Side story 3 : missing him

In which she was left alone and he was too far away

JUNG EUNJI AND KANG SEUNGYOON HAD SPENDING A MIDNIGHT DATE?

1. [+2,005/ -378] DAEBAK! JUNG EUNJI? THAT JUNG EUNJI?!!! IS THIS ARTICLE TALKING ABOUT YOSEOB’S GIRLFRIEND?!!!

2. [+1,976/ -229] DAMN! Am I reading it?!! I know they are best friend, but this is too much! Doesn’t she have a boyfriend?

3. [+1,633/ - 198] Remember when she caught having midnight date with her boyfriend, or maybe ex, 3 years ago? Now she caught having another midnight date with another guy. This girl is awesome! What her name again? I don’t remember!

4. [+1,566/ -87] A cheater shouldn’t meet my oppa. Seungyoon oppa, you’re too careless!

5. [+1,004/ -86] Seriously people, they might just have a meet up. Don’t exaggerate. We know Seungyoon and Eunji are friends. I don’t think Eunji is that kind of girl, and Seungyoon too. Let’s just wait for their explanation.

_____

“This is ridiculous!”

All eyes were staring at me, judging me, questioned me. And I knew that look. They would not believe whatever I would say, even if it was the truth. So I let them, I let those stares dominated this room, I let them had their own belief, I let them built their own theory.

I heaved deep, even though I failed capturing such nice breath. I was so tired with all of this. I got a headache, the painful one, and their gaze added the pain. I knew I shouldn’t do this. I knew I should defend myself. Yet I chose to stay mum. I couldn’t think. No, I didn’t want to think. Whatever they said, I ignored. I didn’t care, I didn’t want to.

They knew me, very well, but the only thing on their head was doubt. I didn’t understand this. We had been working together since ages, but what was this? Disbelief? Did I have to explain word by word so they believed me? I was tired of this question, so bad.

Again I heaved deep, “sajang-nim, I have a shoot tomorrow. Can we skip this for this time?”

“Jung Eunji!” My personal manager warned me, enough to affect my headache.

I glared at him. I didn’t want to be rude, but the longer I was here, the more painful my head would be. And it hurt me so freaking bad. If only I wasn’t in this pain, I would be their usual delicate girl. I was stupid for wishing they would pass this tiny thing and let me go home.

“Can you be more careless than this?!”

That was my CEO who now was getting smarter using sarcasm. He was angry, obviously. Those red eyes told everyone. Had I said that I didn’t care about all of this? Yes, including his red eyes!

“So, because Yoseob left you alone, you now making new stories?”

See?

I let my faint smile rose. No one believed me. This, was one of the reasons why I didn’t want to give my attention to them. Even my management didn’t believe me.

“And you let people captured the-now-loving-scandal Jung Eunji?! Aren’t you tired of the hate?!”

“Sajangnim ..” Chorong eonni tried to help. Yes, she was here, the whole time. And she was also one of them now. Crazy right? My eonni was now part of the higher positions in this management. She bought some Acube stock last year. She was always the girl with brain, and I wished, I did wish she wouldn’t be like the other shareholders who only thought of profit and how big the tag price for us.

I didn’t know why I was acting like an ungrateful artist. I was just tired. It seemed like I was gradually losing my faith on music and acting. My world seemed changed, while I was the only unmoved one. Maybe I had been deluding, that this world would remain same even though time passed, even though people grew, even though age changed. I was wrong.

And maybe my CEO was right. Maybe I was too lonely that now I seemingly liked making stories. Maybe his absent had eventually affected me. Maybe I was originally a weak girl without him. Maybe, yes, maybe I was always nothing without him.

I looked up, meeting my CEO’s angry eyes. Ah right, I hadn’t answered his question. What was his question? I couldn’t properly remember. This headache blocked me from being sane.

“How you will solve this?”

Ok, solve what?

“Shouldn’t this what management have to provide?”

I didn’t think it was me. I had never acted this rude before. But the startled look on people’s face had just proved me wrong. It was indeed me.

I sighed next, muttering a sincere sorry. I believed they saw arrogance behind my act which I disagreed. I was having headache, and they didn’t let me go home, and they was too much on this tiny thing.

“Explain first, what actually you had done with him?”

It was one of shareholders which strangely were presented here. Oh yes, I forget that Apink was their life now, that they wanted to know everything related to us.

