Chapter Three

Ding-ding. The tiny bells on the door jingled as a guy walked into the fairly well known bakery “Our Shared Paradise”.  A few sets of chairs and tables painted in purple filled the spaces near the cashier, forming a small home-like café. The red haired guy with astonishingly good looks walked towards the cashier, where Nicole stood smiling, ready to take in orders.

“Hello there! Welcome to “Our Shared Paradise”! What would you like to order?”

He, who was wearing some posh outfit, took off his shades in a suave way and focused his eyes onto the board listing all the drinks available. It took him no more than ten seconds to decide on what he wanted to have.

“One cappuccino please,” said the male, his smoky eyes meeting Nicole’s.

As usual, Nicole typed in the customer’s order and received payment. This time, however, a sensitive question popped up. He looked at her in a different way, raising his eyebrows rather unnecessarily.

“I’m sorry, but you look very familiar. Have we met before?”

“I don’t think so, sir,” said Nicole without thinking.

“I think I’ve seen you on the internet. Are you by any chance popular?”

Nicole froze as the question was asked. Her heart almost stopped beating and it was as if her blood had stop flowing too. After a momentary pause, she blinked.

“I was involved in the entertainment world a few months ago,” she said as she unfroze.

“I remember! You were supposed to debut as a member of a girl group,” he said excitingly, extending his arm to shake her hand.

Nicole gave him a forceful smile as he introduced himself to her. Why mention my past when I’m trying so hard to forget?

“Here’s your cappuccino. Please enjoy,” said Nicole without responding to his offer of a handshake.

She was definitely hit by his sudden knowledge of her past. She shoved the hot cup of cappuccino into his hand, causing some of it to spill over, dirtying his pair of black Calvin Klein shoes. He let out a little scream as his hand too was scalded by the hot cappuccino.

“I’m so sorry,” said Nicole, panicking as she searched for some serviettes to clean up her unwanted mess.

“What is wrong with you?” Angry, he left the bakery without hearing any explanations from her.

Her face dropped down low, bringing the smiley Nicole down. She stared at the spilled over cappuccino, not thinking about whether to clean it up or leave it, but pondering about her past.

SIX MONTHS AGO

“Nicole, can you come over with me please?”

Nicole, who was in the middle of a conversation with the other potential members, looked over to see who asked for her. It was the CEO of the label she was signed to, 2R Entertainment. She nodded, and followed him to his office. The CEO pulled down the blinds and closed the door to prevent anybody from hearing their conversation. Nicole began to feel slightly worried about what was going to happen next.

“Has anything happened?” Nicole asked.

“Drop your act and tell me now. I might consider forgiving you if you choose to tell the truth,” threatened the CEO.

“What do you mean? What truth?”

“I know what you did, so don’t you dare lie to me. Where were you this morning?”

Nicole thought about it briefly, and said, “I was with a friend.”

“Don’t lie! Someone saw you came in and stole the company’s money! Apparently the incident last time was your doing too!”

Shocked at the CEO’s words of accusation, she said everything to deny and defend herself. A rush of adrenaline flowed through her blood vessels, increasing both her heart and breathing rates. The CEO refused to believe her innocence and made a life-changing decision.

“Your contract will be terminated,” said the CEO, disgusted.

Those words were worse than spikes, hurting her more than anything else in the world. Her eyes turned red and tears ran down her pinkish cheeks, smudging her eyeliner. She kneeled down and begged the CEO to let her stay, but her effort was only a waste of time. She was asked to leave immediately and actions would be taken if she refused to follow the rules. With no other choices but to leave the label, her dreams of wanting to become an artist shattered solely due to an untrue rumor.

PRESENT DAY (2014)

The bakery was unusually empty, with only the sound of music occupying the air. Nicole sat on the ground with her eyes staring blankly into the air, daydreaming. In her hand was a tablecloth, stained with the cappuccino she had tried to serve earlier. She felt tears pricking her eyes; however she tried to hold them back. Don’t let it affect you Nicole. You’re stronger than that.

“Are you alright there?” A voice asked from behind as the tiny bells on the door rang.

Nicole, who was still deeply immersed in her thoughts, didn’t respond to the question. The guy approached her slowly, trying not to scare the soul out of her. He tapped on her shoulders lightly, only causing Nicole to jump up in surprise.

