54
Defence
- - - - -
Victoria sat in the chair and watched Yoona from behind as she cooked their lunch. All the years flew by in her memory and whether to consider it good luck or bad luck that she’d ended where she was, she didn’t know.
“Can I ask,” Victoria started, “why you and Donghae never got married?”
Yoona turned around surprised then smiled sweetly.
“Does it bother you that I ask?” Victoria worried.
“No, no. It’s fine,” Yoona assured turning back around. “Actually, I’m still a little hurt from it but it’s a part of breaking up and moving on. It’s a natural phase, I’d say.”
Victoria didn’t smile at her answer.
“We weren’t in the same line of thought. It wasn’t right for us from the first step,” Yoona replied. “That’s all, but it’s not like we aren’t friends anymore. Besides, isn’t he going all out for you right now?”
“What?” Victoria asked. It wasn’t surprise that made her ask it. It was guilt and feelings of apology.
“He told me once that he wants to do everything for you.” Yoona told. “You know? Now that I think of it there are various ways in which you’ve changed him. The way I know him, he usually wants the other person to understand him first. He’s the kind of guy who grew up under his parents’ wings, in other words, under their orders and commands. Donghae never really did himself. But even as outspoken as he was he fell weak under his parents wishes. It’s pretty sad, don’t you agree?”
Was it? Victoria was unsure. It was hard to recall days when she was still with her parents.
“But in your case, he wanted to put you before himself. Donghae wanted to understand your world before you should worry about his. I’ve, honestly, never seen him do that before.” Yoona went on.
They chatted a bit while eating lunch and straight after Yoona returned to her home when she received a call from her mother. While sitting alone in the apartment Victoria glanced at the walls in front of her.
Taecyeon’s apartment didn’t have a trace of family warmth at all. How had his family treated him while he grew up? Had he been pampered like Donghae had? Or had he grow up lonesome?
Victoria shut her eyes for a bare minute. Maybe Donghae was willing to do everything for her but she wasn’t willing to go all out for him. There was no other clearer answer than the one she understood herself.
“My mom would like it if we could get married.”
Victoria sighed. Donghae was just another sad soul she’d met along the way on accident. They weren’t supposed to have fate. There was no line of luck between the two of them…only because they were too different. She was ill fated…he was blessed with luck. And she didn’t want to destroy all the luck he had before him.
Upon these thoughts Victoria drifted into a long slumber.
She awoke when the doorbell rang. The second her eyes opened with surprise she had thought it was Taecyeon, so without much pondering she got up from the couch and opened the door with an unknown smile on her face. The smile slowly disappeared when she saw Donghae standing there.
“Can I come in?” he asked with a smile.
Wild thoughts of rejecting his offer ran about in her head…but she couldn’t say no. She ended up nodded and allowed him in closing the door behind him.
“Do you want something to drink?” Victoria asked heading toward the kitchen but as she reached the kitchen entrance she came to a stop when he spoke.
“I’m fine,” he assured. “Victoria…”
She stared down at the tiled floor beneath her feet. Her hands hung loosely from her sides as she tried to recall what she’d been thinking before she had fallen asleep.
With a gulp she turned around to look at him, “Are you sure…the wedding isn’t something you’ve thought about, but your mother has?”
He stared at her in return. “There are times when I want to do things for myself too. This is one of them.”
No, no, no, Victoria’s insides screamed. She wanted so much to tell him that the marriage couldn’t happen but had been frozen shut.
“I shouldn’t have worried you by asking you about it earlier.” he said as an apology. “Will you…”
- - - - -
When the sky had half darkened Taecyeon started the drive back to the apartment awaiting an early night with a nice dinner before he’d pack his things. Maybe after shopping for some more food so Victoria wouldn’t have to worry about what to eat, he’d take her out to have a nice meal.
Unexpectedly his mind went blank when he noticed another car in front of the apartment. Parking across from the black automobile he climbed out of his car and glanced inside the car window. He didn’t recognize it and he didn’t like it either. Stepping away from the car he glanced up toward the glowing windows.
Victoria had company…and he knew just who it was.
Sternly pressing his lips together he opened the front door and walked up the stairs. However, he quietly unlocked the door as not to alarm them…but just as his mind had gone blank earlier after opening the door his mind came to another blank.
“Will you marry me?” he asked holding out a ring in a white box laced with white silk.
His ears stunned and his heart spun.
What?
“I heard that they’re waiting to meet with her parents first.”
“Her mother was a fierce lawyer and her father owned a large estate business that he gave up. It’s amazing, don’t you think? What a perfect family that girl has! Imagine all the good looks she must have attained from such famous parents!”
“But doesn’t our CEO fall in love a lot? He gets all these rich girls as fiancés…”
“She’s planning a wedding for the CEO.”
Wedding. Wedding. Wedding. Wedding. Wedding.
Impossible…why couldn’t he connect it earlier? Donghae had no other interest at the moment…
Taecyeon felt as if the picture before him had become a standstill, a moment in time where time couldn’t revolve. His mind’s scream pierced through the air. Why wasn’t Victoria replying? Why wasn’t she rejecting instead of standing there like a mute?!
