Chapter Eighteen

 

“So how was your day?”

“Exhausting.”

Kai had dropped by in the late evening in order to walk her back to the shop. Lay and Ileana went over the dance once to show Kai their progress. He seemed more than overjoyed with her performance, which took a weight off her chest. Lay told her that she did well and that he would see her tomorrow before he left them. With that, she somehow managed to change into her original clothing and dragged herself into the elevator with Kai.

“Lay must have worked you really hard then.” Kai snickered as they turned a corner in the dimly lit streets.

“You kidding me? I didn’t get that good with us just sitting around and drinking tea. He worked me to the bone.” She groaned, still dragging her foot against the ground. Kai sighed and stopped in front of her.

“Get on.” He said as he crouched down to the ground.  She normally would have protested, but her body practically flung itself onto his back. Kai easily stood up with the extra baggage and continued on his way.

“You did really well.” Kai complimented her, “I’m excited to try it out with you.”

“Thanks.” She mumbled, “By the way, why did you say Lay owed you a favor?”

“Because he did.”

“But he said he didn’t owe you anything.” 

“He might see it that way, but he actually owes me big time.”  Kai replied, hitching her up higher on his back, “I was the one who got him serious about dancing after all.” She paused and remembered when Xiumin told her about the competitiveness between the two.

“That I guess that goes with what Lay told me. He said one of the main reasons he agreed to teach me was because of you and I think he meant it in a competitive way.”

“I’m not surprised; he thinks anything I do is challenge towards him.” Kai chuckled.

“Ha! No kidding. Instead of a student, he saw me as a tool to challenge you with.  I mean, he told me that he’d be  the molding me and that you’d be dancing with something he created. Like I was never going to fully be your partner or something. I don’t know if I’m making sense here, I could barely understand but…He’s just weird, okay?”  She sighed and rested her cheek on his shoulder.

“If he thinks it’s going to play out like that, he has another thing coming.”

“Oh?”

“He doesn’t understand that he’s just the fairy godmother and not the prince in this play. So you better prepare yourself for what I have in store for you.” He chuckled and gave her legs a tight affectionate squeeze.  

“As long as you don’t kill me.”

“Can’t make any promises.” Kai received a punch to his shoulder as a reply.

It didn’t take long for them to arrive to the shop. Kai excused himself as he usually did and walked off to the stock room. She left as well and went up the stairs to Sehun’s flat. She saw the slice of heaven that was the couch and quickly plopped herself down onto it. It appeared Sehun hadn’t arrived home yet. She wiggled in order to make herself more comfortable when she felt something in her back pocket. She reached and pulled out a napkin. She remembered that that Chen’s communicator number was written on it. She sighed and got off of the couch and entered the kitchen where the communicator was.

She picked up the communicator and dialed the numbers that were on the napkin. She heard a few beeps before he picked up.

“Ileana?” He asked.

“Hi to you too.” She mumbled, leaning against the wall.

“I hope you realize what you’re doing is incredibly stupid.” He hissed through the phone.

“It must be if you’re asking me to call you.”

“Don’t give me attitude, this is for your own good. You cannot go to that banquet.”

“And why not?” 

“Because.”

“Okay, you convinced me, looks like I won’t go anymore.” She oozed out her sarcasm that best she could.

“It’s dangerous Ileana. It’s like you’re putting a target on your back.”

“I’ll take the precautions to not to get noticed, okay? Now if that’s all you wanted to talk about, I’m rather tired and-“

“Why aren’t you taking this seriously? That people I warned you about are going to be there by the dozens. You could die-”

“You think I don’t know that!” She shouted into the phone. “I know this is dangerous! But what else am I supposed to do? Just go on living and ignore this stupid mark, ignore that stupid vision, ignore the people depending on me? ”

“It’s not worth your life-“

“So I’m supposed to worry about my own life when there are so many others at stake? If I can help stop this stupid war by attending a stupid banquet to entertain some sick bastards who think a war will solve their stupid problems, then I sure as hell will take the damn risk. I’m done talking to you now. Good night Chen. And may you grow some balls in the future.”

She promptly hung up the communicator in a fury.

“Who was that?”

She jumped a mile high and whipped around to face a not too pleased Sehun.

“No one.” She squeaked as Sehun inched closer.

“You better tell me before I get mad.” He muttered in a low tone. She felt shivers run up her back.

“Okay, okay! It was the guy I met at the tea shop. He was trying to convince me not to go to the banquet.”

“And why would he do something like that?” Sehun eyed her suspiciously. She shot her hands up in defense.

“I don’t know. He seemed genuinely concerned for my wellbeing. I’m not sure if you heard, but I told him to place his concerns elsewhere.”

“Like to his lack of balls?”

“Exactly. Wait, what?”  She leaned back in surprise. Sehun just smirked at her and walked away. Even Sehun can make a joke sometimes. She thought. She shrugged her shoulders, followed after Sehun and plopped herself down on the couch next to him.

