83
Their Kingdom Panorama
/\_____/\
“You guys are finally back!” Ryeowook went running toward Yesung and Eunhyuk when they appeared through the doorway.
“Ryeowook, we brought back some food for you,” Yesung held out a bag toward him, “did you eat yet?”
Ryeowook shook his head.
Eunhyuk slowly walked pass him and Ryeowook couldn’t help but feel a sense of uncertainty. He turned to watch Eunhyuk head toward their sleeping place and sit down. Immediately he followed.
“Did Victoria go back home?” Ryeowook asked sitting down beside him.
Eunhyuk watched as Ryeowook folded his legs neatly and set the bag of food beside him.
“What did he say?” Eunhyuk questioned.
“Not much.”
“He didn’t even say sorry?”
“What should Donghae hyung be sorry about?” Ryeowook wondered.
“Why do you call him hyung when you just call us simply by our names?” Yesung sat down beside him.
“Well…cause I feel it’s not necessary between us,” Ryeowook shrugged then turned back to Eunhyuk, “but Donghae hyung seems disappointed and sad. Eunhyuk, don’t you think they’re in love?”
“Love?” Yesung repeated beside him as if the suggestion was absurd.
Both Eunhyuk and Ryeowook ignored him.
Ryeowook observed closely as Eunhyuk turned his face away.
“Are you angry about something?” Ryeowook wondered.
“Yes, they are hysterical about each other,” Eunhyuk seemed to say, “it seems like I’ve blindly missed some things I should have seen. Victoria was hurt first, though, on the other hand, Donghae isn’t really a smart one.”
“What are you talking about?” Yesung shook his head.
“You decide then, if you want to accept its love for you. Sometimes, we have to lose one thing to gain another,” Eunhyuk explained, “perhaps, maybe to lose your sadness means giving up what made you most happy.”
Eunhyuk swallowed. Had he…accidentally broken them up without knowing it? Victoria had listened to him.
/\_____/\
Victoria thanked the cab driver, paid, and got off the car. When she turned, she paused once she sighted Kyuhyun standing beside his car. His head was tilted up and she assumed that he was watching the stars twinkle in the sky. Walking toward him with a smile she stopped beside him.
“Is it an amazing sight?” Victoria questioned.
“Sometimes, the stars can spell out the things you want to know,” Kyuhyun said.
Victoria raised an eyebrow, “Is that some kind of riddle.”
Turning to her Kyuhyun shook his head.
“Why are you here?” Victoria asked.
“I don’t know,” Kyuhyun turned away.
“Liar,” Victoria leaned against him.
Kyuhyun inched away from her. She felt lost and confused with his action.
Turning away and leaning against the car she let out a smile, “I must be making you feel awkward.”
He glanced at the ground somewhat before turning to her, “It doesn’t feel natural this way, I can feel that you’re still pushing yourself.”
Victoria turned to look at him.
“I just came to make sure you’re ok,” Kyuhyun smiled softly. “And it looks like you aren’t ok, yet. I’m glad, though, that I caught you returning home. Then…I’ll see you.”
Victoria watched as he got into his car and drove away. Her mind flashed into emptiness as she watched his car lights disappear into the distance. Turning away Victoria headed into the house. As always the hallways were bleakly empty with no one to welcome her. She started toward the stairs, but stopped when a shadow loomed over her from the top.
A smirk curbed the corner of her lips up and she looked up with a deadly gaze to see So Rae.
“I expected you,” Victoria greeted.
“What are you up to?” So Rae questioned with arms crossed.
Victoria raised both her eyebrows up.
“What are you after?” So Rae asked. “What did you do to become the VP of Park Myung Soo’s management team? You bribed him? How much of dad’s money did you use? Don’t you have any shame?”
Victoria stared at her for a long time then refuted, “You jealous?”
So Rae’s eyes grew wide. Taking her chance Victoria stepped up to meet eye to eye with So Rae then crossed her arms and started pacing around her like a vulture flying around its prey.
