57
Their Kingdom Panorama
/\_____/\
The door opened and So Rae’s nanny looked up at Kyuhyun.
“Kyuhyun!” she chirped. “What are you doing here? So Rae went out with Mi Sun earlier…”
“Is Victoria in?” Kyuhyun asked. “I came to see her.”
“Victoria,” the nanny’s tone dropped a note. “I don’t know where on Earth she is. Why don’t you come in and wait for So Rae?”
“No,” Kyuhyun shook his head.
Turning around he walked back to his car. Returning home he found himself absentmindedly strumming away at his guitar before giving up and setting it aside. He thought for sure that Victoria would have come to see his mother. Kyuhyun had certainly felt that Victoria had liked his mother as well as she liked her. Sighing he reached for his phone again and called Victoria only to reach her voicemail.
“I wonder if she’s out with her friends,” Kyuhyun thought before text messaging her.
/\_____/\
Victoria set down her shot cup, “Give me another one.”
“How did you do it?” So Rae questioned spinning around so she could stare at Victoria’s back. “Cho Kyuhyun…how did you make him so undeniably crazy about you that he would put everything on the line for you?! How could you make him forget everything we’ve been through together?!”
The Three Musketeers obediently poured her another glass.
“About your feelings, sorry,” he apologized, “I don’t like you that way.”
Victoria gulped down the shot and asked for another one.
“Irritable, feisty, always angry, always shouting, no manners, and you’re never nice,” he pointed out, “So Rae, she needs someone to talk to more than you do. You aren’t even comparable to her.”
Victoria could feel herself falling and falling through pitch black darkness.
“If you tell me one more time,” Victoria began, “that you like my unnie, then I can do it without a regret.”
“What words are you talking about? The statement ‘I don’t like you’ aren’t just simple words!” he screamed angered and annoyed.
“Another.” Victoria beckoned.
“Are you happy?” So Rae asked without looking at her. “That he’d still choose someone he doesn’t know over someone he’s known his entire life?”
Victoria shook her head.
“Who do you think you’re standing up for?” So Rae’s voice became deathly quiet. “I never lacked trust in them…they left me first. They stopped loving me first! You don’t understand family because you’ve never had one! You were an orphan since the beginning!! Who do you think you are to understand me?!!”
Her heart shook, her eyes stung, and suddenly she felt her eyes water.
He paused then said, “I’m so happy and thankful that you agree to choose Cho Kyuhyun. You’re a great daughter.”
“You’ve done a good job.”
“Yah,” Eunhyuk called grabbing her glass, “that’s enough.”
“What’s wrong?” Ryeowook asked worried.
Victoria pressed her face into her hand. All became quiet around her and she was sure she’d transported herself elsewhere - mentally.
“Is something big really going on? If someone’s wronging you, you can tell us because we’ll be sure to beat the heck out of him,” Eunhyuk raised his voice.
A silly smile spread across her face, “You can’t do that.”
“Why!” Eunhyuk boasted.
Victoria sat up and glanced at him, “I’m ok. A few drinks did it.”
Getting up, feeling sore and tired, she stumbled across the sidewalk.
“Do you want us to take you home?” Eunhyuk shouted from behind.
Pausing, Victoria turned around, and waved.
“Thank you!” she shouted cupping both hands around to make herself louder and clearer.
And really, she was more than thankful.
Victoria could clearly see the worried expression on their faces. She smiled at them just to make them feel better, but when she turned around she felt tears well up within her eyes.
“It’s ok, I’m ok. Victoria, you’re going to be ok.”
Stumbling forward Victoria made her way home, climbed up the large staircase, and closed the door to her room. Part of her already knew that she wasn’t in her right mind and the alcohol had really done her in. Tripping over her own feet she walked toward her desk, pulled out the drawer, and found an old CD player from middle school that she’d brought with her.
Slipping in the CD she’d purchased the other day she sat at the side of her bed, the side that was closest to the window, and listened to the song she’d first heard days ago at the music store.
It rushed through her like a weak wave making its way to the shore. Her shoulders shook and her chest bounded in and out. Tears squeezed themselves out of her eyes. Drawing her knees up to her chest she lowered her head. When the song replayed, Victoria’s sobs had become muted and her breathing in sync with the drums beating at the back.
/\_____/\
Donghae had woken up early and had gone for a stroll around the neighborhood. Stopping by a bakery he purchased some sweet bread and started up the road toward Victoria’s house. Pausing outside the tall black gates Donghae foolishly glanced up as if he’d be able to spot the house at the back.
Taking out his phone he gave Victoria a few calls, but only ended up being directed to her voicemail.
“Aish,” he moaned, “I don’t want to hear you talk. This woman…”
Stashing his phone into his pocket he leaned against the brick ledge and frowned.
/\_____/\
Her body jumped when she saw herself fly down from the sky. Victoria finally opened her eyes to find herself sprawled out on her bed messily. Sitting up she finally realized that she still had her earphones on and the CD still running. Stopping it she took off the headphones feel her ears ache.
“Ah…” she muttered rubbing her head.
Sliding off the bed she headed toward the bathroom with a towel and took a long hot shower before stepping out. Getting dressed into sweats and an old plaid t-shirt she headed down the stairs to find her father walking toward the stairs - where she was standing.
“There you are, why haven’t you come down for breakfast?” he questioned.
