Of Fake Smiles And Real Ones Prologue

Author

It had been a normal day for Ye Rim.

Everything was going as it was supposed to. Everything was going as planned. She had no idea that within a single moment her life would change, forever. The second that the car, she was sitting in, came to a crashing halt, her daily routine was thrown out of its tracks. Her manager cursed, as he got out of the car. He was blaming the person, who had gotten hit. She really couldn't stand her manager. The guy was way too arrogant for her liking.

It was a boy, as far as she could see. About her age maybe, she wasn't sure. He had injured his hand. Ye Rim could see the blood seeping out from his ring finger on his left hand. He had to be in a lot of pain, she was sure of that.

To make matters worse, her manager pressed his contact card into the boy's hand, without even as much as trying to apologize for injuring him. Ye Rim wanted to say something, wanted to apologize, for hurting him, for her manager's rude behavior. She didn't get the chance to do that though. Before she could open to speak, the boy only glared in her direction for a fleeting second and then took off running, just like he had ran into their car. She could only watch his retreating back. He was being careless, she thought. If he didn't watch out for himself, he would run into another car, in no time. That thought made her worry and that was something she hadn't done in a long time.

That was the first time she met him and she didn't think she'd ever see him again, but she was wrong, because she did see him again and it didn't even take long for that to happen.

The second time she met him, was just one hour after their first meeting. Her company's Director had told her to perform at a band competition, the company was holding, that night. Turned out, the boy from the accident was participating with his band.

Eye Candy, that was his band's name, was the last band to perform. Ye Rim would be up right after them. She watched them play, while waiting backstage for her cue. She wondered how the boy was playing the guitar so well, even though his finger was injured and her guilt for being part of his accident returned immediately.

She smiled, when his friend, the leader of the band, a guy with unruly, light hair, noticed the blood flowing out of the guitarist's hand and the whole band stopped in the middle of their song, as the leader hugged the guitarist. It was the first time that Ye Rim had seen such a strong display of friendship in real life and if she was being honest with herself then, she had to admit that she was quite a bit jealous of the guys' friendship. She didn't really have any friends.

Once the injured boy had stormed down from the stage, in an angry rage, the rest of the band members completed the song they had begun with their friend.

After they finished, it was her turn to go on stage. She was a distraction, she knew, for those, who were waiting for the final results.

So she performed, like she always did, with a fake smile on her face. She had used to love performing; she had done it because he had wanted to. But now... Now it was an obligation. She was a responsible girl, always taking care of her obligations, like the good girl she was supposed to be.

No one even cared to find out how much she hated obligations.

So yes, she performed, because it was her job to do so and if nothing else, she always did well in her job, always. She didn't want to smile though, especially not with the guilt of injuring a boy looming over her, like a threatening shadow.

The results were finally announced and Ye Rim was being crushed by her own guilt by that time.

Strawberry Fields had won. She didn’t even understand the meaning of the band's name...

Eye Candy was the better band anyways, she knew, she had heard them after all but they hadn't won. They hadn't won because of the guitarist that couldn't play well enough, for he was injured, injured because of her. In that moment she knew that Eye Candy had lost the competition because of her and only her.

The competition was over.

She didn't even know the boy's name and she knew it didn't matter anymore but she apologized nonetheless. She asked him, if his hand hurt too much, if he was feeling any better. It was not because she felt guilty, no that aside, she was genuinely concerned about his well-being, didn't want him to suffer any permanent damage.

He sent her the same glare, which he sent her after their accident, telling her harshly that there was no need for her to apologize, after the damage was done already and that everything was her fault anyways. But she didn't really listen to his rant anymore, because seeing him up-close, she suddenly remembered. She might not have known his name but she certainly knew him. He was the boy that lived across the playground from her building. He was the boy that she often saw with a little girl (his sister?) and/or his band members/friends.

He walked away, telling her a piece of his mind, before he did so. Three of his band members lingered around, one of them apologizing for their friend's behavior, the other two looking apologetic and then they all followed out after their friend.

And that was when she was alone again, feeling more miserable and alive than she had in more than two years.

Ye Rim, over the next few days, couldn't stop thinking about the boy that lived across from her building, couldn't stop watching Eye Candy's performance, his performance, over and over again.

Her manager told her she was being stupid, too caring for her own good and she hated him for saying that to her, more than she already did. Of course she didn't tell him, she couldn't, after all.