“Jung Eunji-ssi, please explain to us, so we can help.”

They just asked me how I solved my own problem, now they changed their own word. I looked to my screen phone which was all black. I needed a distraction of this anger so I could talk properly, like the old Jung Eunji always did.

“Eunji-ya ..”

I looked up next. My Chorong eonni gazed caringly at me. She was worried, I could see that. This made my smile curled thinly. I thought, I should really answer their curiosity, which wasn’t understandable at all.

“So,” I started, avoiding anyone’s eyes, “last week, I went to Kang Seungyoon’s Mom’s café. We have a gathering. All Busan idols. There was Howon oppa, Hoya Infinite, if you might have confused. There was also Daehyun BAP and Sandeul B1A4. And of course Seungyoon himself, since he was basically the place owner. Also Lee Seunghoon, the other member of Winner.”

“You had a gathering with all those men?! What exactly on your head?!”

I shot my glare at the one who said it, right away, and he was startled next. I didn’t know that old ahjussi, maybe the chef of some department, or another shareholder or an employee, or Acube’s consultant, or … I didn’t care. His question was disregarding me and it angered me more. What was wrong with this management?!

“There was also Lizzy eonni,” I emphasized my tone, “also Uji, also Mina, also some idols which maybe you don’t know, Sir,” I was now angry. My tone helped me to prove it.

“What are you guys doing there?” an old woman carefully, softly asked, which didn’t affect me much.

“I said, it was Busan Idols gathering, didn’t I? We’re talking, singing, talking, singing. It was a usual gathering, what else do we supposed to do?” I challenged them.

“Eunji is part of this community Director Kim,” again, Chorong eonni helped me. I didn’t even know how she knew her name or even her position in this management. “They often had gathering. It’s actually well known community. Fans know this, their bond is famous.”

Thanks eonni!

“So, you often did this? Shouldn’t you have to take care of your image Mrs. Jung?”

Urgh!

Another desperate sigh came out from my mouth. “I don’t actually understand what is the relation between taking care of my image and having a normal social life?”

“Mrs. Jung, aren’t you now too much? You’re one of respected artist these days. You’re not just an idol, you’re an icon of young talented artist. And a respected artist shouldn’t have had a party girl image. We clearly disagree with this.”

What was exactly I for them? Who were they, talking about what should and what shouldn’t I do? I was 25 years old, for goodness sake! Did I have no right to take control of myself? It was a mere gathering which unluckily they disregarded it as … what? Reckless party of drunken idols? We were human too. We just wanted a little time to share stories.

Did we even have to ask their permission to live as normal people, who wanted to befriend our own friends? I didn’t understand them. It wasn’t clear too what the exact clause that allowed them to control my life.

“I just, hang out with friends. I didn’t so something bad,” I lowered my tone, trying to cooperate.

“I believe that Mrs. Jung. But why it was only you and Kang Seungyoon who was captured together on the street.” Another old woman asked me.

“It’s because he sent me home.”

And my statement had just silenced them. I was aware of this. They might doubt me more now. But it was the truth, I was telling them the truth they didn’t expect. It was indeed funny. They questioned me, yet they hadn’t prepared for the answer. Shouldn’t they aware of this possibility? Oh, right! They just wanted the safe answer like, we just coincidently met at the street, or it wasn’t him, it was manager oppa, or something else which didn’t require their worry.

“Don’t we need a proper talk with YG rep?”

Okay.

“Did you get a call from them already, Mrs Jung?”

“Winner is in their brightest path, I think our side is in the disadvantage. Their popularity might affect us so much. What should we do Sajangnim?”

I really needed to escape from these people. Their theory was too much. They only thought about themselves in this case. I didn’t even sure whether I was part of them or not. In fact, they just tried to worsen things.

Then I hear a sigh, the loud one, came from my CEO. I knew he would be like this.

“Hong Hyung called me this morning, he asked me whether you and Yoseob had already finished your relationship which was I said ‘of course not,’ now I’m not sure with my own answer.”

This headache was reaching my limit. I really wanted to just run and leaving this suffocating room. They didn’t believe on me, so, what else I should prove here. I was clear no one believed on me, maybe, just maybe Chorong eonni did, but I wasn’t sure too what power she had in this room.

“Our relationship is not a mere task or mission or things that have to be finished,” I talked b