Nayeon

 

 

 

The morning light was blinding. I adjusted the window shade. The glare was giving me headache. Frowning, I maneuvered another piece of pattern on the material laid across the table. Empty bottles of whiskey scattered on the floor. I walked unsteadily to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of wine then went back to the living room. I placed it down the table and marked bust dart with tailor's chalk. Laying the chalk aside, I picked up a dress shears and bend over the fabric. I added ghetto fabric on the mannequin and pinned, trimmed and arranged it until a dress took shape, almost as if it were a sculpture. 

 

 

I took a step back and picked up the bottle of wine. Examining the whole dress, I gulped down the wine and looked at the mannequin, "Judy, your dress are lacking something and I can't figure it out," I sighed and compared the dress with the design I had drawn on my sketchbook. I studied the design and something was missing. I had worked with this piece for all day and all night. I stood motionless for hours and kept pinning and re-pinning.

 

 

Bell rings.

 

 

I ignored it and kept my eyes glued to the dress. What was it? I stuck pins in my mouth and swept the lightweight fabric around the mannequin. Perhaps a velvet lace on the skirts?

 

 

Bell rings.

 

 

I grunted and stomped towards the front door. My fiancee was standing outside, holding a box of cupcake. I sighed. She always had to ruin my morning. I let her in and she followed me inside, "0922," I said and sat infront of the mannequin, not sparing her a glance.

 

 

"What?" she asked.

 

 

"My passcode so I don't have to answer the door everytime you disturb me,"

 

 

"Okay," She peeked over my shoulder, "But what are you doing?"

 

 

I turned to her, what kind of question is that? I scoffed, "I am having a concert, smart-,"

 

 

She frowned and distanced herself, her eyes darted around the place, "Why aren't you packing yet?"

 

 

"I'm not going," I replied lazily.

 

 

"It's a must for the participants"

 

 

"I'm rebellious,"

 

 

"Are there any reason why you can't come? Do you have other plan?" She bombarded me with questions that was left unanswered. I was still focusing on the mannequin. She stepped in front of me, blocking my view of the dress. "Are you sick perhaps? You look flushed,"

 

 

I pushed her to the side. If it wasn't a velvet lace, maybe a rhinestone applique. A blue shirt covered my line of sight. Annoyed, I looked up at her. She leaned in to press the back of her fingers against my forehead. I ducked away, "What do you think you are doing?"

 

 

"Checking to see if you have a temperature"

 

 

"What I have is headache. Thanks to you"

 

 

"You should stop that habit of blaming others," She shook her head and stared at the empty bottles on the floor, "You drank enough whiskey to kill a normal person"

 

 

I wanted to rebuke. I stood up too quickly which sent dizziness and a sharp pain to my brain instantaneously. I staggered backwards. She caught me around the waist. I wanted to pull away but her arms remained secure around me, "You should lean on me for a while. You are not looking good. How many days you haven't sleep? You shouldn't force yourself---"

 

 

"Shut up before I cross stitch your mouth," I interjected. My head was already arching. I didn't need to hear her hypocrisy.

 

 

"Can't you be a little nicer?" She slowly led me to the sofa. I dropped my head and massaged my temple slowly. She sighed, "Wait here, I'll get some aspirin. You haven't eaten too, aren't you? I bought some cupcakes. You should have it first," She returned shortly with medicine and cupcakes neatly arranged on a plate. I took a bite of the cake and took the pills. After an hour, my head was still pounding but the pain has subsided a little.

 

 

"How's your feeling? Do you feel better now?"

 

 

Only if she keep glued then my headache might disappear sooner. I fluttered my eyes opened, "I would be if that bug stop buzzing and leave my house"

 

 

"A bug?" She looked around the house, "I can help you to chase it away. My mother use to teach me a method to keep them away. It's affordable and only uses organic waste. But that's kinda weird. This kind of neighborhood shouldn't have that problem. My mother and I used to live at the country side so mosquitoes were everywhere."

 

 

I lifted my head and stared at her wordlessly.

 

 

She stared at me

 

 

We stared at each other

 

 

"Am I the bug?" she asked, pointing at herself.

 

 

I rolled my eyes and rose, this time, slowly, "I need to shower. You can think carefully how to chase that bug away. I hope they aren't blind and are able to find the exit, because if they don't, I'm willing to help them." I took a step closer to her, "There's the front door on your left side twenty steps away,"

 

 

I needed to get rid of myself of the sweat and stress. Walking over the shower, I leaned in and turned the water on. I stepped under the hot water and sighed. The warm water coated every inch of me and soothed my tensed up muscles. I felt an immediate relief of pressure and stress through my body. After I had finished showering, I wrapped my hair in a towel and my body in an oversized bathrobe. I walked to the walk-in-closet and scanned through my clothes. I chose few from the racks and spread it on the bed.

