Chapter 3 - Rich People, A Pseudo-Brother, and More Interesting Problems
The next day, Jangmi felt something was wrong. It was a feeling that set itself deeply into her bones - she had just awoken, yet she felt her stomach drop. It wasn’t like her to feel so anxious. She decided to wake up properly.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she noticed the strange surroundings. Gone were her normal bedroom walls - instead, they were replaced by sleek light purple walls. All kinds of fancy furniture adorned her walls - and her room looked more like an art exhibit than a real room.
‘That vase looks like it costs more than my savings combined!’ Jangmi’s eyes widened. ‘What is a thing like that doing here?! No, wait - what am I doing at a place like this?’ Jangmi wondered, panic rising in her throat. Suddenly, her door burst open.
"Gah!" she exclaimed.
Her eyes trained on the intruder, it was a man wearing glasses. He looked at her and scoffed.
"Hey, Lim Chaeyoung," he began condescendingly. "For how long do you plan on sleeping? Come down, Grandfather would like a word," the intimidating man said. He stared at her for her response.
Panicked, Jangmi replied: "Okay! See you downstairs!" She hoped with this, he would ignore her and leave. Instead, his eyebrows reached the skies. He stepped closer, and put a hand on her forehead. Jangmi, an eternal introvert, began to splutter.
"A-ah, don’t come closer! I said I’d go down, so please leave already," she argued feebly.
Her attitude seemed to be what made the man so incredulous.
He looked at her like she was an alien. "What....that’s so weird. Did you-" he attempted but stopped once he saw the look on Jangmi’s face.
He sighed. "Never mind", his silken voice boomed.
With that, he left like a ghost. Jangmi calmed her heart after that strange encounter. Who was that man? She assumed he must be either this body’s father or brother. Jangmi wanted to ponder longer on her new condition. She had next to no information, except for that name. Lim Chaeyoung. Why was that name so familiar to her?
She exited the room and met an equally impressive hallway. ‘Okay, this dream is crazy detailed’, Do Jangmi thought, dazed. ‘It may be a dream, but I did promise that guy I’d go meet him downstairs, so...’ Jangmi rounded a corner and saw a maid. A literal maid, with a maid outfit and everything. She could feel the laughter bubbling up inside. What a cliche, she thought. Still, she raised her hand once she caught the maid’s eye, intent on asking her for directions.
The maid was happy to comply. “It’s right over there, Chaeyoung-ssi,” the woman replied. “If you want, I can show you the way.”
Jangmi nodded, and together, they found a massive wooden door. “Room 14. This room is usually used for the Chairman’s guests,” the female maid described. Jangmi simply gulped, feeling the tell-tale signs of anxiety creep up again.
“Oh! I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Hong Eun-ae, 36. I’ve only worked here for a week, but I’ve never met the young mistress before,” Eun-ae finished with a motherly smile.
“N-nice to meet you,” Jangmi threw out nervously. The maid chuckled. “You don’t have to thank me, I work here! Anyway, you should hurry. I saw Mr. Yangmin enter not long ago.” Jangmi supposed she should know who that was...nope.
She had no idea.
She could only nod and act as though that made perfect sense. After the maid left, she exhaled deeply and grasped what feeble courage her stomach contained. Then, she entered the lion’s den.
Even though she did not know this household, she felt apprehension seize her body at strange moments. It was as if the body remembered whatever had happened in this giant mansion.
Once she entered, she saw eight people. Three were women; two were men; and the last three were children, though she recognized the man from earlier. His eyes caught hers as she walked in. Then, a woman tugged at his blouse harshly, whispering: “Yangmin!” before they both began to ignore her and face forward.
She also wanted to sit down and act inconspicuous, but the oldest man in the room coughed petulantly when she moved. She stopped, confusedly, before noticing his waiting gaze.
What was his problem? How frustrating!
She went out on a limb, trying: “Good afternoon. I greet the Chairman.” This shocked everyone involved. They started to stare at her like she was a ghost. Yangmin, especially, nudged the woman in a secretive motion.
The chairman, an old man adorned with a black ecpensive evening suit, exclaimed: “What’s this, Eunkyung?” The other man flinched. “Did you finally teach your brat manners? I won’t be impressed with something like that,” he finished, but he motioned for her to sit beside him.
‘O-okay?’ Jangmi thought, but held her tongue. Instead, she sat besides the old man.
‘Finally’, she thought, as she sat down. ‘The spotlight’s not on me anymore.’ Yet, why did she feel a burning gaze on her neck? She dismissed it after awhile.
