33
Their Kingdom Panorama
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Once the backyard cleared out and the sun was halfway down the sky So Rae made her way back into the house. Grabbing a cup of cold water from the fridge she downed it in seconds before her mother’s loud heels caught her attention. However, she refused to budge from where she stood and pretended that she was still drinking her water.
Her mother didn’t walk away but leaned against the frame of the door with arms crossed. So Rae gulped the annoyance in and set the glass cup onto the fragile tan counter.
“Are you going back tomorrow?” So Rae asked without turning around.
“Go change and come back down,” her mother told.
So Rae bit onto her tongue and looked out the corner of her eyes.
“Was that all you were going to announce today?”
“I’ll be in the waiting room,” her mother explained before the clicking of her heels died down the hallway.
An insecure sigh escaped her and she turned around half rolling her eyes. Without changing as her mom had told her to, she made her way toward the waiting room. When she appeared by the door she discovered her parents sitting far apart silently.
“What is this?” So Rae questioned.
Her parents turned her way startled. It was almost satisfactory to see them half jump in their seats when they seemed to be locked in thought.
“I thought I told you to go change,” her mother said.
So Rae stared at her parents dully, “Is this about the divorce?”
Her mother turned to her aghast while her father pressed his lips together turning his eyes away from her.
“So this is it?” So Rae pressed on.
“So Rae,” her mother called out.
“Why? Why do you feel smothered in this house?” So Rae’s tone lay flat underneath agony. “Is it because of me? Father? Or is it Victoria who’s making you feel that way?”
Hee Young’s mouth opened stunned by her words. Her father, on the other hand, seemed calm by her anger or if he was angry he was keeping it to himself mightily well.
“Don’t you ever think that every day since you’re gone I, too, feel suffocated?” So Rae’s eyebrows frowned together.
Her mother became baffled by her words.
“No matter what happens, couldn’t you at least confide in your daughter?” So Rae asked. “Why don’t you ever think of me? You both never think of me! Do you ever wonder how tortured it makes me feel?”
Her father’s eyes still remained elsewhere, but her mother stared at her still stunned. How much longer were they going to play stupid? So Rae wanted to scream out her agony.
“How different is Victoria from me?” So Rae wondered. “What sets me so apart from her that even father cares for her more than me? Why? Why?”
Her father turned to look at her.
“Do you know what you’re saying?” he asked.
“Why! Is there something wrong with the things I’m pointing out? Am I wrong?” So Rae ranted. “Did mom have an affair with Man Shik? Is that what makes you treat me so differently, father? Is it?”
“So Rae!” her father raised his voice.
“Then why are you getting a divorce?” So Rae tilted her head in question. “Why does this family call for a divorce? Am I so bad as a daughter?”
“So Rae,” her mother’s gentle voice cooed, but it didn’t help at the moment.
“I…no matter what…I still want to be your daughter.” So Rae finished. “So why are you getting a divorce?”
“Calm down and lets talk,” her mother said, “hmmm?”
So Rae pressed her lips together. Why weren’t her parents denying it? Why weren’t her parents telling her that she’d heard wrong? Why weren’t they telling her that they were ok and that there was no need for a divorce? That they were still a family no matter what?
Her heart lurched into and suddenly she could no longer stand on spot. She needed to breathe. Turning to walk away she only made it to the doorway and paused when she saw that Victoria had been standing with her back pressed against the wall. Swallowing the leftover saliva in she turned away from Victoria’s gaze and walked up the stairs.
No matter what, Victoria didn’t belong in the family. She didn’t want Victoria to be there. And she wouldn’t let her parents fall apart.
\_____/\
It was supposed to end well. All was supposed to be well.
After taking a bath Victoria had gone downstairs hoping for some leftovers. Even after all she’d eaten she still felt hungry. However, as she headed further down the hall she couldn’t miss So Rae’s voice. Full of loud anger and disappointment.
Since when had a divorce come up? Victoria hadn’t heard anything about it. Of course, because she was an outsider she knew nothing about it. No one would tell her anything about it because she was just an outsider; a stranger to the house, the family.
As So Rae walked pass Victoria could feel a warning in the air that she should keep shut and stay where she was. She could only worry about how So Rae was feeling and how her father, as well as So Rae’s mother, were taking all of this in.
Walking away from the wall she stopped before the stairs and stared up. She was positive that So Rae was being hit the hardest at the moment. It wasn’t as if So Rae had asked for any of this in the first place and to have suddenly stepped into the home, into the family, must have stirred up trouble for her.
“So,” Victoria quietly wondered, “is everything really my fault?”
She was awoken at 7 the next morning by the ringing of her phone. Rubbing her half opened eyes she searched the table top next to her bed for her phone and grabbed it.
