27 | The Threat
My Perfect Stranger
✗ Yong Junhyung ✗
"Junhyung! Junhyung!" Doojoons snaps his fingers in front of me to get my attention. I flinch a little and look at him. "Are you even listening to me?"
He doesn't bother to hide his annoyed expression while crossing his hands together. Hyunseung and Dongwoon look at me with worried look as if my soul just went somewhere out of reach.
"I heard you," I answer without any special interest. "We're going to Shinjuku today. We're going to eat sushi. We're going to take pictures together. I heard all of them."
Doojoon raises his eyebrow the moment Yoseob and Sora join the table, "It's surprising to know that you're actually listening to us when your expression was totally blank."
I did listen to them, discussing about our route for today during breakfast at the hotel. However it's also true that I was thinking about something else at the moment.
"And she still loves you, Junhyung," Rima blurted out a surprising statement. I stopped talking and looked at her with disbelief look, thinking that my hearing must had been deceiving me.
I cleared my throat awkwardly and, for this time, I didn't dare to look at her eyes; I didn't want to be judged by Rima, "You don't even know her..."
"You're the one who asked for the break up with her, aren't you?" she asked me with a serious tone. I didn't need to look up and see her face to know that she was demanding a clear answer from me. "Why?"
"Are you really going to judge me because of my past?" I sighed with frustration, rubbing the back of my neck. "Hara and I are only friends now."
"Really?" Rima darted me with a sharp gaze and I freezed all of a sudden. "Do you really think of her as just friend now? What if she told me that she still loves you?"
I clenched my fists and quickly tried to divert the topic abruptly, "Stop using Hara as your reason to reject me, Rima."
It's her turn to flinch because of my words. She took a deep breath, controlling herself before looking back at me, "I don't want to lie to you, Junhyung. I will never lie to you."
"I'm not using Hara as the reason. You know I have feeling for Gikwang," she finally said the words I didn't want to hear; the fact that she still had a crush on Gikwang. "I will be a really cruel person if I accept your feeling while my heart doesn't."
Though I had prepared to retort her, my heart was aching really bad that I couldn't say anything. I dropped my gaze, staring at the ground while the sun was already set.
"I'm sorry, Junhyung...," Rima murmured softly but she didn't shorten our distance at all. "I don't know why you broke up with Hara but, please, consider her feeling now. Just forget about me."
"Can you forget about Gikwang if I tell you that he loves someone else?" the question just came out from my lips without second thought. I didn't intend to ask it but it just slipped out.
It took seconds before Rima answered calmly, "You're right. I have no right to tell you what to do about your heart but at least I have a right to live my life safely."
Before I could say another thing, Rima bid her goodbye to me with a forced smile, "I'll see you when I see you then, Yong Junhyung."
I didn't chase after her. I didn't know what I could do even if I chased her. I didn't know what I should say to her.
My heart is wavering since yesterday. My mood swings worse than before and I even refused to wake up when Yoseob tried to snap me from my uncomfortable sleep.
"Yah, are you alright?" Gikwang taps my shoulder lightly before takes a seat right next to me with a plate of omelette. "Where did you go yesterday? I tried to look for you to accompany me for dinner, you know."
"I just walked around," I answer him shortly, avoiding his gaze and start to eat my breakfast.
I'm sorry, Gikwang, but I can't tell you that Rima is probably still here at Tokyo.
✗ Lee Gikwang ✗
"This shop is cool!" Hyunseung says it out loud, admiring the shop with admiration. We're at Shinjuku, trying to find something to buy for ourselves, families, and friends.
Both Doojoon and Hyunseung said that they want to buy a new jacket so all of us accompany them to a shop, letting them to find whatever they want to.
I take my time to look around at the shop, wondering if there is something I can buy as well. I stop my track when I see Junhyung is leaning his back against the wall, having his phone in his hand.
He is the only one who looks bored since the morning. Each of us has tried to ask him whether if something is bothering him or not but he said that he's all good.
I know his mood was already really bad ever since Rima left but today is the worst. He doesn't even let a smile decorate his face for once today. He follows us with his shades, giving us a straight face.
My eyes land on an accesories shop across from my stand. I look back at the others. They are busy with their own activities; maybe ten minutes won't be a problem.