 

 

I was wearing a bathrobe with a lingerie underneath, the belt loops were untied. I looked over the dresses in the bed. Maybe Marritt Jardigan would do the work. I had a meeting today. The sounds of cutlery and plates caught my attention. What was that? I walked out to the living room and saw no one. She must have gone home. I was about to walk back into the bedroom when another utensils sounds reached my ears. I made a beeline towards the kitchen and saw her, cooking and wearing a koala printed apron. She was greatly immersed with slicing the potatoes that she didn't realize I was here.

 

 

I scoffed and knocked on the counter bar. She flinched and turned to me, "Why are you still here?" I asked, walking closer to her and sat on a high stool behind the counter.

 

 

She stared at me and immediately looked away, "Why are you walking around ?"

 

 

"I'm clothed and this is my house"

 

 

"Having only a bra and underwear is not clothed"

 

 

"Stop acting like a " I rolled my eyes.  How could someone be this annoying?

 

 

"I am a " She exclaimed.

 

 

I scoffed in disbelief.  How old were you woman? That was hilarious but not unexpected considering how conservative she was, "Seriously?" I asked, completely intrigued and amused.

 

 

"Yes"

 

 

I chuckled,  "And you're proud of it?"

 

 

"Yes," She nodded without hesitancy, "I'm not a ,"

 

 

I frowned at her answer, "Are you saying that I am?"

 

 

She kept quiet for a while, "You are manipulating my words," She said then remained silent. What now? Why were you so quiet. I examined her. Although she might look composed and unaffected, if one watch closely, her jaw was clenched, the veins on her neck was popping, her grip on the knife was tightening, her cheeks was burning. It took me a while to figure it out. But now that I had solved the puzzle, it was clear. What that was.

 

 

It was restraint.

 

 

I suppressed a smile. This was interesting. It wasn't hurt to , right? I leaned forward on the bar counter to give her an eyeful of my cleavage. I sat with my elbows on the table, propping my chin. Squeezed my s together with my arms, I smirked, "Well, then I'm a pretty ," It was on her sight of line and she had to look at it for a few seconds before she had the time to react and turned her head away. Obviously this was a game I had played before and their reactions always managed to entertain me.

 

 

She squeezed her eyes shut and walked around the counter. She reached for the belts on my bathrobe with her head turning away and tied it, "Please wear some clothes," she said then went back to cooking. Now, her back was facing me. My smile widened. She was indeed new to this. Her reactions, unlike most that I had gotten, rather than a disgusting stare filled with lust like a predator staring at their prey, she was looking at me so innocently, with a slight of panic like I was a precious item that shouldn't be looked at.

 

 

That was cute.

 

 

I wore a simple outfit and we had breakfast together. She was avoiding me eyes through entire time. I couldn't stop smiling. What an idiot. She was acting like a kid getting caught stealing her mother's money. Once we were done, she washed the dishes and sat in front of me, "Thank you for the meal but I'm still not going," I started.

 

 

She hummed, "I propose a game"

 

 

I rose my brows, "A game?"

 

 

"Yes, if I win, you'll have to go to the trip and if you win, then you don't have to come. I'll inform Jihyo"

 

 

"And why do I have to play?"

 

 

"Why not?" She smiled, "Are you afraid of losing?"

 

 

I shrugged, "Psychology trick won't work on me,"

 

 

She sighed. Her shoulders dropped, "What can I do to convince you?"

 

 

Now, that was a chance, "Save it for now. I'll collect the debt later,"

 

 

"All right,"

 

 

"Now, what game?" I asked.

 

 

"To avoid suspicions, you can choose the game so you won't accuse me of cheating,"

 

 

That would work. I knew how to play a lot of game, "Then let's play Scrimish. I have two set of deck here. Do you know how to play?"

 

 

"No," She shook her head, "I never heard that game,"

 

 

I stood up and she trailed me to the bedroom. Inside one the closet were a collection of various game from classic to digital, "Why do you have some many toys?" she asked from behind, looking at all of the games.

 

 

"None of your business" I picked up two deck of cards. We walked to the living room and sat across each other, "Listen, Scrimish is a fast moving card game. The objective of the game is to uncover your opponent's Crown Card with one of your own cards. Each player places five piles of five cards each down in front of them. Let's label them as Sea pile, Land pile, Cloud pile, Sky pile, and Air Pile. The Crown Card should be hidden at the bottom of one of the piles. The rest of the cards may be arranged however you like," I explained while she listened attentively.

