So Eun’s POV

I tried to hide my tears until I was in the taxi and finally, at my own hotel room. It was a relief I was staying in a different hotel of Jun Ho. Otherwise, I might find myself going back to his room and hug him. The desire was strong but I resisted the urge to do so. I was supposed to be angry with him.

How could he think of me that way?

He knew me well enough to understand I was not that kind of actress who fell for such traps to get roles. Of course I would not let myself be in that state.

I stayed in the same position on the bed for a long time. The last time I checked the time it was already near to the time I was supposed to meet Mr Lee and the rest of the crew. There was a knock on the door so I wiped my remaining tears and checked myself in the mirror.

Eyes were swollen but they were good enough to pretend there was nothing wrong. I smiled in the mirror and opened the door, “Mr Lee.”

“Hello, So Eun. I hope you had a good rest this afternoon. We’re going to leave now.”  He was dressed in a nicer suit and looked smarter than ever. He finally looked like a true director. He was about to walk away but he looked closer at me, “Have you been crying?”

“Eh?” Were my eyes really that swollen? I shook my head and said, “No, my eyes were itchy just now.”

“Ah, okay.” He smiled at me but obviously not convinced by my poor lie. So much for being an actress. He motioned me to leave and said, “I’ll make sure this meeting will be quick as possible so you can have an early rest.”

Suddenly, I felt a sudden warmth in his tone and care. I bowed and closed the door behind me, “Thank you, Mr Lee. Let’s go.”

The meeting was at the hotel’s conference room. There was no shabby meeting at some remote hotel room as imagined by people. The producers and writers looked fierce and intimidating but Mr Lee was there to ensure everything was smooth and well. He even translated the whole conversation on his own. The producers and writers had a good impression of me, saying my lovable personality was a definite fit for the role.

After two hours of meeting, it finally ended. The producers and writers invited the both of us to dinner but suddenly, Mr Lee stopped them and said something in Japanese. They nodded and smiled at me before leaving.

“What did you say to them?” I asked.

“I said you’re not feeling well so there’s no need for dinner. I’ll meet them at the restaurant later after I send you back to your room.”

“You don’t have to do that…”

He shushed me and said, “You should look at yourself. You look like a mess. It’s a miracle they thought you look lovable and fresh.” I laughed at his words and he said, “Don’t worry. I’ll entertain them. I know you’re not a fan of entertaining.”

“Thank you, Mr Lee.” Maybe he was not such a bad person after all.

Like he said, he escorted me to the room. As we were walking there, I received a phone call and it was from Jun Ho. I tried to ignore it but Mr Lee saw it. He told me to accept the call. I hesitated and relented, “Hello?”

“So Eun… Are you… Are you done with the meeting?” Jun Ho asked out of concern but it was still cold.

“Yes.”

“Where are you staying? Maybe I can…”

“Ah, I’m sorry. Are you okay?” Mr Lee exclaimed as he knocked into a housekeeper of the hotel.

“Who’s that?” Jun Ho asked.

“Mr Lee.”

“Why is he still with you?”

I sighed and whispered, “This is not a good time. I’ll call you later okay?”

“Forget it, So Eun. Really.” He hung up my call and I bit my lips to stop myself from breaking down. How could he be so fiery-tempered now?

I struggled to find the key to my door and opened it after a multiple times. Before I went in, Mr Lee tapped my shoulder, “So Eun…”

“Yes?”

“Are you… alright? You sound off during the phone call. I don’t mean to pry…” He asked with concern and at that point, I was about to tell him everything. Almost.

I shook my head and said, “It’s nothing. Personal matters. I won’t get my personal feelings involved with work, Mr Lee.”

He laughed and said, “That’s not what I’m worried about. I’m worried about you.”

My heart stopped for a moment. I gave him a brief smile and shook my head, “It’s nothing. Goodnight, Mr Lee.”

“Goodnight, So Eun.”

♪ ♫ ♬

I tried.

I tried falling asleep.

