invisible

Chapter Nine

Chaewon walked back and forth in front of the guesthouse. Sometimes, she glanced at her watch and looked at the alley, like she was waiting for someone. She only went inside to take food from the pantry and then she waited on the porch again. This lasted till late evening.

She picked up the tabby cat that had been following her and keeping her company for the whole day.

“Cat, where is this bread face?” she asked to the cat.

The cat did nothing but purred as it lied on her lap.

“Do you think she… left me? Because I was being harsh to her yesterday?”

Chaewon bit her lip, “Well, I didn’t mean what I said. I just needed a bit space to think and clear my head.”

She sighed and patted the cat’s head.

“Hmm, I should give you a name.”

“Since you’re so cute and fluffy, how about Hitomi?” she asked.

The cat purred even more.

“You like that name, don’t you? Okay, I’ll call you Hitomi. Hitomi the cat!”

As she was and patting Hitomi the cat, a green van came from the alley and parked under the awning of the guesthouse. Chaewon waited until the driver came out from the van. And she was right, it was Hitomi, the human.

Hitomi climbed down the driver’s seat of the van and she couldn’t help but notice Chaewon who was standing by with a cat. She smiled as the sight, Chaewon looked like a lonely cat lady.

She walked to her, but then stopped when she saw Chaewon marching towards her furiously.

“Umm hi?”

Chaewon put down the cat and stood in front of Hitomi, gritting her teeth.

“Where were you?!” she asked.

“Er…”

“Where did you go?! Why didn’t you tell me?!” Chaewon continued to shoot her with questions.

Hitomi was shocked.

“How could you leave me alone?! Do you know how lonely I was?! I was talking to a cat!!” she added and this time even stomping her feet like a child who lost her candy.

Hitomi grabbed Chaewon’s arms to calm her down.

“Hey… there’s nothing weird with talking to a cat,” she said, suppressing her laugh.

Chaewon glared at her before hitting her right shoulder.

“You’re so mean! Mean! Mean! Mean bread face!”

“I’m mean? But I have something for you.”

“What is it?”

“You won’t be calling me mean after you see this.”

“Don’t tell me it’s your lame instant coffee or something.”

Hitomi chuckled and took out something from her bag.

It was a script book. On the blue cover, it was written ‘Episode 2’.

Chaewon stared at it for the longest time, her eyes not even blinking.

“Wh-Where did you get this?”

Hitomi smiled, “Don’t be emo anymore. You didn’t lose your role in the drama. They somehow believed that I’m your PA and accepted the excuse I gave.”

Chaewon looked at Hitomi, her jaw dropped.

“They gave the script for episode 2 so that you can prepare before filming. The press conference is in 3 weeks so we still have some time to make you visible again,” added Hitomi.

Chaewon stared at Hitomi, not saying anything. But tears were b in her eyes.

“You went there for me?”

Hitomi nodded.

“But why?”

“I just… don’t want to see you cry,” replied Hitomi.

They both looked at each other, not saying anything.

Hitomi cleared , “I-I mean while others didn’t hear you cry and sobbed, I do! Your cries are annoying! So I went there-

She looked away.

“I have to get to my room and change. Tonight it’s my shift,” she said before hurriedly went inside, leaving Chaewon with the script for Episode 2.

Chaewon looked at the script book in her hands and tears rolled down her cheeks. She smiled and held it to her chest.

Chaewon gulped, “Wait, she’s going to her room and change? No!”

**

Hitomi was about to enter her room when suddenly Chaewon came running towards her.

“Chaewon, what’s wrong with you?”

Chaewon stood in front of the door and blocked it with her body.

“Yo-you can’t go in there!”

“I need to get change and work. Move aside.”

“No! You can’t go in there because… there’s a guest downstairs that needs your help! Duckie asked me to call you since it’s an emergency!”

Hitomi creased her eyebrows, “What emergency?”

“A guest was about to give birth and they need a transport to the hospital!”

“Give birth?!”

“Yes! She already opened by 3 cm!”

“3 cm?!!” her eyes widened, shocked.

“Yes! That’s why you gotta go now!”

“O-Okay!”

Hitomi turned around and ran down the stairs. Sometimes, Chaewon was amazed at how easy it was to fool Hitomi. Her mind was too innocent, making her wonder if her brain was made up of cotton candies.

Chaewon rushed into the room and shut the door. The bed area was turned upside down and she couldn’t let Hitomi see this. Not after she saved her career.

Chaewon quickly put back the bed covers and tucked it up. She doesn’t usually tidy her own bed since she paid someone to keep her place clean. But she tried her best. She arranged the pillows on the bed, the way she remembered how it was before. Just as she put the blanket on the bed, the door was pushed open.

An annoyed looking Hitomi entered.

“Someone’s giving birth huh?” she asked.

Chaewon wiped the sweat on her forehead and grinned, “April fool!”

“April fool was two months ago!” Hitomi retorted.

**

“So you’re sleeping here again tonight?” asked Hitomi.

Chaewon was sitting on the bed, reading her script, “Yeap.”

Hitomi sighed.

“Okay, you can sleep on my bed if you want. I’ll be working the night shift tonight so you can have my bed until six.”

Chaewon looked at her as she was about to leave the room.

“Wa-Wait, so you’re not sleeping in the room?”

“No.”

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