Before transmitting the whole of the situation in his brain, his feet edged forward and he reached for the box then tossed it at the closed door. As it slammed against it he suddenly came back to reality. First he met with Victoria’s shocked stare before he recalled Donghae was standing to his right.
“Get out,” he ordered without looking at Donghae.
“Do you know what you just did?” Donghae asked with gritted teeth. “And you’re telling me to get out?”
Taecyeon didn’t respond.
“Apologize.” Donghae demanded.
“Apologize?! Are you kidding me?!” Taecyeon’s voice echoed against the walls. “Who do you think you are?! Are you so great?! Should I bow down to your knees?!”
“Stop it!” Victoria’s voice silenced him as she pulled him back a second before he could jump at Donghae. “What is with you?!” she glared at him.
Taecyeon glanced at her then stared at Donghae with a pair of upset eyes.
“I think you should leave,” Victoria told Donghae softly.
Donghae looked at her and nodded, then glanced at Taecyeon once before the door closed.
Victoria let go of him roughly and stared at him in confrontation. “What do you think you’re doing?!”
“Me? Me? Me?” he asked pointing to himself. “I own this place and you think it’s yours? Always allowing anyone to come and go as they wish? Do you think this world is as free as you think it is?!”
“I never, for a second, thought or claimed that I own this place. Did I ever say that?” Victoria said under her breath. “Tomorrow when you go to work, apologize.”
“Why? What makes him greater than me?” Taecyeon asked angrily.
“Does a human treat another human that way?” Victoria challenged. “No matter what, he didn’t deserve that.”
“Psh!” he snorted. “Who do you think you’re defending now? Did you really want to marry him? Is that why you paused for such a long time? To broaden your act of surprise?”
“Watch what you’re saying,” she warned.
“Oh really?” he tried. “You really do like him, don’t you? Don’t you?! Then go! Go! Go and tell him you want to be his damn wife! Go follow him!”
Victoria stared at him and turned away from him so that only the side of her face was visible.
After a gulp she turned back to him, “Get out.”
His anger was running wild. “I was about to, anyway.”
He brushed pass her into his room, grabbed his suitcase, stuffed some clothes in, and walked pass her again slamming the door after him. As he went down the stairs and to his car no thoughts of regret passed through his mind. The way Victoria had stared at the ring in Donghae’s hand burned his mind and that was the only thing that he could see. The way Victoria stared at the ring.
- - - - -
Victoria shut her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh putting her hand up to her forehead. Just what else could to wrong?
A few minutes later she grabbed the keys and went to the gym, hung up the punching bag, and began to let her anger out.
The ring…it really had been unexpected. But it had been something she hadn’t seen before. It was…a beautiful piece of jewelry that didn’t fit her. She could never wear such an piece as expensive as that. And Donghae was just clueless about it all. Yet, he still had such courage to come up to her…
He and his mother…were definitely foolish people.
And the way Taecyeon had tossed the box at the door…it had been insulting. The way he’d yelled at her and Donghae was unacceptable. At the end, the only one she was truly upset with was herself. She should have said no, she could have handled the situation better, but she had led it to where Taecyeon and Donghae almost fought once again.
A cough escaped through as she dropped onto the mat in a cold sweat. Her sight swirled and she became light headed almost all at once. Suddenly the strength to lift up her hands were no where to be found. Victoria’s chest became heavy and the pain from her wound began throbbing.
Hadn’t the doctor advised her not to do any strenuous exercise? To limit herself to only lightweight work? But she’d been going out every day since she returned to the apartment…even though eating lunch didn’t require a lot of energy but all that walking she’d done when she should have been in bed anyway…her body was really murdering her.
It technically took five official minutes for her to finally get up to her feet and make her way toward the front door. As the wind blew at her she felt goosebumps crawl underneath her skin and she shivered from the cold. The warmth from earlier had died quickly.
Finally in the apartment, step by step she made her way to the bedroom and slumped onto the bed immediately knocking out.
- - - - -
Closing the door Taecyeon heaved a sigh setting his suitcase on the ground. Maybe he shouldn’t have taken Yoona’s offer, he should have found a place by his own means. It would have been better that way.
Facing the white walls he found that the furniture, as well as the curtains, were white. He made his way toward the kitchen and first thing of all glanced inside to find a fresh container of cold water. Pouring himself a cup he toured the suite and found a large bedroom at the foot of the kitchen. A large queen sized bed with a wooden headboard sat to his right along with a night table and a lamp atop it. A large closet with sliding doors was to the far right of the room. He stepped back out to set the glass of water on the kitchen counter and sat down on the couch.
He rubbed his face of the tiredness he suddenly felt and suddenly began wondering about whether Victoria was ok or not. He wanted to call but wasn’t sure what to say. In fact, he was afraid that if he did call her all he’d say were some angry nonsense. Taecyeon realized he had really gotten out of hand just moments ago.
Well…it wasn’t something he’d expected to see when he arrived back at the apartment. To witness a proposal to someone he held affection for wasn’t a simple task for a person like him. That was it. He would see how the day would go then if he felt like it, he’d go check up on her.
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