Round Fifty-Eight

“Jessi, have you watched the news?”

“Tif.”

“Oh, right. I’m sorry. What am I thinking?”

“But Yul is going to watch it in a moment. What’s up?”

“Your sis is on the news.”

“What?!”

“Krystal is on the news. That girlfriend of Young’s that we saw at the car show has done some kind of publicity stunt and spun up a terrible story about Krystal coming in between them.”

“That ! What else did she say?”

“You’re not going to like this.”

“What? What?”

“I don’t know how they found out about it but they know that Krystal is your dad’s illegitimate daughter.”

“No. No. No, no, no. How did they—?”

“I don’t know. The news report doesn’t have Krystal’s picture or anything yet. All they reported was that the illegitimate Jung daughter is a boyfriend snatcher—if that isn’t bad enough already. But they’ll find her real soon.”

“Holy crap. This is bad.”

“You bet it is.”

“My dad is going to be so mad. He’s going to screw over the TV station that reported it.”

“There’s no point in doing that, Jessi. Once the news is out, it’s out.”

“I know. But I’m so pissed!”

“And they’re going to pester you as well.”

Jessica sighed. “I hate this kind of reporters. The kind that have no qualms with destroying your life just to sell a few more copies of their paper.”

“I’m just a phone call away if you need any help, Jessi.”

“Thanks Tif.”

~~~~~

The Jung family sat in their spacious and luxuriously furnished living room, looking more sombre than they ever had been. Jessica had gone home after calling Krystal to see if she was alright. Apparently, their father had known about the news leakage as soon as it was reported in the news and wanted them to gather at home.

“Soojung ah, I think it would be best that you stay at home for the next few days.”

“But they don’t know who I am yet. Wouldn’t it be more suspicious if I don’t go to work?”

“You could quit your job.”

Krystal shook her head. “No. I don’t want to.”

“Soojung ah, I’m only trying to protect you from the reporters.”

“I can’t hide forever.”

“But isn’t it your wish to stay out of the limelight? Isn’t that why you refuse to be introduced as my daughter?”

“Illegitimate daughter. Yes, I want to live like I did before. But I also want to spare you the trouble of having to deal with the mess that comes with officiating me as a Jung. And if they find out about who I am, it’s not going to make a difference whether I quit my job or not.”

“It’s going to be difficult for you at work.” Jessica looked at her worriedly. She knew what it was like to be the subject of everybody’s attention. She had had to deal with it all her life and hence, she was comfortable with it but she knew very well that Krystal was much more private as a person.

“I’ll just have to learn to deal with it. The good, the bad, the ugly. I’ll take on all of them.”

Jessica’s heart ached at the sight of Krystal’s forced resolute expression. Krystal had told her some stories about her life before coming here and it wasn’t pretty. She felt that Krystal had gone through enough and she didn’t want her to weather the storm all by herself this time. Instinctively, she inched nearer to Krystal and put her arm around the younger girl.

“Soojung ah, I’ll be here for you. You can count on your unnie to slap those es for you.”

“Unnie, you don’t have to get involved in this.”

“What nonsense. Of course I have to get involved. It’s my little sister that they’re bullying. Nobody hurts you and gets away with it with me around.”

“I’m not so little anymore, unnie.”

“Tsk. You’re younger than me so you’re little. Don’t argue with me on this.”

“Okay, but I still want to go to work.”

“The people who saw the drama at the car show would have figured out that you are that Jung by now. The gossip will spread like wild fire. You can be sure that they’ll all be whispering and pointing at you when you turn up for work tomorrow.”

“What drama at the car show?” Mama Jung was lost.

“There was a little…episode involving a girlfriend of Young’s and me,” Krystal explained.

“If that is the case, we’ll need to hold a press conference. We’ll need to be upfront about it before they start digging for the information. That way, they’ll leave you alone,” Papa Jung said confidently.

“Daddy, what about the scandal with Young? That stupid actress will milk this for all it’s worth to be famous.” Jessica could recognize a vicious and sly woman when she saw one.

“I’ll have to discuss this with the Choi family. But it will be easy to paint that actress as a person who is willing to do or say anything that will propel her to fame. You can also stand by your claim of innocence and maintain that the both of you are only good friends. Of course, no one will believe it but the scandal will eventually fade away.”

“I can handle it, Daddy. I’m very sorry about this. You are busy enough with your work without having to deal with this mess.”

“Soojung ah, it’s not your fault.”

“It is, it is. It’s my fault. The news must have started leaking from that car show and it’s all because I said something stupid to that actress. If I didn’t say all those things to her, she wouldn’t be doing this to me. To us.”

“Soojung ah, it’s because of me that you have to live such a difficult life. There is nothing I can do to make it up to you.”

“You are part of the family now, Soojung ah. You are a Jung. Embrace it. We are a family now. I may not be your biological mother but I have accepted you as a Jung—as difficult as it was—and I have come to terms with it, so you need to do the same.”

“And you have me, your gorgeous unnie, who will slap the es for you.”

Krystal teared and Jessica could feel her trembling slightly.

“You have Daddy, Mummy and unnie behind you. You’re not alone. So there’s no need to take on this all by yourself. You got that?”

“I got it, unnie.”

And Jessica smiled back at Krystal who smiled most beautifully with glistening eyes that spoke volumes of the intensity of the emotions that were running high at that moment.