 

 

"Player take turns attacking by selecting the top card from on their piles then laying that card face up in front of opponent's piles. The defending player must then reveal the top card of the pile that was attacked. The card with the lowest number  value loses and is discarded. The winning card must be returned face down to the top of the original pile it was drawn from. If the two cards have the same number value, both cards are discarded. Player continues until one of the players attacks their opponent’s Crown Card, winning the game," I proceeded explaining the special cards: Archer and Shield then the additional rules: A crown can attack the opponent's crown.

 

 

"Simple, isn't it?" I asked when I had done teaching her the rules of the game.

 

 

She nodded, "I'll try,"

 

 

The game started. It was clear that this was her first time playing. After an hour she was left with two piles: Sea and Land. The Sea pile had only two cards while the Land pile had three cards. During the game, I had counted all the cards that were drawn from each piles and memorized the cards that she had lost. Supposedly, she should have one knife, one halberd, one shield and the crown card and an unknown card.

 

 

I could win this easily. I had four piles and eventhough the pile where I kept the crown card only had one card left on top of it, that one card was a long sword that held six value, the highest number. Unless she attack me with a long sword card---which was impossible since she didn't have any long sword card---she couldn't attack my crown.

 

 

The game continued. 

 

 

She placed a knife on top of my Land pile, and I revealed a sword. A knife that carried one point against a sword that carried two point. Her knife card were discarded. I drew a card from the Cloud pile and placed it on top of her Sea pile. A halberd against a halberd. Both card were discarded. Now, she only had one pile that consist of three cards. It was her turn and she discarded a card from her only pile. I frowned. I didn't know what card that was.

 

 

"Unexpected," I uttered.

 

 

A small smile made it to her lips, "It's my deadly move. I call that the double-edged Jeongyeon defense"

 

 

, "This isn't chess"

 

 

"I'll start naming it that way. You have to get use to it if we are going to play this game again some other time,"

 

 

"No," As if I would. I stared at my piles. I had four piles and one of them were shiled. Shield couldn't be used to attack, the other one was a sword, a labrys and a long sword. I didn't expect her to discard her card instead of attacking. Now, she knew the card on my Air pile was a sword since it was revealed in the previous round.

 

 

The card she discarded was either shield or a labrys. If it was a labrys and a shield were on top of her pile, then it was an easy win for me but if it the other way around, it would be a little difficult. I had two choices, sacrifice my sword card, the lowest card to have a sight at what card was on top of her pile or attack her card with a labrys that will lead to a tie. A tie would guarantee my win as long as my crown were protected under the long sword card. I chose a labrys and aimed for a tie then planned to attack her crown with a long sword. I drawn my labrys and placed it in front of her pile.

 

 

She flipped her card and revealed a long sword.

 

 

.

 

 

I miscounted. It was her turn to attack. My labrys card were discarded. I looked down at my cards. I had two cards from each Sea pile, Land pile and Air pile while one card on Cloud pile. On top of each piles were mace, shield, sword and lastly long sword. If she attack my long sword or shield, then it was over for her but if she choose to attack either sword or mace, then, I might lost.

 

 

She placed her card in front of Sea pile. Her long sword against a regular sword. Her card won while my card was discarded. I'm done for. Unless she was really lucky or really smart, I would lose. I had no choice but to attack her long sword with my own that led to a tie. Both card were discarded. She only had one card left, and it was her turn to attack. She opened her last card and as expected it was the crown. I looked down at my cards. On top of every pile were mace, shield, knife and lastly my crown.

 

 

"Additional rule. Crown attack crown. If I manage to find your crown, I'll win right?"

 

 

I nodded. She looked at me and I met her eyes. She drummed her finger against her knee then placed her card in front of my Land pile. No hesitancy. I flipped my card and it was the crown.

 

 

She won.

 

 

"How did you know?" I bit my lips, "You counted my cards?"

 

 

"No, it was pure luck," She smiled was huge and her eyes was laced with mockery, "Luckily, I attacked the Land pile with my long sword and I knew the moment we were tied. Your crown must be hidden underneath the Land pile since it was protected by the highest value card. I also guarded my crown with a long sword. I know you must be thinking the same thing as I am,"

 

 

So annoying. So damn annoying. So damn ing annoying. Her face was punch-able,"Don't think that you win this, we'll play again and next time, you won't be that lucky," I spat in anger.

 

 

"Looking forward to that," Her smile widened.

