05 | The Impostor
My Perfect Stranger
✗ Yong Junhyung ✗
I return to my own apartment after I'm sure that Rima can take care of herself in the new apartment of hers. I have to perform for a charity event this noon and I only have around an hour for my free time now.
"Ah, you're back," Doojoon greets me, blinking his eyes for numerous times with obvious curiosity on his face. Gikwang and Yoseob are sitting in front of him. "Where's your cousin?"
Great. How can I hope that no one will know about Rima actually? Of course Gikwang, who met her this morning, and Yoseob, who just saw her, would tell Doojoon, especially because I disappeared in the morning.
Looks like the lie will keep repeating for a while. I just need to make sure that Rima will not have anything to do with me; I just help her to find a new place to stay as a cousin. That's all.
"I never knew you have a cousin," Yoseob chirps in, looking at me. "Even Sora looks surprised to know that Rima is your cousin."
"She is my distant cousin," I clear my throat awkwardly, taking a seat next to Doojoon. "She has some family issues to deal with and she met me yesterday so I can help her to find a new place to stay."
"Are you saying that she is going to live in this building too?" Gikwang tilts his head, wanting a clear statement from me. "If you didn't tell me that she's your cousin, everyone would go crazy with the fact that a girl slept in your room."
I fake a cough, feeling nervous because I find that I'm indeed really careless to let a stranger slept in my room last night. Not to mention that she is a girl... What was I thinking yesterday?!
Ah, yes, I was desperate. I was really shocked with the fact that I just lost my notebook with my precious files inside of it. Rima is the stranger who appeared at the right time to help me.
Besides I'm not the type of a man who will be proud to ignore a girl who needs my help when I help her.
"She will stay here for temporary. Until her family issues turn good, she will stay in this building," I answer Gikwang, pretending that everything is real. I must be really careful if I don't want any stupid mistake to slip out from my mouth.
I just remember that Rima asked me whether if she can listen to BEAST's songs. I quickly stand up from the sofa and tell them, "I need to grab something for Rima. I'll get ready soon."
I turn to my room and find all of BEAST's mini albums and studio albums. I can understand that she needs to listen to our songs so she can recognize our music genre and analyze our characteristics in singing.
It's just... I wonder if this is the right thing to do.
I admit that I really need her help because my deadline is really close and she needs my help as well.
However I must draw an obvious distande between me and Rima, just like the deal I've made with her; my heart is not ready enough to stay too close with a girl.
Not after what happened between me and Hara four months ago.
Wait. What did I just say?
"Yah, Yong Junhyung," I murmur to myself, staring at the "Fiction and Fact" album in my hand, "nothing will happen between you and Rima. Strangers are helping each other."
Of course nothing will happen between us. At least nothing will ever happen since this young girl named Seo Rima is a really arrogant girl; totally not the type I will be happy to pick as my best friend.
Well, I just need to stick around with her until I finish the songs for the new album.
✗ Lee Gikwang ✗
"Thank you for today as well, Sora!" Dongwoon grins to Sora as she turns off her DSLR after checking the pictures she has taken during our live performance for the charity event just now.
Sora only gives us a sheepish smile before Yoseob approaches her, asking her to join us for dinner. Looking at the smile on her face, I feel no regret at all even though she never returned my feeling.
Kim Sora, the young professional photographer who works for BEAST since February 2011. A lot of things happened between her and Yoseob for the past two years but now they're officially engaged as they are waiting for their marriage next year.
Everytime I look at her, I will always remember those days I had with her. Those days when I loved her... once.
I don't even remember how many times my heart had been shattered into pieces because of her love for Yoseob. For more than a year, I yearned for her love but in the end she chose Yoseob; she has always loved Yoseob from the start.
It took a while for me to recover my heart after breaking real hard. Sora changed my life in one and another way. Now I treat her as my little sister and I'm happy for her as well whenever she's happy.
Well, I guess Gikwang and Sora is a story that will never come true.
