6
Their Kingdom Panorama
/\___/\
“Where’d you disappear to?” Mi Sun questioned as So Rae finally entered her crowned room with princess drapes over her bed.
A large fancy mirror sat atop the white dresser with organized makeup and facial cleansers all neatly aligned. Stuffed animals of all sorts sat on their own distinctive white shelves pinned to the wall in front of her fluffy bed covered in white sheets. Two windows had been inscribed into the walls on both sides of her bed so that whenever she woke up a stream of light fluttered through warmly.
Not a trace of dullness was present.
Stopping under the small chandelier, which lit up the room fully, So Rae set down the jewelry box on the dresser and turned to face her personal assistant, her childhood friend.
“To that room again?” Mi Sun asked leaning forward on So Rae’s bed.
So Rae didn’t respond.
“What are you going to do now?” Mi Sun switched the subject.
“There’s not a freaking thing I can do,” So Rae held back from cursing her anger out. “I’m feeling pure rage run like fury through me.”
Mi Sun watched her friend put a useless hand up to her head as if putting pressure against her head would ease the pain. So Rae had grown up an only child. Her mother had only looked after her when she was a child but once she started her youth her mother started her gallery and rarely came home regularly. Her father didn’t dote on her like every other little girl’s father did.
She understood that So Rae discovering that her father was searching wholeheartedly for his other daughter was frustrating and hurting her. Being searched for, worried for…So Rae had missed out on those.
Looking at So Rae was like looking at a lit up house at night on an empty block with no one inhibiting it.
Depressing. Lonely.
“Then maybe doing something worth catching his attention…” Mi Sun slowly started.
“What?” So Rae raised one of her eyebrows after enunciating the question.
Mi Sun shrugged, “Maybe you could do something that could make him feel proud…” then she added meekly, “or annoyed.”
So Rae remained silent waiting for her to go on.
“There were two people who tried saving your uncle. Maybe you could reward them.”
So Rae moved her eyes about the room like a bird seeking out its prey.
“How’d you know?” she questioned.
“It was in the news,” Mi Sun stated.
So Rae then thought back to the man who had come searching for her at the funeral to give her the jewelry box he’d been trusted with.
A good deed indeed.
The corner of her lips curved up into a smile.
“Oh yea?” she said.
Mi Sun continued staring at her friend, expression now blank. Whether it was a good or bad decision that she’d decided to plant ideas into her friend’s head she half hoped that So Rae wouldn’t carry it out too far. With the artificial exterior So Rae exhibited Mi Sun only knew too well how weak she actually was. Still, So Rae belonged to those species of stubborn people. Mi Sun crossed her fingers within her mind that maybe So Rae’s father would never mind So Rae’s actions.
If only the other daughter could be found and if she got along with So Rae maybe things wouldn’t be too bad.
/\_____/\
The doors had been child locked and Donghae knew he was at a disadvantage, yet, being held prisoner wasn’t at all too bad. Meaning that he was actually locked inside a luxurious four door car and it was brand new. Well, that was what it seemed like. It smelled clean, the seats were soft and comfy, the air conditioner was on, and he got to sit alone in the back. That added another smiley face.
The only other thing that set him at with a disadvantage was that the exterior of the windows were polished black. That meant that if they came to a stop and he make any expression that called for help. No one would be able to see him. But on the other hand it made him feel like a celebrity gone into hiding. A celebrity. A small smile popped onto his face as he dreamed of lights and cameras flashing in his face as he walked down the cool red carpet with black sunglasses on and he would be donned in a white tuxedo, which would make his looks shine so deeply he’d blind every girl out there.
“Yea…” the words came out of his mouth.
“You’re too noisy back there, be quiet!”
Returning to harsh reality he stared out at the vanishing streets. It was getting dark. No one would be around. He and Victoria would die if they got their tiny necks strangled by these muscular men. He was sure that even strong willed Victoria wouldn’t be able to take them on. She was a woman, of course.
“Yes, yes….” he heard one of them speaking up front with a phone pulled tightly to his ear.
It was the guy in the passenger’s seat that was making the conversation to whoever was on the other side of the line. Who was it that he was speaking to?
“We’re almost there. Make sure, and I mean make sure it is guarded. I’ll drop them off after we get her.”
Get her? Donghae cocked his head slightly. So they were actually going to retrieve the girl who’d tackled him down the other day? He hadn’t really taken the guys seriously when they’d told him they were going to get the both of them tonight. He gulped.
They were so dead.
/\_____/\
It was a depressing meal with cereal for dinner. The kitchen kind of smelled of something, which she couldn’t quite make out. Never minding it she stripped the dirty clothes off of her and jumped into the shower. Even the hot water turned cold became a surprising thrill that made her automatically jump out.
She needed a job…REAL BAD.
Victoria changed, wandered around the home, and retreated to the bedroom. Lying down on the bed she turned to look at the dead clock flashing 00:00. Midnight. But the sun hadn’t even set. Oh well. She’d just pretend it really was midnight and go to sleep.