“Because I’m father’s daughter, because I have the brains and the ability to, so what?” Victoria said. “Because you simply hate me, and so, I’m tired of being the one hated upon. Isn’t it nice if I choose to hate you in response?”
So Rae spun around once she paused at her back.
“What? Are you afraid I’m going to stab you in the back?” Victoria mused.
So Rae glared.
“Your glare is awfully strong,” Victoria commented, “but mine’s 100 times deadlier. Good night, dear So Rae.”
/\_____/\
Donghae found himself sitting, back against the window, staring into the dark living room of his. The food Victoria had brought him that Saturday he’d cleaned up and repacked them into the containers. They were now sitting inside the fridge. He couldn’t throw them away for some silly reason.
The side of his face had bruised up. Victoria had hit him with all the anger she had. He’d rather it hurt than not hurt.
He was wondering now what had brought him to think that she was better off with Kyuhyun. And now that she was finally going into Cho Kyuhyun’s arms Donghae couldn’t convince himself anymore that he was the best for her. Mi Sun and So Rae had gotten to him so easily. He couldn’t believe how easily swayed he was.
Donghae felt so sorry for hurting Victoria even when she came back for him. She always came back to him. Would he never feel her heart beating again?
“I don’t believe you,” he told, “you think when you see me, you feel when you see me. You’re only being like this because I left you first and you suffered alone!”
Why had he even said that? Victoria knew she was hurt and he still rubbed it in her face. He reached his hand up to lightly touch the bruise on his face. It would probably be the last thing Victoria would ever give him.
“Saturday morning Victoria came here crying. She cried a lot that even when Eunhyuk comforted her, she couldn’t stop crying.”
Donghae turned away. The overwhelming pain and guilt he felt couldn’t measure up to Victoria’s.
“Apologizing isn’t really enough, either, Ryeowook,” Donghae told. “Victoria is set on hating me right now.”
“When you hate someone, you also really love them,” Ryeowook tried, “it’s a philosophical thing. Maybe, Victoria’s at her breaking point right now and she’s putting up walls in order to protect herself. Maybe, it’ll take more than just apologizing to get to her again, you know?”
Ryeowook had a point. Victoria needed her own time. If he gave her the space she needed, maybe she’d come back to him after a long time’s wait. If it wasn’t for what So Rae had done, Victoria wouldn’t have changed within one night.
“It’s no use pointing fingers, Lee Donghae,” he told himself, “you hurt her first.”
He closed his eyes. He felt so guilty, so lonely, and sad. Victoria would never return to his side again regardless of the fact that she’d told him not to speak to her. Perhaps, he might really see her walking down the aisle with the man she was always supposed to be with.
The next day, the day after, and the day after that he didn’t see Victoria. There were times when he saw her walking through the hallways with Park Myung Soo and that was it. She really did not appear in front of him as she always did and not seeing around so often made left him feeling more empty. Every once in a while when someone passed the hallway, he’d find himself making a quick turn of the head hoping that it was Victoria stopping by.
The Monday after the boring weekend he’d had he arrived at work to find Mi Sun sitting at Victoria’s desk. Seeing her there kind of made him uncomfortable. He’d been watching out for the desk to make sure that no one other than Victoria would sit in it. However, he knew that he was being all but foolish.
Mi Sun caught his eyes and he quickly turned away.
“Are you really hoping that Victoria might return to her secretary position?” Mi Sun questioned. “That’s quite naïve.”
Donghae didn’t reply.
“Don’t worry, I’m only filling in for a while. The organization team is looking for new hires,” Mi Sun explained.
They were quiet and Donghae was sure that he could feel Mi Sun’s stare burn through him. She was observing, watching for something.
“Park Myung Soo, do you know who he is?”
Donghae turned to look at her. Mi Sun was still sitting down as calm as ever.
