23 | The Truth
My Perfect Stranger
✗ Lee Gikwang ✗
"Thank you, everyone!" Doojoon shouts to the audiences. "Thank you! Next we have Trouble Maker to give special performance! Give applause for them!"
We quickly rush down the stage to let Hyunseung and Hyuna to perform on stage. After this Yoseob will do his solo stage. Next will be Rima's turn to sing on the stage.
I saw her rehearsal with piano before the event started but I have a feeling that something is bothering her because her voice sounded different compares to the day she sang at the party.
She picks "Can't Cry Hard Enough" by Bellefire to sing with piano. The song is really sad yet during rehearsal she sang it without any sadness. That's why I can't stop feeling that she is hiding something.
I look at the audiences and spot the person I've been looking for. Mr Kim is standing at the back row with Yujin next to him. Since people are focusing on the performance, they don't know that one of the richest men in Seoul is between them.
I'm not the only one who spots them though.
"What are they doing here?" Rima murmurs to herself. I turn to see her staring at her father and Yujin with disbelief. "How did they know about this event?"
My smile quickly vanishes when Rima looks at me. She frowns and mumbles, "Don't tell me... You told them?"
"Rima...," I try to arrange words carefully in my mind to explain everything to her. "Rima, I... I-"
She doesn't wait for me to finish my sentence. She turns around, heading to the backstage room. I quickly follow her while the other members are focusing on Trouble Maker's performance.
"Rima, wait!" I stop her but she pulls away her hand impatiently. "I can explain everything, Rima. I can-"
"I told you my secret and you kept secret from me," she hisses and I can see that she is really mad at me. "Way to go, Gikwang."
I open my mouth to answer her but I quickly close it again. I remember that I have promised Mr Kim to keep his reason as a secret but now that everything has turned this way, I can't lie to her anymore.
"Your father is here for you," I finally blurt out the truth. "He supports you."
✗ Yong Junhyung ✗
I look around but I don't see Rima anywhere. It's her turn after Yoseob. Right when I decide to search for her, she appears from the backstage corridor with Gikwang.
My heart aches when I see them together but what makes me feel confused is the sad look on Rima's face. Gikwang pats her head with a smile, telling her that everything will be alright.
"What's wrong?" I ask them. Gikwang looks at me and then to Rima. Rima just shakes her head and walks pass me, getting ready to perform. "Gikwang?"
Gikwang gives me an awkward smile, "We'll talk later, okay? Let's just watch her performance for now."
As much as I am really curious about what happened until Rima looks really down, I am more curious because Rima talks to the staff about something. What surprises me more is the fact that she doesn't perform with the piano like what she did in rehearsal.
She brings a guitar with her.
"We have a talented girl over here," Doojoon introduces Rima. "Let's give Rima a round of applause!"
"This is a song I want to dedicate to my father," Rima speaks when Doojoon has stepped down from the stage. "I am the only daughter in my family. I have everything I want or at least that's what people think."
I focus of every word she said as she continues with a sincere smile, a smile that I rarely see from her, "I love music more than everything in the world. I want to prove to everyone that it's not only a childish dream."
"I know you worry about me," Rima mutters softly and I can see all audiences give their whole attention to her. "I know now that you worry that I will fall and lose my way but, Appa, I'm alright now. I hope you will be proud of me."
She then clears and starts to play the guitar to check the sound. Rima takes a deep breath before starts singing.
"You tucked me in, turned out the light
Kept me safe and sound at night
Little girls depend on things like that"
Her voice is really clear. When I watched her during rehearsal, I was worried because she didn't sound too great.
Now I can see that she sings from the heart.
✗ Kim Rima ✗
I hold back my tears as I start to sing the song. This is a really beautiful song and the first song I practiced with guitar.
Gikwang has told me everything. His conversation with my father at the party. What my father wants from me. How my father worries about me. Why he acts cold towards me.
Because he loves me.
A tear escaped my eyes when Gikwang told me the truth. I thought that my father was too stubborn to support me. I never expected my father cares about me so much.
"Brushed my teeth and combed my hair
Had to drive me everywhere
You were always there when I looked back"
Despite the fact that he forbid me from music, my father is actually the one who believes in me from the start.
"You had to do it all alone
Make a living, make a home
Must have been as hard as it could be
And when I couldn't sleep at night
Scared things wouldn't turn out right
You would hold my hand and sing to me"
My father is alone after my mother left him and I didn't even support him. The fact that he actually the one who gave me birthday presents every year, that he believes that I can do really good in music.
Where was I when he supported me in silence?
"Caterpillar in the tree
How you wonder who you'll be
Can't go far but you can always dream
Wish you may and wish you might
Don't you worry, hold on tight
I promise you there will come a day
Butterfly fly away"
At first I hesitated to do what Yoorin demanded me to do, to reveal my true identity to public. Now that I know my father actually supports me, maybe it's not a bad idea.
