39
Their Kingdom Panorama
/\_____/\
Setting the last water bottle on the table in the meeting room Victoria sighed. Glancing toward the only window in the room she wondered what she’d just done. Had she said those words out of plain stupidity? Or was she just directing all her anger from yesterday’s events at him?
“Yea that’s it, I was angry so I wasn’t thinking. I didn’t mean anything I said,” she told herself.
“What didn’t you mean?” a voice asked from behind.
Jumping from surprise she turned around to see Kyuhyun standing there with a mocking smile on his face.
“Ah…that was…nothing. Just some self talk,” Victoria lied with a laugh.
He smiled at her then held out some band-aids and a wound cleanser he’d been hiding behind him. Victoria glanced at the objects before looking up to him.
“For you,” he told. “You can’t forget to take good care of yourself. Imagine how many people might be upset if your injuries got worse.”
Not many, Victoria thought.
“They’re not even that serious,” she told.
He shoved them into her hands anyway, “Lets head out for lunch.”
“You’re not staying for the meeting?” Victoria wondered.
“I’m not even needed. I’m still loitering around, remember?” he asked wheeling her toward the door.
/\_____/\
“Divorce?” Mung Soo repeated.
Dae Jung nodded from his leather seat.
“Hee Young asked for it. We’ll probably finish by the end of this week.”
Mung Soo raised an eyebrow, “It’s so sudden. Is it because of your daughter?”
“No one’s at fault. If there has to be someone then fingers should be pointed at me,” Dae Jung expressed.
“That’s not what I was saying,” Mung Soo pointed out, “now that Hee Young is willing to back out, what about So Rae? That girl wouldn’t voluntarily leave her position in the company.”
“She doesn’t need to leave,” Dae Jung told, “I’ll just give Victoria my position after she marries Cho Kyuhyun.”
Mung Soo’s eyes narrowed at that simple thought. So his friend wasn’t going to give anything to him in the end? But everything would fall upon his one daughter? After so much sweat of labor and toiling he was going to end up empty handed? No way was that going to happen.
Mung Soo cleared his throat to keep him cool, “The wedding, you say?”
Dae Jung nodded enthusiastically, “After I see her off then I’ll be rest assured. They’re a good family and they’ll take good care of her.”
So, if the wedding doesn’t happen then Victoria wouldn’t get the top position in the company. It made sense. Mung Soo just had to prevent the wedding from taking place and somehow get that necklace they’ve been hiding from him. That necklace which would make millions for him would bring him over the top and he’d be able to reign over Dae Jung’s firm as well as any other firms out there.
/\_____/\
“Where’s here? I thought we were going to eat,” Victoria thought.
They’d stepped into a green garden of some sort planted with trees, bushes, and flowers. In the middle of it all sat a white bench and a white table. It looked clean as if someone had intentionally cleaned it beforehand. Victoria glanced around still confused about where they were.
“This is a courtyard, a property which belongs to my father,” Kyuhyun explains. “Don’t worry, it’s not where you found So Rae’s uncle.”
Victoria turned back to him assuming everyone must have been aware of that.
Kyuhyun set a lunch box set of containers onto the table, “My nanny cooked these this morning. She’s been curious about you lately and wants to meet you.”
“Me?” Victoria pointed to herself.
He pushed some of the food toward her before sitting down on the seat across from her.
“Yes,” he answered.
Victoria’s eyes moved down toward the delicious looking food in front of her. Of course, she was meant to marry him. It was supposed to go like that, wasn’t it?
“You must know that ever since you’ve stepped into this family, your fate has been ordained,” the woman spoke, the fake nails on her fingers shining dimly under the light, “and so if you’re wishing for happiness you must either leave or let yourself fall.”
Her life had really been drawn out, hadn’t it? Victoria swallowed, a sense of disappointment in , before looking back up at Kyuhyun.
“You’re not hungry?” he questioned.
Had his life been written out for him the moment he was born as well? Was this the life of a rich? If Victoria had known before hand she wouldn’t have wished so hard that her family was a rich one.