And then she did something she didn't really intend to. It just slipped out in one of her interviews. She was thinking about the boy once again, even as the reporter kept asking her questions and instead of answering, she told him that she really liked Eye Candy, liked their music; was a fan of theirs, if she was being honest.

The news spread like a wildfire. Her manager wasn't pleases and neither was Director Yoo but she didn't really care about their opinion, she only cared about the boy's opinion, though she didn't think he even knew what she had done.

She had only seen him once since the competition, a few days before that unexpected interview of hers. He had been sitting on bench in the playground, again with the little girl she often saw him with. After that, there had been no sign of him on the playground and she had watched out for him, she really had.

A few hours went by after her interview, one week, if you counted from the competition onwards. It was well into the evening. Her manager had dropped her off about an hour ago. She had undressed, taking a quick but soothing, hot shower, before seating herself down on her window still in her bedroom, with a warm cup of coffee in her hands. That was where she was sitting now.

She took a sip of her coffee, enjoying the sensation of letting the hot beverage burn down . That was the moment she saw them. She recognized them instantly. There were five of them and they came separately. First the leader of Eye Candy then came the long-haired drummer, along with a girl she hadn't seen until then. The keyboardist, a short and adorable-looking boy followed soon and last but not the least, the boy that had apologized to her on his friend's behalf, made his way through the playground.

A smile spread across her face, as she watched them enter her 'neighbor's' house, one after the other. She was still jealous of the boy and his friends, but the jealousy wasn't as strong as the relief she felt, when she realized that they would get him out of the hole, he had been hiding in, apparently.

If she was being honest, she had waited (hoped) for him to call, not for the compensation, no, he was too proud for that, she had noticed, but maybe, she had thought, he would have wanted to rant some more. He hadn't called though...

The third time Ye Rim came face to face with the boy, she finally learned his name, overheard it actually. Hyun Soo.

He was in the headquarters of HR Entertainment, with his parents. She didn't know what he was doing there but she was too happy to care anyways.

She grabbed his left hand, without thinking anything of it, just wanting to know, if his injury was healing properly.

He pulled his hand out of hers, as fast as he could.

She asked him, if his hand still hurt, why he hadn't called her, even though she already knew why.

He was rude to her, just like the last time they had met but she didn't mind. She was glad that he was alright.

His mother recognized her, said she was a fan of hers; asked her for an autograph.

She liked his parents; they seemed to be nice people, decent people. She didn't understand why Hyun Soo looked so embarrassed after his mother's question but she understood why he didn't want his mother to have her autograph.

Her manger interrupted, like he always did and she had to go, before she could say anything else.

It was a few days later that she found out about Eye Candy’s contract. She was ecstatic to find out that those guys had finally gotten what they deserved.

Many things were happening all at once in the company. First there was Eye Candy’s contract and then there was Yoo Seung Hoon, the genius songwriter. He was director Yoo’s younger brother, as she was told.

When she found out that he went to the same school as Eye Candy, she was excited to meet him. He didn’t turn out to be, like she had imagined him though. He wasn’t close with the new band and even if he made an effort to look like a nice and warm person, it didn’t work. Ye Rim saw straight through his façade; she instantly saw the shallow and arrogant boy that he really was. Director Yoo told her that Yoo Seung Hoon was going to produce her new album and if she was being honest with herself, she didn’t like it one bit.

The first time she had to work with the genius songwriter, she knew she was in for a tough day. It wasn’t until later, when three fifth of Eye Candy, including Hyun Soo, took seats in the recording studio that she dared to hope for a better recording session, than she had originally thought.

She wasn’t concentrating enough, wasn’t putting in any emotions, was only reciting the lines, that’s what he kept on telling her, Seung Hoon told her to think about someone that came to her mind, when she heard the lyrics and then just go with the flow.

Oddly enough, Lee Hyun Soo was the first and only person that came to her mind…

So she started singing again, with more than enough emotion, all the while looking straight at Hyun Soo, who was sitting on the couch, in the studio and practicing with his guitar. He gave up the attempt of ignoring her after a few moments and met her gaze, until she finished recording the song.

That was their fourth confrontation and this time, like the first time they met, neither exchanged any words with each other, only did they exchange a few looks here and there and fairly-said that was enough.

The next few days went by without any further incident. She’d go to work, She’d come back home, she’d eat sometimes and then she’d go to sleep, to wake up the next morning and start all over again.