“President Bang, Victoria’s father’s right hand man,” Mi Sun explained, “Victoria’s father easily trusts that man for some reason, but So Rae dislikes him.”
Donghae didn’t quite get it.
“You’re not going to ask why?” Mi Sun wondered.
“It’s not my business,” Donghae shrugged her off.
Mi Sun turned away and started fussing with a notepad beside her, “The rumor goes that he’s associated with the black market. There are other rumors that he has a gang of men who does his dirty job for him, but of course there has never been evidence to prove those rumors true. But he’s been with the Bang family his entire life simply because he was brought up as the poor chauffeur’s son. However, his father died when he was young in a car accident. So Rae always felt like he was looking for something else.”
Donghae stared at her.
“Just because your families are rich you’re going to assume that everyone around you is money hungry?” Donghae accused. “Is this how you look after people you work with? That way of thinking is low. I’m not going to degrade someone who Victoria chose to work for. She had her reason to go, we’re going to have to respect it.”
Mi Sun smiled, “Then don’t you think Victoria could be up to something as well? How can a person change so suddenly within one night?”
Donghae felt irritated with her words.
“When a person starts to turn to their bad side, they can do whatever they put their mind to and those goals are ultimately dangerous,” Mi Sun seemed to warn, “Victoria was a good person, So Rae was once as good too before, but that was before her mother left her.”
“Who exactly are you blaming?” Donghae asked.
Mi Sun looked at him.
“Honestly, I was refraining from saying this but it feels like I can’t keep it cooped up inside me anymore,” Donghae stated, “you people think you can push us around easily. You say one thing and then you change your words to something else, what is it that you actually want? Now that Victoria has decided to marry Cho Kyuhyun, why don’t you just leave her alone? Does it matter where she decides to work and who she works under? Is it that big of a deal? Isn’t this all what you wanted? I wish…you’d just leave her alone.”
Letting out a loud exasperated sigh he turned around and walked out of the hallway.
Victoria never really did appear in front of him. He started wondering if she was staying away on purpose. There had been days where he’d gone back to the shelter in hopes of seeing Victoria with the guys, but he’d found out that she hadn’t gone back. Whether they had been lying to him or not, he hoped that they were telling him the truth.
Sometimes during his shift he’d pace back and forth down the empty hallways hoping that there was a possibility that Victoria might walk by. However, it was as if Victoria had disappeared into thin air.
One day, though, he did see her walking down the hallway with some folders in her hand. He had to admit that she looked great, the sight of her made his heart skip a dozen beats. Victoria looked as if she was glowing luminously. Her eyes didn’t budge nor hesitate toward him. She just kept staring straight ahead. Donghae felt nervous.
“Wait,” he almost helplessly called.
She turned to look at him pausing briefly in her steps.
“Do you want to go out for lunch…as friends, you know…” he could feel his lips tremble.
Victoria’s presence suddenly felt so abnormally heavy, so full of scary authority.
“No.” she replied before walking away.
As she passed, his eyes dropped toward the floor. Victoria had never rejected a meal with him before. Was this how it felt when he’d suddenly disappeared after she’d invited him out for a meal back then with her and Cho Kyuhyun?
Swallowing his saliva to deny his feelings of disappointment he turned around and hurried after her.
“If there’s something you need help with, you can ask me to do it for you,” he offered, “it’s kind of boring just sitting around and Mi Sun isn’t really the kind of person I talk to. I know you’re quite busy but…”
Victoria stopped in her steps and he stared at her from the side. A glad smile crawled onto his lips when she turned to him.
“You can help me,” Victoria said.
He raised an eyebrow, “Yes?”
“By not appearing in front of me,” Victoria turned away to stare straight ahead, “I thought I made it clear last time, that I don’t associate with anyone in a lower class than me.”
She took a sideways glance at him before taking off. Donghae swallowed his useless saliva again telling himself that it was alright. That Victoria only needed more time to herself, but he was slowly starting to think that that wasn’t just it.
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