Chapter 2
Moonlit Masquerade
Dense canopies of evergreens passed quickly by as the limo drove along the paved road on the isolated mountain. The trees were so compact, it was impossible to see the beautiful sea, which spread across the distance. Seung Hyun leaned against the window, staring keenly at the landscape flying by.
“My outfit itches,” So Hee complained, catching Seung Hyun’s attention and drawing him away from the window. Wrinkling her pert nose, she scratched her arm, her brows furrowed in a show of frustration. Her cheeks became more swollen than they naturally were.
“Must be a defect; mine’s feel fine,” Ji Yong replied. He leaned over and inspected So Hee’s arm.
Seung Hyun studied the duo, and a light smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. So Hee and Ji Yong were identical in every way, from their dialogue to their movements; it was hard to believe they were only married for a year. Their synchrony was a feat couples usually require decades to master. At the moment, Ji Yong was dressed as the taller Luigi while So Hee donned a Mario costume. Her hair was hidden behind the huge, red cap, making her face more round than it already was.
Ji Yong turned to Seung Hyun. “You should have been Yoshi.”
With a look of great distaste, Seung Hyun replied dryly, “Leave me out from the insanity.”
“He reminds me more of Bowser,” So Hee chipped in. In a scolding tone, she added, “You need to smile more, Seung Hyun.”
He looked away and turned to the window. In the distance, Seung Hyun could distinguish the white Spanish style home with its red tiled roof, surrounded by imposing, black gates. They were nearing their destination.
“Let him be,” Ji Yong soothed, placing his palm over her shoulder. “Excuse his foul mood. He’s probably nervous about tomorrow.”
Seung Hyun turned back to his friends. “What about tomorrow?”
With a grin revealing a row of perfect, white teeth, Ji Yong answered, “Why, I’m talking about your matchmaking date, of course.”
“Tae Yang told you?”
“Oh come on, am I not your friend too? Why didn’t you tell me?” Ji Yong wore a wounded expression.
Seung Hyun rolled his eyes. “Get over it. Trust me, it’s not an honor,” he said the last word with scorn, “to know about this ‘date’ tomorrow.”
“In terms of friendship,” So Hee intervened, “it is an honor. It’s a building of trust. If Ji Yong and I are considered as worthy of your trust and confidence as Tae Yang, you wouldn’t hesitate to confide in us as well.” She and Ji Yong were perfectionists, always thinking in concise, logical order.
They oversimplified everything to a point that was intimidating. Fortunately, Seung Hyun was rescued from having to offer a justifiable explanation as the limo pulled up in front of the house. He tried to implicitly release his sigh of relief, but Ji Yong shot him a warning glance.
“We’re not finished with this conversation yet,” he said in a sharp tone, the one a father would use on a rebellious child, before he turned to his beloved and gave her a bright smile. His smiles were infectious; it would put the sun to shame.
“Ready?” he asked as he offered her his arm.
“We’re late,” she replied, crestfallen at the rows of parked cars already present.
“No party starts without my angelic So Hee,” Ji Yong said as he pressed a kiss in her palm. She blushed like a new bride as the chauffeur opened the door.
Seung Hyun followed the couple, who were now lost in their own, little world. The trio climbed the steps onto the marbled landing then entered the lavish house. As they were directed to the ballroom on the upper level, loud music can be heard. Once they reached where the party was, Seung Hyun stood back, observing the partygoers, whom he couldn’t distinguish. Everyone was in masks and costume. Besides, he wasn’t exactly one to mingle.
“Seung Hyun!” a voice called out from one of the dancing crowds. If the person hadn’t spoken, Seung Hyun wouldn’t have recognized Tae Yang, who was dressed as an Arabic prince of some sort. From his turban, to his golden sandals, and the rich cloth he donned, it was obvious Tae Yang had gone to a lot of trouble to portray the role to perfection.
Seung Hyun laughed at his approaching friend. “You look ridiculous.”
“What a party pooper,” Tae Yang retorted. “And where’s your costume?” he asked, observing Seung Hyun’s black tuxedo with disapproval.
“I’m…” Seung Hyun reached into his pocket and pulled out a black eye mask. “…a CEO, of course.”