No more feeling of the cold breeze that swiped the prison hall. No more falling off the bed. No more worrying about who might jump her from behind. No more worrying about getting into fights with her prison mate. No more worries about openly using the bathroom.
Victoria brought up a yawn and stretched.
Pause.
Her head turned as if on habit and stared at the weak bedroom door that was surely locked. Had it been her thoughts playing her or did she actually hear a creak coming from outside the room?
Sane or insanity?
There it was again. Victoria’s body sat up in bed and she glanced around for something…anything!! It wasn’t long ago that she’d learned anything could become a weapon. Even the tiniest toothpick could hurt someone.
Footsteps.
Who had entered her home? Her grandmother’s home? Who would dare to?
She gulped. She’d given up being a bully, given up on fighting…well not completely, but she’d given up the thought of it now that she was out of jail and back inside her grandma’s house. Her grandmother’s room had nothing…no weapon whatsoever that was within hand’s reach. The clock would do no good. She’d have to take out the plug, it’d create noise, which would certainly tell the intruders that she was there. With the door locked and lights turned off they could just assume that she was out and had locked the door behind her. No car occupied the driveway…surely they’d assume no one was home, take something random, and leave.
But that didn’t seem the case.
Her heart continued thudding.
Was it one pair of footsteps or had she heard others? How many were there? How had they gotten in when she’d bolted the doors shut earlier?!
Her mind was freaking out.
Calm down, calm down.
The door knob shook. Someone was trying to get in.
Seriously, her heart was choking her nerves. Victoria clutched onto the blanket till her knuckles paled and she edged toward the wall where it might hide her.
Yea right, a voice shrieked in her head. She obviously slept right in front of the door. Anyone would be a fool of they’d possibly missed her. And the only person who might not see her would be someone who was without sight.
Again. There it was again. The rattling of the door. Was the person trying to be gentle? But how come the intruder seemed so amateur? She could almost hear him breathing behind the door…a slow kind of breathing, which made your exhaling and inhaling louder than it should be.
A frown creased her face. If it was an amateur she’d definitely win over him. With skill and experience she definitely knew more about burglary than he.
A shuffling of feet became visible to her ears before the door clicked.
Shoot! They’d unlocked it! She was dead! Dead! Dead! Forget about jumping the amateur. If there was more than one, the other would, for sure, know more.
Yet, when the door slowly swung open and the light from outside shone in creating a long rectangle on the ground Victoria glanced from the looming shadow to the person standing there confound.
The skinny guy from the other guy. The weak looking dude.
“What are you…” anger rose up like a fountain.
“Yah…”
“I should be the one screaming yah!”
An uneasy facial expression overcame him. Victoria winced but felt that her annoyance was greater. Half jumping up from where she was sitting still clutching onto the blanket she stopped midway when she saw two looming shadows from either side of him.
She was dead.
“I’m in trouble.” Donghae gulped. “I mean, we.”
“Geezes,” Victoria mumbled as she was led to the luxury car with the men holding either of their arm with a full grip.
In the death of an early midnight Victoria was forced into the car, which drove off seconds later.
“But it’s nice in here, don’t you think?” Donghae asked with a smile hoping that she wasn’t angry, which was a useless thought.
“Why I’ll…” Victoria grumbled reaching her arms out.
Donghae tried to move back only to bump into the door, which marked a dead end. Instead of his neck Victoria went for his shirt collar and pulled him toward her.
“Aish!” she shouted shaking him back and forth.
“Aiyeeeyaaayaa…” escaped his mouth other than the words he’d planned to say.
“Can you two shut up?!” one of the men shouted so loudly that even Victoria felt stunned.
Pushing Donghae into the car door Victoria moved toward her side and glared out of the window unhappy that she’d been dragged out from her own home like a pig from its pigsty.
Victoria’s head turned when she felt his presence near her. Donghae paused where he was, halfway across the seat.
“Yah…” she warned with gritted teeth. “Don’t you dare move pass this line.”
“What line?” Donghae glanced down on the seat.
“This line I’m marking with my eyes.” Victoria replied.
“Yah…” he whined helpless. “It’s not fair.”
Victoria only glared at him.
“Serious, it’s not even my fault that I’m here either.”
“You must’ve been stupid to be the first one caught.” Victoria started.
“Psh…” he snorted. “You…really.”
He thought back to the shelter where he’d been caught like a chicken. If he said anything about it he was sure she’d use it against him. Just from looking at her he was positive that she could pin him down even with her words.
“Aish…” Donghae muttered then turned away. “Fine! It’s my fault!”
Crossing his arms he roughly sat back in his seat. After a second he turned to look at her.
“By the way…I never got your name.” he said.
Victoria shut her eyes completely irritated. She’d never felt so irritated before. Even her prison mate didn’t talk this much. But why…did she have to be locked up with this idiot?
“I’m Lee Donghae.”
Victoria turned her face away and cupped her ears with both hands heaving angry sighs as the car continued to travel through the early midnight.
***I think this is the first time I'm giving Hae a careless personality xDD enjoy while it lasts. When the drama completely starts you won't see much of it anymore.
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