Chapter Eight

“Chae Rin’s Lesson: Extravagant Parties 101”- Portfolio Eight

∞

Warning: Suggestive material ahead

               Stepping into Nam Agency, the scene was usually calm, the usual workers buzzing around and going on with their business. But today, Rae Mi knew something was off. When the doorman greeted her, the flushed look on his face should have been warning enough. The moment her foot entered the vicinity, a stack full of envelopes and neatly typed letters had been flung in her direction. Chae Rin tugged on her arm, flashed a small smile, and then went back to yelling at the employees. The office was a mess, to put it nicely.

               She stepped to the side, only to slip on a misplaced piece of paper. Luckily, Youngbae caught her, steadying the stack with his hands. He shot her a sympathetic look and led her into Chae Rin’s office. “I’m assuming Chae Rin just wanted you to put the letters inside the envelopes. There’s a ‘social gathering’ for anyone who wants a model basically. You’ll get a lot of offers there.” No trace of yesterday’s events contaminated his voice. It was like he ignored the whole thing—or he might’ve been keeping silent—he had a habit of doing that.

               “So . . . is that all I’m doing today?” Rae Mi wondered, placing the pile of invitations on her aunt’s desk. Youngbae absentmindedly nodded. He paused by the door, gripping onto the door knob. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he shook it off, lightly closing the door behind him instead. “Youngbae?” she called softly. Not a second later, he poked his head through the door again. Rae Mi instantly felt bad. He’d do anything for this family.

               “What is it? Do you need me to help you?” opened, but the word sorry did not escape. She sighed and nodded. “Okay, so what you do is just put the letter in the envelope, tape it shut, add the stamps, and stick on the tag with their addresses,” he said. He demonstrated the actions, looking at her during each step to see if she followed him corrected. “Yeah, just like that.”

               “Komawo, oppa,” she whispered as he bolted for the exit—so much for apologies. Youngbae paused outside Chae Rin’s office door, turning once to look at Rae Mi before leaving to help with preparation for the party. Days passed quickly since then and before she knew it, she was standing in front of her vanity mirror, admiring the work of make-up artists and stylists. The simple white design made Rae Mi’s natural beauty shine through and the gold accents tracing the hem of the dress highlighted her gold accessories. More than looking beautiful, she felt that way too. Confidence was key to a model’s success and having the trait now would only make potential employers feel confident in adding her to their endorser line-up.

               A soft rapping from the dressing room disturbed the pep-talk she was giving herself. “Rae Mi, are you ready?” Youngbae asked, swinging the door open. He smiled like a proud parent and offered his hand to her. “The guests have arrived. Do you . . . want me to you down?” Hesitating, her hand hovered over his hand before their skin touched.

               “Are you sure you want to me?” Rae Mi asked skeptically. “What about Chae Rin?” Although Youngbae kept a smile on his face, it faded as the seconds ticked on. He took a deep breath and looked into Rae Mi’s eyes. Through her eyes, he could see the garish shimmer his irises revealed.

               “Jaeho is with her tonight.”

               Kang Jaeho—founder of another modeling agency across Seoul. He had a reputation as a notorious playboy, but his sweet charms and heart-melting smile would make one think otherwise. It wasn’t that he dumped a girl every other day like it was nobody’s business that gave him the renowned title. It was his habit of not refusing the next girl that came along. He just couldn’t say no. That was the only troubling fact about Jaeho—he could rapidly change his heart just as quick as he changed girls.

               Rae Mi and Youngbae had advised against Chae Rin’s decision to date the man, but so far their assumptions of him had been terribly led, for he showed no signs of leaving the ex-model any time soon. Well, that is, up until last week when he showed signs of reverting back to his old nature. But, Chae Rin somehow managed to look past the mishap and continue their relationship. Rae Mi could see why her aunt had fallen for him. His looks coupled with his personality made up a good man—it’s too bad one can’t change the very nature of a person because Jaeho’s nature was as twisted as they come.

               “I’ll help you get through this party,” Rae Mi promised Youngbae. The ballroom where the gathering was being held was at the center of Seoul’s fashion district. It would be crawling with potential clients and unfamiliar faces. His hand tightened around her smaller one as he flashed her a grateful glance. Even without words to express emotion, she knew exactly what he was feeling.

