Chapter 29

“Who knew there would be like a million fights all in the same day?” Dongwoon whined as they commuted around the big city. “Damn it, Sam! You are going to be the end of me!”

“Doesn’t your phone have a feature to narrow your search?! I mean of course there are a bunch of fights. We’re in freakin’ Thailand for crying out loud!” Ailee exclaimed irritably.

“Well excuse me for not researching enough on all this! I mean out of all the things a guy could be, why a fighter?” Dongwoon scoffed. “She could’ve gotten with an idol after all this time!”

“Exactly! She blew her chance with Jihoon for crying out loud!” Ailee clenched her fist.

Jihoon cleared his throat garnering Dongwoon and Ailee’s attention. “I’m right here, just so you guys know,” he said. “Instead of whining about what she’s done to any of us, we should all focus on where she is. We’re wasting time complaining, you know.”

Leave it to the rookie soloist to knock some sense into the two best friends. “Guy’s got a point,” Ailee replied glancing at Dongwoon. “Do you think splitting up is a good idea?”

“No!” both guys exclaimed in unison.

“We’re not planning on getting lost here,” Dongwoon pointed out. “We should stick together. Something will turn up.”

Looking around as they walked, Ailee saw something that caught her attention. It was a banner for another fight but unlike the other ones, the thing that stood out the most was not the faces but the names on the list in the match-ups. She had finally found his name! “Guys, come here!” she called to the other two who stood behind her.

Dongwoon read it aloud and beamed. They were getting closer to finding their friend! He thought. “Good eye, Ailee!” he pulled her close to hug her. “Let’s go before it gets dark.” He said finally.

Then soon, they were off to their next destination in the hopes of finding Samantha and Peniel.

Meanwhile, Samantha was entranced by the match unaware of the other people. She felt as if she was the only person in the room as she watched him. Happily smiling, she relaxed and watched on mesmerized by his movements. Her plan was to see him after the fight was over. She wanted him to know that if he won or lost, he will always have her as a fan.

Soon however, her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a loud blow. Jeremy was lying on his back. A lot of things were happening at once because his corner men and officials were hovering over him. Then moments later, the winner was announced. Samantha was stunned when she saw the referee raise the hand of the opponent; he supposedly won by knockout.

The crowd was outraged by the decision. Samantha understood where everyone was coming from because she too was angered by it. This was his big break and now he lost it. She stood up from her seat and began making her way towards the ring ignoring Peniel, who stood dumbfounded when she walked past him without any acknowledgement.

Thinking back to what had just happened in the fight; the idol could not help but smile in satisfaction at what he had done. “That’ll teach him,” he said proudly. “I had to do it, Sam. And I don’t feel bad about it.” He chuckled. Mission accomplished.

She waited for him by the door to the rest area. His group was talking to him and parted ways soon after. He was left alone with his trainer still talking. As he drew near, Samantha’s heart started thumping and her breathing became irregular once again. What was this feeling? She wondered. Anxiety, that’s what it was.

Nerves took over because she hadn’t seen him in months. It was normal for her to be nervous, right? The feeling was abnormal because she started to hyperventilate. Samantha tried her best to act normal in the hopes of not drawing any unwanted attention to herself. Her legs started to feel like jelly but she had to maintain her composure.

Not waiting any longer, she impatiently walked over to him. He was taken aback by the sudden hug she was giving him but relaxed as he returned the hug. “Hey,” he said, clearly surprised. “I didn’t know you were here.”

“My job brought me here,” she pulled away from him, beaming. “They decided to give me some free time and since I heard you were here I figured I’d come by and say hi. I have to admit, I’m glad I did.”

“It’s good seeing you,” he smiled. “It’s the only highlight of my day actually.”

Samantha frowned upon thinking about the fight she just witnessed. “I’m sorry about what happened. Are you okay?” she grew worried.

“I’ll be fine. Thanks for the checking up on me,” he said. “And I thought I told you not to apologize all the time. This isn’t your fault. What happened was… unexpected.”

“Old habits die hard,” she shrugged but soon grew more concerned when she noticed the look on his face when he spoke. “What do you mean?” she asked. “What happened exactly?”

“Well, do you wanna know why I was knocked out?” he asked. “It turns out some idiot decided it would be fun to chuck a water bottle at me.”

Samantha gasped. “What the hell?! I’m so sorry to hear that!” she exclaimed. “So what’s going to happen now?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know either. That’s what I’m asking. My coaches are trying to get to the bottom of it. It’s still under investigation as we speak,” he answered.

“Let’s hope they find the jackass,” Samantha said optimistically.

Jeremy chuckled. The younger girl’s enthusiasm never seizes to amaze him. “Thanks,” he said. “That’s really sweet of you.”

She blushed then turned away from trying not to look like a giddy school girl. Relax, she told herself. “So where’s your beautiful sister?” Samantha had to ask noticing Nicky’s absence.

“She couldn’t make it today because of work,” he answered. “She really wanted to come too. I think she would have been really happy knowing you’re here.”

Samantha was touched by his remark. “Well could you tell her I said hello and I miss her?”

He smiled. “Sure thing,” he said nodding. Glancing beside him, he caught eyes with a glaring Peniel. Samantha too found herself following Jeremy’s eyes only to come face to face with the young idol. She in turn groaned in frustration. “Great,” she muttered.

“You know him?” Jeremy asked curiously.

She frowned and thought about it momentarily. She could be honest and tell him the truth or she could lie and say he’s just some weirdo who was following her around. Because she had a conscience she decided with honesty. “He’s my boss… kind of,” she answered sheepishly. “It’s complicated.”

Jeremy raised an eyebrow. “Your boss? He looks pretty young to be your boss, don’t you think?”

Peniel then made his way over to them. “Crap,” Samantha said softly as she dreaded his arrival.

A/N: As you all know, the teaser in the foreword leads up to this scene. Just thought I'd point it out to you guys. Enjoy! :D