13
Their Kingdom Panorama
/\_____/\
After watching the two walk off Kyuhyun got up from where he was sitting and headed toward So Rae’s office. Pushing the door open he walked in to find her scrawling over some papers. He noticed how her fingers slightly paused before she started scribbling even slower. Heaving a loud sigh purposely he looked around the room before turning back to her.
“Do you have anything planned for me?” he questioned.
She ignored him.
“I’m planning to head out for lunch, do you want to join me?”
No reply.
“Then I’ll see you later.”
Kyuhyun turned around and walked out. When he opened the door he found the dressed up man from earlier walking back toward the office. He curiously looked at him with a bow and headed down the hallway toward the elevator.
“Have a good day, sir,” the woman behind the counter greeted when he passed.
He nodded and headed toward the expensive glass doors to find the long haired girl from earlier pacing around. Eying her with a smile he stuffed his keys back into his pocket and watched as she ran toward the almost departing bus. Quickly following her he jumped onto the doorstep climbing in.
After paying his fare he searched around the empty bus and found her sitting by the window. Walking pass her he chose the seat behind her and allowed a grin to grow on his face.
/\_____/\
So Rae set her pen down just before a knock surfaced on her door.
“Come in,” she called.
Donghae walked in with a nervous smile growing on his face.
“Uh…that is…” he began, “my job…what will I be doing?”
“Well, what are you good at?” So Rae looked at him with those large eyes of hers.
Donghae could feel himself start to sweat slowly. She was so pretty. It was just as he’d always imagined.
“I…I can do pretty much anything,” he stuttered.
So Rae eyed him before leaning back in her chair to relax.
“Then be my bodyguard and…” she paused before continuing, “chauffeur.”
“Eh?” Donghae felt his head fall forward.
“You don’t want to?” So Rae asked shaking her head.
“Uh…no, no!” Donghae held out his hand as if it’d help him explain. “I was just surprised. I can do it!”
“Lunch inside this building will be free, but if you decide to head out then the bill is your own problem,” So Rae told, “you can close the door behind you when you leave.”
“Leave?” Donghae repeated surprised by how quick their conversation had come and went.
“Oh yes,” So Rae called when he turned around only to turn back to look at her, “that man with the guitar case, if he tries to come in without a good reason don’t let him in.”
“Ah…yes…” Donghae nodded before closing the door after him then asked himself, “then what’s a good enough reason?”
/\_____/\
Where to go now? Victoria was unsure, but since it’d be her last day of freedom before she started her official job she wanted to stay out all day for as long as possible. Glancing out at the people passing by she promised herself that maybe after she repaired her grandmother’s home she’d dress herself up just as nice. Besides she wasn’t on a level too different from them, was she?
A smile crawled onto her face before she suddenly jumped up to press the stop button.
/\_____/\
He watched her get up and hesitated before running off the bus before the doors closed. Sticking both hands into his pockets he slowly step by step followed her down the sidewalk.
/\_____/\
Victoria walked along the crosswalk silently. The wind swayed her hair gently to the side and she was glad that she hadn’t dressed up in jeans or for sure she’d be sweating it out like a pig right there.
Her head slightly turned when a pair of girls dressed up in dresses and heels passed by with a tall man in the middle joking and laughing with them. If she’d grown up like they had she wondered where she’d be right now? Still attending school? Or would she be married perhaps?
The thought amused her before her head turned to her right and backtracking her steps she shifted her body to look at the blown up picture of Athens, Greece. It was a picture taken high up from somewhere and down below she could see the stone ruins that had belonged to the Roman Empire. Large stones that had broken off buildings lay everywhere scattered like dirt. In the center she could see large stairs traveling down in a very steep manner.
“Whoa…” she felt the amazed gasp escape her.
The wild green trees that had built themselves around the ruins stood out very clearly underneath the bright sun. And the large poles along the sides that had been carved into woman let loose another breath of amazement from her. When her eyes traveled farther to the edge of the picture she noticed a face that hadn’t been there before. Suddenly spinning around she felt a shout escape her as her back fell against the glass window.
The man seemed shocked with her reaction and only stared at her with bewildered eyes before awkwardly smiling before bowing.
“Hi there,” he greeted.
Lowering her hand from her chest she felt her eyes grow large from just the sight of him.
“I’m Cho Kyuhyun.” he introduced himself.
Victoria found herself frowning absurdly at him.
“You’re…from earlier?” she pointed a finger at him.
“Ah…” he laughed a bit and as he reached a hand up to ruffle his hair Victoria could see that he was still carrying his guitar around. “I was heading out for lunch, but I saw you jump on the bus and decided to follow you.”
“Follow?” she repeated roughly. “You followed me?!”
Her emphasis on the word follow was so strong that his face lit up in surprise at her reaction, “I didn’t mean it that way.”
With another stare at the strange man before her she turned to start walking away. A quarter of the way down the block she turned back to make sure he wasn’t following her and quickly ran across the street making sure that she disappeared from his sight.
/\_____/\
The brown door opened and a man in a suit walked in discreetly on fast feet. Pausing by the side of the oak desk he bowed toward the light grey haired man.
“They’ve gone out of sight, sir,” he half whispered.
A thick magazine bounced off the edge of the desk loudly creating a hollow echo which drifted about the room. The man in the suit jumped from surprised, but remained in his spot with hands held in front of him.