“You’re so dull,” Tae Yang declared, making a sour face.
“It was either I come in this outfit or I don’t come at all.”
“I’m not so sure about that if you hear my news,” Tae Yang whispered, stepping closer. In a confidential tone, he added, “I thought you just might want to know Aeri accepted my invitation today.”
Seung Hyun frowned. “I don’t want to meet her yet.”
Tae Yang sighed. “Sometimes I wonder if your coldness has turned you idiotic along the way. Who says you have to meet her? I’m doing this to give you an advantage. Have you forgotten this is a costumed party? You can observe her without being detected!” His excitement paralleled that of a little boy who had come up with an invention. Except, the invention was an epic fail.
With a wry smile, Seung Hyun replied, “Well, buddy, I do appreciate you having my best interest at heart, but how am I to know who she is if it’s a darn costumed party? I thought you don’t know her personally, would you be able to identify her?”
“Don’t worry. I know all my guests. The one woman who is not someone I recognize has to be Aeri.”
“How awfully simple,” Seung Hyun muttered sarcastically.
“You’re dreadful company tonight. Are you nervous about tomorrow? Is that why?”
“Speaking of tomorrow, why did you tell Ji Yong and So Hee—?”
“Oh, I see a group of guests I haven’t greeted!” Tae Yang interrupted, a bit too excitedly.
“Well, I’ll talk to you later. Hello ladies!” he greeted, rushing quickly away from Seung Hyun. Seung Hyun gave up trying to have a confrontation. In the name of friendship, he knew he couldn’t stay angry with his best friends anyway. Not only that, he didn’t want to trouble himself chasing after Tae Yang.
Alone, Seung Hyun made his way to the buffet table. He continued observing the partiers as he walked pass by. The scene was beginning to bore him. He no longer derived any pleasure from flirting or socializing. It was always the same scene and the same shallow people.
Making a sour face, he wondered if he was experiencing an early mid life crisis at twenty eight years of age. His father would be devastated. Seung Hyun chuckled at the thought.
As he reached the cheese and crackers, Seung Hyun paused. The oddest sensation overcame him, as though someone or something had heard his call for help from boredom and triviality. There was an unexplainable electrical charge in the air. The hair on his neck raised on its end, anticipating whatever life that was entering the room.
Seung Hyun swung around, his eyes searching the premises. Suddenly, his attention was captured by a newcomer peeking into the room, half hidden by the door. She stood by the entrance, her pose awkward. She was dressed as an exotic princess. She wore a lowly cut dress that billowed to the ground, its intricate sequins sparkling against the dark ballroom. Her hair was intertwined with strings of gleaming beads. And she wore an equally glamorous mask covering her whole face, only leaving her eyes and lips bare. Impressive, kissable lips, if Seung Hyun was honest with himself. He felt a sliver of anticipation shoot through his veins. His finger tips tingled. Despite himself, Seung Hyun was intrigued.
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Yoo Bin felt extremely exposed in the pathetic excuse of an outfit, which Nam Suk had insisted she must wear. Her dress was too tight, clinging to her every movement, and the and dangerously low neckline left little to the imagination. On top of that, the maddening amount of sparkles was driving her crazy; she felt like a walking disco ball. Not to mention her mask was suffocative, she wouldn’t be surprised if she passed out any second now.
As she peeked inside the ballroom, Yoo Bin was tempted to hide somewhere outside until the party was over and feed Nam Suk with lies. It was his grand idea that she be exposed to the lifestyle of the elite stars. Little did she know, she would be “exposed” in more ways than one by wearing such a skimpy outfit. Nam Suk had thought a masquerade would be the ideal place for her to mingle with the celebrities without being detected…to "test the waters" before she truly immersed herself within their world.
Nam Suk had also reasoned she could study TOP before actually meeting him. Now, how in the world was she to do that if she didn’t know who stood behind the masks?
As Yoo Bin stood there, seething and hating Nam Suk with each passing second, she didn’t notice an approaching figure until a deep, masculine voice whispered very close to her ear, “Are you lost, princess?”