~~~~~

“Have you gone nuts?! Why did you do that?”

“I’m not nuts. I’m brilliant. I’m now in talks with a TV station to star in a new drama. This publicity is more effective than you. You’ve been my manager for what—six months now? And I have yet to hear any good news from you about any drama. I’ll have to seriously reconsider renewing my contract with you once it expires.”

“Malina, you’ve only been in the modelling business for a little over a year. What do you know about entertainment? Six months is nothing if you’re looking for the right role that will propel you to fame. Do you even know what kind of role they are offering you?”

“Any role is better than no role. I’m young now, but I won’t be young for long. I don’t want to waste my time waiting for that suitable role.”

“I have kept you busy with photo shoots and modelling projects. Your income has been stable and higher than average. What are you unhappy about, Malina? We have an image to uphold, a career path to carve out. What you’ve just done is incredibly stupid and has gone against our terms of contract. You’ve not supposed to accept offers without telling me beforehand. I’m supposed to be the one representing you in negotiations with TV stations. How did you even get the offer? Did you accept help from external sources?”

“No. The daughter of your boss pulled some strings and got me into talks with a director and casting team.”

“The daughter of my boss? Lee Jieun?!”

“Yes. Lee Jieun.”

“How did you even get to know her? Why would she help you?”

Malina smirked. “That’s none of your business.”

“Yes. You’re right. It’s none of my business. As of today, I am not your manager anymore. You can liaise directly with my boss’ daughter and get yourself more opportunities. I will not manage an artiste like you.”

“You can’t do that! What about the contract?”

“Yes. Yes, I can. I’m the company’s top manager. Mark my words when I say that I can drop an artiste when I want to. You may be friends with Lee Jieun, but I am her father’s longest standing manager in the company. I have dropped artistes for reasons less severe than yours and artistes whom I have dropped take that much longer to find work. However, since you are backed up by her, you should have no problems landing yourself more jobs in future. I wish you well.”

“But—But the contract!”

Her manager scoffed. “You’ve already breached the terms of our contract. Besides, there is a clause in the contract that says that it is my prerogative to free you from the contract.”

“But what am I going to do without a manager to manage me?”

“You can always ask your friend for help.”

Malina was at a loss for words.

“You are young, impatient and impetuous. It is such a waste. I had such great plans for you. You have the potential but lack the aptitude. I see that now. If you and I do not share the same goals in your career landscape, it is best that we go our separate ways.”

Malina bristled at his words.

“You know what? You may have propelled many newbies to fame in the past, but you’ve lost your touch. You talk big, as though you can propel me to such great heights but the fact is, you’ve lost your touch.”

“Have I? Funny how you can say this when just a year ago, I landed one of the biggest roles of the year for our top A list actress and she won the Best Actress award this year.”

“That must have been a fluke.”