"Let's have dinner together!" Yoseob exclaims, giving us his usual bright smile because Sora will join us as well. "Let's try the new restaurant near our apartment!"
Without any longer arguments, we agree with him, heading to our van so we can immediately enjoy our dinner time. When we almost reach the location, a though suddenly crosses my mind.
"Why don't we invite Rima?" I turn to Junhyung who is talking with Dongwoon. He looks at me with a frown while I continue, "She just moved here, right? It will be good if she has dinner together with Sora since they know each other, right?"
"Ah, your cousin?" our manager asks, glancing at Junhyung from the rear mirror. "I wonder what she looks like. Why don't you just invite her?"
"I want to see her too!" Hyunseung interrupts with excitement. "I want to see Junhyung's cousin! Why don't you give her a call now?"
"S-She changed her phone number and I haven't asked her," Junhyung answers, avoiding my eyes. "I think it's alright if she has a dinner by herself. Besides we don't want to have another rumor to start because of an unfamiliar girl is having dinner with us, right?"
"A dinner won't be a big problem," Dongwoon gives his thought. "If she is your cousin, she is a part of your family. Then she is our family too!"
Junhyung opens his mouth to answer but then he closes it again. He drops his gaze as if he is trying to find another reason to avoid the fact that his cousin need to come along for the dinner.
"I need to return to our apartment too," I speak out. "I want to grab another jacket since this one is not warm enough. Why don't you just tell me which one her apartment is so I can visit her?"
"Our Gikwangie is being as sweet as ever!" Hyunseung teases me but I only laugh upon his joke. Junhyung rubs the back of his neck, considering about whether he needs to tell me or not.
"I'm not going to do anything to your cousin, okay?" I laugh to assure him to stay relax. "I will ask her if she wants to join us or not and then I will catch up with you."
Junhyung sighs heavily but then he tells me where Rima's apartment is. The van drops me in front of our apartment building before they leave me to the new restaurant which is only two blocks away.
I take the elevator, heading straight to the level where Rima stays. I stop my steps in front of the door but my eyes widen in shock when I see the key is still in the keyhole even though the door is closed.
"Rima?" I knock the door two times but there is no respond. I turn the door knob slowly; it's unlocked.
Aigoo... this girl is so careless.
I take the key and step inside, closing the door behind me. I'm pretty sure that I hear our song, "The Fact", is echoing in the room. I take off my shoes and try to find Rima so I can return her key before asking her to join us for dinner.
She is laying down on the empty floor with her face downward in the main room, next to the sofa. Her Mac notebook is opened, playing "The Fact" from her iTunes. There are some papers scattered on the floor while she is resting her head on her left arm. Her right hand is holding a pencil, right on top of a music sheet.
I can see our mini albums and studio albums on the sofa. I notice that she has changed her clothes from the last time I met her this morning but the black thick-rimmed glasses I saw before is put right next to her head.
Looks like she fell asleep while doing something.
I step closer to her and she stirs in her sleep as if she realizes that someone is in her room.
What an unfortunate. I'm actually in the middle of admiring her sleeping face somehow.
She looks quite cute when she is sleeping.
Or maybe I just think that every girl is actually cute.
✗ Kim Rima ✗
Sensing that there is someone next to me, I open my eyes slowly and find the man named Gikwang is standing, looking down at me with a smile. I rub my eyes, gathering my senses back before sit up and yawn, covering my mouth with my hand.
Ah, right, after Junhyung borrowed all of their albums for me before he left for his schedule, I took a quick shower and then started to unpack all my staffs and clean the whole apartment until noon.
I used my notebook while I laid down on the floor, trying to identify their music characteristics from every song. I guess I fell asleep in the middle of my task. I didn't even bother to have lunch after I started listening the music because I have bought a bottle of milk outside; I was being too concentrated with the music that I didn't even realize hours have passed.
From the numerous songs I've listened, I can differentiate each member's voice already. I tried my best to remember each of their faces though from the articles in the internet.
Yoon Doojoon, the leader, has a really good voice and his falsetto part in "Just Before Shock" is really good. I completely like his part in that song.