“I didn’t mean to startle you. I called out and you didn’t reply, so I thought I’d ask you,” explained the guy.

“I’m sorry. How may I help you?”

“Are you alright?” Asked the guy the second time to ensure she was indeed alright.

“I am, thanks for asking,” said Nicole, giving a smile to cover up her emotions. “Is there anything you’d like to order?”

“I’m actually waiting for a friend. Is it alright if I order later on?”

“Yes of course! Please, sit down,” said Nicole politely.

The light golden brown-haired guy who was wearing denim jeans and a baggy blue t-shirt, sat down on a table near the entrance. From this side, the vantage view was achieved. The traffics were less busy today, and there were only a few pedestrians on the road, either talking on their phones or listening to music on their devices. He waved outside at someone who wore a pink mini dress with a cute pink headband, who eventually entered the bakery.

“Lay! It’s been a while!” The girl ran towards him and gave him a big hug.

“I’ve missed you too, Hara!”

“How have you been?”

Both of them had endless questions to ask each other. It had been five years since they last met anyway. Hara knew Lay back when they were in primary school; she used to always get bullied and Lay was her superman, often ended up in fistfights. He even got suspended once for breaking a student’s arm. Nonetheless, he was always there to protect her, even if it meant risking his life.

“So what have you been doing all these years? You never called! Thought you’ve forgotten me.”

Before Lay could answer, Hara’s phone rang. She rejected the call, wanting her time with Lay to not be interrupted. An article automatically popped up on her phone which caught her attention immediately.

“Former member of now famous ‘Sonic G’ found to be working in a bakery?” Hara read the title of the article, raising her eyebrow slightly.

A loud crash could be heard from the cashier. Nicole dropped a ceramic mug onto the floor, which shattered into smaller pieces. She knelt down to clean up the fragments, her lips somewhat seemed to be muttering words.

“Let me see that,” said Lay as he snatched Hara’s phone away from her.

The article apparently was written by an anonymous person, and was uploaded only a few minutes ago.  It also showed a picture of the member, which appeared to be Nicole. He glanced at her, feeling what she might had been feeling; pain. He stood up and walked towards her, offering his hand to help her clean up. Nicole raised her head, surprised at his actions.

“It’s okay, I’ll clean it up,” said Nicole as she picked up one of the broken pieces which cut through her skin, letting out fresh blood. “Ouch!” Nicole exclaimed, her eyes on her bleeding thumb.

“Are you okay?” Asked Hara rather loudly.

Hara rummaged through her Chanel bag, trying to find the pack of band aids she had just bought from a pharmacy. Where is it? Her eyebrows narrowed for a moment. After several tries, she found it, and triumphantly she said, “I’ve got it!”

She handed the box of band aids to Lay, who had his hand extended. Nicole, again, told him she was able to do it herself, but Lay insisted on doing it for her. He covered up her tiny yet deep wound with the cute band aid Hara got, which was suitable for a child in the age range five to twelve as stated on the box. As he carefully put the band aid on her thumb, she laid her eyes on his eyes which were too focused to bother about his surroundings. Why is he treating me so well? Her mind relaxed for only a short while as a bunch of paparazzi welcomed themselves into “Our Shared Paradise”, taking over ten pictures of Nicole per second.

“What are you doing?” Hara asked angrily, trying to protect Nicole from the media.

“Jung Nicole, is it true that you were kicked out of 2R Entertainment?” One of the reporters threw his question at her.

“And that you stole money?” Another intruded.

Flashes of cameras were everywhere. Everything happened too quickly; Nicole didn’t have the time to think about her next move. Lay spread his arms wide like an angel with its wings, protecting Nicole as much as he could.

“Stop taking pictures, or else I’ll call the police,” he said seriously.

Nobody was listening to Lay’s warning. Their ears were only waiting for Nicole’s statement. Nicole, feeling frightened and pressurized, decided to dodge the protection she was offered. She placed her hand on Lay’s shoulder, and looked into his eyes, I know what I’m doing.

“Yes. I was kicked out of the company. And yes, I stole the money. Are you happy now?”