“You useless punks! I should just cut all of your hands off!” Park Mung Soo exploded standing up from his chair before sitting down again.
“I’m sorry, sir.”
“What good does ‘Sorry’ do now?!” he erupted.
The man in the suit pressed his lips together.
“It’s a good thing they don’t know me,” Park Mung Soo rubbed his finger against his chin. “No one has begun to suspect me thus far.” he turned to look back at the man. “Get out.”
The man in the suit bowed swiftly before pivoting his foot to walk out. When he opened the door President Bang glanced up into his face curiously before walking in.
“President!” Park Mung Soo called surprised.
Once the door closed he watched as the President turned back to glance at the doorway.
“I see you have some business. I should have had my secretary call in before I walked in myself,” President Bang told taking a seat by the shiny leather couch in the center of the room.
Park Mung Soo eyed the President from behind and assumed from his words that he hadn’t heard anything. Clearing his throat he pressed a button on his phone.
“Please bring in two cups of tea,” he said before joining the President on the couch opposite him. Crossing his legs he leaned back, “I didn’t expect such a quick visit from you, Dae Jung.”
President Bang heaved a sigh before the door opened and a woman dressed in a neat cut dress walked in with a tray. She set it on the table before them and walked out. Park Mung Soo turned to confirm that the door had closed and turned back to his long time friend.
“I felt like having some fresh air.”
“Fresh air?” Mung Soo laughed. “My office doesn’t provide fresh air.”
“But apart from my office, it’s more relaxing here.”
“Relaxing?” Mung Soo silently contradicted his friend before speaking aloud, “Well then something must be bothering you.”
President Bang nodded slowly, “I’m anxious for this whole investigation.”
“Why? Isn’t getting your daughter back good enough?”
President Bang seemed to fly into thought for the longest moment ever. “Now that father is dead, I can finally defy him by bringing back my first daughter.”
There was a long pause and Park Mung Soo hoped that his reaction remained still and calm apart from all the surprise that was suddenly flowing through him.
“But I’m not sure how to deal with So Rae.”
“Hold on a moment,” Mung Soo stopped him. “You mean…So Rae isn’t your daughter?”
/\____/\
4 years to think about a lost daughter and it’d been only 1 year since he’d taken action to find his daughter. Did he really just miss his daughter as any other father would? Or were there really family history that she did not know about? Would asking her father give her any brief answers? Or would she just be pushed away some more?
So Rae stared at the resting area in her office. Her mind was spinning and she was beginning to develop a headache from all the reading she’d done that morning just to spite Kyuhyun who, in the end, didn’t even seem to care. If she changed her attitude around to forgive him and start being kinder toward him…would he start liking her then?
She found herself shaking her own head uselessly.
What mattered most at the moment was climbing up to the top and making sure that not even her sister would throw her off. She needed to be untouchable, invincible.
Turning toward her phone she pressed a button.
/\_____/\
President Bang nodded his head in a very tired manner as if he had no more energy. He lowered his headed and rested it between his hands.
“I had long since known about the wedding between So Rae’s mom and I,” he explained slowly, “but we each had our own separate lovers. After my father locked me in for half a year I finally escaped his clutches and ran away with Tae In, but they came after us and I was forced back. That was the last time I saw her.”
Mung Soo’s eyebrows curbed into a frown.
“I was planning to go look for her again, but then I found out So Rae’s mom was pregnant and her current boyfriend had passed away from a marine accident,” President Bang shook his head painfully, “I had no choice…”
Mung Soo rested his eyes on President Bang awed by the whole story he’d never heard of before.
“Then your daughter…”
“I only found out about her through the pictures Tae In sent back,” President Bang’s voice became hoarse, “the pictures my father kept from me until his death. “
Mung Soo still frowned, “Then anyone can step up and claim they’re your daughter.”
President Bang shook his head and finally raised his head up, “I left a family inheritance with her and we promised that if anything were to happen it would make its way back to me. My daughter’s identity belongs with that piece of necklace and the ring I left them.”
Mung Soo’s eyes lit up.
“Where is that necklace now?” he asked.
President Bang shook his head. He didn’t know. He had no idea where the necklace had gone.
/\_____/\
The door opened and Donghae cautiously walked in.
“You called for me?” he asked.
So Rae grabbed her purse from the coat rack and grabbed some keys out of the drawer at the back of her desk. Walking forward she handed the keys to him.
“They’re the only copies I have since my old driver lost his,” she explained, “make sure you don’t lose it.”
Donghae nodded and looked up to see her walk pass. Opening the door she began walking out into the hall. He took it as a gesture to immediately follow her and when he turned the corner he found her already standing in the elevator. Hesitating about whether he should go in to join her or not he paused.
“Get in,” she ordered.
“Ahh…yes!” he replied walking in.
“Ground floor,” she said.
“Eh?” he turned to look at her lost before noticing her eye on the elevator button.
Finally understanding he immediately pushed the button and down they went. The doors opened to the gray underground parking lot. Its fat square poles held it up strong and the even the floor was as smooth as a sheet of paper.
Glass doors outside opened up automatically for them and So Rae led the way to the always black car rich people rode in. Donghae unlocked the door and hurriedly opened the passenger door for her.
“Where should I drive to?” he asked buckling his seat belt.
“Just drive. I’ll tell you along the way.” her voice sounded so careless as if she didn’t care about a thing.
***Oh ho! More secrets revealed!! So Rae is not her father's real daughter!!!
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