IMPERIAL (Chaesoo)

PROLOGUE.

Incheon International Airport.

August 5, 2022
5:57 PM.

There was a mad rush at the airport on this particular day. A lot of people are out and about. Most of them are waiting for someone to arrive.

CHAEYOUNG.

"Ms. Park, look this way please!" one man shouted as soon as I stepped out of the car. I looked briefly at the direction of the voice then bowed slightly, hiding my eyes beneath the visor of the baseball cap I'm wearing, sighing. I constantly tell myself that this is what I truly wanted. Isn't this what I have dreamt of ever since I was a little girl? Here I am now but yet I feel so empty.

My name is Park Chaeyoung. I'm considered as a top model in South Korea at the moment. People are clamoring for a fraction of attention from me. I must remind myself every time that I have to be polite. Most especially to fans. But not so much to those crazy paparazzi. I rolled my eyes internally. After all, this is one of those consequences I told myself I'm ready to trade when I decided to enter the modelling world. I felt a soft tap on my shoulder. I looked around and saw my ever kind hearted manager, Lisa. She smiled and nodded.

"Ready to take it to the next level, Chaeng?" she asked quietly. I chuckled and nodded. She's been asking me that since last week. Before this flight to Manila for an endorsement.

"I think I am, Lis," I replied with a small smile. Lisa looked at one of our security personnel and he nodded.

"Well then, here's the first step."

We are on a commercial flight to Manila for a grand opening of Yves Saint Laurent in the country. Since I'm the global muse of the brand, its sort of my responsibility to go there for the launch. I heard that its a first in the said country for a European brand like this. I've been to Manila before, 2019 another commitment and its not so bad there. In a manner of speaking. Filipinos are one of the most welcoming and warm people in the world.

My team and I are about to enter the VIP entrance at the airport when suddenly someone or something bumped on me so hard that I stumble and fell. I was so shocked when someone landed on top of me and more to that, I felt hands on my breasts. My scream was stuck in my throat and Lisa looked down at me in horror. I didn't know what has happened next. My bodyguards are all over the place, forcefully removing the person on top of me. I felt seriously violated and I can hear camera shutters everywhere.

One of my bodyguards is shouting in rapid Korean while Lisa helped me get up on my feet. I can feel my face getting so hot from the embarrassment.

"I-I'm really sorry, sir. I didn't noticed. I was kind of in a hurry to get to my flight. It was purely an accident." I heard someone speaking in a panicked voice. A woman. The team not wanting to draw anymore attention to what has just happened, moved the commotion in the immigration office. It seems that the culprit is a foreigner. I want to be there to hear what exactly has happened even though Lisa is against it.

Airport security personnel and the police are interrogating the woman, a little harshly and I felt really bad. I wanted to defend her but Lisa whispered not to meddle with things.

I felt a tremor of surprise when the woman looked in my direction, the look in her eyes that she's about to cry and just trying to pull herself together took me aback. There's something those eyes wanted to tell me.

I'm a little taller than her and she definitely looked like a foreigner. She wears glasses and her eyes are sort of dead looking. I was really curious.

"Please, you have all my information. If I indeed violated some sort of law here, you know where to contact me but for now, please let me go. I urgently needed to get on that plane." I heard her plead again.

"I'm very sorry but we can't let you go just yet. We have to follow protocols during this situations. I hope you understand," one of the officers replied.

"Please. My flight's about to go on boarding. I would be glad to go to wherever it is I'm needed but please for now, let me leave. It was an accident. In all honesty it was purely an accident." The woman is still pleading and I felt so helpless for her.

We're being held up as well in the immigration for the procedure and I insisted to Lisa that this is not necessary. Its been causing a lot of trouble to every one already. But law is law. Even me, the sort of VIP is going to go through with it all.

Hours are ticking by and the last time I checked its been a little over 2 hours now and I'm surprised at myself for not grumbling about it. There was silence in the room when suddenly a phone rang. Its some sort of a cool ringtone in a foreign language, Spanish. I looked over and it was the woman's.

"Hey, how's everything going?" she murmured in the corner, looking helpless as ever. There's a response I couldn't hear but I instantly noticed how she sat up straight and her eyes are more dead looking than ever.

"Can't it wait a little bit longer? I'm here at the Immigration and something came up." Another response I can't hear and she sighed deeply. I wanted to ask her badly what is it but I will be violating my agency's rules about this kind of situation. The woman stood up and I can't help but notice that her shoulders are sort of dragged down like its the weight of the world she's carrying.

"Can-Can I speak to her? Please," I heard her murmur quietly.

"Hi, mum. Its m-me. I love you so much and please give dad a hug for me and tell him that I love him too okay? Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I'm terribly sorry that I can't be there. I-I have tried all I can t-to be--" Her voice broke a little and she took a deep breath. Holy shit!

"Lis, we have to let this woman go," I suddenly said and everyone in the room looked at me. My manager is staring open mouthed as if I lost my mind.

"That's not for you to decide, Ms. Park. A little bit longer and we'll all let you go so please sit down," said one officer, not hiding the irritation in his voice. I noticed that the woman is done with her call and is looking at us, blankly. Before any of us in my team can respond, a rushing guy went inside the room. He looked so angry and flustered at the same time.

"Sooyah! I just got off the phone with the airport's chief security officer. I'm so sorry I was late. We have to go. I got you on the next flight out of here. Come on, let's go," said the guy as he approach the woman. She looked at him without any emotions on her face but I can feel my heart breaking; she's trying so hard not to lose her cool. The woman just shook her head, looking directly at the guy. That reaction from her just triggered something.

"What the hell is this you people?! Since when do we hold people up in the immigration for simple accidents like this?" he blurted out and surprisingly grabbed the woman gently into a tight embrace. No one can say a single word.

"Oppa, its okay. This is the protocol and we have to follow it. Anyone can drag me to hell. This is already hell," I heard her whisper. I put a hand to my chest.

"I will not let this go. I swear to God I wont. Soo get your things and wait for me outside," he ordered and the latter quietly did as she was told. Before she go she went to me and bowed a little, not meeting my eyes.

"I'm really sorry for what has happened. I hope you can forgive me. I'm sorry too for the inconvenience this has caused," she murmured and bowed again before getting out the door. I was rooted. I meant to ask what has happened but the words wont come out of my mouth. The moment she was out the door, the guy looked at us. He was about to cry.

"Her mother is in the hospital. Today the family decided to take off her life support that's why she was rushing to leave. She's--," he gulped before continuing.

"She died about 20 minutes ago," he finished and left.

I was crying the entire flight to Manila.

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Any thoughts guys?
Will publish the first chapter tomorrow. Just editing on the phone right now. Please support me.
This is my first fanfic in support for the girls' World Tour kick off in Seoul yesterday. I can't wait to see them perform live. It'll be my first if ever I'll get lucky enough to get the ticket. What date will they perform in your country by the way??