“I’m hungry,” Victoria smiled picking up her chopsticks and took a bite of the food, “it’s good!”
/\_____/\
Donghae poked at his food with his spoon. For some reason he’d lost his appetite. It was awkwardly strange since he always ate his food so deliciously. Sighing he glanced around at the other tables to find that they were full with laughter and chatter whereas he was almost sitting alone. Well, except for the small group of girls that sat at the far end of his table.
Staring down at his food again he felt his mind go blank. Turning around he gazed his eyes over the whole cafeteria.
“After getting rich, the cafeteria’s not good enough for you, is it?” he muttered under his breath.
When his lunch ended he headed back down the hallway toward the elevators. Instead of heading straight up since he knew he’d have nothing to do he paced back and forth in front of the doors.
A few minutes passed by before he came to a fast stop. He tilted his head and snorted when he sighted Victoria walking back alongside Kyuhyun. When the doors opened for them they paused for a bit before heading on. Donghae spun around to watch the two head toward the elevators and grimaced at them.
“How cheap…” he muttered under his breath.
Once he reached the 5th floor he discovered Victoria sitting at her desk calmly.
“Yah,” he said putting his hand down onto the desk.
Victoria looked up at him.
“You sure had a good meal, didn’t you?” he asked with both sarcasm and bitterness in his voice.
“What’s your problem?” Victoria questioned. “Look, if you’re still angry with the fact that I stole my unnie’s fiancé you better just give it up because there’s not a single thing I can do about it.”
“Yea, I’m still upset about that, but that’s not the point here.”
“Then what is the point?” Victoria emphasized the word ‘is’.
Donghae swallowed his saliva quickly wondering what he was trying to get at.
“You’re just trying to annoy me, aren’t you?” Victoria accused.
“Y..yah.” he called.
“Ok, you got it. I’m annoyed so leave me alone,” Victoria frowned at him before turning around to face her computer screen.
Donghae made a face at her from behind and turned away. What was he trying to do anyway? Just because she suddenly didn’t have a biological mother didn’t mean he should pity her, right?
“I mean look at So Rae, she has two parents who are going to split up. That’s even worse than heading into a family where only dad exists and your mother doesn’t. She’s not losing two parents like So Rae is. Don’t even concern yourself, Donghae,” Donghae self talked to himself, “besides look at how lucky she is compared to So Rae.”
Donghae nodded to himself.
/\_____/\
When Victoria returned home that evening she set out the three sets of band-aids she’d received from Eunhyuk, Donghae, and Kyuhyun. Her eyes moved over each one then shoved Donghae’s to the side.
“That wasn’t an act of sincerity. You just meant to annoy me,” Victoria told herself then stared at the other two sets of band-aids.
After a long moment she shoved Kyuhyun’s to the side.
“I can’t accept either. In the end you’ll probably expect some kind of mutual feelings in return,” Victoria reasoned and grabbed Eunhyuk’s band-aid. “A friend matters more than a fake one and a fiancé.”
“In order to comfort others, one must comfort oneself first.”
Victoria smiled at Eunhyuk’s simple words and walked over to the mirror to change the band-aid on her face.
When dinner was served, Victoria made sure she was the first one downstairs. She wouldn’t allow So Rae’s nanny to look down on her just because she favored So Rae more. Her father entered the room and after him So Rae. However, So Rae’s mother was not present that evening.
Victoria glanced from So Rae who seemed to be eating so care freely to her silent father. Did no one talk to each other at all? Well, Victoria guessed that she didn’t have to be so surprised with that small fact. Since the last few night’s uneasy dinners she assumed that no one really got along well in the family. But it was kind of annoying how no one wanted to be there at all. A dinner should be full of happy chatter, shouldn’t it?
Stuffing some more food into Victoria stole another glance at her two family members. Weren’t they worried about So Rae’s mother at all or weren’t they even the least bit curious about where she was?
The resentment that So Rae held against her seemed to be never ending. So Rae got up from the table after her plate was cleared and left without a word. It made her feel worse that no one was talking to her at all.