               “Thank-you,” he said, flashing his card at a security guard blocking the front entrance. Fashion fanatics eager to spot next week’s trend were lined up behind a velvet rope. They shouted their praises as Youngbae entered hand in hand with the girl he regarded as his own daughter. Before Youngbae could enter the party room, Rae Mi yanked him backwards behind a tall column. She bowed her head in forgiveness, letting her hair drift past her shoulders and cover her flushed cheeks.

               “I’m sorry about before,” she apologized. “I didn’t think about the amount of damage I was doing to you.”

               Youngbae merely nodded, smiling on the inside. “Forgive and forget.”

               As they’d suspected, the ratio of unfamiliar faces in comparison to familiar faces was evident. Rae Mi could’ve sworn she heard Cheol Yong’s laughter from across the room. Her eyes scanned the room until they landed on a familiar face she’d been dying to see. He looked relatively the same except for his new hair color—flaming red. Youngbae helplessly followed Rae Mi, however unlike her, he was not oblivious to the judging eyes surrounding them. Her hand left his as he watched her run into the arms of another man. He joined them, trying to catch up on their conversation.

               “Junsu,” Rae Mi called, enveloping her arms around his waist. “I haven’t seen you in such a long time. We have to catch up.” For a man afraid of females, Junsu was interacting a little too well with her. Youngbae counted to ten before both pulled away from the embrace. Cameras were flashing crazily at the skinship, but neither seemed to mind the attention too much for they walked off a second later. Youngbae sighed—left alone again.

               He blended in with the flock of company C.E.O.’s and occasionally shook hands when necessary. Most asked where Chae Rin was, which he had no clear answer. He didn’t even know if she had arrived. The feeling of someone brushing shoulders with him, changed his perception. He swiveled around uncomfortably as he watched her run off to the woman’s restroom. Jaeho was next to brush by him, trying to maintain his image by swiftly walking instead of dashing just as Chae Rin had been doing. Before he could get far, Youngbae grabbed at his arm and whipped him around, glaring straight into his eyes.

               “What did you do this time?” he spat, tightening his grip to the extent that his hand was now shaking. He didn’t care for appearances now. He would let the press have their field day, as long as the story revolved around him beating the out of Jaeho. Whatever the problem between them was, Youngbae just knew, it wasn’t Chae Rin at fault. The guilty look in Jaeho’s eyes said it all. “What did you do?” Youngbae repeated, seething at the lack of response from him.

               “We’re going to talk about this somewhere else,” he said quietly. He faced the latter and upturned his grip, making it look as though both were just shaking hands. Jaeho smiled at the cameras surrounding them and wrapped an arm around Youngbae’s shoulder in a friendly gesture. It suggested they were close friends when in reality, their relationship had taken on a much more hostile nature than originally perceived by the media. As the pair shifted away from reporters and their fully equipped camera crews, Jaeho tried to make his escape. The act earned him not only a condescending glare, but a light, teasing punch to the gut which only revealed a fraction of Youngbae’s real strength.

               “Spill,” Youngbae menacingly growled, ing Jaeho into a cushioned armchair. The brute force of his push sent the poor man tumbling backwards over the chair. Youngbae paced back and forth in front of the door, his mind reeling with possible situations. Each notion was more disastrous than the next in the sequence. Jaeho stood up defiantly, but cringed as another glare was pointed in his direction.

               “I didn’t think it would get this far, Youngbae, honestly,” he said. “You know how Chae Rin is. She’s a bit uptight when it comes to . . . physical needs. She just doesn’t understand the concept of it. It took four months before she finally let me kiss her. Everyone has a breaking point, right? You understand where I’m coming from,” he pestered. When Youngbae didn’t respond, Jaeho took the opportunity to continue with his speech, thinking it was getting him out of serious trouble. In fact, the opposite had occurred. He was digging his own grave.

               “Don’t even get me started on the ,” he continued ranting. “The first time I expected a little more, but I guess I’m happy with the fact I was her first. She didn’t want to do anything initially, but I told her I loved her and that finally got her to crack. One year of waiting and I wasn’t even fully satisfied! Had to fulfill my needs some other way—“

               “Bastard,” Chae Rin interrupted, keeping a strong front. Jaeho’s eyes dilated and flickered between Chae Rin and the open door. “I knew it. You make me sick. God, I should’ve just listened to Youngbae and Rae Mi when they said you were no good for me,” she said, shaking her head. She couldn’t deny the hurt she was feeling and the sheer embarrassment of having Youngbae witness the whole scandal was even worse. “We’re done, Jaeho,” she finally uttered, “for good this time.”

