CHAPTER FOURTEEN

 

http://youtu.be/BmPMZlsDlVY

*YOUR POV*

 

 

Where did you go, oh, oh, oh, oh. Where did you go, go, go, go ~

I peeked open my eye and stared blankly at the clock.

Abandoned. Oh, oh, oh, Abandoned.

Oh man, I loved Jay Park’s new song. However, right now it was annoying the crap out of me. Especially since it woke me up.

Why did you do this?

Abandoned~

“Where did you go, oh, oh, oh, oh,” I finally gave up and sang along with the song while I grabbed my showering… utensils.

Standing in front of the mirror, I started to dance to his addictive moves. Eventually I made my way over to the bathroom and prepared myself.

It was my second morning at this house. I smiled. So far this stay has been very interesting.

I wonder what this day will bring?

When I got to the kitchen, I arranged the table and tidied the place up.

Fany and Seohyun Unnies were coming over today at ten. I had three hours to ready the house and conjure up a mouth-watering brunch for nine people.

I set myself to work and blasted music in the kitchen to keep me entertained.

Well, technically I didn’t blast the music since you couldn’t hear it from outside the room, but it was the closest I could get to “blasting” the music without waking up the boys.

“Noona neomu yeppeoseo,” my phone started ringing. I snatched it up and slid my finger across the screen, unlocking and answering it. “Hello?”

“Yo, you still alive?”

“Kame?”

“Who else would I be?” He yawned, causing me to yawn as well.

“How are you?” It was strange being away from him.

“I’m good. How are the BEAST members treating you?”

I grabbed a pan, flipped its contents, and set it down. “They’re really nice. Gikwang Oppa always makes sure that I’m alright.”

I heard a chuckle from his end. “You’re calling him Oppa already? It’s only been two days.”

I told him about the amusement park and yelped as something on his side crashed, causing a loud noise to drum in my ear.

“Sorry, sorry,” Kame gasped. He burst into laughter again. “I dropped the phone. Did that seriously happen?”

Beep Beep Beep

I dashed over to the microwave, tucked the phone between my ear and my shoulder, and seized the bowl containing the melted butter.

“Yeah that happened. And yesterday I went on Oh My School with Gikwang Oppa and Yoseob-ssi,” I absentmindedly replied while mixing my mint chocolate mousse cake batter. 

http://www.frenchpastrychef.com/pastry/images/0000feature13.jpg

 

“Anyways,” Kame paused.

“What?” I was in no mood for games.

He sighed. “I just received news that… Aaron is in Seoul right now.”

Time slowed to a stop as I tried to grasp at what he just said.

“Aaron. As in THE Aaron? And he’s in Seoul, KOREA right now?”

“I’m afraid so.” Kame sounded grim.

Panic mode set in as I frantically clutched at the counter. “No way. You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I’m not. Seoul is a large city so you might not run into him, but I just wanted to give you a heads up just in case you do.”

“Kame, can I please go back to the States right now?” I pleaded.

“I wish I could say yes. In fact, I’m aching to say yes with everything that I am. However, right now you are filming a show and you’ve got responsibility to owe up to. You can’t let your past affect that.” He let out a deep breath.

“… I understand.” I struggled to keep my tears in.

“________-ssi? What’s wrong?” Gikwang’s voice came from out of the blue.

“Is that Gikwang-ssi? Let me talk to him,” Kame bided me.

I handed the phone over to Oppa numbly and tended the cooking food. Seeing that the two pans were done, I turned off the stove and sank to the ground.

Why is this happening? Will my past forever continue to haunt me?

 

 

*GIKWANG’S POV*

I wiggled my body and stretched, a silent yawn escaping my mouth.

I sniffed the air.

A delicious aroma hung in the air, beckoning me.

I crawled on the floor, smelling the air now and then, and followed my nose faithfully to the kitchen.

Just as I reached the door, I overheard ________ talking on the phone, almost in hysterics.

“He’s in Seoul, KOREA RIGHT NOW?” I heard her exclaim. “Send me back to the States please!”

Who was in Korea?

And what type of person was he to make ________ want to leave instantly?

I walked in without her noticing. “________-ssi? What’s wrong?”

She handed the phone over to me silently, a numb look spreading across her face.

“Hello?” I asked.

“This is her manager speaking.”

“Mister Ace, good morning!” I greeted him, curious about whom the mystery guy was.

“Good morning.” Mister Ace halted briefly. “How much of the conversation did you hear?”

“Ever since the ‘HE’S IN SEOUL, KOREA?’ part,” I answered truthfully.