 

 

I stormed into the bedroom and slammed the door shut. I hated losing. An hour later, I found myself sitting in her car as she drove to the resort. I scrolled through the hits my Internet search had found and it was all focused on me. The list of articles with my name as the headline was endless. There was no more articles regarding the affair. The attention surrounding the affair had died down as the good people of the Internet had found someone else to hate. I clicked on one of the article and scrolled through the comments which had now reached nine hundred. The phone's screen suddenly switched. A call was coming. It was my secretary.

 

 

"Miss Im, our brands sufferes a huge loss because of the latest controversy. Should I send a report?" She asked through the phone.

 

 

"Yeji, this isn't the first time," I sighed, "Let's wait until the storm passes. People will find a new drama and a new villain to hate on. You don't have to write a report about it,"

 

 

"All right ma'am,"

 

 

"Are you going to the resort too?" I asked.

 

 

"Yes, we have arrived thirty minutes ago. Are you going to be here, Miss?"

 

 

"I will," I glanced at the woman beside me and corrected, "We will," The call ended afterwards. I was about to read the comments again but another phone call was coming. I wanted to reject but halted when I read the name on the screen: Blue Grass. I smiled. Why was she calling? Wouldn't she be there too? I answered the call.

 

 

"Chaeyoung, that's surprising for you to call me," A wide smile tugged the corner of my lips.

 

 

"I just wanted to know if you are you going to the trip,"

 

 

"Yes, I'm on my way now,"

 

 

"Why? I thought you won't come"

 

 

I looked outside the window, "I thought so to"

 

 

"Did Jeongyeon force you?"

 

 

"It's not her fault. We played a game and I lost"

 

 

"You lost? In a game?" Her voice sounded disbelief, "That's unexpected, knowing your competitive nature. You don't slam the door after like some sort of a loser right?"

 

 

I immediately tensed up, "No don't!" I denied, my voice raised an octave without me realizing. Jeongyeon glanced at me curiously. I faked a cough and whispered, "I don't do that,"

 

 

"Sure," She chuckled, "How it felt to lose?"

 

 

"Gross" I concluded. I hated that feeling the most. Chaeyoung laughed, her voice that used to sound very warm and soft now sounded very annoying, "Don't laugh at me or----"

 

 

"----You'll sulk" She finished my sentence and chuckled, "Anyway, don't go to the trip. I'll talk to them on your behalf"

 

 

"It's all right. Let's not make a ruckus"

 

 

"But your leg----You can't handle this cold temperatures, especially there. The metal implant on your thighs----"

 

 

"I'll be fine" I cut her off.

 

 

"You are not fine."

 

 

I had to change the flow of this conversation, "Oh, look at you," I smirked, "Being concerned about me. Isn't that touching?"

 

 

"I'm not coming to the trip. So I'm worried about you"

 

 

My smile slowly died, "You aren't coming?"

 

 

"Yes, I injured myself but it's not serious so don't worry. I've informed Jihyo too"

 

 

"How bad it is? Your injuries"

 

 

"Not at all. It's just... a minor accident"

 

 

I bit my lips. I wanted to see her but I didn't want to overreact. If she said it was a minor injuries, then it must be. I tried to lift the mood, "An embarrassing one I bet"

 

 

"Making fun of someone's misfortune is not cool," Her voice were low. If it was a video call, I would've seen that pout she currently making.

 

 

"That's hypocrisy there, Chaeyoung."

 

 

She barked a pit of laughter. I smiled. When her laughter had slowly subsided, she asked, "Give the phone to Jeongyeon, will you?"

 

 

I was a little hesitant but it was still her stepsister, "All right," I handed the phone to Jeongyeon, "Your sister," she nodded and they talked. I wasn't sure what it was all about. I wanted to listen but weariness and fatigue had stained me. I fell asleep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*    *    *    *

 

Jeongyeon

 

 

 

It was already dark when we arrived at the resort. The entertainment staff from the Hirai had prepared a full course meals.  While the editing team from the Son Group hadn't arrived yet. We exchanged greetings then went to the room designated for us. There was only one bed. I turned to her, my fiancee, Im Nayeon. She looked extremely exhausted. I offered to help her unpack her luggage and she told me to just put it on the bed and that she would arrange it herself.

 

 

My eyes trailed her as she walked tiredly into the bathroom. Maybe I shouldn't ask her to come after all. She wasn't looking good. Her complexion was pale. If this continue, I would ask for an early leave tomorrow morning. I lifted her suitcase and what did she put inside? Why was it so heavy compared to mine? I tried to lift it again and put it on the bed but I lost my hold and the suitcase fell, hitting the floor. Then popped open. A bra and two pairs of underwear fell out. Oh oh . I immediately snatched up the bra. This---? It was a black lace bralette. A wave of heat rose in my face.