               “How was your trip to the States?” Rae Mi asked. She glanced from Junsu to the sidewalk every so often, trying to avoid cracks so she wouldn’t tumble or make an embarrassment of herself in front of him.

               “Boring this time around,” Junsu answered honestly. “There wasn’t much to do after I did what had to be done. I spent most of my time driving around the city,” he paused, thinking he was rambling too much. He unknowingly converted back to his shy nature, slyly widening the distance between himself and Rae Mi. “But enough about me, how was everything here?”

               “Typical,” she said carefully. “I practiced a bit on the runway with my aunt and Youngbae. It went better than I expected.” She turned to him expectantly to find him twiddling his thumbs nervously. She let a small giggle escape her lips at the familiar action. He was getting tense again.

               “You’re doing a fashion show soon?” Junsu jumped in, eager to collaborate with her again. “For who?”

               “Haven’t decided yet,” she shrugged. “Plus, I don’t think I’m ready. I still get those jitters on stage and trip on myself whenever that happens. Until I can steady myself, I don’t think I’ll be participating in one anytime soon.”

               “Liar,” he muttered, he felt the heat rush to his cheeks as Rae Mi looked at him questionably. She wasn’t meant to hear that statement. Junsu cleared his throat and peered around uncertainly. “What I meant was, you’re too modest with your talent. A little self-confidence never hurt anyone,” he advised, a hint of seriousness coloring his tone.

               “Oh?” she teased. “I suppose I should take your advice since you’ve been in this business longer than I have. Anything else I should know?” Junsu bit his lip and turned away from her heated stare. Intimidating as it was to have a girl’s attention, it was more nerve wracking in the fact it was Rae Mi. He’d been constantly texting her over the phone and felt he’d gotten closer to her. Problem was, texting and talking face to face were two entirely different concepts.

               “Actually, it was my brother’s advice. He was more of a genius when it came to modeling. I guess I can credit that to the fact he enjoyed it a lot more than other people did,” he said, opening up about the subject. He even surprised himself when his brother came into the conversation. It had been awhile since he’d dared to talk about him.

               “Your brother Kim Jaejoong,” she added. The perplexed look on his face told her he hadn’t expected her to know about him. “He was under the same agency as you. I heard from Chae Rin how he captivated everyone and just took the world by storm.” Junsu blinked curiously at the spark glittering in her irises. What did it mean?

               “Your eyes . . .“ he began, “they’re just like his. He’s probably learned to mask what emotions peeked through them, but it’s sort of refreshing to be able to see something like it again. Weird,” he muttered to himself. Rae Mi sheepishly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and concentrated on the cement instead of Junsu’s curious eyes. He had unconsciously drifted closer to her as their walk had progressed. She had now only noticed since his hands were brushing lightly against her own. If Junsu had caught on he didn’t show it. Both eyes were set firmly on the sidewalk.

               “A coincidence that we met,” she wondered. “Maybe you met me so that you could get a glimpse of him again.” She smiled as the though struck her. Junsu had other theories about the matter.

               “Maybe it’s a bit more complex than that,” Junsu said mysteriously. Rae Mi stared after him as he walked ahead of her. When he realized she’d stopped walking, he strode back to her. “Don’t think too much about it,” he said, answering her unanswered question. Junsu reached for her dangling hand, but paused halfway, heart beating twice its normal pace. Now wasn’t the time for romance. He was supposed to be focused on finding what happened to his brother.

               “Junsu?” Rae Mi called, standing a couple of steps ahead of him. He adjusted his vision and shook his head, jogging to catch up with her. A cruel wind swept by, blowing Junsu’s scarf off his shoulders. He quickly molded it back into shape around his neck, but it was too late for that. The streets had already been flocked by photographers and reporters from the party taking place a couple of blocks down.

It was no surprise when his name rang through the streets. First it was his name, then came the questions. Next, Rae Mi was thrown into the mix accidentally when he’d thrown her a sorry glance. People pushed and shoved around him, confusing him more. The constant flash of the camera and dozens of questions being fired at a time wasn’t helping either.

               “I need to get through,” he said gruffly, eyes flickering for any sign of Rae Mi, but there was none. Rae Mi had a similar episode and ended up dazed. She didn’t even know where she was. There happened to be a hospital nearby and by it, a wide alleyway of dumpsters followed. As she was figuring out what to do next a drunken voice rang through the silence, singing a tune. Rae Mi soon recognized it as Super Junior’s Happiness and let her curiosity take over. She peeked from behind the alleyway’s wall and marveled at the coincidence.