Her manager signed. “I should tell you the whole story then since ________ trusts you a lot.” He hesitated again. “You should go somewhere where it’s private,” he warned. I listened to him and made my way to the indoor garden.

He began telling the entire story, starting at their meeting three years ago.

“The guy’s name is Aaron Shang. ________ met him while she was at a church retreat with her friends. She was walking from the dorms to the meeting hall when four men suddenly tried to attack her.” Mister Ace drew in a deep breath and continued. “Aaron was also attending the camp and just happened to pass by. He saved her. After the camp, they kept in contact and one day Aaron and his family moved to her city.

They became close friends. Even though Seohyun and I disapproved of him, we could only watch in pain as they began to date. They dated for two years. ________ had already started her singing career, but it wasn’t until two years ago when her popularity exploded, right around their first year anniversary.

He was everything to her.” He paused the story again. “One day after a concert, she decided to drop by his house to surprise him. She had his key so she simply unlocked the door and walked in. She saw him on the bed with another girl beside him. Both were fast asleep. She woke him up and slapped him, telling him that they were over. ________ ran out of the house crying and drove to my house. I had been sleeping at that time and woke up to a phone call. I instantly ran to the door and found her sobbing on my doorstep.

Those first few weeks were horrible. She would go on stage and pretend to be happy but the minute the performance was over, she would crawl back into her own dark world. No one could come near to her except for her parents, Seohyun, and I. Even we couldn’t make her smile again.

Time began to heal her wound. Just as she was beginning to show signs of healing, something happened. That night was horrible. I got a text from Seohyun telling me to hurry to the hospital. When I got there, I received the news… ________ had been attacked and was barely alive.

The next few hours were nerve wrecking. I was terrified that I was about to lose one of my closest friends and Seohyun and her parents sat in the waiting room crying.

Finally a doctor came out and told us that ________ was in stable condition but still unconscious. It wasn’t until five days later that she woke up.

When I went into her hospital room for the first time, a tremendous wave of anger swept up into me. I saw her bruised all over her body and her arm was in a sling. I wanted to find out who had beat up to this condition and kill that guy.

I crept closer to her bed and Seohyun held her hand. She relaxed around us, but the minute a guy doctor came to check up on her, she freaked out. For several weeks, no guys besides for her father and I were able to come close to her.”

I closed my eyes and banged my head against the walls. Tears were forming at the corner of my eyes as I heard Mister Ace recount the story. I bit my lip as he carried on.

“It killed us to see our bubbly ________ terrified of strangers like that. That month I probably committed murder in my mind a thousand times over,” he uttered a dry laugh. “After much coaxing, we at long last got the name of her attacker. We found out that Aaron had gone looking for her and found her while she was walking home from the corner store. He had dragged her into a dark alleyway and tried to her. She managed to defend herself and started running. Aaron is very athletic and somehow caught up to her. Angry that she escaped, he no longer tried to her. He just beat her over and over and over. When he was done, he left her to die in an abandoned section of the town. Luckily, a policeman was patrolling that area and discovered her. He recognized her immediately and whisked her to the hospital.”

“Was this guy punished?” I said quietly.

“________ didn’t want the media to find out about what had happened…” Mister Ace’s voice trailed off.

“So she agreed to not press charges as long as he doesn’t tell the media?” I was enraged.

“He threatened to spill the beans if she pressed charges.”

“AND HE’S IN KOREA RIGHT NOW?” I tried my best to suppress the volume of my voice. I was shaking with unspeakable anger.

“I told you this story so that you can keep her safe,” he said.

“I will. If that… that… thing goes anywhere NEAR her I will personally turn him into a little girl,” I growled.

“And now you know why I had told you guys that she might not open her heart right away and why I was so surprised when she told me that she’s calling you Oppa.”

“Thank you,” I whispered. “Thank you for trusting me to protect her.”

“I have to go now. I’ll send you a picture of this bastard so that you can recognize him.”

“Bye.”

I hung up the phone and rubbed my eyes in disbelief.

________, that beautiful angel, that girl who always manages to make my heart beat faster at the very sight of her, that girl who’s always smiling and taking care of people had gone through all of that?

 I punched the wall, infuriated at the unjustness of the situation.

I could hear pots still speaking their Panese and headed back to the kitchen.

“________-ssi…”

She turned around at the sound of my voice, tears streaming down her face.

I stood there, dazed by the presence of her tears.

Suddenly, without even realizing it, I yanked her into my arms and hugged her tightly. She cried into my shoulder, her body shaking from her tears.

“I will protect you,” I murmured.

She cried even harder.