 

 

I shook my head and was about to pick the black underwear when a pair of legs came into sight. No. No. No. I nervously looked up. It was her. Of course. She had her arms crossed and stared down at me. I needed to say something but I couldn't form a word. It stuck in my throat. My brain was blank. She bend down and picked up the underwear then tried to take the bra from my hand, but couldn't. She stared at me. I stared at her. We stared at each other. She smiled and asked, "Do you want to keep that instead?"

 

 

Huh? I looked down at my hand and realized I was tightly clenching the bra inside my fist. Woah! I let go of it and the bra dropped to the ground. She picked it up and glanced at me, "So sneaky," She smirked and disappeared into the bathroom. I hated this. I buried my face into my hands, and felt the cold sweat that had collected on my palms. Embarrassing.

 

 

We had dinner together with the entertainment teams and introduced ourselves. There were five of them excluding Nayeon's assistant. I glanced at her once in a while. She was speaking to her secretary most of the time. She looked a little better now. That was a relief. We retreated to our bedroom once we finished  cleaning the dining table. She was sitting on the bed with a sketchbook. Her back against the headboard. She had been staring at the same page for an hour. I took a shower and changed into a new pair of clothing. She was still staring at the same page. I peeked and saw a clothing design drawing.

 

 

"I think it'll look better if you remove the bow and replace it with something lighter," I said. She blinked and turned to me. Her eyes brightened. The small knock interrupted us, "Come in"

 

 

The door opened and it was secretary Hwang, "Miss Yoo, Miss Im, please join us. Everyone already gather in the living room. We are all waiting,"

 

 

I nodded, "I'll be there in a while"

 

 

She averted her gaze to Nayeon, "Miss Im?"

 

 

"Go on without me,"

 

 

"We will be playing some game" Secretary Hwang stated.

 

 

Nayeon lifted her eyes off the sketchbook and closed it, "What game?"

 

 

"All kind of game," Secretary Hwang answered, smiling.

 

 

Nayeon glanced at me. She shook her head and put the sketchbook away. She laid down on the bed and fixed the duvet, "You can go. I'm sleepy and I don't waste my time on childish--"

 

 

"I heard, Mr Jeon Jung Kook who won against you in Free Fire during the last summer camp also attend this trip. The editing teams from the Son Group arrives thirty minutes ago," Secretary Hwang interjected.

 

 

"Oh," Nayeon sprung up from the bed and pushed the blanket off, "That ," she said through gritted teeth. She stood up and marched towards the door.

 

 

"I guess physiological trick does work on you," I scoffed, watching her figure furthering away. I followed her and refused to join in their game so did Secretary Hwang. She sat beside me on the couch while we watched them playing.  She informed me that Miss Jihyo and Miss Chou would be here tomorrow morning. Apparently they were sharing a car and met with some problem, causing their journey to be delayed.

 

 

Few hours had gone by. The clock pointing to an hour past midnight. My fiancee ruthlessly defeated everyone who dare to stand in her way. The poor guy who I assumed was Jeon Jungkook was shot in the head with a sniper four times in a row.  He stopped playing after losing for the fifth time and wordlessly walked into his room and never come out after that. They played various game from King of Tokyo, Ddakji, Gonggi, Yut Nori and now they were playing Monopoly. Even after long hours, my fiancee still caught up with enthusiasm and excitement. As if there was a bonfire above her head that channelled energy through her body, she was very aggressive, passionate and high-powered while the others looked like a living corpse.

 

 

"Miss Hwang," I called.

 

 

"Please, just Yeji," She said, we both had our eyes glued to the woman across us.

 

 

"Miss Yeji, has she always been like this?"

 

 

"Miss Im has always been since forever like this. But it's because of that competitiveness and determination, she manage to become who she is today," She explained with a small smile.

 

 

She turned to look at me, "Miss Yoo, do you know that Miss Im used to sell clothes at Dongdaemun Market?"

 

 

I shook my head. Dongdaemun Market? Why would she sell clothes there? I had been told that she went abroad and studied with one of the most well-known designer as her tutor. Her name started to rise when she won the A Fashion Award at a very young age. But it was because her family had manipulated the result. She created her personal brand by using the ideas and design from nameless fashion designer. She managed to open her own company using her personal money and hired employees to run it for her. This was her story that everyone talked about.

