Of Fake Smiles And Real Ones Chapter 3

Author

“’How come this person doesn’t have any pride?’ isn’t that what you’re thinking?” Ye Rim guessed aloud.

Hyun Soo only nodded: “So you know.”

Ye Rim smiled at him: “The person, who loves pride, doesn’t need it.”

He cocked his head slightly to his left, regarding her with confusion written all over his handsome face.

Director Yoo chose exactly this moment to enter her office, with Seung Hoon in tow.

Director Yoo’s gaze immediately wandered to the present girl: “What are you doing here, Ye Rim? Isn’t there anything for you to do today?”

The questioned girl bowed respectfully: “Yes Director, I’m free at the moment… So I was thinking… if I could sing a duet for Hyun Soo’s solo album.”

Hyun Soo narrowed his eyes slightly.

“No, you can’t.” the Director deadpanned.

Ye Rim looked down at her hands and pouted a little, before Seung Hoon spoke up: “We could consider it, if we find a good song.” He turned to his sister: “You don’t have to say no, to every suggestion that you get.”

The Director sighed in annoyance and gazed at the two singers in front of her: “There are already rumors, about you two dating going around. I don’t want things to become more complicated.”

“Then,” Ye Rim began: “Should we just start dating?”

Seung Hoon stared at her, like she was crazy, the Director’s eyes widened and Hyun Soo’s mouth fell open, before he blinked twice, checking if he was hallucinating or not.

Hyun Soo

I practically stopped breathing, when she said those words.

After receiving nothing but silence in response to her suggestion, Ye Rim watched all of us innocently and a small smile started tugging at her lips: “I was just kidding.”

I released the breath I had been holding.

“Don’t joke around like that.” Well, the witch had taken the words right out of my mouth.

The rest of the meeting went by uneventfully and I actually managed to convince the Director witch and Seung Hoon to consider Ji Hyuk’s song for my album.

Now I just had to wait for them to listen to it, because they simply wouldn’t be able to reject it, after doing that.

Ye Rim and I exited the office, once the meeting finished. We walked to the entrance hall of the building, in silence. That was, when I noticed something.

“Hey,” I stopped and turned to Ye Rim, making her stop as well: “Where’s your manager?”

She blinked a few times: “He isn’t coming today.”

“And how are you going to get home?” the question was out of my mouth way too soon for my liking.

“I’m taking the bus.” she said slowly and then grinned in that stupid way of hers: “Whae, are you worried about me?”

I scoffed at her: “Don’t just go assuming things on your own.” then I began walking again, this time she wasn’t next to me though, she hadn’t moved an inch, as if rooted to that spot.

When I had almost reached the door, I heard the permanent crowd outside the building, saw the flashlights from all the reporters’ cameras, as they got ready to snap their pictures and shoot their videos, seeing me through the glass doors and my damn conscience made its comeback.

Turning on my heels, I made my way back to where Ye Rim was standing: “Tell me, you brought a cap with you.”

She nodded: “I did.”

“Good.” I said: “I’m taking you home. I’m taking the bus as well.”

“There’s really no need to do that.” she told me, shaking her head frantically: “I can go on my own.”

I raised my eyebrows at her and then sighed: “Well, that’s too bad, because I wasn’t asking you.” I paused, waiting for to put her cap on and doing so myself: “Let’s go through the other exit, this one is too crowded for my liking.”

Ye Rim

Inwardly, I was smiling like a stupid fool once again. Nobody was around and Hyun Soo was still being considerate towards me. I was so happy and at the same time, confused as hell.

He kept rejecting me but then he did things like this, making me hope and then rejected me again. Didn’t he know what he was doing to me?

Oh well, even if he didn’t have any romantic interest in me, his actions showed that he at least considered me as some kind of friend, didn’t they?

We somehow sneaked through the backside of the building, managing to avoid every single reporter and ran, as if our lives depended on it, coming to a halt only when we reached the bus stop.

Lucky as we were, we didn’t have to wait long for the bus to arrive. Except for the driver and an old couple, the whole bus was pretty much empty.

We sat down in the farthest seats at the end, falling into a comfortable silence. A few stops passed by before I remembered something: “So, have you and the rest of Eye Candy finally made up?”

He sighed in exasperation: “Do you really have to poke your nose in all of my personal matters?”

“Well,” I reasoned: “I’m curious.”

“Of course you are.” he muttered under his breath and then in a normal tone: “Yes, all of us made up, no more fights there and before you ask, I can’t rejoin Eye Candy, because Eye Candy has never and will never disband.”

A content smile spread slowly but surely across my face: “That’s a relief. Friends, such as yours, should last for a lifetime. It would be a shame to lose them over some stupid and shallow things, like fame, money or misunderstandings… Oh, I have to get off at the next step.”

He had been staring at me strangely but averted his eyes, once I told him that I had to get off and looked out of the window, to his right: “This is my stop as well.”

Stepping out of the bus we, once again, chose silence instead of conversation and communication, or rather he did, I had no problem with a bit of talking.

This time, the silence ended when we walked into a small playground.

“We’re here.” I told him.

Hyun Soo looked at everything around us for at least three full minutes, before looking at me: “You live here?”

I nodded my head in agreement and pointed at a small building at one side of the playground: “I have a small flat in there.”

“Since when?” he asked.

I thought for a moment: “Since about three years.”

