Victoria’s POV

Weeks have passed and everything was slowly getting back to normal. At first it was a bit of a struggle but with the piles of work the company had scheduled for me, I was perfectly distracted and the painful memories were starting to fade. Slowly my wounds were being healed.

    My members and manager Oppa were also there for me. They gave me their support and helped stitch the last gap of my wounds and now, I’m okay. Of course a scar was left in me, but if I just ignored it, eventually I would forget about it and it will disappear on its own.

    I held no grudges against Nichkhun or Tiffany but I just hope they’re happy. And from what I heard, they are and I’m glad. And I’m also thankful that ‘Khuntoria’ was slowly dying in the news and on the web. At least I don’t have to worry about some scandal between me and Nichkhun again.

    It was still a bit astonishing that my path to move on was clear without any obstacle to hold me back. I sometimes get the feeling that something will happen but as I waited, nothing did. It was all clear and sunshine without any signs of rain coming soon. It felt like I can really get some peace and closure and just move on.

    I felt—almost—free.

    I was now in my company’s practice room when manager Oppa suddenly called and told me that Sajangnim wants to see me. I excused myself from the choreographer as I headed towards Sajangnim’s office. I wondered why he wanted to see me all of a sudden.

    “Ah, Victoria.” Sajangnim greeted me as I entered his office. I bowed and smiled as I took a seat in front of him.

    “You wanted to see me Sajangnim?” I asked and he nodded as he lay back against his leather armchair. “Did I do something wrong?” I asked again, a bit worried at his serious expression. As far as I know, I’ve been working really hard and I haven’t gotten into much trouble at all now. But his lips suddenly broke into a smile.

    “On the contrary, you’ve been doing so well lately that I wanted to thank you personally for your efforts.” He smiled broadly at me and I couldn’t help but blush at his satisfaction. “So…” Sajangnim pulled out one of his drawers behind his desk and placed a small black box in front of me. I stared at the shiny black box with curiosity.

    “What’s in the box?” I asked as I leaned forward to look at it more closely.

    “Open it and see it for yourself.” I hesitated at first but Sajangnim pushed the box towards me with a smile and I slowly cradled the box in my palm. I traced the box’s velvety texture and gently opened it. I gasped and stared wide-eyed at Sajangnim. He chuckled. “You like it? It’s yours.” I gasped again.

    Inside the box was a beautiful silver ring. I traced the ring with my index finger and my knees were shaking with excitement. I took out the ring from the box and examined it more closely. “It’s mine? Really?” I asked, wanting to make sure that I wasn’t dreaming and Sajangnim nodded. I slipped the ring on my left third finger and it fitted perfectly. I held my hand up to get a better view of it.

    “The design is a bit simple but I’m glad you like it.” Sajangnim said and I immediately shook my head at him.

    “No, this is really beautiful and I really, really love it.” Sajangnim laughed when I hugged my left hand and beamed at him. “But why are you giving me this?” I’ve received gifts from the company before but this ring looked a bit more expensive than the usual gifts I’ve gotten.

    “Like I said, you’ve been doing a great job lately and I wanted to show you my appreciation.” I was really touched by Sajangnim as I gazed at my ring.

    “Thank you, thank you so much!” Sajangnim smiled and nodded before dismissing me. I left his office with a broad smile on my face and started skipping down the hallway. Wow, I can’t believe Sajangnim would give me something so expensive as an appreciation gift for all my efforts.

    In a way, it felt like I was being acknowledged for being strong and not giving up after all that has happened to me. This ring proves that I was strong to endure all the struggles and never gave up as I worked hard for myself. This ring symbolized my hard efforts in trying to be a better person.

    I have a feeling that only good things will come my way from now on.

My gorgeous silver ring was now glazed by my stares. Even though weeks have passed, I was still admiring it with awe.

    “It’s just a ring, get over it already.” Krystal said with irritation and rolled my eyes at me. My members laughed at Krystal’s sudden burst of annoyance. We were currently lounging in our company.

    “Common Krystal, there’s nothing wrong with being crazy over a ring. It’s special to Vic Unnie.” Sulli said and smiled at me. The rest nodded in agreement and Krystal let out a sigh before she laughed.

    “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I guess I’m still a bit jealous.” She laughed again and we all joined in. Luna got off the couch to sit next to Krystal and gave her a hug.

    “I know, we all are.” Luna faked a cry as she patted Krystal’s back. They both started sobbing dramatically and I just shook my head at them.

    “But you know, it’s still quiet unbelievable that Sajangnim would give something this expensive as an appreciation gift.” Sulli said as she took my left hand and studied my ring.

    “I know right? No offence Unnie, I mean I know how hard you’ve been working and all but a Bvlgari ring? They’re not that cheap.” Amber said matter-of-factly.

    “So what? Sajangnim can’t give out branded items as presents?” I asked, my eyes on my ring.

    “Hey girls!”

    “Oppa!” We all cried as Kyuhyun came in and sat on an empty space next to Sulli. “What are you guys doing here?”

    “Just hanging out.” Amber answered short as she fiddled with her rubix cube in her hands.

    “Yeah? So what were you guys talking about just now?” Kyuhyun asked curiously. “It sounded like you were having an interesting talk about something.”

    “We were just talking about Vic Unnie’s ring.” Sulli said and Kyuhyun grimaced, looking disappointed.

    “Girls… All they talk about is clothes and accessories.” Kyuhyun rolled his eyes and shook his head. “How can Vic’s ring become a topic of interest in a conversation?”

