Chapter 21:

            “How’s the trip?” Leigh asks Dara over the phone. She is talking to the newly arrived Dara from the trip to Italy.

            “Do you even want to know?” Dara replies back worriedly. She knows her boss is not still okay hearing news about the death of her mother. How can she even tell Leigh that her father is barely holding on? How can she tell Leigh that her presence in Italy is needed more right now? Ottoke?

            “That depends on the news,” Leigh answers wary. “Besides, I don’t have a choice on the matter. I think I needed to know, for me to come up with some plans on what to do or to take care of it.” She looks up in the sky and sighs. She then focuses her attention to her family who is busy looking at the lions on the cage. She waves her hand when Jihye notices that she is looking at them. It took them four days to go to the zoo because of the busyness of their aunts and uncles.

            “Then, why the hell are you in the zoo when you are all in grave danger?” Dara shrieks angrily. “I come home and find this note on the dining table that they are watching you in a zoo this time. Leigh, have you forgotten what happened when we went to the amusement park?

            “EH?” it was all Leigh could utter for a moment because a mommy moment from Dara came.

            “I don’t freaking know what to do with your whims,” Dara remarks tiredly. The reason for her tiredness is Leigh. Her leader is hiding too much from everyone and she keeps on bottling them up inside her and it worries her more because Leigh might end up losing her light when the problems stack up together and can’t handle them anymore.

            Leigh chuckles. Knowing Dara-unnie, she is worried and being agitated by the fact that she’s handling all the problems. “Well, we’re being sidetracked,” she points out. “What should I know from your trip from Italy? There’s no need to hold back for me.” She knows full well that there are things that are not great.

             Dara sighs dejectedly. “Well, your father is not great. I bet you know that. Then the whole family is not great and Cara’s mother is still blaming herself for what happened. She does believe that it is her fault why your mother died and not being judged by it, makes the matters worst for her.”

            Leigh starts walking because the twins are dragging their father, samchons and imos to the next animal in their sight, the elephants. But she is way behind them and she can perfectly see, Minzy and Cl in the crowd watching the surrounding together with some of her hired bodyguards for her family. She doesn’t know where Bom is, since she’s always in high places to get a good view.

            “Are you listening, Leigh?”

            “Yes, I’m listening, unnie,” Leigh answers. “Just continue talking,” she says.

            “Then next is… the state of the family members is not good too and your father is trying to pacify them because they want to get revenge for the death of your mother. What worries me the most is the fact that your father didn’t cry when I can clearly see that his eyes are blank and full of grief. Are you sure you’re not going home?”

            Leigh heaves a deep breath. “For now, I am sticking on not going back. The pressing matter is that the group is not based on Italy but in Korea. It’s a bit difficult since I can’t enter their domain,” she states.

            “Mama! Can we have a family photo please? I want to hang it on my room?” Jihye implies excitedly, jumping up and down while her eyes are pleading like a dog.

            Leigh smiles and nods her head. “Go on, I’ll be right behind you,” she pushes Jihye lightly and waits for a second before walking. “I’ll talk to you in a minute, unnie.”

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            Jiyong looks at Leigh. She’s been walking behind them and too far to his liking. She is like distancing herself to them. Is something bothering her?

            “Papa, look at the camera not to me,” Leigh declares with a smile and makes Jiyong face front. “There’s nothing bothering me, so, if you want a good photo taken, be a little mindful of the camera.”

            Jiyong looks at Leigh again in shock. How the hell does she know what he was thinking?

            “Jiyong, look at the camera,” Youngbae whines.

            “Mianhe,” Jiyong apologizes and raises his hand admitting his fault. “Just take another one,” he utters.

            “Okay, last one guys, smile and look at the camera,” Youngbae speaks like a real cameraman on shoot. “One…two…three,” the shutter sounds of the camera is heard.

            Leigh puts her distance again from Jiyong after the last shot. If another one of her weaknesses shows then the guy who is after them, will definitely take the chance to make her surrender, she is not willing to take risk of getting another visible weakness shows.

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