Transmigration: The Narcissistic Cinderella

When Moon Jiwoo was passing by the hallway, she did not expect for Junghwa to appear out of nowhere and grab both of her hands. 

Nonetheless, thinking about it, it was not all that surprising. Junghwa tend to pop up from all sorts of places these days, and instead of chasing after Sookyung, it seemed that she was going after Jiwoo.

Although Jiwoo was not able to figure out what the female was thinking, she knew that Junghwa was upto no good. There was no way that the female who picked a fight with her first was trying to make amends with her.

Jiwoo planned to tell about Sookyung about Junghwa's constant annoyance, but these days, he had been busy to the point they rarely met. 

Even though Jiwoo was rarely considerate, she could see that he was overworking currently and did not want to add more to his workload. 

If informed about this, Jiwoo was aware that he would try to get her out, and knowing that this would cause him to deal with both of his parents, this would merely cause trouble for him.

Despite not having a clue on what Junghwa could be scheming, Jiwoo believed that it would not be too serious. 

After all, there were limited amount of things Junghwa was able to do against her, and as someone who had pulled jealousy filled tricks before, Jiwoo thought that she would be able to look past them.

Raising her head, Jiwoo saw that smile on Junghwa's face which seemed to be quite innocent— one that Jiwoo had grown to hate— and a sparkle was present in Junghwa's eyes.

"Daerinnie, are you going to the garden? Take me with you," Junghwa stated.

Creases instantly appeared between both of her eyebrows, and Jiwoo instantly pulled her hands away from Junghwa.

Staring at her as if she was a bother, Jiwoo said, "Why in the world will I be taking you with me? Just don't annoy me right now. Leave!"

Junghwa did not appear to be affected by Jiwoo's outburst. In fact, appearing to be more determined, she extended her hand forward to grab on to Jiwoo's hands again.

"Please, Daerin, I just want to go with you. I am really lonely at here. I won't talk to you or disturb you. Can't you reconsider it?" Junghwa pleaded.

"What the hell are you trying to play at!?" Jiwoo exclaimed, removing her hand from the female's grip.

A gasp escaped from Junghwa's mouth at that moment, and Moon Jiwoo was taken by surprise when the female fell backward. Junghwa's back hit against the wall, as she closed her eyes slightly and wince escaped from her mouth.

One more thing Moon Jiwoo knew for sure was that she did not use enough energy to send the woman falling. That could either mean that Junghwa was weak or she fell on her own.

Not understanding what Junghwa was trying to accomplish by that, Jiwoo voiced out, "You disgust me! Just stay away from me next time around or it will be more than this."

Letting out a scoff, Jiwoo turned her back on the female and began to walk away. Junghwa, on the other hand, had the corner of her lips curving to form a small smirk.

At that instant, Jiwoo was not aware of what trouble her actions would be leading her to.

°°°

Walking through the garden, Jiwoo stared at the beautiful flowers that bloomed throughout the palace. Most of the flowers were unfamiliar to her. 

Jiwoo could see how well taken care of the garden was. The scene before her seemed to be one out of a picture. Various coloured flowers complemented each other well while a sweet scent wafted off of them.

A particular flower caught Jiwoo's eyes, and making her way over to it, she bent down to sit before it. Extending her hand towards the flower, she touched the petals of the flower. Although the petals were cold, they felt soft to the touch. 

From its outward appearance, it resembled an iris somewhat. However, there were quite details about it that was different from an iris. 

"That's Ereis. Although beautiful, it is quite a poisonous flower. Eating its roots can be deadly for the Red Clan."

Hearing the familiar voice, Jiwoo turned back. Oh Jihoon stood before her, and a smile formed on her face at that.

The flower field behind him suited him well, and that made him seem more like a Prince in Jiwoo's eyes.

"Oh Jihoon-ssi," she said.

He nodded in acknowledgement.

Looking back at the flower, she stroked the petals and questioned, "So, why is such a dangerous flower kept at here?"

"His Majesty wanted to grow it here," Jihoon voiced out, "And only a selected few can enter, so it's not that big of a deal."

"Sookyung did? That's surprising," Jiwoo vocalised, "I didn't take him to be someone who would hold interest towards a poisonous flower."

"Despite of that, the flower's scent is quite comforting," he stated, "It feels as if all the worries are driven away."

"It feels that way I suppose," Jiwoo voiced out, "I wanted to place some in my room, seeing how dull it is, but I guess I can't do it now."

"There are flowers that are safer," Jihoon expressed, "And more suited for that."

"Is that so? Why don't you give me a tour of the entire garden if you are not busy? Was I too straight forward? I would understand if this was a bother," Jiwoo said.

Shaking his head, he spoke out, "I would be pleased to do so."

Clapping both of her hands together, Jiwoo voiced out, "That's great!"

°°°

"We can a beautiful flower crown with this one. Too bad, I can't make one," Jiwoo voiced out as she touched the petals of the purple flower.

"The maids would know how to do it," Jihoon vocalised.

"Maybe I will get them to one for," she said, turning back to face him. "They would look really good on you. You really suit flower. I would have scouted you if I worked in the entertainment agency."

"I will take that as a compliment."

"That was meant to be a compliment," she stated, "Even Oh Sookyung can't come close to you when it comes to visuals. How do you take care of your skin? 

It makes me jealous to be a female and look incomparable to you. It's not regularly that I compliment people like this, so consider this to be a huge matter."

Jihoon chuckled and spoke out, "Hearing you say that sounds nice. I always had a complex about how I looked, and you are cute just as you are."

Jiwoo chuckled and vocalised, "If you have a complex about how you look, I wonder what other people will feel about themselves. Being this modest isn't good. Women would jump upon you if you were on the surface."

"You are such a sweet talker," he commented.

"Is that so? Next time, I will write an entire book on how breathtaking you are. Would you be liking that?" Jiwoo raised one of her eyebrows.

At her words, Jiwoo could see that the smile on his face disappeared, and a much more serious expression settled on it. That made her wonder about his sudden change of mood.

"It would not be proper of you to hang out with me. You will be made as a target by many people," he spoke out, "I am pretty sure you have heard my story, and although I look like this, I am really dangerous."

Bringing his face closer to hers, he whispered, "I almost killed my own sister."

Her eyes widened at his words while she was taken aback. Jiwoo found herself being unable to respond.

After one last glance at her, he turned his back on her and began to walk away. Staring at the ground, Jiwoo did not understand on what to do.

Clenching her hand into a tight fist, she pursed her lips into a thin line. Despite of those words leaving his mouth, she recalled the hurt and loneliness he showed on his face before leaving.

This reminded her of the days when she was faced with the negativity and wanted someone to be by her side. She recalled of her past days after seeing his face.

Raising her head, she voiced out, "Oh Jihoon-ssi, would it be fine for me to call you just Jihoon the next time we meet? It just feels too formal."

Jiwoo noticed how he halted in his steps for a second before walking forward. Moon Jiwoo wanted to bang her head against the wall for her impulsive actions. Nonetheless, thinking about it, she would have regretted it more if she did not mentioned about this to him.