               “Noongamgo geudael geuryuhyo mamsok geudael chajajjyo nareul balkhyuhjooneun bichi boyuh yuhngwuhnhan,” he sang, sipping on a bottle of what looked like alcohol. He twirled around once, continuing to sing the happy tune before he drifted to the floor. He lay their silently, took a chug of his drink, and then began singing again in an off-key voice. The homeless man rolled onto his stomach and looked down the alleyway dazed, but aware he could no longer enjoy his own solitude. “What do you want?” he moaned in annoyance.

               Rae Mi quieted her breathing and remained still, hoping he would brush off her presence. “Come out—“ he began, but as the words escaped his lips, he tumbled to the floor and lay there unmoving. Did he pass out? Rae Mi asked herself. She stepped out from her hiding spot, tiptoeing to his side. One poke. Two Pokes. Another to the cheek. Still no response though.

               She sighed and sat next to his body, pulling her knees against her chest. She looked around the alleyway once, but soon returned to staring at him. Bulky cargo pants and an oversized overcoat covered his torso. A little higher up, a blue beanie, darkly tinted sunglasses, and a grey scarf completely concealed his facial features as if he wanted them to remain hidden. Rae Mi reached for his glasses when she noticed they were slightly crooked.

               It was an understatement to say his hand gripping onto her wrist seconds later was a surprise. He yanked her closer and beneath his glasses, his eyes gleamed with recognition. Rae Mi gasped and put her free hand over his chest, pushing herself away from him. She scooted closer to the wall and held a hand over her heart. “I thought—“

               “Nah,” he replied nonchalantly, waving her thoughts away. “No one gets drunk off of sparkling water.” He wordlessly handed her the bottle and crawled to sit next to her against the wall. She jumped a little when she felt his coat brush against her bare arm. “Sorry,” he said, although it didn’t sound like he meant it. How she would love to know the expressions he was hiding under all those accessories.

               “So . . . I saw you in a magazine yesterday,” homeless man said casually. Strangely, he tugged an orange from his coat pocket as he tried to strike up a conversation. “Well, one picture,” he corrected, peeling his fruit. “Your aunt, Chae Rin I presume, was getting interviewed. She mentioned you a couple of times. I guess that means you weren’t lying when you were talking about modeling before.”

               “Why would I lie about something like that?” she asked, frowning.

               “No reason,” he offered her a piece of orange which she took before continuing. “People aren’t who they say they are sometimes is all.” It was faint, but the smidge of sarcasm in his tone left her on high alert. He was hinting at something she couldn’t place at the moment.

               “Are you going to eat that or are you going to keep staring at me like that?” He questioned, popping an orange slice into his mouth. “It’s not contaminated, you know.”

               “I know,” she mumbled, biting into it. “What happened to that talk you promised before?” The homeless man grinned under his scarf.

               “Getting attached, are we?” He laughed at her flushed cheeks. “Just kidding, I wasn’t lying when I told you that, but it’s not like I could call you. I don’t have a cell-phone as you’ve probably guessed.” He gestured to his attire and shifted into a more comfortable position. A vibration noise echoed before another word could be spoken. Rae Mi checked her cell phone screen. Blank. Bright light shined through his coat pocket. It was his cell. Her head snapped up. Wait . . . what?!

               “So I lied about that part,” he chuckled, pushing himself onto his feet. “See you around. Someone’s probably looking for me.” He disappeared again, escaping all the questions swirling through Rae Mi’s mind. Was it her imagination? She glanced down at her hand now occupied with an unpeeled orange. No, definitely not.

               Youngbae poured himself a glass of water and downed it in one go after he’d tossed some sleeping pills into his mouth. He swore he was never going to drink alcohol again—the stuff made him think of things he didn’t want to deal with. Great. He tries to drown the pain out by drinking and what? It comes back and bites him in the behind, that’s what. He leaned over the kitchen sink, occupied by the dripping faucet. The shiny metal reflected the window above it, trying to imitate the full moon’s glow. He watched it for quite some time, trying to remember how long it had been since he had turned to alcohol but all he could come up with was two years ago at an associate’s wedding celebration.

               “Youngbae . . .”

