15
Their Kingdom Panorama
Victoria glanced at Donghae with her set of heavy eyes before bowing, “Have a good day.”
So Rae eyed her before heading down the hallway. The two turned their heads to confirm that she’d gone before getting at each other’s throats again.
“Why you!” Victoria rushed at him like a mad bull and grabbed the collars of his shirt. “What did you say about FAT?!”
“Yah! Let go!” he helplessly fought back. “This is new! The boss will kill if this is ripped!”
Victoria tightened her grip.
“This is worth much, much, much more than your and my salary put together!” he disputed.
The noise of someone clearing their throat behind them caused the two of them to turn around in panic. Victoria recognized the man from yesterday standing there without the guitar this time.
“Did I…interrupt something important?” he asked with an awkward smile.
“Oh ho! No, no, no, no!” Donghae shook his hand then nodded his head. “You’ve done a great job by coming here. How can I help you?”
Victoria slightly turned her head to stare at him.
“You’re so pathetic,” Victoria muttered then turned to look at him, “the VP isn’t in right now.”
“Is that so?” the man inquired. “Thanks.”
Victoria watched as he turned around to walk away and spun back toward Donghae with a heavy step. Before she could do anything else Kyuhyun turned back around and Victoria turned back to face him with a sigh full of exasperation wondering when he’d actually leave. Donghae, on the other hand, smiled thankfully.
“Ah…” Kyuhyun said half raising a finger into the air, “would you mind giving me some tea?”
“Tea?” Victoria repeated with an irritated smile.
He nodded.
Victoria turned to look at Donghae with another glare and walked away into the cafeteria muttering, “Tea…”
/\_____/\
“What am I supposed to do with you?!” Park Mung Soo shook his hands in the empty air before holding them up to his head.
So Rae stood there staring at him without much guilt written over her face.
“You even cut my salary?! You dare transfer my salary over to those two punks you brought in?!” he screamed.
So Rae eyed the binders on the verge of falling at the edge of his desk.
Mung Soo rested his elbow on the desk and rubbed his forehead. So tired, so frustrated.
“Do you know how your father would react to this?!” he went on deafening her ears. “Where are those two?”
So Rae continued eyeing him without a care, “Father is too busy to care right now.”
“You’re right. The President is too caught up in his worries to give a damn about the trouble you’re purposely making right now!” Mung Soo scolded.
With an angry sigh he stepped out of the room and made straight for the elevators feeling his pulse race. How had So Rae found those two? How had she brought them in without his noticing?
“That idiot kid,” he mumbled underneath his breath.
He needed to get rid of them as soon as possible. If they tattle-telled to the police about being kidnapped the case might really get inspected.
When the elevator doors opened he heard voices speaking freely on the 5th floor. Heading down the hall very cautiously he paused when he recognized the Cho family’s son sitting in the chair by the window talking to Donghae.
If he stepped in to purposely talk to Donghae about his job he might get suspected by Cho Kyuhyun. For one to have studied abroad Park Mung Soo was aware of his keen sights. It’d be dangerous to be noticed right from the start.
But where was the other one? Hadn’t there been another accomplice with Donghae? Where was she?
/\_____/\
Just a few minutes later So Rae turned around the corner and stopped in her steps when she saw Kyuhyun relaxing in one of the chairs, Donghae chatting away with him. They seemed to freeze when they noticed her presence.
“What do you think you’re doing there?” So Rae asked Donghae. “Get back to your post.”
Donghae nodded and quickly made for his spot in front of the door. Victoria eyed them quietly feeling the tension grow in the air.
Without a glance at Kyuhyun she started toward her office.
“Are you really going to be this way?” Kyuhyun asked.
So Rae stopped in her steps and turned to look at Victoria who she noticed was looking at her. Victoria quickly turned away made a grab for some papers. She turned to look straight ahead before walking on.
“So Rae,” Kyuhyun called.
“Don’t let him in,” So Rae warned Donghae then entered her office closing the door after her.
Anger swept her like fire and she tossed the binders off her desk with a shout.
“Even you’re treating me like an ant!” she shouted.
Park Mung Soo’s words still rung in her head. Even someone who wasn’t her father…had scolded her? She laughed sarcastically. She wouldn’t let it end there. If she lost both Donghae and Victoria then her father would never turn to look at her. She needed them to further her troubles.
/\_____/\
Kyuhyun let out a sigh from where he stood.
“Sorry,” Donghae apologized, “I can’t let you in.”
Kyuhyun glanced at Donghae before turning around and paused when he noticed Victoria sitting still in her chair.
“I’ll be seeing you soon,” he said before walking pass.
Donghae watched him leave and eyed Victoria from behind. When she spun around to look at him he quickly turned his eyes elsewhere and started whistling.
The door opened a while later when Donghae almost dozed off and So Rae stepped out.
“Lets go,” So Rae ordered, “turn off the lights when you leave.”
Victoria nodded and watched as they walked off.
Donghae paused a bit down the hallway and glanced back wondering how Victoria would get back home alone. If she was still staying in the same place…wouldn’t those guys come back to look for her?
He couldn’t move for a bit. He was worried.
“What are you doing?” So Rae’s voice dragged him back.
“Oh…” Donghae hesitantly turned around and joined her in the elevator.
/\_____/\
After turning all the lights off Victoria turned around to look inside the darkness feeling a sort of loneliness step toward her. Turning away from the only light bulb still flashing she headed down the now dim hallway and entered the elevator. The ride down seemed longer than usual and when the elevator opened she walked pass the janitor who was busy scrubbing the floors.
