43 | The Mystery
My Perfect Stranger
✗ Yong Junhyung ✗
"Hara?" I lower my phone as I come to a realization that she's not supposed to be here; Rima should. "W-Why are you here?"
Hara stops right in front of me and she looks not really good. Her face is pale as if a ghost is chasing after her.
"O-Oppa...," she is panting, catching her breath. "A-Are you here... Aigoo... Are you here to meet Rima?"
My heart skips a beat when I hear she mentions Rima's name. How does she know that I want to meet Rima here?
"Who told you?" I ask her quickly, feeling uneasy all of a sudden. I thought it's only me, Gikwang, Yujin, and Rima's father who know about this plan.
Hara bites her bottom lip nervously, "I-I... I followed her here. She was waiting alone then a man came. They talked for a while before she followed him somewhere..."
"Rima has came?!" I repeat her statement. "Where is she now?"
Hara gives me a glance, probably feeling uncomfortable with my reaction but I don't want to care about it now, "Where is Rima? Who talked to her?"
"It's...," Hara pauses and sighs heavily. "Oppa, you really like her, don't you?"
I'm completely caught off guard by her question. I can feel my cheeks are blushing so I avoid her gaze and act cool, feeling awkward already, "W-Why did you ask?"
"Gikwang likes her too, you know," Hara states the fact that I already knew. "When I saw them together, I thought... I still can't believe she would cheat behind you..."
"Wait, when did you see them?" I ask my question. There are too many questions spinning inside my mind. "Just now or...?"
"Around a week ago," she answers me with unsure expression. "A message told me to go to CUBE Entertainment building and I would see something interesting so-"
"A message?" I cut her words right away. "Who sent the message?"
Hara tilts her head with confusion and murmurs, "I think... it's the man who talked to Rima..."
I gather all my senses back and grab Hara's wrist, "Tell me where they are. Now."
Hara flinches a little because of my sudden gesture. There are shades of pink on her face but I ignore it at the time.
"They went to the Mirror Maze."
✗ Lee Gikwang ✗
"Yoorin?" I call out her name and she gasps in surprise. She turns around, ready to run away but I quickly stop her by grabbing her wrist. "Wait!"
"I-I don't know anything!" she squeals in English, shutting her eyes tight. "I-I'm sorry!"
"E-Eh?" I loosen my grip on her, afraid that I'm actually hurting her. "W-What are you talking about, Yoorin?"
Yoorin takes a step backward from me but she can't get away since I'm still holding on her hand, "I-I-I..."
I look around and I can feel that people are looking at us. I lead her to the coffee shop quietly, "Come on. We're going to attract attention if we stand too long."
After ordering a random favor just so we can sit down, I study Yoorin's expression but she keeps avoiding eye contact with me in purpose.
"Are you following me?" I mumble but she gives me no answer. "Is there something you need to explain to me?"
Still no answer.
"Is it about Rima?" I let out my intuition leads the small investigation. There is a slight change on her expression so I guess I'm right. "What's about Rima?"
Yoorin looks up at me slowly as if she is afraid of me, "I..."
She rubs the side of her neck, looking really nervous for no reason, "I'm sorry... I'm just... I'm sorry. You're supposed to meet Rima now, aren't you?"
Another strange feeling surfaces. How did she know that someone is supposed to meet Rima at the moment?
"I'm not the one who will meet her," I tap my fingers on the table. "I don't think you're supposed to know about it. Who told you?"
"Eh? It's not you?!" Yoorin covers in shock. "I-It's Yong Junhyung?!"
She is going to leave again but my question stops her right at her stand, "Who told you, Yoorin?"
"I...," Yoorin sighs and then sits again. She looks at me directly, "I don't hold any grudge on Rima. Not even for the slightest. Sure I envy her for having such a grand and luxurious life, but she is still my cousin."
"Yujin told me that Rima is going to meet you today so I waited in front of your apartment and followed you when you went out," Yoorin starts to explain the details. "I didn't know that she would lie to me."
"Then why did you need to follow me?" I ask another question to her. I have a bad feeling somehow though.
"Because I need to make sure that he will not do anything bad to Rima," Yoorin answers me. "Her father will definitely kill me if he knows-"
"Wait! Hold on!" I interrupt her. This whole mystery man has made me confused. "Who is this person you are talking about?"
For the first time, I look a sad expression on Yoorin's face, the one I thought as Rima's rival.
"It's her fiancee."
✗ Kim Rima ✗
My head aches for no reason as I open my eyes slowly. I find myself in the middle of an indoor place, surrounded by mirrors around me.
When I have gathered my consciousness, I realize that my hands are tied with a handcuff. The handcuff is tied with a rope to a pillar right behind me.
After a few futile attempts, I know it's impossible for me to release myself without any help. I look around, remembering about what happened and why I'm here.
Ah, I met Eric.
I remember that I was waiting for this mysterious person. He said that he was the one I was waiting for so I followed him around. He led me to an attraction called "Mirror Maze".
"It's weird...," I mumbled to myself, looking around after I stepped in the attraction. There was no one. Not even a single person. "Eric, why-"
I never managed to ask him because the next second I knew, there was a handkerchief covering my mouth and I lost my consciousness.
He just anaesthetized me.
"Do you have a good sleep, sweetheart?"
Eric asks me in English as he appears from behind a mirror. A sly smirk decorates his face while I just give him a cold gaze.
"What's with that face, Rima?" he chuckles with amusement. "You should greet your fiancee with a smile, not that icy glare."
"What do you think you're doing?" I ignore his words. "What's with this handcuff? If you need to talk, then we can just talk, okay?"
"It's funny how both you and your father don't check into the details of my background," he also chooses to ignore me, walking around with the smirk on his face. "However you're annoying when you haven't decided whether you want to marry me or not."
This person is crazy.
That's the only thought I have in mind right now.
"Look, I've told you, you must respect-"
"How does it feel that you don't have a mother by your side?" he abruptly stops me from talking. "How does it feel, Kim Rima?"
I frown, "What does my mother have to do with us?"
"I love my mother. No one can ever replace her," Eric steps closer to me. He leans closer until our faces are only inches away. "But looks like my father doesn't think that way."
I shift backwards, feeling the close distance is too dangerous, "What are you talking about, Eric?"
"After my mother died in the accident three years ago, my father was trying to keep himself busy with his music. He tried to compose music with all his heart...," Eric's face turns expresionless, "...until he met that woman."
His father is a composer?
"You are shameless, Rima. Trying to play with men," he scoffs with disgusted expression. "Just like your mother."
Anger hits me and I can't help myself to raise my tone, "Don't bring my mother in our problem, Eric."
"Technically speaking, she is my mother too," he puts a sarcasm tone.
"She is married to my father now."
"She is married to my father now."
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