59
Their Kingdom Panorama
/\_____/\
Donghae ran around the corner of the street and gasped for air. His legs felt weak and running like this felt like that one time when Victoria had come for him with those men chasing after her. Looking here and there he wondered where Victoria could have gone.
The streets were packed as well as the sidewalks. Victoria couldn’t have made it far, he was sure of that, and she was tall too. It might be easy to spot her amongst these people.
Making his way through a line of teenagers he made sure to always look left, right, front, and behind him just in case. His eyes skimmed hair colors, back appearance, and movement.
Victoria’s hair was a creamy brown that she always neatly combed and it shimmered under the lights whenever she walked. The way she walked was slow, as if she was always observing her surroundings. Her back was small and frail even though her face was always grinning, frowning, or creating all sorts of expressions…
Pausing suddenly, he wondered why he’d even kept such details to himself.
Swallowing he started forward again this time he screamed, “Victoria! Victoria!”
/\_____/\
Victoria paused in her steps and felt her eyes go wide.
“Victoria!” the scream was far from where she was, but she heard it.
Her body shifted, her foot turned, but Victoria formed her hand into a tight fist.
“Don’t look back,” she told herself.
Pressing her lips together she started racing ahead through the crowd even if she had to push a few strangers to the side to make way for her.
/\_____/\
“Watch where you’re going!” someone shouted.
It caught Donghae’s attention immediately. Turing down his right he spotted a crooked line of men and women who had confused or angry expressions on their faces. Squinting, he spotted a figure crossing the street.
Rushing forward and pushing the same exact men and woman Victoria had he headed toward her.
/\_____/\
“Victoria!”
The group of large, tall men clothed in casual outfits turned around.
“This way,” one of them led the way.
The others followed.
“Over there! I see her!”
/\_____/\
The wind gushed in her ears and passed like a waterfall leaving behind an echo of her footsteps. Her breathing eased uncomfortably. The last time she’d worked out was….
She couldn’t remember. Eating all that junk had brought her body out of shape. It was difficult to move, but her sneakers felt good. The only reason why she was able to move so fast and quickly was all thanks to the shoes she’d left the prison with.
For now, she’d rather be locked up in that prison than return to that household. She couldn’t face it. It’d be embarrassing to head back…because who knew what would be in store for her. A slap, a long lecture, an automatic marriage?
Victoria feared it. A freedom she didn’t want, a freedom that wouldn’t be a freedom if she had to get married. She didn’t want it, she didn’t want to get married. She didn’t want a life that would be drawn out for her without her will.
She didn’t want to live the kind of life where she had to abide by every rule everyone else had followed.
/\_____/\
Donghae huffed and puffed. His lungs were screaming for him to stop. The muscles within his legs were exasperated and wanted a 5 minute break. However, he couldn’t stop.
Glancing around he noticed that if he cut through an alleyway, turned left, he’d reach the opposite side - the other side of the building which Victoria was headed for. He suddenly felt proud of the fact that he had been homeless before. Thanks to that he’d constantly roamed the streets so many times before.
Swinging down his right and turning a left then turning left again he poked his head out to see Victoria headed just that way.
/\_____/\
The men ran pass the spot Victoria had disappeared and spun around.
“I don’t see her.”
“I was sure I saw her heading here a few seconds ago.”
/\_____/\
“Ah!” Victoria shouted.
In an instant she felt someone pin her back against the wall and her eyes grew stern when she realized Donghae was standing before her. A miserable anger surged through her. Using all the energy she could summon up she pushed against him and succeeded in taking a few steps away from the wall before Donghae gripped her shoulders pinning her back again.
When Victoria looked up at him she couldn’t scream, shout, nor yell. Instead her eyes welled up with so many tears that she felt her head fall forward against his shoulder and within seconds she’d created a waterfall.
She wanted to tell him so much about all the things the ahjumma and So Rae had done to her, and everything So Rae’s mother had told her. She wanted to tell him about all the stress and pressure she’d felt from Kyuhyun’s family as well as from her father. She wanted to tell him of all her sufferings.
Instead only sobs escaped her and she found herself clutching onto his arm for the comfort she wanted so much.
/\_____/\
The ahjumma knocked on the door but when she received no reply she twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open. Kyuhyun’s back faced her from the chair he was sitting in.
