Way 3 – The Year of Returns

“She’s dead?” Seohyun’s hand suddenly became weak, her phone slipped away from the tips of her fingers to the floor.

“Seohyun! Seohyun! Seohyun!” The shouting won’t stop and its getting louder and louder but Seohyun still stood there in the middle of the press conference wearing a blank expression. People shook her body.. her managers shouted at her to wake her up again. The reporters are screaming for her attention with all sort of question after ‘that incident’ She ignored them and walked away but her staff kept on blocking her.

So she told them off firmly. “Stay away from this, or all of you will live your life in misery.” But they won’t budge, they knew even with Seohyun’s bratty personality, she’s a really nice person. There is just some misconceptions about the way she handle herself In front of people.

Seohyun sighed and looked at them letting out a much softer tone that can be interpret as a whisper but filled with determination. “ If you really care for me, let me go.”

Standing in front of the airport, she wore the exact same shirt in the press conference. Without any luggage… she took the first airplane she could buy the ticket to.

“I’m sorry for being a coward” She mumbled to herself.

“Yoohoo, Deejay K in the house! Next one will be one of the classic. It’s Gee, our club anthem. Ahaa and I heard that Choi Seohyun is in the house right? Let’s chant her name to be on the stage leading the dance. Seohyun! Seohyun! Seohyun!”“And here comes the noises” Seohyun eyelids fluttered, struggling to open itself. She sighed and headed outside of the VIP section to the stage searching for Tiffany only to end up dragging her up to the stage with her.

Jungshin dialed Yonghwa’s phone number only to hear a beep sound. He called again for 3 times until he saw his hyung crawling beneath someone car like a stalker. “Hyung what are you doing?” He shouted loudly. Yonghwa eyes widened when he saw some security guards trying to look at the source of the shout. He pinned Jungshin down and covered Jungshin mouth hurriedly. The security guard ended up thinking that both of them is a gay couple or something so he just shrugged it off.

"Shhh. I even managed to snag a few pictures.” Yonghwa whispered, hiding behind the bushes.

“So, you said you are going to tell me your target. Who is it?”

Yonghwa pointed at the huge billboard across the street. “Choi Seohyun. That’s my target.”

***

“There’s just one thing I regret in life. That is running away. If I could turn back time, I might be able to keep our friendship intact.”

Seohyun walked fastly towards the waving Nicole at the other side to join in the clique only to bump in with a brown haired woman. Rubbing her forehead, she lifted her head up mumbling the word sorry to the still unknown woman only to be changed to a shocked stricken expression.

“Unnie…..”

“So you just came back from Paris? How’s the trip fun huh?”

“Yoona unnie…” Seohyun stood there with her head hung low. Yoona just shook her head in disappointment and leaved Seohyun frozen in guilt.

“Yoona stop being so childish can you?” Tiffany sighed, sitting beside the empty spot beside Yoona at the bar.

“You saw it?”

“Of course I do. Everybody did.”

“Not going to critique me?”

“Too tired to do that. Just so you know… It’s been boring hanging out without the 4 of us completely together.” Tiffany swirled the wine in her glass before sipping it. Yoona fell a drop of tear landed to her right hand from her own eyes. She smiled sarcastically to herself before peeking back to the ongoing party below them.

She seems lonely. Hyunnie when are you going to try to make things right and be more matured.

Yoona put her finger on her chin watching out for that young woman below her.

“I want 5 of us. But it’s not going to happen so it’s better If it just 3. I’m just waiting for Jessica unnie to comeback.”

“Count me out then, I’m not choosing friend here Yoona. So how is it going, I heard you and Lee Jonghyun went for a blind date?”

“Don’t even remind me of that. Anybody is related to Seohyun will not be an inch close to me.”

“Ouch that hurts Yoona yaaa.” Tiffany held on to her chest making a very hurt expression to Yoona.

“But unnie you are an exception.” Yoona winked.

***

From Siwon Oppa.

Dongwoon is back in Korea. You should take precautionary steps, I heard you are trying to reopen Krystal case. I will be back maybe around another 1 week. For now, please take care Seohyun ahh. It will be better if you just received grandpa’s help. You guys used to be so close. I don’t want to be back and see my sister’s grave. I want to see her in a perfectly fine state. Remember perfect! And please say to Tiffany “Ewwwwww never in a million times I will be with her. Gross” Love you my dearest sis. Oppa will send some watchful eyes for you. Trust in me ahrasso. I will protect you. Do what you think is right.

Seohyun headed outside for some fresh air when she noticed the still dancing Minho asking her from a far where is she going. She waved him goodbye and gestured that she will be taking some fresh air. Minho ran towards her but already she is nowhere to be seen. Just like that she disappears.

“Choi Seo Hyun really love to disappear don’t you think so?” Minho nearly got a heart attack seeing that face.

“No way you are back!”

***

“Hyung! No, you can’t put your target on her! It’s a no-no!”