               His eyes widened in surprise as Chae Rin’s arms encircled his torso. He could feel her pressing against his back when she should be asleep. He whirled around, scooping her up into his arms and walking towards his bedroom again. She kept groaning his name, her eyes still firmly shut. Sleep walking? Youngbae was halfway between the kitchen and his bedroom when Chae Rin’s eyelids fluttered open. She had no idea where she was. All she knew was that her head was pounding, her break-up was rearing its ugly head again, she needed to get rid of the pain, and what better way than to get with the perfect stranger? Her vision clouded as she stared up at the handsome man carrying her; he would have to do. Youngbae. The nametag on the pocket of his shirt said. She wasn’t going to regret this. She needed this.

               “Chae Rin, just go to sleep alright? I’ll be here when you wake up tomorrow. Get some rest,” he whispered once he noticed she was staring up at him. He looked down at her in confusion when he felt her gaze burning against his skin. He paused, stopping his route to the bedroom. “What’s wrong?”

               “Help me,” she pleaded, clutching on to his white dress shirt. “Youngbae, it hurts so much.” The latter’s eyes softened, contorting into pain the moment he watched his best friend suffering. He set her down on the couch, kneeling in front of her. He checked her forehead, then the side of her neck.

               “You’re a little warm. Maybe I should get you some medicine. Sit still, I’m going to get some in the kitchen,” he ordered, squeezing her hand. He stood up, turning towards the kitchen when he felt her hand on the back of his shirt. She shook her head, biting her lip.

               “Medicine won’t help. Please, just help me get rid of the pain.” At her request he pulled her closer.

               “Tell me where it hurts, Chae Rin.”

               She lifted her head to meet his worried eyes. Funny. A stranger cared more for her than her jerk of a boyfriend. Her hands reached up to cradle his face, slowly lowering his head until he was close enough. Then, she kissed him. She instantly felt better at the skin on skin contact but, she needed more. Youngbae pulled away hastily, backing away and cupping a hand over his mouth. Oh, God. He kissed her again. This wasn’t helping his situation at all. “Chae Rin, what are you doing?” he gasped.

               “Please, I need this. Just make it go away,” she said, stepping closer. He shook his head, walking backwards until his waist hit the marble kitchen counter behind him.

               “It’s the alcohol talking. You just need some rest,” he denied. Her eyes filled with tears and she sunk to her knees. Youngbae’s heart beat unsteadily against his chest at the action.

               “Please? It hurts,” she whispered. Youngbae gazed down at her in worry, slowly bending down.

               “Okay,” he sighed. “What do you want me to do?”

               “Kiss me. Hold me. Just make it go away,” she repeated. His eyes clouded at the request. He couldn’t.

               “I can’t. You’ll regret it later.”

               “Then I’ll find someone else who can make it go away,” she said, rising to her feet and heading to the door. Youngbae solemnly watched her fumble with the coat hangers. He couldn’t let her go out, it was nearly two.

               She moaned in ecstasy as his mouth warmed her neck, leaving small love bites trailing lower. The heat between their bodies was excruciating. Now, all she wanted was him. He breathed on her neck, kissing the tiny pink bruises again and returning his lips to hers as she pulled him back up. Her hands slid down the fabric of his shirt, pulling apart the buttons so that his chest was fully exposed to her. Her breathing halted as she stared at him. How could a stranger be so perfect?

               “Is the pain gone?” he asked, pulling away from her face. He was eager to get away, his cheeks stained red. This was the first time he’d acted on impulse. He was starting to feel utterly guilty too, but he couldn’t stop. Part of the reason being, he couldn’t think of another way to be with her. Chae Rin stared back at him, shaking her head.

               “No, I need more.”

@amore_koko: Uwah~ You saw the comparison! I'm glad you could relate to the characters, it was one of my main goals from the beginning. I'm hoping it'll make for a better story as time passes. ^^

@classiccrime: Phew, thought I was losing that edge. Don't want to reveal TOO much yet. The next chapter will be out soon! When I have time to edit after I complete some homework most likely . . . XD

@twinklingconfusion: -nods- You did comment before! I distinctly remember your username XD and thank-you~ Jaejoong. Funny story about him actually, I've started to write his first appearance. Sadly, you might have to wait a little more. I can give you a time estimate though. Two to three future chapters. ^^v

@hopetotheend: Aw, I think you just raised my self-esteem times a million. o^-^o Character development is important to me so I hope you'll connect with the characters. It's not just you, trust me. ;X Go to sleep! -whistles innocently- What dude with your username tatooed to his back? Nyhahaha. It's no problem. I enjoy your long comments~ >////<

@sarangstory: Finally. I think I'm getting back on track. ;D