Suddenly, eggs were flying in the air, hitting Nicole hard in the face. Pictures of her were taken; her face now covered with broken nasty eggs, with the unpleasant smell slowly filling up the atmosphere. Lay jumped right in front of her, once again protecting her from the horrible crowd. Hara rushed towards Nicole, making sure she was alright.

“Leave now, or else I’ll call the police,” Lay threatened them.

The paparazzi maintained their places, unwilling to leave as they hadn’t moved on to the ‘why’ question. Unable to bear with them, Lay reach for his phone and pretended to call the police. This was his tactic to scare them away.

“Hello, is this the police? I would like to report on a case of intruding and false accusation.”

Immediately after his case was made, none of them stayed for another minute. They backed down, leaving the bakery instantly in one group. The bakery fell silent all of a sudden, only to be broken by the sound of cracked egg shells dropping onto the floor. Nicole looked horrible; her light golden brown hair became glossy due to the egg whites, and her face was completely drenched. Hara went into the kitchen to grab a clean towel, and Lay stayed beside her, trying to comfort her by just his presence.

“Are you hurt anywhere?” Lay asked quietly, which almost sounded like he was whispering.

Nicole didn’t respond to his question. She only stared at the floor which had mud and some water. It had been raining; the paparazzi obviously didn’t make sure their shoes were clean before stepping into the bakery. Tears eventually gathered in her eyes, turning them red and sore. Why? Lay looked at her, feeling what she was feeling, and without hesitating he leaned in closer to lend his shoulder to her. He her wet hair like a puppy being comforted by its owner. Nicole’s cry became obvious a few seconds later, leaving Hara to stand a few centimeters away from her with the towel in her hand. Hara’s face showed pity and some confusion. Who would do such low thing?

“I’ll find out who did this,” said Lay as he took the towel from Hara. Don’t worry, I’ll do what I say.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Do you not believe me? I swear, I saw him,” Gyuri said, her eyes on Seungho.

Seungho let out a sigh, “Look. I know you miss him. You know it’s not real. What you saw. It’s probably just someone who looked like him.”

Furious and dissatisfied, Gyuri grabbed a bottle of soju and downed it. Seungho knew very well that she was going to get drunk. She wasn’t the type to drink. In fact, she would only drink if she was reminded of something really terrible. Hyunwoo’s death left a big impact on her, and she had always believed that she indeed caused his death, directly or indirectly. Seungho could only watch her drink that bottle of soju painfully, drowning her sorrow and sadness.

“If I hadn’t got angry at him for lying to me. If I hadn’t pushed him away, he would have still be alive,” said Gyuri drowsily, sobbing at the same time.

“You’re drunk, Gyuri.”

“It’s all my fault. I killed him, Seungho. I killed my fiance. I killed your best friend!”

Those words pierced through Seungho’s fragile heart. Why do you have to take the blame? What was happening in front of him was slowly tearing him apart. Unable to see her guilty face, he looked away, shutting his eyes tightly as well as his thoughts. They opened again as one of the glasses on the table broke. The broken pieces cut Gyuri’s hand, yet she was unaware of the physical pain she was feeling.

“You’re bleeding!” Seungho panicked, and looked around for first aid.

They were in a small marque; there were only a few sets of tables and chairs, and a small temporary kitchen. Finding a first aid kit in such place was unlikely, so he had no choice but to rip off the baggy t-shirt that he was wearing. He delicately bandaged Gyuri’s hand, trying not to make her feel pain, whereas Gyuri had already dozed off. Her lips were still moving though, and Seungho could make out what she was mumbling. Hyunwoo.

Seungho pushed the few strands of Gyuri’s hair behind her ear, revealing her beautiful face. Her eyebrows narrowed; dark circles visible under her tired eyes. You haven’t been sleeping well, have you? He let his hand run down her pinkish cheeks, feeling the heat she was emitting. Gyuri moved her head a little, but the alcohol she had consumed definitely took home the victory cup.

“I wish you knew how I feel,” said Seungho quietly, letting out the tiniest chuckle in the whole world. “Because of you, I feel like the biggest fool in the world.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Gyuri mumbled, and groaned a little.