Victoria finished tying her hair up into a pony tail and pressed her lips into a smile.
“I just woke up.”
“Hurry up, your food’s going to get cold,” he told.
Victoria followed him into the dining room to find So Rae silently eating her food without a care. She didn’t look up when Victoria sat down, as if Victoria had expected her to anyway.
So Rae set down her spoon and got up from the table. Victoria lightly bit her bottom lip and tossed some rice into . After breakfast Victoria decided to go for a long walk, it’d be better than staying under the same roof with So Rae anyway.
/\_____/\
Donghae turned when the black door opened and lousy Victoria stepped out. Her glanced at her too-casual attire and stepped away from the brick ledge. The surprise in her eyes were all too noticeable when she spotted him.
“Yah,” he called out when Victoria started down the other way.
However, before Victoria could turn to face him a car came up the road toward her and stopped. Donghae watched as the engine died down and Kyuhyun stepped out from inside the car. His heart sank halfway.
/\_____/\
“I thought you were coming by yesterday,” Kyuhyun said walking up to face her.
Victoria glanced up at him realizing she’d forgotten all about him. To feel guilty or not?
“Sorry,” she apologized and half shrank back when he placed a hand onto her head.
She watched him smile harmlessly at her before his gaze shifted over to Donghae behind her. Removing his hand he greeted Donghae who quietly greeted him back.
“I wanted to invite you out for a walk,” Kyuhyun told.
Victoria slightly glanced toward Donghae uncertainly. She could still feel her heart pounding from Friday afternoon and pressed her lips together. However much she wanted to reject the idea of a walk she still had priorities to look after.
“I was thinking about going for one too,” Victoria agreed then turned to Donghae, “you want to come along?”
Donghae stared at her then replied, “No. Go ahead.”
When Kyuhyun started the car again he turned to look at her.
“Did I interrupt you two back there?”
“No,” Victoria said, “he’s probably there for So Rae unnie.”
He smiled at her, “Are you feeling unwell? You look like you’ve run out of energy.”
Victoria laughed a little, “Do I?”
“If you’re feeling burdened by the engagement, we could delay it,” he offered.
Could they? But the date was so close to them now, what would be the point in cancelling it at the last moment? Everybody would just look at her to blame. Victoria turned to glance at Kyuhyun before her courage melted into puddles.
She couldn’t say a thing. Kyuhyun was looking forward to it - this she knew without having to ask. Probably…she was at fault for leading him on and not drawing a line to his feelings when she knew that he liked her.
“Why do you like me?” Victoria asked.
Kyuhyun turned to her taken aback by her question.
“When you could have chosen someone you actually know,” Victoria finished, “why me, someone you never met nor heard about before.”
He didn’t reply just yet. Victoria watched as Kyuhyun pulled over to the side of the road then turned to face her.
“I know So Rae too well,” Kyuhyun started, “if I liked her I wouldn’t have agreed to the switch. You’re thinking too much.”
Then he lightly tapped her nose with his finger.
“You were drinking last night, huh?” he asked.
Victoria felt surprised by the fact that he knew.
“You look hung over,” he commented. “Should I have ahjumma make some hangover soup for you?”
/\_____/\
Donghae watched the car disappear out of sight with a sneer before pouting and walking away.
“Fine, be that way.” he muttered.
Returning to his suite he jumped onto the couch and started munching on the bread by himself. After taking a few large bites he found himself coughing when his mouth had gone dry.
/\_____/\
Victoria found herself sitting in front of her desk staring at the mirror in front of her that Wednesday evening. Kyuhyun had been too good to her over the week, too good that not even a word of sincerity had come from her.
“You’re a coward, Victoria,” she told herself aloud.
Glancing down onto the tabletop she discovered the card she’d been planning to give to Donghae all week. Retracing the words with her finger: “Cho Kyuhyun & Victoria Song’s Engagement Ceremony” she felt her pulse drop.
Stepping into the soju tent that evening she found Donghae sitting at the back with a bowl of hot soup in front of him. Joining him she called out for some drinks.
“You’ve arrived early,” Victoria commented.
Donghae ignored her flatly, just like how he’d been all week.
“You’re moody,” she continued fishing into her purse.
Placing the card onto the table she pushed it toward him and noticed that he didn’t even take a look at it.
“Yah,” she called.
Donghae looked up at her.
“Do come,” Victoria told.
“Do I not have a choice?” he wondered.
Victoria eyed him wondering why he was acting as if he didn’t care.
“By acting like this, does it mean that you actually care?” Victoria tried.
“No!” he shot back then grabbed the card. “You know for sure I’ll be there. So Rae even told me to go.”
Victoria snorted.
“Buy me a really, really big gift!” Victoria emphasized the word ‘big’ by spreading out her arms.
“Psh…” Donghae commented. “Do I look rich to you?”
“You’ve gone from rags to riches, you,” Victoria stated.
Victoria smiled painfully at him.
Thursday was as usual as any other day.
Friday night after returning home from Kyuhyun’s Victoria lugged her feet unwillingly up the stairs. Returning to her room after a short shower she sat on her bed and stared out into the shiny night sky. Her thoughts loosened as she sat there all night.
And finally D-Day lit up the sky.
***Such a long chapter, but I finally almost reached the engagement, which I will post up tomorrow. So readers, stay tuned!
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