60
Their Kingdom Panorama
Donghae tried to take a step forward before So Rae’s stare stopped him.
“You’re sorry?! Do you think sorry will fix the mess you’ve made?!” Hee Young screeched. “How dare you apologize!”
Victoria, whose face had been turned to the side from the impact of the slap, turned back to look at Hee Young.
“Do you know what you’ve done to this family? How are you going to fix the damage you’ve caused?! You’re just an embarrassment!” Hee Young continued.
“Enough!” a voice roared.
Everyone turned back to see Bang Dae Jung walking toward him with Mi Sun following. The room silenced and even the buzzing of the loud fridge quieted.
Victoria pressed her lips together. The most difficult person she had yet to face was her own father. So Rae and her mother couldn’t hurt her, but her father.
He halted before her with a stare then said, “Follow me.”
Victoria watched him make his way up the stairs before she followed him.
/\_____/\
“Look at her! Does she think she can hide behind her father?” Hee Young asked.
“Aunt,” Mi Sun called. “Please, that’s enough now.”
Hee Young turned to frown at her, “Don’t think you can talk back to me like that.”
“I’ll apologize for that,” Mi Sun coolly told, “but you’ve already gone overboard. Victoria isn’t your daughter, everyone knows it by now. If uncle’s relatives were to find out, imagine what they’d think.”
Hee Young snorted before walking off.
“Are you ok?” Mi Sun asked Donghae.
“Oh…” he nodded.
“Follow me,” So Rae started before turning down the hallway.
“It’s not work hours right now, I’ll send him out instead,” Mi Sun yelled after So Rae then turned to Donghae. “Come on.”
Donghae followed her outside slowly.
“Where did you find her yesterday?”
“Somewhere,” Donghae responded, “is she going to be ok?”
“You don’t have to worry. So Rae’s father isn’t that mean,” Mi Sun assured, “but if you’re worried about Victoria then…you should stop seeing her even if you’re just meeting up as friends.”
“Why?”
Mi Sun pressed her lips together into a fine smile, “The engagement is cancelled, but the wedding will proceed. Kyuhyun is a fine man too, he won’t hurt her.”
Donghae became quiet.
Mi Sun placed a hand on his arm for a second, “Please listen to me, if you don’t want to cause any trouble for Victoria.”
They reached the front doorstep where Mi Sun left him. When she returned inside the house she So Rae stared at her with stern eyes.
“What’d you do that for?” So Rae asked.
“Give it up So Rae,” Mi Sun told. “Don’t become your mother; one who wants forgiveness from the only person she cares about but can’t receive it. You’re not going to hurt Kyuhyun but yourself this way.”
/\_____/\
The door to the study closed after her. President Bang took a seat on the large couch he always sat on.
He looked at her, “Sit.”
Victoria obeyed.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized.
Victoria’s heart thudded against her rib cage. What?
“It was too quick, I knew it by your expression, but I still went on with it.” he explained. “Your father is sorry for putting you in such a position.”
The tears she wanted to fall didn’t fall down, only because she didn’t think she deserved to let them fall. She wasn’t the one to be pitied now, but the one at fault.
“I’m sorry, father. I won’t do it again.”
Her father smiled and placed a hand above her head; that fatherly touch she’d only felt once before.
“Go put some ointment on your face. Kyuhyun should be on his way over,” her father told.
When Victoria walked out, Mi Sun greeted her outside.
“Kyuhyun is in the back waiting for you.”
Victoria made her way out back toward the green yard and easily spotted Kyuhyun wearing a gray cardigan. He was sitting at one of those benches by the trees. Urging herself forward she saw that he was strumming his guitar. A soft melody flowed through the trees and she recognized it as the one he’d played when they first met.
Stopping beside the bench, she waited for him to finish the song, but he stopped halfway and looked up. The small smile on her face filled her with so much guilt.
Setting his guitar aside he patted the empty spot before him. Victoria gently clenched her teeth together before sitting down. He held out his hand and Victoria just stared at it dumbly. Kyuhyun gestured for her to extend her hand out and when Victoria finally did it something silvery glided down from his other hand that had formed a fist.
“I’m sorry,” Kyuhyun apologized clasping his hand around hers. “I knew you hid the fact that I had become a burden for you.”
Why was it that when she’d come back ready for fists and screams did she only receive apologies instead? Her heart ached. She’d really wronged them.
“I like you.”
Victoria’s felt drop open slightly.
“During the meantime, hold onto this. I wanted to give it to you yesterday,” he explained.
Kyuhyun smiled at her, then glanced her red cheek before grabbing his guitar.
“Take care of yourself.” he told before walking away.
When he passed by she finally opened her hand to see a silver diamond ring with a necklace that had been strung around it. Unconsciously, she reached a hand up to the necklace around her neck that her mother had left.
/\_____/\
“What do you think you were doing?!” Dae Jung screamed at Hee Young upstairs. “The only person who reserves the right to punish her is me! If you dare lay your hands on her again…”
“You’ll what? You think I’m scared?” Hee Young half shrank back.
“You’re not part of this family anymore,” Dae Jung snickered. “Get out of this house.”
/\_____/\
“Where do you think you’re going?” the nanny called after her.