Seungho only looked at her, but this time, he was looking at her differently. His heart was telling him something he never wanted to do. But this, this was too hard to control. The distance between them reduced; his face became only a few inches away from hers. His eyes then looked down on her lips; he tried to look away but he couldn’t. He leaned in closer, and just as his lips were about to touch hers, he stopped.

(Flashback)

“Yang Seungho! I know you like my Gyuri too, but as my best friend, you can’t see her more than a friend,” Hyunwoo warned Seungho in a non-serious way.

“Don’t worry, Hyunwoo. I know you’ll take care of her. You’re more capable than I am anyway!”

Seungho stood up as his thoughts vanished. I can’t do this. He glanced at Gyuri, I’m sorry. He positioned her so he could piggyback her. It was actually the first time he had seen her like this; drunk and unconscious. The smell of liquor on her was quite strong, proving that she had been in pain. Not physically, but psychologically.

Gyuri’s house was not far away; about ten minutes from their current location. Gyuri continued to mutter nonsense, however they all made sense to Seungho.

“Gyuri. I know you’re completely unconscious now. But I still have to say this. I’ve been in love with you ever since we first met.”

Gyuri obviously was too drunk to be aware of her surroundings. Her head lied next to his, and he felt a second temptation to betray his promise to Hyunwoo. Shaking his head, he knelt down and gently he grabbed her arms, and there on the ground she was. Why do you make me go crazy?

“I’m going to get Jiyoung to pick you up,” said Seungho, adding “You’ll be fine alone, won’t you?”

Seungho left Gyuri there by herself. He had faith that she would be fine alone. It was dark, but streetlights illuminated the streets so it was not too dodgy. Before he left, he glanced at her one last time, his heart felt as if it was being cut open.

He then turned away and reached for his phone, “Jiyoung?”

“Oh hey, Seungho. What’s up?”

“Gyuri’s drunk. Do you reckon you can get her home safely? Some things cropped up and I have to deal with them immediately.”

Jiyoung hesitated for a bit before saying “Okay”.

“Thanks, Jiyoung. Sorry for the trouble.”

Just as he was about to leave the spot, he heard Gyuri’s soft whisper of Hyunwoo’s name. I’m so sorry I had to do this. Without waiting for another second to pass, he left Gyuri there all by herself.

About ten minutes later, Jiyoung arrived at Gyuri’s house, where she attempted to look for her cousin from there instead. To her surprise, the lights in Gyuri’s house were switched on, and the main door was slightly opened. Intruders? Jiyoung panicked, not knowing whether to go in or to call the police beforehand. Her eyes caught a baseball bat just a few metres away from where she was standing. She took the bat, and approached the door slowly. Her heart was pumping three times the normal rate, and she felt her sweat glands activate as her body temperature rose. Please.

Her eyes lost all her worry as soon as she saw Gyuri on her bed, seemingly in a deep sleep. Jiyoung placed the bat on the table, and went to check on how her pitiful cousin was doing. Losing her fiance was beyond painful; therefore it was understandable to drown all the sorrow. Gyuri seemed to have cried as her closed eyes were tired and wrinkles were visible. Please, Gyuri, you have to learn to let go of the past. Jiyoung let out a sigh as she thought of what her poor cousin had gone through alone.

                                                                           ---

“Have you ever loved me?” Gyuri’s voice echoed in her head, confusing her and mentally abusing her.

Her eyebrows narrowed to show signs of retaliation and wanting a getaway. Hyunwoo’s dying face appeared as clear images in her mind. She started sobbing, and moved violently as if she was trying to break free from some invisible ropes. Jiyoung, who was awaken by her cousin’s scream, got up and tried to shake her out of her nightmare.

“Gyuri, wake up! Gyuri!” Jiyoung shouted as both her hands applied forces on Gyuri’s shoulders.

Gyuri’s eyes opened and she sat up straight, shaking. Her breath was louder than usual.

“Are you okay?” Jiyoung asked with a tense expression on her face.

Gyuri inhaled slowly, “Yes.”

“How did you get home? Seungho said he left you out there because he had some issues to handle,”

Gyuri clutched her head, her face somewhat showing confusion.  She seemed to be thinking hard about something, but Jiyoung couldn’t make out what was on her mind.

“Are you feeling alright?”

The next second passed, and Gyuri’s face expression changed. Her thought was clear and precise.

“It was Hyunwoo.”