“A fluke?” The manager laughed. “I wish you luck, Malina, for you will need it. You think fame comes easy. You think staying famous is easy. You call landing a meaty role and winning an award a fluke.” He laughed again. “I’d like to see you succeed in this line with your mentality.”

~~~~~

The day after the news leak was punctuated by calls from reporters hoping to reach Jessica through Tiffany and Tiffany was sick of it. Utterly sick of it. She completely silenced her phone so that it wouldn’t ring or vibrate every five minutes or so. Then she put her phone aside and got back to work. Finally, she could work in peace.

~~~~~

Taeng sat on his bed, staring at his watch. He’d been sitting and staring since a quarter to ten. They’d agreed that he would call Tiffany at ten every night so that they could tell each other all about what their day was like. They planned to talk for about an hour till Tiffany fell asleep. That was the plan.

He waited impatiently for the hour hand to move. Just a few more minutes. A few more minutes. A few more minutes…

What time was it again? Nine fifty-one. Argh. This was the longest fifteen minutes of his life. Come on. Come on. Can the second hand move a little bit faster?! He hummed and tapped his foot but the second hand continued to crawl like a snail. Slow. So slow. Unbearably slow.

What time was it now? Nine fifty-two. He heaved a great, big sigh. He had to endure eight more torturous minutes before he could call Tiffany. Please go faster. Just a little bit faster. He tried blowing at his watch’s clock face in a bid to make the second hand go faster. Didn’t work. Darn.

Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.

Nine fifty-three. Help. He held his phone in his hand, ready to make the call as soon as the hour hand hit ten.

Then it struck him. He’d be cheating but…

He pulled the knob on his watch and turned it. The minute hand moved forward to the fifty-ninth minute. He pushed the knob back in and smiled. Thirty seconds to ten. Hurray. He could call Tiffany real soon.

At last, his watch said ten o’clock. His finger was tapping on her name as soon as the hour hand moved but something was horribly wrong.

The ringing tone went on and on. She did not answer the call.

“Nooo!” Taeng was almost devastated.

He tried again.

The ringing tone went on and on. She did not answer the call.

He couldn’t understand it. Why wasn’t she picking up her phone? Was it because he had cheated? Maybe. It wasn’t really ten yet. Maybe she’d answer the call at ten.

He suffered through the next few minutes, attempting to call her a few more times in between but was disappointed each and every time. He called and called but she never picked up.

Did she not look forward to his call? Why wasn’t she answering? The time now was eleven past ten. Had she forgotten about their agreement?

He tried calling her a few more times but decided to stop when it was almost eleven. She must have forgotten. She had forgotten about him. She didn’t miss him. She was fine without him.

“Peas…” He pouted at his peas sadly. “She’s forgotten about our promise already.”

~~~~~

“Morning, Sunny.”

“Morning, Yoongie.”

Yoong leaned in and Sunny responded with a quick peck on his lips and a happy smile afterwards.

“So I saw you getting out of a car after lunch yesterday. Did you meet someone during lunch?” Yoong asked as casually as possible as they entered the elevator together.

Sunny tensed for a split second. It was quick but Yoong was looking out for it so he caught it. He frowned inwardly but kept his face as passive as possible as he punched the ninth button to get the elevator going.

“Yeah, I met an old friend.”

“Old friend? Do I know your friend?”

“No, you don’t.”

“Oh. I’ll take it that you had a good time with your friend and forgot to eat? I saw you eating a sandwich in the office after coming back.”

“Yeah, we were chatting so much that I kind of forgot about lunch so I grabbed a sandwich.”

Yoong couldn’t take it anymore. He had to ask.

“So is your friend a male or female.”

Sunny responded without hesitation. “Male.”

Yoong in his breath and exhaled quickly. “And you didn’t see the need to tell me about it?”

“No. It wasn’t anything significant enough. It was just a chat.”

He could feel the green monster rearing its head from within but he reminded himself that he wasn’t supposed to be jealous over little things.

I have to trust Sunny. She’s being totally honest so there’s nothing to worry about. Trust. Trust.

Yoong tried his best to smile. “Okay.”

The elevator doors opened just then.

“After you, my lady.”

Sunny giggled and stepped out. Yoong kept his smile as he leaned in and kissed her forehead.

“Have a good day at work, bunny,” he whispered in her ear.

“Right back at you, Yoongie.”