Thus, I went to the nearby bar and got some drinks for myself. I had to put on a hat and some normal clothing because some of the locals here actually recognized me thanks to the success of ‘Boys Over Flowers’. I did not decide to get drunk but I needed a breather somehow.

Jun Ho’s words rang in my words continuously - Are you crazy? Seriously, So Eun, I never knew you would stoop that low.

With every reminder of that sentence, I drank a big gulp. One drink let to another and my head was hurting. I tried to stop drinking but every time I thought of him, I could not help but drink down my sorrows to forget about him.

When I was about to pay, someone held me by the shoulder and paid the bill for me. I looked up to see who was it but it was too dark. I squinted my eyes and took a long look at him, “Mr… Lee…?”

“You’re drunk, let me get you back…” He said to me and held me by the waist.

I was about to push him away but I felt the queasiness in my tummy and throat. He felt my discomfort and escorted me out of the bar. I ran out and found a drain to ease the pain. After vomiting, I felt better but my head was getting dizzier by the minute. I clutched my tummy and rubbed my head, “Ughhhh… Pain…”

“Come on, So Eun…” He held me by the waist again and the last thing I remembered was falling asleep in his car.

Jun Ho’s POV

The members had not tried to come near me for the whole night of yesterday and this morning. I did not even join them for breakfast. I had been exercising in the gym for the past two hours, trying to relieve the stress and anger from yesterday.

The moment I stepped off the treadmill, I picked up my phone and started dialing the number – again. I had tried to resist the temptation to call her last night since I felt I was not in the wrong. She was the one who did not inform me about this whole meeting and Mr Lee Dae whatever.

She did not even pick up her phone last night even though I was the first to call back. After the fifth missed call, I could no longer feel anger. Instead, I became worried. She never rejected my call. Besides, her meeting ended. What could be keeping her from not seeing her phone?

After the over ten missed calls, I gave up. I laid on my bed, not being able to fall asleep.

I remembered the long speech she gave me when I scolded her for not telling me things.

 “Before I could even discuss with you, you were too tired to even listen to me. You either yawn or fall asleep when I was talking so how did I have the nerve to discuss such a matter with you? You are too busy with your life to even lend a listening ear!”

“You have been so busy with your schedule and when we talked, I listened to you all the time. Since when did I have the chance to talk to you about my plans? All you mention was your concert and you never even bothered to ask about me and my life!”

Slowly, I realized I had not put myself in her shoes. I was so focused on myself and my schedule that I had forgotten her job was also very difficult, especially for a young actress like her. I remembered her dark eye circles and swollen eyes when she had to stay up to remember her lines and did the show at the same time.

She was beyond tired but she never once complained about it. Now that we were together, all I did was to complain about my hardships, not once did I showed concern for her personal life. What kind of a boyfriend am I? A very bad one.

So Eun could have stayed in the hotel room and rested but she came over to my hotel room to meet me. And what did I do? I spoke about myself again and she listened so attentively, accommodating to my surprise even though she had eaten in the plane.

Guilt started to seep in.

After a long reflection last night, I was so determined to show her I was sorry. Despite her patience, I had yet, once again, disappointed her with my fiery temper. When am I ever going to learn my mistake?

It would be now or never.

Before I could call her again, Woo Young called me. I picked up the phone and answered it, “Yes, Woo Young?”

“Jun Ho! Did you check the news?” He exclaimed but his words were hesitant.

“Uhm, no? What is it about?”

He paused for a moment and said, “Go check it yourself.”

He hung up the phone and I immediately checked the news on my phone. The headlines captured me right away and I clicked on the article.

It showed a picture of So Eun in Japan’s most popular bar. That was not the focus. She looked drunk and unwell. She was also escorted by the darn director, Mr Lee Dae Wook (I finally got his name right thanks to the article), to the car. The next picture was them going into the hotel room – together.

The headlines read, “Kim So Eun from ‘Boys Over Flowers’ and Director Lee Dae Wook in a secret affair?”

I gripped my phone tightly and took my water bottle to throw it on the floor.

A/N: 

Don't kill me! Just a heads up, I'll be away for the weekend and maybe Monday so no updates till then! Don't kill me - again! *runs away*