“Three years?” I nodded at his question and he continued: “You’ve been living here for three years and I haven’t seen you even once around, even though I live just there.” He pointed to a small house on the opposite side of the playground from my place.

“I know.” was the only reply I gave him.

“You know? How?” wow! According to his personality he looked close to desperation.

The explanation was actually quite simple: “I told you a few days ago that I don’t really have any friends, so when I’m free I don’t come out of my flat very often, that’s why you’ve never seen me around. I can see the playground from my window and I’ve seen you with your sister or your friends a lot of times in the past three years.”

Hyun Soo

She had been living right across the playground for three years and I didn’t even know…

“Well then…” I didn’t know what to say at that moment: “I’ll see you around, I guess.”

I saw her smile at me, before I turned around and walked away.

It was later that evening, when all the guys were gathered at Ji Hyuk’s place, waiting for Ha Jin’s debut on TV and I was still thinking about Ye Rim.

That girl wasn’t making things easy for me. Although I had rejected her at least ten times, she kept smiling at me, kept being nice towards me. Even if it was hard to admit, during my fight with the rest of Eye Candy, she had been my only support and she knew that. She understood me, without me having to say something.

“You seem quite close with Ye Rim lately.” Ha Jin’s words brought me back to reality.

Ha Jin’s feelings for Ye Rim were just another addition to all this complicated mess.

I avoided his eyes while answering: “It only seems that way, because we’re promoting together.”

“Take good care of my goddess.” I could practically hear his smile through his words: I’ll crush you, if you don’t.”

I didn’t reply, nor did I react in any other way but I was grateful…

Author

“I marked some parts on the sheet.” Seung Hoon pointed out: “You should sing these with more emotion.”

Ye Rim nodded and looked at the words on the sheet of paper.

The two teenagers were currently seated in the recording studio, discussing a new song.

Ye Rim looked at the genius songwriter next to her: “The lyrics are quite sad. Did you get dumped?”

Seung Hoon hesitated before lifting his head and averting his eyes from the paper in his lap to look at her: “Ah, it looks like I’m caught.”

“Do you want me to set you up with someone?” she asked sincerely.

He smiled wistfully: “That would be nice.”

“Tell me what type of girls you like then!” she began her inquiry.

“Hmmm… pretty girls?” Seung Hoon joked.

Hyun Soo

I entered the recording studio, my ears meeting with the sounds of laughter, one welcomed, the other… not really.

Before one of my snarky comments, which were mostly reserved for Yoo Seung Hoon these days, left my mouth, Seung Hoon excused himself from the room to attend a phone-call.

“I turned my head to look at Ye Rim and before I could say something to her, she was talking: “Isn’t Seung Hoon handsome?”

I watched her in disbelief, scoffing: “Can’t you tell the difference between handsome and greasy?”

“A cool composed, intelligent and handsome person like Seung Hoon, I think a lot of girls would like that.” She stated, completely ignoring my remark.

What, the hell, was wrong with this girl?

Just a few days ago, she had been openly joking about dating me and now this!

“It looks like you’ve fallen quite hard.” I couldn’t keep the bite out of my tone, as much as I tried to.

“Are you jealous?” she was trying hard to keep her obvious smile from her face.

I scowled at her, indignantly: “Jealous? Of Yoo Seung Hoon?… Please say something that makes sense.”

“Then,” she began: “How about a date with me tomorrow?”

There she went again, talking about dating me, so casually.

Before I could retort anything though, Yoo Seung Hoon reentered the studio. He took his seat next to Ye Rim, across from where I was leaning against a table. He smiled at her and I just wanted to punch that bloody fake look off of his face.

“Are you free tomorrow?” Ye Rim’s words shook me out of my aggressive thoughts, almost instantly and I watched in silent seething, as Yoo Seung Hoon gave his positive reply.

“But you’re busy tomorrow, Ye Rim.” It was as if my mouth had a life of its own, for the words escaped my lips totally unintentionally.

“I’m busy tomorrow?” she asked confused.

“Yeah.” well, if my mouth had started it then I should just go through with it: “Think hard about it. You have something to do.”

Her face stretched into that knowing smile of hers and I snatched the paper out of Yoo Seung Hoon’s hand, before that big mouth of mine blurted out something else and before she had time to answer me.

“We should start recording this.” I pointed to the sheet of paper in my hand and made my way hastily into the recording room.

I could see her, holding up four fingers, through the glass shield. I showed her the same number of fingers, silently fixing the time for our meeting, tomorrow afternoon.

Her lips tugged slightly upwards and she lowered her eyes. For the first time, since I knew her, I saw her shyness… She was such a girl.

While singing that blasted song Yoo Seung Hoon had written, it occurred to me that, maybe tomorrow’s ‘date’ with Ye Rim wasn’t such a bad idea.

At that point in time, I had a perfectly reasonable explanation, as to why I was going to go on a date with Ye Rim. It was simple, really.

Ye Rim was clearly some kind of friend of mine and Yoo Seung Hoon wasn’t worthy of any of my friends, so I’d rather she went on a date with me, than that bastard. Also, Ha Jin wouldn’t mind anymore, since he had given up on her…

Everything was fine, as long as she didn’t even think about going out with Yoo Seung Hoon.

Yes, at that point in time, I had a perfectly reasonable explanation for my behavior and that was enough for now.

I could think later about why I was really doing, what I was doing…

End of Chapter

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