Chapter 2 – The Island

Dara doesn’t know what to do anymore, all the flights are cancelled and rescheduled because of a storm alert. It can’t be because 2 weeks from now and her time limit was  two months and it will be 2 weeks from now and she doesn’t have anything that she could give to Bom, Minzy and especially to CL’s consequence.

Her latest project was to shoot the location of the private resort of Cho enterprises which was located in an island far away from where she was. The company is in the process of planning in developing the whole island and she was hired to capture the islands beauty to attract investors. She wanted to fly so that she would meet schedule but it seems the weather isn’t on her side.

She made calls from her friends who own boats that she can use, it will take her a few hours to get there but she is willing to gamble that than just wait for flights to resume and that are an indefinite matter.

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The waves were strong so they stayed along the shoreline and travelled through the storm and they arrived at the island. There was no dock so Dara have to walk to the shore, the water was up to her waist but she has to choice but to wrap her camera and lenses in a Ziploc and hold her bags above her head so that not all of her things will not be soaked in the sea water.

The boat went away and Dara was suddenly worried for the captain if they could go back safely. So Dara just prayed everything will be okay. I will do anything just to not date again.

It stopped raining for a while and she had the chance to roam around the island and found the main cottage of the island which was located on the center of the vegetation, at the foot of a small mountain. The place was marvellous; it seemed a island because of the rich of the Greenland and the trees. It was a perfect place somehow she thought that developing this place would have to mean nature will be sacrificed and she felt sad.

She would have roamed the island more if it didn’t rain so hard again. She then realizes she has no where to stay but he cottage which looked like it was abandoned. She thought someone from the company will have to stay with her but it seemed because of the storm no one would be here but her.

“I should have called the Cho enterprises first. My stupidity keeps getting better”

 She said sarcasm leaking on every word she says. She ran for the cottage to have some cover and she was soaking wet and the wind makes her shiver and planted goose bumps on every surface of her skin.

She tried knocking on the door but no one answered. She twisted the knob and the door was unlocked.

“Hello? Anybody home?” No one answered; she swallowed all her might and entered the dark house. She has no choice but to stay there at least until someone gets her or at least after the rain stops so she could start her work.

She dropped her bag on the side of the door and wandered inside the house. The house was simple and has simple furniture made of wood, and the flooring was dark wooden panels. The place was cosy and it felt like comfortable living in that place.

She was dripping wet. She rummage her bag and checked all her equipment if any damage was done, luckily all of them are saved because of the plastic covers and the waterproof bags she used. She sighed in relief but her clothes were not spared by the rain and some was partly soaked but not wearable anymore.  She has to dry them off before she could change.

She was roving around to find any room and if she could find a piece of any clothing she could use when suddenly the front door went flying as if the strong winds broke it open. She almost screamed when she saw someone entered the house and found her there.

The man was wet like her, He was half and with dirt all around his body. His hair was long that almost covered his face but it didn’t went down below his shoulders. His hair was dyed gray or white, she knows its dyed because he was too young to have that kind of hair.

His face was mad, in the dim light she could see that he didn’t like that she was there.

“What in the world are you doing inside my house?!”  He hollered at Dara, He approached her and grabbed her arm.

“Ahm…I’m” Dara was so shocked she couldn’t talk straight

“You’re a tourist?” his face softened a bit. Dara shook her head. This guy should have been informed that she was bound to go here and that she was hired to cover the whole place for the upcoming development of it.

“Then who gave you the permission to go in this island? This is a private property!” He saw Dara’s camera and somehow his angry face was there again on his handsome face. “, you are a reporter aren’t you? Get out of my house this instant!”

She can’t believe how rude the guy was. She can’t leave because she needs to finish the project and fulfil her friends’ consequences. At least here she can find something to give to Bom, she can find something in this island that could be her masterpiece.

“Excuse but I’m not a reporter, I’m a professional photographer!”

“What’s the difference? I still don’t want you here! Get out” He pointed for the door.

“Can’t you see it’s raining and I have no place to stay?!”

“Well you should have thought of that before you come barging in this place during a storm. Women” He said as if being a woman was a fault.

“Storm? how am I suppose to get pictures if it’s storming” Dara said, She won’t be able to make it until her deadline and she will be doomed.

“You can’t take picture, I can’t allow that!” Said the guy, How dare him!

“Why who are you to disrupt my work?” Dara said with her hand on her waist and confronts Mr. Gray hair with all his glory in front of her.

“I own this place” He simple said. He was taller that Dara and much larger than her, with all his muscles.

“Cho enterprises own this place” She said. This guy can’t own this place, for all she knows he might just be a caretaker or something in this place.

“Yeah and I’m one of the major share holders and I’m friends with the Cho family” He said and Dara sneezes and shivered as a reply. She was going to be sick if she didn’t change her clothes immediately.

“Change before we talk, I can’t have someone who is sick in this house I don’t want to play nurse or doctor today” He said and told her where the bathroom was so she could change but there was one problem.

“All my clothes are wet, I don’t have anything else to wear” She said and Mr. Gray hair just sighed and gestured for her to follow. He opened a room and entered, she didn’t know if she would go inside or just stay out, she’s not comfortable in staying in a room with a guy.

“Are you going to stand there all day or you’re going to pick something to wear?” He appeared on the door again and waited for her to move.

“You want me to go in there with you?” Dara hesitated and Mr. Gray hair just laughed at her and said “You’re not my type, so your safe with me lady” after giving her a look from head to toe that made Dara self-conscious.

What a bastard. She thought and made a face when he wasn’t looking and entered the room but she left the door hanging open. He told her where she could find the shirts and shorts and he went inside the bathroom without a word.

She picked out the ones that were on the top of the dresser and walked out the room, she wouldn’t want him to find her still inside the room when he gets out of the bathroom.

She went to the kitchen and found the bathroom and changed her clothes in there. Went she look at herself in the mirror, she looked stupid, the t shirt was too large for her that it kept on slipping off on one of her shoulders. Lucky for her that the shorts were a tie on the waist so it didn’t slid off her body. The shorts was just a few inches above her knee, She could imagine if Mr. Gray hair was wearing this it would have been too short for him.

Dara shook her head and ward off the unwanted thoughts. That guy was her enemy she cannot fantasize about him.  Yeah he was gorgeous but when he talks all of the great things about him will be thrown out the window. The guy was a total bastard.

She decided to go out of the bathroom and she walk to the living room and Mr. Gray hair was now in the living room sitting with a laptop on his lap. He was now clean and his hair was brushed upwards. I noticed that the sides of his head has hair that was cropped closed to his scalp and the rest was long and he kept it from falling by tying it with a band on the back of his head.

He was very attractive. She concluded. He looked at her and his forehead creased. Okay, I know I look stupid. She said to herself.

“Thanks for lending me your clothes” Dara said and sat down in front of him.

“Wearing my shirt doesn’t mean you can stay here” He said and closed the laptop but He didn’t looked at her.

“So you’re still going to throw me out?” Dara said. Heartless, yes he is heartless.

“Yes, As soon as the storm stops” that’s enough time. Dara thought, She just hopes the rains doesn’t stop soon before she starts her work but hopes for even short no rain times so she could get pictures. “I can’t contact the office so I don’t know for sure if you really work for the company”

“I talked to Mr. Choi Seung Hyun’s secretary; He’s the head of the department I’m working for” She remembered the name of her employer.

“I hate that name, call me T.O.P.”

“What?”

“I’m Choi Seung Hyun, they call me T.O.P.”

“You’re Choi Seung Hyun?”

“Are you deaf?”