 

 

Secretary Hwang hummed and gazed far into the distance, but surely it was an old memory she stared at. She began,"Miss Im used to have a small retail store and it was almost went unnoticed inside the building that houses thousands of other retail stores. Every Monday morning, she would carry a huge bolts of fabric over her shoulder and every  weekend, she would take a walk around the building and studied the fashion market and trends. At night, she would continue designing her clothes and asked for advice from the elders. She barely sleep and only had sandwich for the entire day. She slept in her store with a small airbed since she couldn't afford the rent here and it was more convenient,"

 

 

Her gaze fell back to my fiancee who was collecting money from the other players. I followed her gaze. She smiled softly, "It isn't surprising that someone as strong-willed as her manage to build a multinational clothing company with her own personal brand,"

 

 

That was so far and misled from what I had heard about her, "I thought----"

 

 

"Miss Im is a talentless artist that rely on her father's power and influence? That President Im was behind her success?" Secretary Hwang took the words out of my mouth. I was ashamed to admit that she was right, "Everyone probably think the same too. Because of her past controversy, no one knew what it took her to be here today. Miss Im's success has nothing to do with her being the only daughter of the Im Group's President. She become a professional designer and entrepreneur all by her own hardwork and effort. And about all of her controversy, if it wasn't because of Jackson Wang that jerk-----" She stopped midway and pressed her lips, "I'm sorry Miss Jeongyeon. I talked a lot, aren't I?"

 

 

Why did she stopped? I frowned but brushed it off for now. I waved my hand, "No, I don't mind at all. How do you know all of this?"

 

 

"When I was still a student, I worked as a part-timer in her retail store. She paid for my education to study abroad and eventhough Miss Im didn't want me to repay her, I still feel grateful and applied to work under her company as soon as I graduated. I've been working under Miss Im for almost ten years now."

 

 

I nodded, understanding, "Ah, I see," I didn't know someone could tolerate Nayeon's behavior that long. After all, my fiancee could be very hard to deal with. She was unpredictable and rude.

 

 

"Honestly," Secretary Hwang spoke again, "I've always been concerned about Miss Im. She's a strong, goal-oriented and outspoken person. Miss Im can't tolerate any weakness, mistake or failure. Because she had experience it first hand. Hence, she's very strict towards her employees. Some of her actions, good or bad maybe confuses us but she always has her own reasoning that only she knows. Because of that personality, it seems that she has always been misunderstood by everyone around her."

 

 

"Eventhough it doesn't look like that affect her, I'm always worried that she would feel lonely. No matter how much we try to be strong and deny vulnerability, there's time we become weak, and when that time comes, I'm afraid, there's no one beside her. And for that," She looked at me and bowed her head slightly, "I want to say thank you, Miss Jeongyeon. I hope you'll always look after her."

 

 

That was pressuring. I mirrored her gestured and bowed. I didn't know what to answer to that. I didn't know what to think about what she just said. My perception on Nayeon hadn't change. She was still a rude, cruel and heartless woman. Eventhough she had helped my uncle landed a new job, her intention was unclear. It was unsettling how you could never know what she was thinking. But now, I wished I do.

 

 

"Miss Yoo," Secretary Hwang's voice broke into my train of thought. I turned to look at her, she smiled and pointed to Nayeon, "I think it's time to put Miss Im to bed," She said. I diverted my attention to my fiancee and she was squeezing money from the other players. They should've refused when she suggested to use real money instead of monopoly cash.

 

 

"Pay your rent," My fiancee demanded. I walked closer and studied the board. She had her greens and dark blue houses and hotels stacked all over her properties. One green house cost $200. This was maddening.

 

 

I sat beside her and held her arms, "Honey, it's late. We should go to sleep now. You can continue tomorrow,"

 

 

"No, you go first. I'm going to make them penniless," She said eagerly, "Hurry, pay the rent," She urged towards one of the player. It was a man from editing teams. He looked at me with a pleading look carved on his face. What worst was she wouldn't even let the nonplayers leave since she wanted them to watch the game.

 

 

"They don't have any money left. Let's stop for now, okay," I coaxed but she didn't bug.

 

 

"Then they can pay the rent by doing a dare. Maybe----" She eyed the players one by one and flicked her fingers, "---strip and stand outside for ten minutes,"

 

 

In this cold weather? With the current temperature? They would freeze to death. All the players shook their head and gave me puppy eyes. I sighed, "That's killing attempt,"

 

 

She hummed then clapped her hand as if a brilliant idea just crossed her mind, "How about you do the dare for them then?"