    “First of all, clothes and accessories are a very interesting topic to talk about,” Luna retaliated and rolled her eyes at Kyuhyun before continuing, “and second, Vis Unnie’s ring is no ordinary ring.” Kyuhyun looked at Luna quizzically.

    “Sajangnim gave Vic the ring.” Amber explained, half her mind focused on her rubix cube. Kyuhyun raised an eyebrow.

    “So? What’s so special about that? We’ve all received gifts from him before.”

    “Yeah but none of them costs as much.” Sulli stated and grabbed my left hand to show it to Kyuhyun. His eyes widened as he took my hand and gaped at my ring on my third finger.

    “You gotta be kidding me. Sajangnim gave you this?” I snatched my hand back and my ring delicately. “That’s one of the new designs from Bvlgari’s newest line, B.zero1. It costs like one or two thousand dollars.” My jaw slightly fell when I heard the last sentence. I knew Bvlgari was an expensive brand but two thousand dollars? For only one ring?

    “Two thousand dollars?! Tell me you’re joking.” Krystal yelled as she stared at my hand with shock. The rest were mimicking Krystal’s face.

    “Oppa, since when did you become such a ring expert?” Luna asked Kyuhyun questioningly.

    “Ah, I have the exact same ring back in my dorm.”

    “What? Sajangnim gave you one too?” Sulli asked but Kyuhyun shook his head.

    “I got it as a gift from the sponsors during the Japan tour.” He explained and we all nodded. I was suddenly confused. Why did Sajangnim give me something this expensive? It can’t be  because of my efforts, right? “But where’s the other one?”

    “Huh? Other one? What do you mean?” I asked.

    “Didn’t you get two rings?” My brows furrowed as I shook my head at him.

    “No, I only got this one.”

    “Oh, really? It’s supposed to be a couple set, isn’t it?” I just shrugged at him. “Cause I got two rings, I gave the other one to Donghae.”

    “Ah!” Luna suddenly clasped her hands together. “Maybe Sajangnim gave Vic Unnie the ring to promote the new line.”

    “Oh, like as advertisement?” Sulli asked.

    “That could be.” Kyuhyun nodded in agreement. I suddenly felt disappointed. All this time I thought I was being acknowledged for my hard work, but it turns out I was just being used by Sajangnim to advertise a new brand. I sighed.

    “It doesn’t matter. As long as I get to keep the ring, I’m good.” The others rolled their eyes at me as I continued gazing my ring.

Nichkhun’s POV

“Hyung… I don’t know what to say…” I said as I stared at the ring seated in its black box. “I love you and all… but not in that way…” Jin Young rolled a magazine in his hand and slapped my head with it. “Ow!”

    “Yah, I’m not proposing to you.” He yelled as he got up from his couch. We were in his office. He tossed the ring box at me and started pacing around. “It’s a gift.”

    “A gift?” I looked at the black ring with a silver frame around it. Bvlgari…? I knew the brand; it’s supposed to be a really expensive brand. “Why?” I asked.

    “Can’t I just give one of my artists a gift?” He asked back.

    “But this is really expensive.” I reasoned. For all I know, I haven’t done anything great to receive an expensive gift from him. “Thanks but I think it’s best if you give this to someone else. Someone who really deserves it.” Jin Young sighed heavily as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

    “I’ll be forward with you Khun-ah.” He said in a serious tone. “This ‘gift’ is not for your benefit.”

    I raised an eyebrow at him. “Heh?” Jin Young took a seat back on the couch opposite of me.

    “Do you remember why I asked you to sign up for WGM?” I winced a bit but Jin Young didn’t realize it and I slowly nodded. The reason why I joined WGM was to stop all the rumours about me and Tiffany. “Well, it’s pretty obvious that plan didn’t work since you and Tiffany are still together.” I choked a bit.

    “Wh-what are you—” I stopped when Jin Young shot me a glare. I sighed and looked away.

    “I don’t care if you’re still dating her or not but as long as you’re not reckless then it’s fine.” Jin Young assured me. “But the problem is, the rumours about you two are still spreading and this ‘gift’,” He pointed at the ring box with his chin. “Is going to distract everyone.” I was confused again. What did he mean by distract everyone?

    “I don’t get it, how can this ring become a distraction?” I asked as I slipped the ring on my left third finger. Is the ring cursed or something?

    “Victoria has one too. They’re couple rings.” I choked again at Jin Young’s words. The ring suddenly felt heavier on my finger and it burned my skin. “Since WGM ended, there wasn’t much news about you two and so Soo Man and I decided to ‘make-up’ news, just to keep the Khuntoria name alive.” Again, me and Victoria are being used, again. “Plus, fans might think Khuntoria are real and stopped focusing on Tiffany.”

    I sighed. I didn’t know whether to yell at him or just go with it. My mind suddenly thought about Victoria. I winced when the night she dumped me played in my mind. I wondered how she’s taking this. I guess she must be furious to be associated with me again. My eyes suddenly stung at the thought.

    “What about V-V-Victoria?” I stuttered a bit on her name. “Did she agree to this?”

    “Soo Man is probably explaining the situation to her right now. But what matters now is that you have to wear this ring no matter what, okay?” I sighed as I stared at the ring. If I wear this, rumours about me and Victoria being a couple will surely cause a commotion from the fans. This means I’m going to be connected to Victoria a whole lot more after this.

    No matter where I go, I just can’t escape Victoria. She will always be a part of my life, bitter or sweet, I was trapped by her.

~~~

Hi… it’s been a while since I updated. Sorry, I’ve been busy lately with school. Fasting month is just around the corner and I’m excited!

Well hope you enjoy.

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