“Hello?” she’d answered without bothering to check the caller ID.
“Want to come out?” his cheery voice beckoned.
Victoria opened her eyes fully awake now. Sitting up she felt her hair fall over her face in a strewn mess. 15 minutes later she found herself walking toward a small pancake shop and spotted Donghae cleanly sitting at a table outside.
“What are you up to? Calling me out so early on Sunday,” Victoria mumbled sitting down acting upset that her beauty sleep had been messed with.
“Boy, are you moody,” he commented. “I ordered a pancake for you.”
“What’s this?” Victoria suspected. “Why are you treating me?”
He didn’t reply but sipped on his cappuccino.
“Yah,” she called, “you’re up to something.”
“Why?” he wondered. “I just wanted to be nice since you were so crappy yesterday.”
She eyed him, “I’m not letting you off the hook for anything, you better know that.”
He snorted at her, “Whoa…”
“Who in the world invites someone out without a reason?” Victoria whispered underneath her breath.
“What did you say?” asked Donghae.
Victoria tilted her head up.
“Well, for one thing, I do!” he spat. “I’m just trying to be a good friend and here you are belittling everything I do. Forget it, I should stop playing nice with you.”
“And since when have you ever played nice with me?” she was taken aback by him.
Yes, since when has he ever been nice to her? Always accusing her and yelling at her just because of every little thing that was related to So Rae. It made her huff angry air.
“I’m leaving, it’s not even worth it eating an angry breakfast with a jerk like you,” Victoria said grabbing her bag and almost getting up before a waitress brought out two plates and set them down on the table.
When she left Donghae said, “At least eat before you leave. Give me some face and play along, will you? Heeshh…”
Victoria made a face at him and slumped back down in her chair. When she arrived back at the house she headed into the kitchen to discover that the nanny was working on dishes.
“Did everyone eat already?” Victoria asked.
“The madam said that if anyone’s hungry there’s still leftover on the table, so serve yourself if you’re hungry,” she replied.
Victoria raised an eyebrow. She’d thought everyone ate meals three times a day together in the household, practically she’d misunderstood that concept.
“Ahjumma, where’s the breakfast?” Hee Young’s voice surprised Victoria from behind.
“I’ll have it out in a moment, madam,” the nanny replied.
Victoria turned around to look at So Rae’s mother who was neatly bundled up in a pretty pink dress.
“What?” the woman questioned.
“Nothing,” Victoria replied then walked out of the kitchen in disbelief that she’d believed the nanny’s lie.
Heading down the hallway she discovered the table with the leftovers from yesterday and smiled when an idea reached her mind. Searching for some containers she headed back toward the table and packed away some food. Then stuffing them in a bag she made her way back toward the front door with the smile drawing off her face when she met with Cho Kyuhyun.
He smiled at her before she notice his eyes move toward the bag in her hand, “Are you headed somewhere?”
Quickly hiding the containers behind her, she lied, “No. Why are you here? You should have called first.”
“Should I have?” he asked. “Sorry.”
“It’s no big deal,” she tried.
“I was wondering if you wanted to head out for some breakfast,” he explained.
“Breakfast?” she repeated. “I already had breakfast.”
“Is that so?” he sounded a bit disappointed. “Then how about catching some air. We could go for a walk.”
Was he being persistent with her? Victoria her bottom lip afraid to disappoint him.
“Then let me put these away first,” Victoria told.
Quarter of an hour later she found herself walking down a jogging trail alongside Kyuhyun. The sun early and bright beside them. A score of people were out and about that morning, each running their own way with their own people. Victoria’s head turned as she watched some of them whiz pass.
“Oooh…they’re fast,” she commented then turned to Kyuhyun, “do you like exercising?”
“Not much,” he answered, “I guess that’s why I’m in the business field.”
Victoria smiled.
“You?”
“Of course, I used to do it everyday at the cell,” she replied.
He raised an eyebrow, “Cell?”
“Ah…” Victoria smiled awkwardly, “it’s just a name for the gym.”
A nervous laugh escaped her before she half slapped her own head for almost giving herself away. She’d never thought about it before, if her past was unveiled to her family…how she could ruin their high reputation. Then everything would really go down because of her. She gulped.
“You ok?” he asked concerned. “What’d you have for breakfast?”
“Pancake,” she replied.
“That sounds good,” he commented.
“We could go grab a bite of something if you’re hungry. I’ll accompany you,” she suggested.
“I guess I am kind of hungry. I don’t usually get up this early,” he said.
“Then why’d you wake up so early?”
“I wanted to come see you,” he enthusiastically told.
Victoria’s face became distorted with awkwardness. How to react?
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