"Butterfly fly away, butterfly fly away
Flap your wings now you can't stay
Take those dreams and make them all come true"
I know Junhyung will be really mad at me after this but then again I think this is the best for us.
I finish my deal by composing songs for BEAST. He helps me to prove to my father that I'm doing alright with music.
Now that I know that my father acknowledges my skill and the album is near to the finish line, isn't it going to be the end of our deal?
"Butterfly fly away, butterfly fly away
We've been waiting for this day
All along and knowing just what to do
Butterfly, butterfly, butterfly, butterfly fly away"
Perhaps this is the right time to end the deal.
✗ Yong Junhyung ✗
"Butterfly fly away
Butterfly fly away"
I stare at Rima with amazed look as she finishes the song. She stands up and bows to the audiences. The performance is really good even though it's really short.
I have so many questions running in my mind right now. What was she talking about with Gikwang before the performance? What happened actually between Rima and her father? Why did she act really weird since yesterday?
But Rima doesn't step down from the stage right away. Something that we don't plan beforehand.
"Appa, your daughter is not a caterpillar anymore," she smiles softly. There are seconds of silence before she clears nervously and announces the statement that makes all of us to be surprised.
"My name is Kim Rima. I am the daughter of Kim Joon, the CEO of The Kim Organization."
"What?" I blurt out without thinking. People start to whisper to each other and the reporters start to take pictures. Even my groupmates gasp in surprise because of the sudden announcement.
"Kim Rima who appeared in public for the past weeks is my cousin, Jung Yoorin. She's helping me while I'm pursuing my dream in music," Rima explains calmly. "President Hong has been really nice to me until he let me to perform today."
Rima bows down once again and leaves the stage. When our eyes meet, she only bows to me while emotion fills my heart.
She lied to me. She hid this big secret from the start.
"Thank you, Gikwang," she turns to Gikwang and bows to him. "Thank you for everything."
"Gikwang knew it?!" I unconsciously raise my voice. It's a good thing that Doojoon and Yoseob are trying to cheer the crowd so my voice is drown by the audiences.
"Junhyung, I can explain," Rima tries to calm me down. "I-"
"Come on, BEAST," a staff interrupts and pushes both Gikwang and I to the stage. "Close the stage. Thanks the audiences. Come on, come on."
I give Rima the final look before going on the stage to give my final bow to the fans.
I fake a smile but my heart is breaking into pieces.
I feel betrayed by the truth.
✗ Kim Rima ✗
"Junhyung doesn't want to open the door," Yoseob tells me with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Rima, but he is kind of stubborn sometimes."
"It's alright," I tell him honestly. "He must be really mad at me. Can you just give him this book when he has decided to leave his room?"
I hand over my music book to Yoseob. I have finished another song last night, a ballad song I created as my apology for Junhyung, for keeping the secret from him all the time.
I know this will happen; he will be really mad at me. Of course he will. He has confessed his feeling to me while I keep everything as secret from him. I guess what makes him really mad is the fact that Gikwang knew about my secret all along while he didn't.
After the performance, we went back to our apartment. I tried to talk with Junhyung but he stormed in his own room, locking it from inside. I knocked and knocked but he ignored me.
I decided to tell the truth to the rest of BEAST. Gikwang helped me to explain about what happened, including how I met Junhyung, the deal I had with him, and the reason Gikwang knew about me.
The only thing I keep hidden from them is Yoorin's threat.
I don't need to worry about it anymore since I'm willing to return to my house even without the threat.
The deal has ended. I think Junhyung can finish the other two songs in two weeks deadline so I don't need to worry about anything.
My father acknowledges my skill. He even met me before I left the event. He didn't say anything except that he would wait for me at our house tonight.
"Thank you for everything," I stand up and bow to them. "I will return to my house tonight. I wish all the best for BEAST. Good luck for your new album."
I excuse myself and return to my apartment. Gikwang follows me, offering himself to help me with my stuff. No one talks on our way to my apartment until both of us are inside.
"I'm sorry, Rima," he apologizes to me. He touches my cheek with sad eyes. "Things shouldn't turn out this way. If only I told you earlier..."
"It's not your fault," I shake my head and force a smile. "I'm going to leave sooner or later after I finish with your new album. I'm just leaving sooner than I should have."
"Rima...," Gikwang tucks my long hair behind my ear. Tears start to roll down on my cheeks but I don't give him a chance to wipe them away.
I clutch his shirt and rest my head on his chest. My heart aches really bad, knowing that I'm going to return to what I should be once again.
"Let me stay like this...," I whisper between my cries. "Just for today... Just for a moment..."
I met them as strangers and I guess, in the end, we're strangers once again.
__________
Author's Note:
The title of the song Rima performs is "Butterfly Fly Away" by Miley Cyrus, a soundtrack for Hannah Montana the Movie.
I know this chapter is kind of confusing and lacking some aspects but I will be happy to know your thoughts.
Thank you for reading up till now. :)
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