86
Their Kingdom Panorama
He hung up and Victoria started for the door. She’d slept longer than she’d planned, no, she’d actually slept when she hadn’t planned to. She was screwed if she couldn’t get dressed up in time.
Victoria rushed from the house to find a taxi and finally arrived home half an hour later. Rushing up the stairs Victoria rummaged through her closet and pulled out a one piece quickly stripping herself and slipping into it. After finding the heels So Rae had once bought for her she hurried back down the stairs.
About half an hour later she arrived at the Cho’s. It was barely evening yet and the place was already packed. She thought she’d asked for a small scale banquet…
Someone whisked her from the side and she turned surprised. Kyuhyun looked at her.
“Your father’s already here,” he pointed out, “why are you so late?”
“Ah…I kind of slept in,” Victoria half lied.
“My father wants to introduce you to some aunts and uncles,” he explained.
“Ok.”
“Are you sure you can handle it?” Kyuhyun asked worried. “There’s a line waiting for you.”
Victoria followed his gaze and indeed he was telling the truth. There was about a whole crowd of old people dressed up in rich diamonds and custom made suits waiting around Chairman Cho.
“You feel uncomfortable?” Kyuhyun questioned.
Victoria glanced around, “Overwhelmed…I told your father I wanted to keep this banquet small, didn’t I?”
“My father likes going overboard,” Kyuhyun explained, paused, then continued, “Victoria, I want to let you know that I’ll let things go the way they’ll go. If you want to leave anytime, go ahead.”
Victoria finally met him eye to eye. There was something about his voice.
“Why would you say that?” she wondered. “This was my suggestion.”
She reached a hand up to touch his forehead, but instead of touching it she found him backing away from her touch. How….unusual…
“I’m fine, let me walk you over to my dad,” he offered.
Kyuhyun would have lent her his hand or his arm, but he didn’t. They just simply walked alongside each other. Victoria was unsure why she was letting these little details get to her.
“Ah!! Hi!!”
It was finally starting.
/\_____/\
The tables were draped in a kind of gold, bowls of food were laid everywhere, plates along the sides, and champagne cups filled with wine sat next to each other at one side. It was a grand party…when it should have been an easy banquet. Donghae glanced around not one bit excited to be there.
So Rae walked ahead of him and turned toward him impatiently.
“Are you going to always walk behind me?” she scolded. “In what way does that make us look like a couple? People are going to stare!”
He turned away from her tired of her nagging, but felt her pull him toward her when she forcibly slid her arm through his. What kind of couple had to do this?
As they moved further into the yard Donghae found his eyes darting everywhere. He stopped in his steps when he saw Victoria being surrounded by a crowd. The smile on her face as she greeted him was so mesmerizing and he wished he was there with her as well. However, he knew better. Even if he and Victoria married, there would be no relatives on his side to kindly greet Victoria like Cho Kyuhyun’s family would.
Reality was just too cruel.
Turning away he saw a few others making their way toward So Rae.
“So Rae! It’s been so long!” an old aunt greeted. “Who’s this?”
Honestly, Donghae phased out of their conversation. Once again, he turned toward Victoria’s direction to find her being swallowed up by the crowd. Was she uncomfortable? Was she feeling overwhelmed? Or was she glad to have all of this?
Turning away he focused on the million varieties of food on the table before his eyes darted Victoria’s way again.
A while later when So Rae separated from him to socialize with some aunts Donghae busied himself with the food. Luckily, he found an empty table and sat down. The buzzing chatter around him never ceased one bit. He was really out of place in this high class society. It was…so different…so elegant…expensive.
“Ah! Lee Donghae!”
Donghae turned abruptly surprised by the sound of his name. Bang Dae Jung had somehow recognized him. Donned in the great blazing suit he wore he was also holding a champagne cup in his hand.
“Chairman Cho, this is Lee Donghae,” Dae Jung introduced.
Unable to understand the situation Donghae got up anyway and bowed.
Chairman Cho laughed easily, “He looks kind. Is he the one So Rae is seeing?”
“You can go back to enjoying your meal,” Dae Jung placed a hand on his shoulder before walking off with Chairman Cho.
Donghae watched the two disappear among the crowd before sitting down. When he grabbed his spoon he paused and looked up when he saw Kyuhyun leading Victoria toward the table. He couldn’t help but stare. It was both painful, yet refreshing to see Victoria close up.