I step out from the shop and enter the accessories shop. It's a luxurious one if I may say. The prices are not ordinary since it's said that all accessories are one hundred percents original.
I wander around to find something that I can give to my mother. After I find a beautiful bead bracelet which I decide to give to my mother, something attracts my attention.
It's a hairpin with cherry blossom at the edge of the pin. Whenever I see a hairpin now, I always remember Rima.
I wonder what she is doing right now.
The door is pushed open and I turn around to look who is the new customer. He doesn't bother that I'm looking at me because he walks straight ahead to the necklace corner, looking for something.
My eyes widen in surprise because I immediately recognize him as Eric Hazelwine, the one who I saw during the engagement party. Now that I think of it, is he still Rima's fiancee?
"This one," he says in English to the girl who works at the shop. "Silver one."
"For girlfriend?" the girl asks politely with average English. She smiles to him as she takes a beautiful silver necklace to show to Eric. "This one?"
"Yes," Eric answers simply, not even look up to see the girl's smile. He walks pass me to the cashier and pays for the necklace without any chit chat.
My senses return and I quickly pay for the bracelet. I also take the cherry blossom hairpin before I rush out from the shop and look for Eric. He just turns at the corner of the road so I quickly rush to catch after him.
I try to keep safe distance from him so he will not realize that someone is following him. He steps in a grand sushi restaurant alone. I follow him, putting my black thick-rimmed glasses and knit hat on carefully to disguise myself.
Eric takes a seat at a reserved table. Fortunately, the table behind his table is empty so I quickly sit there, giving my back to him.
I take out my phone secretly, typing a message to Doojoon to tell him that I'm looking for something else on my own so they don't need to worry about me.
"You're here," a familiar voice greets Eric. I really want to turn around and look at her but I know she is not supposed to know that I'm stalking Eric.
I can imagine Eric's smile when he says, "It's been a while, Rima."
✗ Kim Rima ✗
I look at the restaurant board sign to make sure that this is the right one. I heave a sigh before stepping inside, trying to find Eric among the other customers.
It's easy to spot him actually. He wears a black suit and he is quiet stood out with his businessman appearance; young, handsome, and charming.
After having a not-really-good conversation with Junhyung, which I ended really bad, I managed to find Eric's residence at Tokyo. Unfortunately he was out till midnight yesterday and his butler told me to leave a message for him.
He called me late at night and I quickly told him that I need to talk with him. He decided the time and place and I agreed with no complaint since I'm sure it won't take long.
"It's been a while, Rima," he smiles to me as I take a seat in front of him. "I'm sorry I haven't contacted you for weeks even after you returned to your father."
I stay silence, letting him to continue since I just need to say one statement: calling off the engagement.
"I'm really glad you have decided to return to your house. Yoorin told me that you stayed at Seattle for the past three weeks after she returned to New York," Eric looks at me with a soft gaze. "This way I can be a better fiancee for you, Rima."
I guess this is the moment.
"About the engagement...," I clear my throat and look at him with serious expression, "I don't think it will work out for us so-"
"I'm not going to call off the engagement," Eric gives me his refusal even before I finished my sentence. His smile has vanished and he darts me with his sharp look. "Your father has agreed to let you marry me."
"Look, Eric, we barely know each other," I try to state the obvious facts. "You can't fall in love with me just because of my picture. That's ridiculous!"
"Then let's get to know each other better," he takes my hand and embraces it gently. "Everyone will envy us."
Being a daughter of a success businessman makes me realize that perhaps stubborness is one of businessman's traits. I also inherit that one and now I don't think the conversation will be as short as I imagined before.
"Yoorin is the one who offered this plan. I think you will be better with her," I pull my hand away from him. "I will talk to my father about this. I just need you to-"
He doesn't let me finish my words once again. I catch a glimpse of sadness in his eyes as he stops me with the annoying threat.
"Don't make me to publish your pictures with that rapper, Rima," Eric clenches his fists on the table, looking really desperate. "I don't think talking to your father can help with those pictures."
I cover my mouth with the back of my hand as I remember the pictures of me and Junhyung. It will be a really big trouble if Eric release the pictures to public.
I sigh heavily and rub my temple slowly.
This is more difficult than how I expected.
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