Before heading to take a shower she discovered her father in his study. Opening the door she walked in.
“Do you need something?” he asked looking up.
Victoria nervously smiled and walked in closing the door behind her, “Can I ask you a question?”
“Why can’t you?” he gently smiled and gestured for her to sit.
Victoria shook her head, “It’s just a quick question.”
“Is something bothering you?” her father seemed worried as he changed his position in his seat.
Victoria quickly shook her head again feeling bad that she’d made him misunderstand her.
“No, it’s really nothing bad,” Victoria assured, “but I was just wondering where So Rae’s mother went.”
“Ah…” her father seemed surprised, “we’re going to be spending our own time doing our own things. She’s already moved her possessions out of this house. You don’t have to worry about it.”
Victoria opened a bit surprised that she’d done it when none of them were there.
“She didn’t tell anyone else? Not even So Rae unnie?” Victoria wondered.
“So Rae probably doesn’t want to know. She’s not the kind of clingy child,” her father answered.
“But what if unnie would like to know?” Victoria added. “Unnie might really want to say goodbye to her mother.”
“Victoria, you shouldn’t worry about these trivial matters. If So Rae wants to visit her, she can anytime she wants.”
Trivial matters? The divorce and So Rae’s mother leaving quietly was just considered a trivial matter? Victoria felt more surprised than surprised, the word itself.
“Dad,” Victoria started onto another topic, “I’ve been wondering for a while now. Since when have you and So Rae unnie stopped acting like father and daughter? Was it…when you found me?”
Her father’s face changed as if he didn’t want to bother with these questions he considered trivial. Victoria, however, hoped that he would answer her. If her father had started being cold to So Rae since her arrival then she probably would have to apologize to So Rae. But if things between them had started falling apart before she entered the family then perhaps there had been a reason why.
President Bang stood up from behind the desk and walked toward her ever slowly. He put a hand on top of her head gently. It was a father’s touch, she guessed, that made her feel warm all over. For once she wanted to believe that there was someone out there who purely loved her.
“None of it is your fault, you understand me?” her father told. “If that’s all then go out and rest. Tomorrow’s going to be another long day.”
Taking it as a cue that she should leave Victoria opened the door and made her way down to her bedroom. So, it had happened before she arrived into the family. There had been a reason why her father had started treating So Rae coldly. However, Victoria also wanted to know why So Rae resented her so much if she entered the family after her father started treating her that way.
The loud beep coming from her phone surprised her when she entered her bedroom.
Walking over to the desk she picked up her phone to discover that she had a few missed phone calls and there was even a text from Donghae.
“What the heck,” she muttered, “what does this jerk want now?”
A second later Victoria was trudging down the stone stairs. Opening the black door she discovered Donghae standing by the wall with arms crossed. He turned when he heard the door close.
“Took you long enough,” he muttered heading toward her.
“What the heck do you want?” Victoria questioned annoyed that he was suddenly trying to be on good terms with her.
“You owe me a drink,” he told grabbing her wrist which she threw up into the air to avoid his touch. “What?”
“Get out of here,” Victoria scorned before turning to head back inside.
Before she could barely even step in she was whisked around and found Donghae dragging her down the street, his hand around her wrist.
“Yah!” Victoria screamed as loudly as she could not caring if the neighbors were disturbed or not. “You’re not letting go? You’re not?!”
Donghae didn’t reply, but stopped in his track and Victoria almost ran into him. She opened to scold him as loud as she could, but became breathless when she saw So Rae standing in front of them. They’d perfectly met around the bend.
No one said a thing.
Donghae’s grasp on her wrist loosened and she wanted to laugh at him, but didn’t. So Rae stared back with the kind of expression that she’d done something wrong.
“Follow me,” So Rae ordered walking pass them.
Victoria felt her walk pass them and glanced back at Donghae. The annoyance in her earlier now gone.
“Aren’t you going?” Victoria questioned. “She wasn’t talking to me.”
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