Victoria stopped before the front door and turned around.
“I’m going to get some air.”
“Who says you can?”
“I already told my father.” Victoria stated. “Do you want to double check by asking him?”
Without waiting for her answer Victoria opened the door and stepped out.
“Oh!” screams filled the air when Victoria appeared behind the door of the shelter.
The Three Musketeers rushed at her.
“Huh?” Ryeowook sounded.
“What happened to you?” Yesung asked.
Eunhyuk coolly stood in the back crossing his arms, “Trouble again?”
Victoria smiled some, “You know it.”
Later at the dinner table Eunhyuk placed a bottle of ointment onto the table. Victoria glanced at him.
“Use it well.”
Sticking his hand back under the table he continued chewing on the food in his mouth.
“Tsh…” Victoria snorted then nudged him. “Thanks.”
“Who hit you?” Eunhyuk questioned.
Victoria hesitated.
“I’m not going to go after him or her. I’m just curious.”
“Step-mom.”
“They’re awful, that’s why they’re always portrayed as the most evil in stories,” Eunhyuk pointed out.
Victoria laughed.
“You think that’s funny?’
She nodded.
“Why did she do it?” Eunhyuk’s curiosity got the best of him.
“I ran out from the engagement.”
“What?!!” Eunhyuk’s scream made everyone nearby turn to look at them.
Eunhyuk turned back to her. Victoria just smiled in reply.
“Yea, I know. I made a lot of people suffer.”
Eunhyuk placed both arms onto the table and leaned forward.
“Like those two eating?” Eunhyuk pointed toward Ryeowook and Yesung who were busy fighting over the last piece of pork on the grill. “They make each other suffer a lot.”
“I don’t mean it that way.”
“I know, I was just kidding,” Eunhyuk replied.
Victoria stared at the heat rising out of the grill.
“Challenges aren’t meant to throw us down, they’re meant to make us stronger,” Eunhyuk started, “if you’ve had it hard and you’re having it hardest now, then you’re only meant to get stronger.”
The words sunk in.
“Running was only a slip, don’t make it too hard on yourself,” Eunhyuk comforted.
“Thank you.”
Slipping her shoes off by the door she looked up when a shadow loomed over her. Looking up she saw So Rae.
“Where’d you come from?” So Rae asked in a demanding manner.
“To get some air.”
“You’ve been gone for this long? You even skipped dinner?”
Victoria held in the deep sigh she was suppressing, but as she tried to pass So Rae she discovered that it was impossible. So Rae grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Looking away and finally turning back to meet So Rae eye to eye she asked, “What do you want?”
“Is that how you treat someone who’s older than you?”
“If you don’t want me to call you ‘unnie’ then you’re not someone who’s older than me,” Victoria replied.
So Rae bit her bottom lip, “Ok. Be that way. I’ll remind you to watch what you’re doing because I have every right to be angry with you. If you make one wrong move, I’ll make sure you suffer two times the pain.”
Victoria stared at her for a long moment before her lips formed a smile, “You have…every right?”
A glare beamed in So Rae’s eyes, “Kyuhyun, if I ever see him hurt because of someone as dumb as you, I won’t forgive it.”
Victoria’s facial expression became sternly serious. Her mind traveled through its own questions and thoughts at the moment.
“Why are you worried about him now when you were putting up such a cold front?” Victoria spoke. “Get your thoughts straight, unnie. If you like him, then fight for him, if you don’t, then don’t care. It makes you look foolish when you don’t care and then suddenly show worry.”
Passing her by, Victoria walked up the stairs and closed the door to her bedroom locking it. Closing her eyes she let out a deep sigh.
/\_____/\
The food in front of him had run cold. Losing his appetite he grabbed his jacket, slipped it on, and headed outside. Brilliant street lamps light the aisle leading the way toward the pool side outside. The smell of chlorine was petrifying, but he bared with it. Taking a seat at the white bench by the side he stared down at the blue water. Each of its little current waved by weakly.
Victoria had cried on his shoulder so heartbreakingly that he hadn’t known what to do. The slap she’d received still flourished through his memory. No one had done anything and no one had spoken up for her.
Donghae shut his eyes, leaned forward, and rubbed the back of his neck as if it’d help him find an answer. When he sat back up he tilted his head up toward the sky.
His mind transitioned to last night…
He hadn’t done it out of a mere feeling of impulse. He hadn’t done it foolishly either. He didn’t know how many times he’d kissed her over and over.
Victoria had backed up from him speechless, but he’d leaned in toward her as if he couldn’t get enough. Even though Victoria had tried moving back again, he’d kissed her once more.
After a moment passed by Victoria had pushed him off again. He’d foolishly leaned in again, but Victoria had taken a step back. A sense of confusion lifted the room up.
“I’m not…So Rae.”
His heart sunk. She’d turned around and walked out with the back door closing after her and Donghae had sat alone in the house the entire night.
***Awww....Eunhyuk's always healing her wounds :)
***And there you go! What happened last night...
***Donghae's feelings are sinking in a bit late :/
***F.Y.I. most updates will be posted up late from now on. And if I miss some daily updates, I hope you understand. My journalism and political science class is definitely going to drain me this semester :(
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