Jang Hyunseung, the one who has a really great voice. I even listened to a song of his unit project, "Trouble Maker". His voice in "Let It Snow" is my favorite though.
Yong Junhyung, the man who acts as my cousin for now, is indeed the main rapper of this group. His rap parts in every song are really good. I found out that the song he sang to me at the cafe last night is actually a song, "On Rainy Days". I guess he was trying to test me. His rap part in that song is unique.
Yang Yoseob, the main vocalist in the group and Sora's fiancee. I have no doubt that he is indeed really talented. His part in "Soom" is too adorable that I think he is one of the most talented vocalists that I adore.
Son Dongwoon, the youngest member who has quite great range with his vocal. I like his opening part in "You" and it makes the song catchy enought for my ears.
This man, Lee Gikwang... Junhyung told me that he is the main dancer but his voice is really good or, if I must say, sweet. He usually opens the song with his voice; in "Yet", "Oasis", "Bad Girl", "Easy", and "Virus".
Each of their voices is really easy to differentiate, not only because I have absolute pitch, but because they have different music characteristics in my opinion. It's wonderful how a song can blend them in one.
That's why I love music though; music can make people with different characteristics to blend in one.
"You left the key in the keyhole," Gikwang sits down on the floor and shows me my key. "It's really dangerous, you know. What if someone who had bad intention find it?"
I curse myself in my mind for being really clumsy. Since it's the first time for me to live by myself, I just can't help to think that I still can rely on someone else for now. I usually had people to take care of locking the doors or cleaning stuffs but I don't have one now.
I must try to be independent. It's a necessary if I want my father to recognize my skill in music will help me live my own life.
"Thank you," I take the key from him and quickly take my glasses and wear them on again before collecting the shattered papers on the floor, putting them on the sofa, next to the albums I borrow from Junhyung. "What makes you come here anyway?"
"Ah," Gikwang straightens his body and smiles to me, "would you like to join us for dinner? Sora is having dinner with us as well."
I quickly look at him with confused look. Did he just ask me to have dinner with his group? Even though I don't have a really good social life, I don't think having dinner with an idol group is a good idea when I'm trying to hide my identity from everyone.
"I'm not hungry," I look away and turn on the television. I grab the remote control and press random buttons. "Thank you for the offer anyway."
"Rima, we-" his reply is cut off because I suddenly increase the volume of the television; the news catches my attention in instance because of the line below.
"The daughter of the Kim Family, Kim Rima, has introduced herself to the public"
I focus to the newscaster as a picture of a girl with blonde long hair and black mini dress, playing a piano with a smile, "Kim Rima, the only daughter of Kim family, one of the richest families in South Korea is finally revealed to the public. After living in New York for years, the Kim family moved back to Seoul and today Mr Kim has introduced his beloved daughter who also shows her talent in playing piano during the public welcoming party of Kim family in Seoul."
"Ah, I just realized that you two share same name," Gikwang mumble but I don't even care about what his expression right now. "She is slightly different from how I imagined her though..."
I look at the television which is showing the girl who introduces herself as Kim Rima briefly with disbelief look, "Good night, everyone. My name is Kim Rima, the only daughter of Kim family. This is the first time I talk in front of the public so forgive me if I sound nervous."
I did wonder about what my father would do with tonight's welcoming party since I ran away from the house...
...but I never expected him to have an impostor for me.
__________
Author's Note:
Even though this story is a sidequel, if you haven't read Sora's love tetralogy, you don't need to worry at all since this story has a different story line from the predecessor. This story is stand-alone story so you can read it without referring to the love tetralogy.
I must admit that it will be better if you have read them though so you can understand about the past of every character in this story but if you don't have any interests, it's alright since I will explain the detail along with the progress of the story.
I must admit that it will be better if you have read them though so you can understand about the past of every character in this story but if you don't have any interests, it's alright since I will explain the detail along with the progress of the story.
Will work my best for Rima, Gikwang, and Junhyung. Thank you. :)
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