~~~~~

“Taengoo…”

Tiffany giggled. Taeng was dancing with his peas in the silliest manner.

“Boom boom boom…”

Tiffany frowned. What was that irritating noise? Go away! She moved her hand about in search of the sound and found her phone. She opened her eyes a crack, stopped the annoying noise and closed her eyes again.

Where did Taetae go?

Her eyes remained closed for a few more seconds before they sprang open in shock. She was sprawled over her work desk and her laptop was in hibernation mode. She came to the conclusion that she had fallen asleep while working again and groaned. It was not one of her favourite ways of sleeping. More often than not, it meant a strained neck or back. Sure enough, her neck was strained. She could feel the pull of muscles when she turned too far to the right. Argh. What a way to start the day.

A second look at the phone sent a chill running down her spine. She felt terrible immediately. Terrible. Horrible. How could she? Argh! There on the screen of her phone was the notification that she had missed many calls from Taeng.

~~~~~

Taeng woke up to the sound of his phone ringing. He groaned and turned but his eyes remained closed. The phone rang on incessantly. He tried to tolerate it but lost the battle after a few seconds. He reached out and picked up his phone.

“Hello?” he croaked with his eyes still closed.

“Taetae, I can’t see you.”

His eyes sprang open at once. There was no better agent to wake him up than the sweet sound of Tiffany’s voice. He looked at the screen and saw Tiffany smiling beautifully. For a split second, he felt immense happiness. Then unhappiness welled up and snuffed out the happy flame.

“Fany, I am angry with you.”

She looked apologetic immediately. “I’m sorry. I fell asleep last night.”

“We promised to call at ten.”

“I know, I know. But I couldn’t help it. I don’t even know when I dozed off.”

“I called and called. I was very sad.”

“I’m so sorry.” Tiffany’s eyes lost their shine.

“Didn’t you miss me? I missed you so much that I was waiting for ten o’clock. I was staring at the clock, Fany. Staring at the clock. While you were sleeping.”

“Taetae… I don’t know what to say.”

Taeng felt bad. Tiffany looked very sorry and very sad. He probably ruined her morning. He ruined her beautiful smile. Yet, he was entitled to be unhappy. He had the right to.

“Fany, let’s talk tonight. At ten. I’m still tired and angry and I don’t want to make you sad.”

“Taetae… I’m really, really sorry.”

“I know you are. I’m just so disappointed.”

“Will a kiss make you feel better?”

“A kiss? But you’re not here.”

Tiffany brought the phone to her lips and kissed the camera lens.

“A virtual kiss.”

“I can’t feel it. It only works if I can feel it.”

Tiffany sighed. “Okay, we’ll talk tonight. At ten. I promise to be here when you call.”

“Okay. I have to go now. I promised to spend the day with Hayeon. I will tell you all about her graduation tonight. She was so happy yesterday and I really wanted to tell you all about it. I’ve got lots of pictures in my camera to show you too.”

“I’m very sorry. You were so eager… and I wasn’t there.”

“Just…don’t fall asleep again, please.”

“I won’t.”

“Goodbye, Fany.”

“Bye Taetae.”

~~~~~

“So is the news about that illegitimate daughter true?”

“I’m not answering that question.”

“Oh come on, you must know all about it, right?”

“I said, I’m not answering that question.”

“It’s going to be in the news soon anyway. I’m sure there’s more to come.”

“Then you can get it from the news. You aren’t going to get anything from me. You better get back to work. He’s watching.”

Yul heaved a sigh of relief after his co-worker turned back to her desk. If he was being hounded like that at work, what was it like for the sisters, he wondered. He couldn’t help but worry for both Jessica and Krystal. The younger sister especially. Jessica said that she insisted on going back to work as usual when he called her late last night. In fact, Jessica seemed to be quite resilient to the bad news so there probably wasn’t much to be worried about. He was sure that she could handle the attention and the press. She had ample practice after all. It was Krystal who was new to this. New to the press, new to the vicious tongues of the general public, new to the possibly bad consequences of being exposed as the illegitimate daughter of the Jungs.