She was used to life’s monotony by now.

She didn’t even enjoy sitting on her window still and watching the playground anymore. Most people she was used to seeing still came and went everyday but Lee Hyun Soo wasn’t there anymore. She tried to watch out for his sister, unfortunately though, the little girl didn’t come out to play anymore either.

One day, she was talking to Yoo Seung Hoon once again. He asked her what she thought of the new song for her album, a duet. She wondered aloud, if he had only experienced unrequited love, because the lyrics of the song indicated just that. She couldn’t help it, she was too curious for her own good. He was flustered and instantly embarrassed and she knew she was right with her assumptions. So she stopped prodding in his wounds and he changed the topic of their conversation, as fast as he could.

It was just a few minutes after her conversation with Seung Hoon, when she heard it, a faint sound, while passing a closed door, a melody of simple unmatched chords. Somebody was practicing with the guitar.

Silently, she slipped into the room, where the sound was coming from and somehow, she was not surprised to find that it was Lee Hyun Soo, who had made her stop in her tracks.

She clapped quietly, when he paused for a bit and he looked up from his instrument to see her standing in the room, leaning against the wall, next to the glass double doors.

He was rude again, like he always was towards her. He told her that she was disturbing him in his practice-time, told her that he was bothered by her.

She said to him that, he played the guitar well; told him he shouldn’t be concerned about her; told him she wouldn’t bother him.

“It does bother me.” he insisted: “Why do you keep bothering me? Are you interested in me?”

She didn’t have to think twice before answering him: “Yes.”

He narrowed his eyes: “What?”

She just smiled: “I’m really interested. In you.”

He scoffed at her, looking rather amused there for a second: “Do you know me?”

Ye Rim considered this for an instant: “I don’t. But that’s why I’m interested.”

“Sorry, but I’m not interested in you.” he didn’t seem like he was sorry though.

She knew he wasn’t interested and so she told him. She repeated her earlier words, saying that he shouldn’t concern himself with her, because from that moment onwards, she would be a wall.

Whatever the hell she meant by that, Hyun Soo didn’t know, but the next time he looked up, she was gone.

The next few weeks were quite a bit hectic for Ye Rim, her new album was about to be launched and she had to attend one interview and/or reality show after the other. The monotony, which she was so used to now didn’t really stop existing though.

There was only one thing, which kept her a little bit excited. Eye Candy were going to perform on a debut stage soon, since their single had been launched already and just like her, they had to do a lot of promoting.

She kept tracks on them, watched the realty shows they took part in, watched their awkward interviews and somehow these little things always managed to make her laugh.

After one of her own interviews, she was mingling with some girls from the channel, as she was supposed to, when Kim Ha Jin approached her, Seo Kyung Jong in tow.

She didn’t know why but these two always seemed to be together, whenever she saw them, like a married couple or something of that sort.

Ha Jin seemed a bit flustered when he expressed his gratefulness, for supporting Eye Candy, causing them to be so popular, to her. She smiled at that but as soon as he asked her out, her smile faltered. She had absolutely no intention of going out with anyone, even though she was already interested in Hyun Soo.

She wanted to tell Ha Jin no but the latter corrected himself quickly and said that not only he would be present but his friend Kyung Jong as well.

Ye Rim was still suspicious but couldn’t really say no to him either. She tried to look at the positive side of things. Maybe she could find out a little bit about Hyun Soo from his friends that’s, what she thought about, while writing her number on Ha Jin’s hand.

After that day, whenever she passed Eye Candy, she would politely greet them all, Ha Jin and Kyung Jong would greet her back, Kwon Ji Hyuk and Jung Do Il would nod in her direction but Hyun Soo, he would ignore her…always.

Two, three, four weeks went by and Eye Candy surpassed her new single and she was actually happier being rank number two and seeing those five guys happy, rather than being number one, alone and without any joy.

Ha Jin called her after Eye Candy’s first stage performance, a few times even and the two of them fixed a day for her, him and Kyung Jong to meet up.

Ye Rim liked Ha Jin and Kyung Jong; they seemed to be nice people and good friends. She wanted to be friends with them.

She noticed all that while the three of them were sitting in a coffee shop.

Kyung Jong was behaving a bit odd though. He was nice towards her but looked like he was mad at Ha Jin for some reason and he kept on indicating that Ha Jin was a playboy.

She listened to the boys’ banter, with a small smile on her lips, until Kyung Jong received a call from Hyun Soo.