“Mind if we sit?” Kyuhyun asked with a smile.
“Go ahead,” Donghae replied.
Kyuhyun pulled out a seat for Victoria before sitting down beside her. Donghae wondered why he’d chosen to sit at an empty table.
“Kyuhyun, your uncle wants to meet you,” a woman in a mahogany long dress poked his shoulder.
“I’ll be back?” Kyuhyun smiled toward Victoria and glanced at Donghae harmlessly. “You two chat up a bit.”
He watched as Kyuhyun followed the woman into the crowd. Silence resounded between the two of them. It wasn’t the kind of awkward atmosphere to people who used to love felt when they met again, it was the kind of quiet atmosphere that asked for one’s own space.
Victoria reached forward for her glass of water, “I didn’t expect So Rae to ditch you like this, but you look like you’re doing just fine.”
Donghae put down his spoon suddenly losing his appetite. They were quiet again.
“You look really nice,” Donghae complimented her. “You and Cho Kyuhyun look well together.”
Victoria’s eyes landed on him and he looked back at her.
“I heard you’re finishing the rest of your engagement tonight,” he smiled even though his heart was pounding painfully, “congratulations. If this is what you’ve chosen, I’m happy for you and you should be happy too. It’d be nice if you were always honest with yourself. You deserve it.”
He turned away feeling his eyes begin to water.
“What is wrong with you?” he asked himself mentally.
“I was wondering where you went,” So Rae appeared out of nowhere.
Taking the empty seat beside Donghae she glanced over at Victoria who smiled back.
“My, where’s Kyuhyun? Surely, you didn’t decide to come sit here yourself?”
“I decided to sit at this table,” Kyuhyun reappeared.
So Rae glanced at him with a small glare.
“I heard that you and Lee Donghae are seeing each other now,” Kyuhyun started, “I was surprised at first, but congrats.”
So Rae bitterly returned a smile.
“I was surprised when I heard about the last minute banquet,” So Rae told, “are you going to rush the wedding this time? Be careful, the bride might run away with cold feet.”
“Having cold feet is better than having a relationship with a cold heart,” Victoria teased. “Some couples out there nowadays like fooling around, therefore relationships are nonexistent these days. Have been back at Lee Donghae’s place again?”
So Rae faked a smile as she gripped her hand into a fist underneath the table.
“Oh yes, I’d like to refrain from work related conversations but I just had this thing I wanted to say,” Victoria tilted her head, “could you please tell Mi Sun to stop coming to me? I’m seriously busy these days and I return home late, so finding her waiting for me at the front door is a bit…well…you know, disturbing.”
Donghae eyed them wondering what was going on between the two before a loud voice interrupted.
“May I have your attention please?” Chairman Cho questioned.
Everyone slowly quieted.
Chairman Cho smiled and went on, “This banquet tonight is for my son, Cho Kyuhyun and our future daughter-in-law, Victoria. Their wedding, as we’ve discussed, will be held on December 1st. Please be sure to take the day off and come celebrate with us!”
The crowd clapped. Donghae couldn’t move.
Chairman Cho pointed toward Kyuhyun and Victoria.
“I think he wants us to go up there,” Kyuhyun whispered to Victoria.
/\_____/\
Victoria followed Kyuhyun toward the center of attention, the part of reality that she wasn’t used to.
“Put the ring on her,” his father patted his back before heading toward the sideline.
Victoria glanced at Kyuhyun and at the ground before she returned her eyes to his face. He seemed hesitant. Because she messed up last time, was he going to mess up this time? There was something about him that he hadn’t been talking to her about. Was Kyuhyun really intent on making this wedding a failure? Did he really not want it to happen?
“Kyuhyun!” his father whispered.
She turned to find his father standing beside his mother. Her father stood nearby waiting patiently. All the relatives she’d just met were staring, watching, waiting. The feelings of heavyweight burden suddenly seemed so obvious between her and Kyuhyun. They weren’t the type of people who disappointed others. They did as they were told. It was the life they very much led. Victoria had never realized before that the two of them were so alike.
Suddenly, she felt his hands detach the necklace from her neck. She looked into his almost saddened and emotionless face. Everything seemed to move slow.
Their eyes met for a brief moment.