When she stepped out the soft breeze whipped her face gently and she unconsciously reached up to touch the ring around her neck. With a sigh she glanced down at the old dress she was wearing. Tired of the embarrassment she’d been feeling all day she started toward the last bus and got on with a heavy heart.
The street lights went and came by like the people on the streets…or more like the people in her life. Even her mother and father had even came and left like those lights. Reaching into her old bag she pulled out her wallet and recounted the few dollars she had left. It was enough to last her meals the whole week if she were to eat inside the cafeteria at work where she’d get free food. And tonight since she’d successfully completed her first day without trouble she promised to treat herself to something nice.
At the last stop she stepped off the bus and backtracked her way to the busy night streets. However, before she got there she found herself staring at the road adjacent to her. When she and Donghae had finally reached the city they had last stood there together before giving each other their farewells. For some reason that memory was the only one that warmed her up.
“Then, Victoria, if you’re ever bored and you’re looking for trouble I’m just down that way.”
A small smile creased her face before she made her way toward the homeless shelter. When she silently reached the area she found the men inside camping on newspapers or pieces of cardboard boxes. As her eyes ran over each one of them she realized that Dongahe was not in sight.
The trouble she’d been looking for wasn’t there.
/\_____/\
“Be here at 8 sharp.” So Rae reminded before walking through the gate of her house.
Donghae watched her go and quickly got back into the car. Driving around he headed back to Victoria’s house and knocked on the door over and over. Walking away from the door he glanced through the window that was too high over him and saw that the lights were off.
“Maybe she’s not back yet…or…did they get her already?”
Rushing back to his car he drove around the busy streets to see people walking back and forth among the night stands near the streets. Would Victoria be there? Parking his car by the side he got out and started pacing down the walk glancing into every tent along the way.
Maybe he should have told her she looked nice after all even in that shabby dress of hers. It had been obvious that she was upset over her own dress. Seeing her get all worked up over nothing seemed funny to him, but if he had placed himself in her shoes he was sure he might feel the same way after all.
Deciding to skip the next one he walked pass it slowly and paused. Taking a few steps back he recognized Victoria sitting near the back corner with a warm bowl of soup and a bottle of soju to her right.
A small snort escaped him before he walked in toward her.
“Is this what you’d call a midnight snack?” he asked sitting down on the chair beside her.
Glancing at the bottle of soju he grabbed it and shook it to find that it was almost empty.
“You drank all this…already?”
Victoria looked up at him.
“Why? What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Oh…” he cleared his throat. “Same as you. For a midnight snack.”
“Then why aren’t you ordering anything?”
“Ah…” Donghae muttered then turned with a raised arm, “A bowl of soup and soju here please!”
“Psh…loser.” Victoria mumbled before picking up her bowl and drinking down the rest of her soup.
Donghae watched her and wondered if she was still upset. “Be careful. You might spill it on yourself.”
Victoria ignored his remark and grabbed some money from her bag before setting it on the table.
“Are you going? Already?” he asked.
She ignored him again.
“I guess I’ll keep you company,” she sighed and remained seated.
A woman brought over Donghae’s soup and soju. When he picked up his spoon Victoria reached her hand forward.
“Can I have it?” she asked gesturing toward his drink.
“Aish…” he mumbled unwillingly pushing it over to her.
He watched her pull the cap off and chug it down like water.
“Be careful…” he mumbled under his breath before turning to his soup.
After a few more bottles of soju he discovered that Victoria couldn’t even move from where she sat. Before getting up to walk back to the car he glanced at the money on the table and toward her bag. Reaching for her wallet he glanced inside to see that she only had a few dollars left. With a small sigh he stuck the money on the table back into her wallet and tossed it back into her bag.
“You pay me back when you get your pay this week,” he told before grabbing for his own wallet.
Taking out the rest of his money he laid it flat on the table before thanking the stall owner and with Victoria’s arm slung over his neck he made his way toward the car. Getting into the passenger’s seat he the air conditioner to cool her down a bit before starting the engine.
“How burdensome,” he uttered, “I came all the way for you for nothing.”
Before turning toward the steering wheel he heard Victoria mumble something before suddenly leaning over toward him. Shrugging her head off his shoulder he turned to look at her annoyed.
“Would you sit properly?” he asked the drunk Victoria.
She laughed and waved her hand about as if calling him to go closer. With a frown he remained where he was. Then he watched as she opened in an absurd manner and blew her breath at him.
“Ach!” he shouted turning away. “That smells!!”
She only continued to laugh when he turned back to her.
“Aish…seriously,” he complained.
She did it again and laughed. Donghae found himself glaring at her annoyed.
“I said it smells!” he shouted before she suddenly gripped his wrist. He eyed her hold on him starting to feel nervous, “Yah…what are you doing?”
“Don’t fway that I smwell…” the words came out unclearly.
Her eyes half rolled forward to look at him through her half slit eyes. Shivers ran up and down his spine afraid that he could get beat up in the car.
“Victoria…” he called.
And it happened so suddenly he wasn’t sure if he’d been dreaming at first or if it’d really occurred. It was half shocking and tore his heart apart. Never had he experienced such a thing before, EVER.
With his back half pressed against the chair he felt like a little duckling cornered in the path of no escape by a large cat that had suddenly jumped in its path.
***HEHE! What happened at the end? Victoria kissed him xDD
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