Kyuhyun had been quiet ever since he’d returned from the wrecked ceremony. The only thing that had been implanted on his hand was the ring he’d wanted to give Victoria. It was the ring he’d so excitedly bought after skipping work.
Now he wasn’t sure if Victoria wanted it or not. However, he still wanted to give it to her.
Closing his hand and opening it he could only stare at the silver ring. Plain and simple engraved with one crystal, one diamond. Because Victoria meant so much to him he wanted to do this much for her at least.
Honestly, he was saddened, but he couldn’t be disappointed. Victoria had never given him an answer nor had he confessed to her about his feelings.
“We’re both at fault,” he muttered.
/\_____/\
“Look at this!” Hee Young screamed. “I knew she would do something like this!”
“Would you be quiet?!” Dae Jung raised his voice to the top of his lungs.
So Rae sat quietly in the chair wondering why she’d even bothered to sit down for this. Her mother was going at it like she was some sorcerer who could tell the future and her father was just plain angry. But why wasn’t he as upset at Victoria as she was?
“I pushed her too hard,” Dae Jung told. “It was my fault.”
“Your fault?! When it was your daughter who ran away?” Hee Young started again.
“I knew it was too soon, it was a rash decision,” he sighed. “I wonder if Victoria’s alright.”
“How about worrying about your own reputation instead?” Hee Young asked.
“Why do you have so much to say when you’re out of the family already?” So Rae shouted staring at her mother. “Why are you even here in this house?! Just leave!”
So Rae got up and stomped out of the room. Running up the stairs she slammed the door to her bedroom and leaned against it. If Victoria returned, she’d make sure the girl would get it. The hurt she’d seen in Kyuhyun’s face was one expression she’d never witnessed before. For some reason seeing it made her angrier at Victoria.
/\_____/\
Donghae followed Victoria into the house as the door flapped shut behind him. He glanced around at the old kitchen recalling how those two men had quickly pushed him through without letting him get a good look at the house. Now that he was looking at it he realized how simple the house was.
Glancing down he saw the worn out tiles, but when he stepped into the next room he saw all the materials on the ground and discovered that half the walls had already been re-pasted with new wallpaper.
Victoria didn’t bother to turn the light on but said, “You should go back. I have nothing here for you and it’s not like I’m going to run.”
The loud noise of her pushing everything against the wall rebounded off the walls.
“I don’t need you here, you can go back and report to So Rae unnie that I’ll be back home tomorrow morning,” Victoria assured.
“Donghae.”
Donghae finally turned around to look at her.
“Go back,” she told, “please.”
Turning away he glanced at the carpet on the ground. He couldn’t tell what color it was exactly, but it didn’t quite matter at the moment. Lifting his head up he glanced at Victoria who stared back at him then turned away after a brief moment of eye contact. The sigh she let out was obvious and clear. She turned her back to him and organized the papers on the ground, that was when he felt his feet move forward.
He pulled Victoria around by the shoulder and leaned in toward her. His heart leaped when their lips touched. Pushing himself toward her he could hear the paper she’d picked up fly back down to the ground.
/\_____/\
“I know you’re just being nice, but it’s enough,” Victoria turned around to look at Donghae.
Morning had struck the sky with the large sunshine and Victoria had made her way back to the house accompanied by Donghae.
She was feeling scared, but other than being scared at the moment what other feeling could she focus on? What needed to be done had to be done. Her family was waiting for her and what person would just easily forgive a person who’d ruined a whole ceremony that had been such a big deal? She’d totally destroyed the piece of paper that had her whole life on it.
“I want to accompany you until you get in the house,” he insisted.
Victoria glanced at him and turned away without a word. She didn’t want him to see how her family really was. The perfect image he had of So Rae would be crumbled.
She opened the door and made her way up the stone steps crossing the lawn before reaching the house. Victoria hesitated for a moment before pulling the door open and walking in.
The wide white hallway greeted her nonchalantly before she took a step forward. That was when she heard voices and as if on cue So Rae’s mother, followed by the nanny, and So Rae at the back made their way toward her.
Donghae watched from behind as Victoria lowered her head.
“Sorry.”
It was all he’d heard before a loud slap crossed the room and echoed back.
***Gasp! They kissed :D Flashbacks will be revealed later :)
***I'm so dreading today's first day of school. And I have a 3 hr night class :(
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