“Remember, if you want to leave anytime, I’ll give way for you,” he reached for her hand and slide the icy cold ring on her finger.
The crowd clapped and cheered.
“I heard you’re finishing the rest of your engagement tonight,” he smiled even though his heart was pounding painfully, “congratulations. If this is what you’ve chosen, I’m happy for you and you should be happy too. It’d be nice if you were always honest with yourself. You deserve it.”
Really? Why was she still thinking of Lee Donghae at the last minute?
Kyuhyun was ready to turn away and smile toward the crowd, but out of anger at herself and still intent on hurting the others she grabbed his face and gave him a kiss.
/\_____/\
How to explain it? How to say it? Donghae didn’t know. He’d lost all words, all ways to communicate at that particular moment. Watching Kyuhyun put the ring on Victoria’s finger had hurt enough, but witnessing Victoria kiss him didn’t feel right.
His mind had entirely exploded. His heart was shocked to its core. How was he to take this?
Loud music started playing in the background and the crowd started moving up to the center to start dancing. Voices, loud voices congratulated Victoria and Kyuhyun exclaiming their surprises for the whole world to know.
So Rae got up from beside him and headed off elsewhere. Yet, he remained frozen in his seat and found Victoria and Kyuhyun intimately dancing up front. Memories emptied themselves into his memory and Donghae got up turning his back to them. It was impossible to watch anymore.
He was suddenly hurting like he’d never hurt before. It was the kind of feeling one had when they wanted to drop to their knees. It was that kind of helplessness.
Walking toward the table with the wine filled glasses he took one by one chugging one after another. He had to forget. He had to face the truth that Victoria had left. She’d left. She’d really left him.
/\_____/\
Victoria felt her face lightly brush against Kyuhyun’s jaw line. She couldn’t look at him and he couldn’t look at her either. What feelings were flowing through her this time?
As they turned slowly, Victoria found her eyes watching out for Donghae. When her eyes landed on the empty table she felt sorry.
/\_____/\
So Rae stood from the back with crossed arms glaring continuously at the new formed couple on the dance ground. Victoria had really dared to pull such a dirty move when she knew Donghae had been watching her. She’d dared to touch Kyuhyun…
The burning fiery rage within her shot up in flames. Victoria dared to take them both and hurt both. Yet, So Rae was most angry that Kyuhyun hadn’t done a thing. He should have initiated the kiss if he cared, but he’d done nothing. She was sure then that the wedding wasn’t just a mutual agreement. From Kyuhyun’s side, it was being forced on him now because Victoria was completely content with it. And So Rae couldn’t see to it.
If Victoria was fine with the wedding going on, So Rae had to stop it somehow.
/\_____/\
After the dance crowd broke up, Kyuhyun started toward the house. He wanted some time to himself. He needed some time to reevaluate what just happened. As he passed the kitchen he heard the ahjumma talking to someone.
“Sir, you can’t be like this here,” she said, “where’s your house? I can get a taxi for you. Sir…”
Stepping around the corner Kyuhyun spotted the ahjumma shaking Donghae’s arm as he lie upon the stairs knocked out. That was right, Donghae had been invited to the banquet as well. If he was there he must have seen it all. Kyuhyun could only imagine how hurt he was. Feeling sorry toward him Kyuhyun tapped the ahjumma’s shoulder.
“Kyuhyun,” the ahjumma sounded relieved, “I don’t know who he is. I was just passing by to get some more refreshments when I saw him lying here.”
“It’s ok, you go on ahead and do what you were doing,” Kyuhyun smiled, “I’ll take care of him.”
“Do you know him?” asked the ahjumma.
“He’s Victoria’s friend,” Kyuhyun answered.
The ahjumma nodded and disappeared into the kitchen. Lifting Donghae up to his feet sloppily Kyuhyun headed outside. As he made his way through the door he could feel Donghae shift all his weight against him, which made it all the more harder to move.
“Please make sure he gets back safely,” Kyuhyun told the taxi driver.
The driver nodded toward him. Cautiously lying Donghae down onto the backseat Kyuhyun could hear him start to mutter some words.
“Victoria…I’m sorry…Victoria…”
***Imagina how hard it must have been for Donghae to tell Victoria that she and Cho Kyuhyun look good together :(
***I can definitely sense some similarity between Kyuhyun and Victoria and how their lives are. Full of demands and expectations.
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