invisible

Chapter Nineteen

Chaewon felt awkward. Sitting in a posh Italian restaurant was awkward. Sitting there for lunch with Minjoo was awkward. She often looked outside the glass wall to distract herself, but it was impossible to ignore the elephant in the room.

The younger girl was busy flipping her menu, smiling and pointing at the dishes that she wanted to eat. Her expression was bright and cheerful like nothing happened for the past month. Since they sat there 5 minutes ago, she hasn’t once asked Chaewon about where she’d been or if she was doing well. She sat there and smiled coyly like it was just another one of their dates.

But Chaewon can’t do this. A lot had happened, and things are different now.

“Hmm, do you think I should order pasta or lasagna? I’m quite hungry I might even order both,” Minjoo grinned.

“You love their Carbonara, right? Do you want to order that, unnie?” she asked.

But the older girl looked at her with an incredulous look on her face.

“What are you doing?” she asked, annoyed.

“I’m trying to order us lunch."

“You don’t have to. I’m not hungry anymore,” Chaewon said.

She slammed one hand on the table as she gets up to leave.

“Sit down,” ordered Minjoo, firm. Her tone had changed drastically.

“What?”

“I said, sit down.”

Chaewon scoffed, “Who do you think you are to order me around?!”

“We’re not alone,” replied Minjoo.

“What do you mean-

Chaewon paused when she understood what she meant. She gulped and glanced out of the window. She saw a dark tinted van parked just across the road. Photographers.

“Look, I’m trying to help you,” said Minjoo suddenly.

Chaewon cleared and get back to her seat. The two looked at each other.

“What the hell is going on? Did someone purposely called the paparazzi?” asked Chaewon, angry.

“This is all for your own good. If you’re seen with me, maybe the rumors will die down by itself. But if you leave right now, you’re going to make things worse. It’s like you’re confirming it.”

“What rumors? What is this rumor about me that everyone has been saying?”

Minjoo sighed.

“Unnie, I don’t know what happened to you during the past month, or… who you were with. But that’s not important! I don’t mind the rumors, and I’m willing to look past all that for us…”

“What rumors?!” Chaewon bursts.

“That you’re cheating on me.”

Chaewon gulped.

“Someone posted the photo of you and this… plain looking girl holding hands in a motel. It’s ridiculous right?” asked Minjoo with a nervous laugh.

There was silence.

Suddenly Chaewon looked away, “It wasn’t a motel. It’s a guesthouse.”

Minjoo’s eyes widen.

“And there’s nothing wrong about plain looking. She’s not used to makeup, that’s all. She looks just nice to me though,” added Chaewon.

“Wh-What are you talking about?”

Chaewon stood up from her chair.

“You said that if I leave the table, I’ll be confirming the rumors, right?”

“Unnie…”

“I’m leaving. I’m sorry we have to end it this way.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying! Sit down! Do you know how this will affect your public image?!”

“You can make me the bad guy, and play the victim card to the media. I don’t mind.”

Minjoo slammed the table and got up, “Yah, Kim Chaewon!”

“You have the right to be angry at me for cheating but we’re even now.”

“How is that getting even? I never cheated on you!”

“Ah, then does Ahn Yujin ring any bell to you?”

Minjoo gulped.

“Think about it, she is like a sister to me and… what were you guys doing behind my back? That’s like ten times worse than me hanging out with bread face behind your back. The most intimate thing we ever did was hugging and holding hands. I don’t know about you two.”

“H-How did-

Minjoo was speechless.

“Yeap, we’re even.”

And with that Chaewon turned around and leaves Minjoo alone at the table, flustered.

**

Chaewon was sent back to her house by the agency’s driver later that evening after a meeting with the drama PD. She went straight into her room and for some reason it feels empty. It felt too spacious, too quiet. It’s been a while since she’d been in her own house and ironically it doesn’t feel like home. Too tired of the things that’d been playing in her head; she lay down on her bed, trying to sleep without even changing her clothes.

Minutes passes.

She tossed.

She pulled the blanket over her body.

She decreased the temperature of the room.

And she turned under the blanket.

But she still can’t sleep.

Soon she found herself staring at the ceiling.

She can’t ignore the feeling.

She misses Hitomi.

So much.

And no matter how hard she tried to get her off her mind, she can’t. She wondered what Hitomi was doing at the time. Was she sleeping? Or working? Why did she leave? Why didn’t she pick up her calls?

She glances at the time on her phone, it was 10.20pm. She gasped.

There’s still time!

She got up from bed and rushed to her closet room. She opened all the doors and searched for the plainest looking jacket from her huge collection. A gray long jacket caught her attention, as it was plain and looked common. Hopefully no one will notice that it was from Burberry fall collection last year. She took a blue cap and a pair of glasses with large frames.

She stood in front of the mirror, checking her new look.

Perfect.

I look common.

With her newfound confidence, she headed out of the house with a few thousand Won in her pocket.

She walked past the residence guards, but they weren’t suspicious of her. The two guard ahjusshis were busy chatting amongst themselves about the recent football match. She continued to walk until she reached the bus stop across the road. There were others waiting at the bus stop as well, a middle aged couple and a few school girls. Chaewon stood in the middle of them, but they weren’t looking at her. A few minutes later, she was still there, unnoticed.