Unable to put his mind to rest and concentrate on his work, he decided to step out and call Jessica. It was almost noon. Jessica should be awake by now.

“Hi baby.”

He heard a kiss on the other end and smiled.

“Good morning, Kwon seobang.”

He chuckled. “It’s not morning anymore, baby.”

“It’s morning as long as I haven’t had breakfast.”

He chuckled again. Jessica had a knack for saying the darnedest things at times.

“Whatever you say, princess.”

“Why did you call? Is anything wrong?”

“Nothing. I was just worried about you and Krystal.”

“Oh. There’s nothing to worry about. I’m fine. I’ve been holed up in my room since last night and I only woke up a while ago. Amber and Suzy called though. I’ll call them back later.”

“I’m actually more worried about Krystal. Some of my co-workers have been asking about the news. I can only imagine how bad it must be for her if her co-workers have figured out that she is the one.”

“You’re more worried about her than me? You’re calling me because of her? I thought you called because of me.” Jessica sounded unhappy.

“What? No. It’s just that—”

Jessica’s giggle stopped him.

“I’m just teasing you. Relax.” There was a slight pause before she added, “But you better love me a lot more than you love her.”

Yul burst into laughter. Jessica was going to drive him nuts one day. Wait, no. He was nuts for loving her.

“I’m serious, Yul.”

“Baby, you have nothing to worry about. I love you.”

Jessica giggled. “I love you too.”

“Call me if there’s anything, okay?”

“I will.”

Yul smiled when he heard Jessica’s kiss again. Something about hearing it almost made it better than the actual kiss itself. Almost,but not quite. It was definitely better to kiss her in person.

“I feel like kissing you right now, baby.”

“Me too.”

Yul glanced at his watch. If he took lunch a little later…

“Baby, join me for lunch today.”

“Sandwiches?”

“In the office.”

“I’ll need an hour.”

“I’ll see you at one.”

Jessica giggled. “Okay.”

~~~~~

Tongues were set wagging by the appearance of a certain lady at one. Everyone was surprised to see her, especially when she was in the limelight for news that wasn’t exactly good.

Jessica knew that they were whispering about her. She knew that they were all wondering if she really had a sister. But none of it bothered her. Let them whisper. Let them wonder. She didn’t have to care. She was fabulous regardless. And she only had eyes for a certain man who was yet again, completely engrossed in his work. Oh, he was so y when he stared at those pages so intensely. It was similar to yet different from the intense look that he gave her when they were…intimate. His brows were furrowed. Oh, how she loved to finger his brows after they were…intimate. They wouldn’t be furrowed then. Instead, they were completely relaxed and at ease.

She smiled and rapped his table. He looked up and smiled in return. He pulled an empty chair for her and she sat down elegantly. The sandwiches were put on the table and he opened the box. Beautifully made sandwiches, courtesy of a certain samchon, were waiting to be eaten. He took one out and offered it to her. She tried to take it with her hands but he shook his head and pulled away.

Huh?

He grinned and put it near . Somewhere at the back of her mind, she could hear gasps but they didn’t bother her. All she knew was that her beloved Kwon seobang was feeding her and she loved it. She leaned forward slightly and opened , taking a small, dainty bite from the sandwich. It was delicious. He then brought the sandwich to his mouth and took a bite out of where she bit. She couldn’t help smiling as their eyes met. It was amazing how electric it still was between them.

“I must be crazy but I feel like kissing you right now,” he whispered in her ear.

Her eyes widened at once. This was so unlike Yul! But she liked it. Oh, she loved it!

“Let’s finish our sandwiches quickly,” he said.

So she nodded and chewed faster than before.