 

 

It seemed that there was no other way, "All right, let's play a simple game. If I win, we all go to sleep and if you win, I'll strip and stand outside for ten minutes. We'll roll the dice and whoever has a higher point, win. Deal?"

 

 

"Deal," She nodded, "You start first,"

 

 

I picked up two of the plastic dice, which had gone cold, and warmed it in my hands. Then I shook it throughly before making my throw. Five, Four. Not bad. I smiled. Seemed like I was really lucky today. The players jumped and started to cheer me on. I thought everyone would be happy except one person. Secretary Hwang, she was looking at me sympathetically. Nayeon grabbed the dice, rolled it in her hand and threw it.

 

 

I stood with a thin undershirt and shortpant. How could she drew six, six? I hugged my arms. My body was shivering with frost and my teeth were chattering. I couldn't feel my bare feet anymore. It went numb. The wind blew on my hair and I gasped. The sudden rush of coldness made me shake uncontrollably. It had only been two minutes. When a garment fluttered down from the window, I was doing a jumping jacks to generate body heat. I looked up, someone from the inside had dropped a black-purple stripe cashmere wool cape. I smiled and wrapped it around my body. That helped a lot.

 

 

Ten minutes passed and Secretary Hwang immediately called me out. I ran inside and they rushed to drape few layers of towel over my shoulders and gave me a lot of heating pad. While all of the staff was crowding me and asking questions, my fiancee stood few meters away with a smirk played on her lips, "I've told you. Next time, you won't be that lucky" she flipped her hair and walked away.

 

 

I looked at Secretary Hwang who stood beside me, "She's evil"

 

 

She laughed awkwardly, "O--only sometimes"

 

 

I forced a smile and tapped her shoulder, "Miss Hwang, I believe you will do a brilliant job to take care of her. I'll pass," I walked away and jumped into the bathroom for a hot shower. There was a shower inside our bedroom but I rather took the main bathroom instead. The living room was empty when I had finishing showering. A look at the digital clock, its digits shining bright green. It was almost two o'clock in the morning. I assumed, everyone had gone to sleep. I quietly entered the bedroom and grabbed my clothes before changing inside the private bathroom. She was sleeping soundly on the bed. I sat on the edge of the bed and stared at her. I recalled my conversation with Chaeyoung in the car.

 

 

 

"Take care of her. Keep her warm and make sure she's not exposed to cold for a long time"

 

 

"I'm sure Im Nayeon is a grown up adult who can take care of herself. She doesn't need you unnecessary concern"

 

 

"For someone that have been putting on a  kind and thoughtful image, your ignorance baffled me. Don't be so quick to judge her. You only see what she let you see. If something happens to her during the trip, you'll regret it"

 

 

I had so many questions to ask you. Was there something going on between you and Chaeyoung? Who was Chaeyoung to you? Did she meant more to you than just a friend?

 

 

Your secretary said that sometimes your action was unpredictable but it always for a reason. Then, did you do of those cruel things to Mina for a reason? Why did you do that? Whatever reason it was, still it didn't justified your action. What you did was wrong and you had to ask for forgiveness. But knowing you, there was no way you would apologize. Your self esteem wouldn't allow that.

 

 

These controversy that drowned you in a dirty mud, why was it exist in the first place? Just what had you done for you to be portrayed as bad person, nothing else but a spoiled princess with an attitude. Why no one knew about your career journey? Why did they talk so bad about you? Why were you like this?

 

 

I hoped I had the answer to these questions. But Chaeyoung was right, you wouldn't let me, you wouldn't let anyone in. How am I going to understand you if you keep denying everyone around you? I wished one day, you could open up and talk to me, talk to me about everything, then if there is misunderstanding between us, we could resolve it, we could start all over again. Maybe, then maybe, we could be friends and your secretary's wish could be fulfilled.

 

 

At the mention of her secretary, I was suddenly reminded at what Miss Yeji told me earlier. She said a familiar name. I pulled out my phone and realized it was dead. There was a laptop in the living room if I'm not mistaken. I tiptoed and shut the door slowly, to not disturb her sleep. I was right. There was a MacBook. I turned it on, clicked the search engine and typed; Jackson Wang and Nayeon Im Controversy. A lot of articles popped up. I brought the cursor and opened the first article.

 

 

 

'Fashion designer Jackson Wang filed a lawsuit against the director of Haebaragi Clothing Company and fashion designer, Nayeon Im for copying his design. Jackson Wang, a rising Chinese-American fashion designer claimed that Nayeon Im had plagiarized his Spring Collection during the runaway in Paris. But the case was immediately taken care off and raised confusion. Jackson Wang reportedly dropped his lawsuit few days afterwards.'