“Why so, I will put a target with whomever I wanted. Besides, I heard that she will be put under the witness protection program. I can’t trust the police. I will put my life to make sure that case reopen and it comes in her form. I just want to make sure whether it’s really her or not.”

“Even if you put it that way hyung, It still don’t make sense by putting her on the news. No news site will want to do that. Our company is no exception. Everything in this world is under their grasp, The Choi’s is not enemy you would want to find.”

“Oh that’s her!” Yonghwa pat Jungshin back asking him to wait and ran off following the white dressed girl to the back of the club ignoring the still babbling Jungshin.

Yonghwa followed that girl carefully from behind, noticing her somehow familiar back is a bit weird for him. Anyways he kept moving from behind her when he noticed a shocking site where she squatted down and trembled out of fear? Coldness? He won’t know for sure but he felt tensed up and not knowing exactly what to do. He kept her on watch when he saw she’s answering her phone.

“I will be the witness in that case. Yes.. yes please do send your police faster .” Seohyun nodded shakingly then she laid her head in rest before letting her tears run freely down her face without any initiative to hold it in.

He stared at her, examining every inched of her face. Her chubby cheeks, her reddish lip, her eyes that can compared to the twinkling stars in the sky, It was so familiar. Did he know her? He is not sure but he sure felt like going forward to comfort her.. to say good words to her, to be the shoulder where she could cry on. He felt pity but he shrugged out his thoughts, she is his target.

‘Click’ he snapped a picture of her crying reluctantly. Hearing the clicking sound Seohyun turned around quickly with a gaze that could kill people with a mere sight of it. Yonghwa frozen when Seohyun started to wipe of her tears and dust of the dirt of her skirt still looking at him angrily.

“You do know the peril of messing up with a Choi don’t you?” She snarled at him.

Yonghwa finally get back to his right mind and approached her back, pushing her onto a wall with their faces are now only centimeters away from each other… “Choi or not, who cares? Young lady, stop using your family name to get away with everything. Don’t repeat what had happened before, speak only the truth.” Yonghwa gazed sharpened challenging her to speak back to him.

Noticing the crowd forming around them, Yonghwa backed away waving his camera to her before turning away and running disappearing into the thin air.

In his editor room, Yonghwa is still contemplating whether to publish the articles that might be his gateway to the crime journalism department even though it meant hurting that girl. He slapped his self for even caring, he went forward and send in two articles leaving out the other one in his hand.

“What about the other paper in your hand?”

“This is not for the job.”

“Then what is that for?”

“Safe keeping purposes.”

“Let me read it first… your article. I will call you later.. Ahh I have no time for that. I will just trust you on this one Yonghwa. Just go to the printing company and ask them to print all of this out including your article.”

“Ahrasso, the shallow article will once again be posted, boss. Pfft.”

Yonghwa walked out of the office obediently earning a curious look from his coworkers and bosses.

“What’s with the Jung today? Not so great anymore.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

‘SLAM’

“I should know her right?!?” Yonghwa jolted up from his sit causing everyone to drop off their files due to shock.

“Yaaa! You make us got a heart attack you know!!” People started to scream at him.

“Aishhh still can’t remember.” Yonghwa sat back down still not listening to the complaints around him regarding his noises. He looked at the title of the paper he wrote. ‘Choi Seohyun Otherside’ only to end up putting his head on his desk bumping it up and down.

‘Slam..Slam’

“YAAAAAAA!” People started to scream ready to throw their stuff at Yonghwa.

“Tsk… you can’t handle a handsome man problem.” Yonghwa shook his head and went outside for a fresh air.

NEWS FLASH

Choi Seo Hyun and Lee Jong Hyun

Choi Seo Hyun’s Secret Past.

The Secret Pass In The Celebrity World.

“Well this is annoying. Make it stop.” Seohyun said to her manager.

“The thing is Seohyun, they don’t want to.”

“This news site is weird.” Seohyun shook her head before continuing her sentences. “Whatever. I’t’s not even a big of deal.” Then suddenly she looked behind her back, checking the surrounding.. sniffing around.

“I think they kept following me through my boring routine for about 1 week already.”

“WHAT?!? It’s dangerous.. I will contact..”

“No need, I don’t know why I felt safe with them around especially with the roller coaster ride that I’m about to get myself in.” Seohyun smiled faintly before walking forward again.

“He didn’t come today?” Then she turned her back for the last time checking her back to see a figure just bumped himself to a wall. She giggled but covered her laughter with her right hand and went off… feeling happy that he still kept on following her.

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay, I'm really busy with non stop assignments coming in and with test and all. I felt that this story is off with a slow start these past 3 chapters. I have future plans for it, and i have no time to develop it further. I feel that it's not the time to get to the fluffy filled with cheesiness part and rainbows of it yet. I need to develop it's character arc and it's story. Be patient with the update please ^^ Do subscribe, comment and etc.