“How did the crash course with Lay go today?” Sehun asked, fiddling with his fingers.

“Better than expected. I caught on well enough. But I don’t think he knows the meaning of the word break.”  She pouted, remembering how brutal Lay was near the end when he knew Kai was going to arrive soon. Sehun gave her a small smile.

“I guess I should leave you to sleep then. You still have all tomorrow to practice and then it’s your big night.”

 She nodded and stood up with him. They awkwardly stood there together before Ileana took a step forward and stretched her arms open.

“Good night.” She said and squeezed Sehun tightly. “Thanks for all you’ve done so far.”

Sehun tensed when she first touched him but he loosened up and lightly wrapped his arms around her. They stood there for a few moments before pulling back. He sighed and pushed some hair out of her face.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” He asked, lightly rubbing his thumb under her eye. She closed her eyes and exhaled sharply.

“Sehun, I hope I don’t have to tell you to grow some balls as well.”

“I’m just…worried. I didn’t really think of all the bad scenarios that could happen tomorrow night.”

“Just don't think like that. I’ll be fine. Besides, I have a smooth dancing robot watching over me. I’m sure he’ll steer me away from trouble.”

Sehun nodded his head and dragged his hand down from her face to her shoulder to give it a squeeze. “Good night, Ileana.”   And he hesitantly walked away from her. She exhaled loudly before falling onto the couch behind her. She lay down across it and placed a blanket over her. Sighing contently, she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.

It didn’t take long for her eyes to reopen and find herself in the usual dark room that greeted her whenever she slept. She slowly drifted herself into a sitting position, her body still trying to recover from fatigue and waved toward a waiting Kris. He surprisingly greeted her with a small smile.

“Hello.” She said, “You look happy.”

“What are your plans tomorrow night?” Kris asked her, almost looking excited. She was really baffled by his change in character.

“Why?” She countered.

“Come to Sector M’s banquet.” Kris invited her with a smirk and a small twinkle in his eyes, “I could get your name onto the guest list and then we could finally meet.”

Oh, how her body became as stiff as wood. She didn’t even think of Kris attending the banquet. It made sense now that she thought about it. He was some sort of a higher ranking member in Sector M society, and anyone who was anybody in Sector M was supposed to be there. She felt so completely screwed.

“What’s wrong?” Kris’ voice cut her train of thought. “You looked like I asked you to donate your liver.”

She boomed out a painfully awkward laugh, “Oh! No! You took me by surprise. I mean, little old me going to a banquet like that. Ha.Ha. Funny joke…yeah.”

Kris knitted his eyebrows together, “I wasn’t joking, I’m really inviting you to come.”  She felt go dry.

“Um, thanks. But I don’t think I’ll fit in very well. I mean, I’m pretty average and just. ..Yeah.” She stuttered out, her sudden quick thinking ability gone.

“I didn’t think you were someone who cared about those kinds of things.” Kris said with a clear judging tone.

“I don’t!” She protested, “But, it’s just... You told me you were someone pretty important.  I thought maybe your image would be tarnished or something by being associating yourself with someone like me.”

“Although I’m glad you’re worried about my image, I could careless about how other people perceive me.  So will you come?” She could hear traces of hope in his voice, which broke her heart a little. But, she had to stay strong. She was supposed to be a faceless dancer who took snippets of conversation from unsuspecting people at the banquet. She was not to run off and have fun with Kris. Priorities were already sorted.

“I can’t go Kris.” She said in an apologetic tone. His expression immediately went flat.

“Why not?”

“I already made engagements with a friend.”

“Break them.” Kris replied in a rather haughty tone.

“I can’t, Kris. Trust me, I would love to go to the banquet. I mean, it’s a banquet, who wouldn’t want to go? But my friend really needs me tomorrow and she asked me ages ago to help her out. I’m sorry, Kris.”

Kris took that as a defeat. He still didn’t seem too pleased.

“You can’t reschedule?”

“No.”

“Can you try?”

“I’m not going to burden her like that.”

“I just want to see you without a glass between us! Is that such a hard thing to ask?” Kris roared at her. She jumped back, slightly frightened.  There was a small moment of silence. She didn’t know what to say. She really didn’t.

Kris was breathing heavily and murmured out, “Do you not feel the same?”

She gaped at him, opening and closing as she did. She searched Kris’ eyes for something but couldn’t find anything that made sense.  She gulped and felt words finally leave , “I-I do. I do want to meet you. It…it just can’t be at the banquet, Kris. Please stop pushing me.”

Kris’ lips pulled back into a grim line before he rubbed his hands over his face frustrated. “I won't have much time to see you after the banquet.” He murmured out.

“Unless…” He paused and stared at her hard, “Have you made a decision with which sector you’ll be staying in?”

“No, I haven’t.” She whispered.

“You have to stay in Sector M if you wish to meet with me. It’s the only way.”

“Why’s that?”  

“You have 7 days to decide.”

She stared hard at Kris, “I don’t understand Kris. “