 

 

'Based on Inspire Weekly Interview Article, Jackson Wang said that the lawsuit might ruin his career and he didn't dare to pursue the matter further. Many assumed that the Im Group's President, Hwan Im had gotten involved. This controversy provoked backlash and negative reaction towards Haebaragi Clothing Company when Jackson Wang posted his sketch design on his official social media. The resemblance was undeniable. Nayeon Im, the former winner of The A' Fashion, Apparel & Garment Design Competition received malicious comments online due to the controversy. Her title as the winner of the A Fashion Award were brought up and members of the media prompted questioning. Many media outlets linked Nayeon Im's winning with her family background and claimed that competition manipulation might took place.'

 

 

'The organizers of A Fashion Award  replied to the allegations and denied the claim. During the press conference, the organizer explained that the The Jury was composed of both Academic and Professional participants worldwide, such as chief executive officers or head designers of companies and faculty heads or professors. The votes of Professional and Academic Group were weighted to determine the final result. They strongly emphasized that the competition was fairly conducted. Nayeon Im winning the A' Fashion Award was deserved.'

 

 

'Nayeon Im didn't give any response despite the controversy. Her reputation suffered a rapid downturn, thanks to a string of controversial events and allegations. She was increasingly described online as a "problematic rich woman".  Many labelled Nayeon Im as talentless designer who paved her way using her family's connections. Few were defending Nayeon Im and agreed that she was unfairly judged and believed that the controversy was made up by her competitor.'

 

 

 

 

It was all an assumption, "There isn't enough evidence and it sounds inaccurate. Besides, the process of reasoning lacks logic. Why do people believe this?" I talked to myself. That was funny because I was too fooled by people's words. I believed there would be no smoke without fire and hence I already had a bad impression of her even before I met her in person. That impression had blinded me into seeing who she truly was.

 

 

"They're human," A voice chimed in. I looked up. It was Secretary Hwang with towel folded in her arms, "People are interested in drama. Their initial thought isn't to find the truth but to look for the visible enemy, the bad guy, the villain. Someone they can hate and resent all they want. We are that kind of creature," She sighed in disappointment then motioned towards the bathroom, "I'm going to take a shower. Miss Yuna puked on me when I tried to tuck her into bed," She elaborated. I nodded. That explained the stain on her blouse. Miss Yuna drank a lot earlier. She turned around the corner and disappeared.

 

 

"What are you doing?" Another voice chimed in. This time I knew who was it belonged to without looking up. I quickly closed the laptop. When I met her eyes, she flashed a smile which I found disturbing, "You're watching----"

 

 

"No, I did not," I cut her off. 

 

 

She arched her left brow, "You're blushing,"

 

 

"I'm not" I strongly denied. Why did she keep assuming?

 

 

She chuckled, "It's okay, I understand" she said as she walked past me and headed to the kitchen.

 

 

I chased after her, "What do you understand?"

 

 

She opened the fridge, picked a bottle of water, unscrewing the cap and guzzling a few sips. She put the bottle on the counter and shrugged, "I understand that even the most innocent looking person hide a beasty desire,"

 

 

What? I scoffed, "Be---Beasty desire?" what did she think I am? A dog?

 

 

"Are you in the process of learning? You said you are a virg----"

 

 

Her words hang in the air as I immediately cupped . Pushing her lightly against the wall and hid. I craned my neck and looked around. There was no one. Huh? I thought I heard footsteps earlier. I sighed in relief and averted my gaze back to her. I didn't like that stare she was giving me. There was something forming in her brain.

 

 

She held my hand with both of hers, her thumb pressed lightly against the back of my wrist. Her eyes stared at me intently. I tilted my head in confusion. She pulled out my hand that cupped and led two of my fingers---index and middle---between her lips. She the tip of my fingers and swirled her tongue around it. Still maintaining eye contact with me, she released my fingers with a small peck. I freeze, my hand shaking. She tapped my shoulder, "If you ever want to put that theory knowledge into practical application, you can come to me," She winked and left.

 

 

What----what was that? My legs wobbled beneath me and I dropped to the floor, finally breathing. I didn't realized I was holding my breath when she----when she did that. My heart was pounding crazily. I huffed, "She's crazy,"

 

 

"I saw that,"

 

 

I snapped my head towards the source of voice, Miss Yeji peeking her head at the corner, smiling. I shook my head vigorously, "Wait, it's not-----" I couldn't finish when she chuckled and walked away.

 

 

"For God's Sake, Im Nayeon,"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  - to be continued-