~~~~~

Eyes followed them as they left the office but by that point in time, neither of them cared. They walked quickly to his car and got in. And like a dog that finally got out of its leash, their lips met. There was vigour. There was passion. There was no time for light, fluttery kisses. They went straight for the kill with deep, deep kisses; their tongues meeting as their lips parted and engulfed the other person’s lips. It was lips on lips, tongue on tongue. Their heads moved fluidly, never falling out of sync. The sounds of their lips meeting filled up the space in the car as did the sounds of their clothes rubbing against the leather seats. And they continued to kiss, losing sight of where they were and who they were.

When they finally stopped, they were breathing heavily. Forehead against forehead, they clutched at each other for support.

“Seobang,” breathed Jessica.

“Baby,” breathed Yul.

“That was so good.”

“I know.”

“I wish we could.”

“I know.”

Jessica glanced at the time flashing away on the dashboard.

“But we’ve run out of time.”

“Tonight, baby. We’ll have time.”

“It’s difficult to wait so long.”

“But it’s going to feel so much better once the wait is over.”

Jessica’s eyes gleamed.

“You’re right.”

“Time to go, baby.”

Jessica sighed. “Okay.”

They got out of his car, held hands and headed back up to where Jessica’s driver was waiting patiently.

Yul kissed her one last time before letting her go.

“Bye, see you tonight.”

Jessica’s eyes danced as she smiled. “See you tonight.”

Yul headed back to his office after that and had a very productive day at work.

~~~~~

“Dad, I don’t know if you’ve heard the news yet, but I thought I should call you and explain everything to you.”

“I just got to hear it. And I’m glad you called me before I called you but I want to hear your explanation.”

Young took a deep breath and explained. He told his father everything. From the fiasco with Malina at the car show to the truth about Krystal’s identity. He split everything.

His father was silent for a while.

“Dad? You still there?”

Long distance calls could be cut off sometimes without you knowing it.

“I’m here. I’m just thinking.”

“Krystal is innocent. It’s not her fault, Dad.”

“I know that. This whole fiasco is your own doing. It’s the end of your playing days, son. It’s time for you to settle down. You need to get engaged. That will shut the irritating mouths of our shareholders.”

“Get engaged?!”

“Why are you so surprised. You know that your playing days will have to end the moment it gets into the way of business. I’m already starting to get concerned calls from some people.”

“I don’t want to get engaged.”

“Well, you could come over to America and join me here. It’s less of an issue here than back home.”

Young gasped. ‘No, I want to stay here. Everyone is here. Mum is here. Noona is here. My friends…”

“It’s either you come to America or you get engaged. You don’t have to stay in America forever. Maybe two or three years? Until the news dies down and investors forget about you and your behaviour.”

“No, I can’t leave.”

“Then you have to get engaged.”

“To?”

“Krystal.”

“WHAT?!”

“Yes, the very girl who is said to have come in between you and that conniving girl.”

“Why Krystal? No, no. She can’t be engaged to me. What makes you think she’ll agree to it anyway. She won’t agree. Heck, her family won’t agree to it either. I’m not a good husband for her.”

“Really?” His father chuckled. “My son, I know Krystal’s father well. He is every bit the businessman like me. And they do want to keep their daughter’s image clean. It won’t do to have her look like a loose woman with no morals. And she works for you. Do you know how bad this looks for our company and her?”

“I know. I know that I’ll be pressured to step down. I don’t mind. I can leave the company and let someone else run it. Noona! Noona can run it.”

“And she’ll have to quit too.”

Young winced. Krystal wouldn’t want to quit. He knew it. He knew it the moment he was told that she had turned up for work this morning.

“No. I won’t make her quit if she doesn’t want to.”

“Son, do you love her?”

“What?” spluttered Young. “Why would you say that?”

“It’s plain to see, frankly speaking.”

“No, no. It’s not like that. I love her as a sister. The younger sister that I never had.”

“Don’t bull me. You may be able to lie to your friends but you can’t lie to me. I know you, son. I know you like the back of my hand.”

“I’m not lying.”

“Tell me the truth, son. That’s the only way I can help you.”

Young squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn’t lie to his father. If he was going to protect Krystal, he couldn’t lie to his father.

“I love her.”

~~~~~