The keyboardist’s mood improved after his phone conversation and he started telling Ye Rim some important things about Hyun Soo.

He told her that Hyun Soo, even if he seemed like a cold person, was a very good friend and extremely sweet towards his little sister. Well, she already knew these things, didn’t she?

And then, Kyung Jong stormed out of the shop.

Ha Jin… well, he asked her what she did on her days off.

“He looked really angry just now. Shouldn’t you go after him?”

Ha Jin looked over to the door, from where Kyung Jong had left, with a thoughtful look marring his face: “He’ll be alright.”

Whatever had been going on between the two, it was resolved the next time she saw them. The whole day, she had been hearing rumors about Eye Candy’s new single and while she was getting styled for a TV recording, the duo came by to say hello, or at least that’s what Ha Jin told her they were there for.

When Ha Jin stepped out to get a drink for Ye Rim, Kyung Jong, as obvious as Ye Rim was about her feelings, found out that she liked Hyun Soo. At least she didn’t deny it, when he asked her and that was enough of a confirmation.

Shortly, after Ha Jin came back with her drink, her manager marched in through the door and downright accused the two guys of ruining Ye Rim’s reputation.

Reputation or not, Ye Rim didn’t like anyone talking to her friends like that, so she tried to stop her manager, tried to assure Ha Jin and Kyung Jong but they left quickly, as to avoid another lecture from her manager.

She hated that man more and more every day.

That night, she couldn’t sleep. She knew Ha Jin liked her and Kyung Jong now knew she liked Hyun Soo. All of this was getting quite complicated.

How was she going to get out of this mess, without hurting Ha Jin?

She honestly didn’t know.

The next day, Director Yoo told her she was considering Hyun Soo as her duet partner. Naturally Ye Rim wanted to sing her duet with him but Hyun Soo declined the offer, when it was presented in the meeting. She admired his attitude; the way he was loyal towards his friends, towards his band. She understood all of that but couldn’t he help out just once?

Apparently he couldn’t.

He wanted to know, if she still liked him.

Of course she still liked him, this wasn’t about that though.

He wouldn’t let her finish her sentence and interrupted her to bring up Ha Jin’s sincere feelings for her. He left and she… she wanted to cry for the first time in, she didn’t know, how many years, but she didn’t do it. She was too strong to break down because of such a thing, too strong.

Eye Candy!

Kwon Ji Hyuk!

Girlfriend!

Scandal!

All hell broke loose, as these words started to make the headlines of the newspapers, magazines and TV news.

Ye Rim had spent most of her childhood and teenage in the USA, so she couldn’t really understand why it had become such a scandal that Kwon Ji Hyuk had a girlfriend, with which he was living together, if they were even living together that was.

For all she knew, those pictures and news could be false, like most of the scandals were made up of rumors and false evidence.

Eye Candy's popularity was going down the drain, to say so. The bad publicity against them, caused most of the producers and directors to withdraw their offers. There wasn't much to do for them nowadays. Hyun Soo still managed to represent the band with a few gigs here and there. 
Ye Rim was recording her parts of the duet for her album, when Lee Hyun Soo slandered into the studio, with that indifferent attitude of his. He was there for his vocal lessons, as far as she could see. Director Yoo practically ordered him to record the guide song for the duet with Ye Rim.
For the first time in so many weeks, he nodded back, when she greeted him, though he didn't listen to any of her words and just told her to get this over with quickly. 
The music began playing in the recording room and Hyun Soo sang the first lines of the lyrics. She had to admit, he had a beautiful voice, all soft and warm, the complete opposite of the hard and cold person he pretended to be in front almost everyone…

End of Prologue

Phew! This is the longest chapter I have ever written.

This was more of an introduction to my story, than an actual prologue... The things that happened since Hyun Soo and Ye Rim crossed paths told slightly from Ye Rim's side, even if it was written in AUTHOR POV.

I hope you enjoyed the prologue and I have already the thrid and fourth chapter written but the first and second are still missing, isn't that funny? (Someone should really notice that I'm being sarcastic) I'll try to write the missing scenes till the third and fourth, as fast as possible and post them as soon as I have them ready...

And now that I started with this one, I should be updating my other stories soon as well...

Please COMMENT and SUBCRIBE!

Kamsahamnida!

p.s. Sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes.

p.p.s. All of my readers should know that I love them dearly <3