“I have gathered you all here today because you are Lim family’s center. My son, Eunkyung - my daughters-in-law, Bora and Iseul - and their children. And finally, the successors of Lim family - Yangmin, Jaeyoung and Chaeyoung.” Jangmi’s spine felt a small bolt. Did he just say...she was his successor?!
This body’s name was Chaeyoung, right?! She thought, freaking out.
The old man wasn’t done. “As you all know, last month, Jaeyoung was...involved in a rather brutal incident. Her body was damaged extensively, and she can no longer walk.” Gasps of outrage rocked the meeting room. “That can’t be!” a woman screeched. Yangmin’s eyes widened in shock.
Eunkyung’s reaction was the most severe. He could no longer stand, having two servants catch him in time. Meanwhile, the tragic news hurt Jangmi as well. She didn’t know this Jaeyoung, but even strangers could empathize with this kind of loss. How tragic!
Chaeyoung’s expression concerned the Chairman, who asked: “Don’t bottle everything up, child. After all, she was your twin sister.” Jangmi’s eyes widened. Lim Jaeyoung, the heiress who is leading that kind of life, was actually her twin sister?!
The chairman saw her shocked expression but held back from questioning her. He donned an ice-cold poker-face, as he continued. “The reason I called for this meeting...is to find Jaeyoung’s replacement. As you know, Jaeyoung was trained as an actress and even starred in several plays. But that’s not enough. To honor our Lim family, we must put our name in front of the nation!”
Then, the old man looked at them all, long and hard, before he landed his eyes on Yangmin.
Iseul, Yangmin’s mother, exclaimed: “What about Chaeyoung?!” The room was silenced. Eager to rectify her mistake, she smiled a nervous smile at the child, stating: “Our Yangmin is beloved by all, good at studying and serious, but he has no charisma! Why not consider Chaeyoung then?”
The chairman laid unimpressed eyes on the woman, making her flinch. “Jaeyoung was young and cute - a beauty who fits the trends of today. Your niece is...different. You should know the strengths and weaknesses of your family, Na Iseul.”
Jangmi watched this ping-pong exchange happen, not fully understanding. What was so horrible about this practice that Iseul, an older woman, was so keen on avoiding it?
Iseul reddened in shame but kept going. “Chairman, I meant no harm! I just, I simply...you, girl, you understand, right?” She rounded on Jangmi, who felt her malice. It was almost as if that woman was threatening her.
She looked the other way. 'Out of sight, out of mind. Oh, what pretty flowers are sprouting, outside.' If Na Iseul's confusion and angry noises were any indication, Jangmi would say she was making a very interesting face at that moment.
The chairman laughed slightly but covered it up with a cough. “In any case, you want Yangmin to continue his studies instead of upholding our vital family tradition. Our Lim Family may be wealthy today due to our investments, but our foundation was built on the blood of actors. Were you aware?”
Iseul, shocked by the intensity of the Chairman’s words, could only shake her head dumbly. “It’s okay, daughter. You are thinking about yourself instead of your family, how brave. I only hope that mindset doesn’t reach our Yangmin. He may be contributing to this family now, but if he adopts even one of your traits, it’ll be something. Isn’t that right, Miss Na?” Jangmi was actually shocked that a man as old as him could pack so much vitriol into his words. Miss Na sat back in defeat.
Her son, Yangmin, looked angered. Jangmi could understand. Because of his mother, his grandfather thought he didn’t care about their family...? Or something like that.
In any case, Jangmi snorted in her mind, rich people sure were crazy.
“Even though Miss Na’s reasoning is faulty, I cannot find a better course of action than this. Lim Chaeyoung,” the Chairman began severely,
“You will be Lim Family’s next actress. Prepare yourself.”
What? Jangmi must have gone temporarily deaf. What is this old man saying?!
“Ah, that’s right. For starters, I’ll grant you another month and a half of break, but after that, you must re-enroll into school, and you must enter your new life as our superstar actor.”
Her head was ringing. This couldn’t be possible. She pinched herself over and over, but she wasn’t waking up.
What kind of nightmare was this?!
The old man turned to her, and said: “Chaeyoung. You might not be as... bright as Jaeyoung, but I will not tolerate it if our Lim Family’s honor is besmirched. Do well.” With that, the old man left the room, leaving Jangmi to her thoughts. And leaving her with the rest of the hyenas.
What was she going to do now?!
