asked her mother.

How though ? Her family was too poor. The money that her mother earned was just enough to feed both of their stomachs. But her mother loved her too much to deny her wish.

''Of course you can, honey", her mother replied sweetly; but truth to be told, she wasn't sure how to fufill her promise.

---

Jessica didn't know how or where her mother got the money from but she was able to attend school like every other kid. She loved school. When all of her classmates were busy hanging out with one another, she was by herself studying. She didn't want to waste her time. Of course, all her years of hard work were eventually paid off. She graduated top of her class and got plenty of scholarships.

Just as Jessica thought she was on top of the world, she found out something that shattered her into pieces.

Her mother...didn't attend her graduation.

Jessica was disappointed, but she assumed that her mother had to go to work. After the ceremony ended, Jessica ran straight home in hope of celebrating the joy with her only loved one.

"Umma, I got a lot of awards today", she exclaimed happily as she ran into her house.

But when she swung the bedroom's door open, Jessica saw something that completely destroyed her mother's image inside her heart.

Her mother...was half-naked. Worst of all, she was in another man's arms.

Her mother quickly covered herself with anything she could find. She ran toward Jessica and grabbed her arm."Honey, listen to me..."

Jessica didn't run. She just stood there and stared at her mother in disbelief.

"You should have told me that you have such a gorgeous daughter", the man on the bed said in a perverted tone as he was checking her out.

This only added to Jessica's fiery. She raised the trophy she was holding and threw it into his face, which made him moan in pain.

"Get the hell out of my house!" shouted Jessica.

The man obediently grabbed his clothes and scrambled out of the house, for he was afraid she'd gone crazy. Jessica slammed the door shut after him. Hot tears rolled down her checks for the first time. She had never cried before! Not even when she was tortured inhumanely by her father. But this time, she couldn't help but cry like a little kid.  

Her mother ran toward trying to hold her, but Jessica pushed her away.

''IS THIS HOW YOU RAISED ME UP? IS THIS HOW I WAS ABLE TO ATTEND SCHOOL?'' She was choked by tears.

Her mother shook her head vigorously, and she was crying too.''No honey, I'm sorry..I didn't mean to lie to you. But if I told you, you wouldn't have wanted to attend school. I know that you really love learning-'

''You don't know me! No, you do not understand me at all, Umma! If I knew my Umma has been selling her own body to other men then I would rather being uneducated forever! Now tell me, Umma...how am I supposed to tell others about you? Should I tell them the truth behind all my accomplishments was the fact that my Umma has sacrificed herself as a *****?''

Jessica knew that her words were harsh, but she was deeply hurt. Her mother understood her pain. She, once again, came and embraced her. This time, Jessica didn't resist. She broke down and cried in her mother's arms.

''Honey, Umma promise that I will never do that again. Please forgive me.''

Jessica wanted to say that she wasn't angry at her mother. She was more angry at herself for causing this situation. She regretted for blurting out those impertinent words. She wanted to say '' Umma, I'm sorry'', but she was literally drowned by tears.

~~~

Many years had passed since that day, and they never mentioned the incident anymore. However, there was still an inevitable breach between Jessica and her mother. Although they didn't admit, they knew by heart that their relationship wouldn't be the same again.

Since then, Jessica had lost faith in everyone around her. After graduating from university, she worked as an advertiser in a well-known company. She vowed that she had to become successful. She knew that she had to work hard in order to escape poverty. Thus, she took advantage of every opportunity that came to her.

Jessica had truly become a strong, yet isolated person. Her life was always revolving around work, work, and more work.

However, her life changed completely upon a meeting with this one girl. She finally found the purpose of her life. The moment this girl entered her life, she had turned Jessica's world around 180 degrees.

Jessica would never forget their first meeting. It was a cold day in winter. February 21, 2005.

That day, her colleagues were discussing about the potential of them having a new boss. Suddenly, a tall, tanned, and beautiful girl walked into the room with a warm smile on her face.That smile was like a piece of charcoal in this rigorous winter.

Everyone, males and females, in the room were obviously stunned by her look. She approached each person and introduced herself.

She was their new boss.

All the males were thrilled to hear that. Even the females were also excited. All of them. All, including Jessica.

When she came and shook her hand, Jessica's face turned crimson and her palms went wet. When realizing this, the girl smiled and joked, ''Don't be nervous, I won't bite. My name is Yuri, what's yours?''

''J...es...Jessica'', she stammered uncharacteristically.

''Jessica'', Yuri acknowledged with a nod.''What a beautiful name! Just like yourself''. She smiled again.

Did she even know that her mesmerized smile had made Jessica's heart melt to the ground almost instantly?

TBC