She jumped, and nearly bumped into his nose, if he hadn’t reflexively stepped back. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” he apologized, placing his hands on Yoo Bin’s arms to help steady her. Once she had gathered her wits, she finally became aware of his comfortingly warm hands.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Yoo Bin looked at him and noticed his beautiful features. He was gifted with a perfectly chiseled jaw line and soft, tender lips. Despite the fact that he was wearing an eye mask, Yoo Bin was certain this man must possess a fierce expression because of the intensity in his eyes and the confidence in his stance. He stood too close, and she could catch a whiff of his cologne plus a mingling scent of himself. A musky, masculine scent.
And all of these thorough observations summed up to only one conclusion: TROUBLE. The kind of trouble Yoo Bin had been trying to avoid all her life by discouraging suitors and admirers. She knew then she must get away from him, and soon.
“Are you okay?” he repeated in his husky voice.
Yoo Bin nodded. Her heart was pounding but she attributed the reason to the earlier scare he had given her. Nothing else. “Yes, I’m fine. I…I just need a drink, I think. It’s stuffy here.” She fanned herself, needing to keep her hands busy.
“You’re right. I’ll get you something,” he offered. “What would you like?”
“Water is fine.”
His lips lifted in an amused smile. “You must not be on familiar grounds with Tae Yang. Such innocent refreshment does not exist at any of his parties.”
Yoo Bin’s eyes widened. “No?”
He shook his head. Despite his solemn expression, the twinkle in his eyes betrayed him. He had a wicked charm, and Yoo Bin needed to get away from him. Pronto.
Desperate, she asked, “What about a soft drink?” Again, he shook his head. With a deep sigh, Yoo Bin said, “Just give me the lightest drink there is.”
“I’ll see what I can find,” he promised.
“Remember, I’m a beginner,” she added as he turned around.
Once he had his back turned to her, she made her getaway. Perhaps hiding until the party was over wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
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It would have been embarrassing to admit she was lost in a house. But that was exactly what happened to Yoo Bin and no matter how much she tried to deny it, it wouldn’t change the fact. All the corners led to other corridors that looked exactly like the ones she had come from. She could spend days lost on the second level.
“Who in their right mind lives in a place like this?” she muttered.
“Do you make a habit of getting lost?”
Yoo Bin swirled around. To her chagrin, it was the same man who had approached her in the ballroom. He stood against the wall, his arms folded across his chest, declaring he had no care in the world.
“Of course not,” she snapped irritably. His carefree posture grated on her nerves. She knew he was mocking her. “I was…” she looked around, her frantic eyes darting back and forth. “Making my way to the balcony,” she lied, as her eyes fell upon the sliding glass doors behind him. Squaring her shoulders, Yoo Bin walked past him. Then she headed out to the balcony, with him trailing behind, studying the seductive sashaying of her hips and the haughty tilt of her chin.
She could feel his appreciative eyes burning right through the cloth of her outfit, making her skin burn despite the night’s cool breeze. Yoo Bin looked around, examining their surrounding. There was a spiral staircase at the far end leading to the garden underneath. Beyond the garden was the beach, with its soothing waves lapping gently over the sand. She walked to the railing and stared across the distance.
He followed and stopped next to her, so close that their arms brushed. The sensations mad Yoo Bin tingly. Her toes curled at his nearness. Every inch of her being suddenly became alive and aware of the man standing next to her. She tried to take deep gulps of breath to slow her breathing which was in synchronization with her erratic heartbeats. It was daunting. This was the first time a man could affect her in such a way, and Yoo Bin didn’t like it because she had no control over the situation.
“What’s your name?” he asked with an awfully deep voice that would make any woman melt into a puddle at his feet.
“Where’s the fun in knowing? We should remain nameless.” For the first time that night, Yoo Bin was thankful for the annoying mask.
“Like a mysterious rendezvous of the night?” He had a rueful smile, as though there was something amusing to him that he was not willing to reveal.
“If you want,” she welcomed.
“I will give you a nickname then.”
“By all means.” Yoo Bin shrugged, trying to give the pretense he was in no way affecting her, something he seemed to be doing effortlessly whereas other men have spent hours, if not days, scheming and trying to succeed.
He turned to her, studying her profile with care and detail. She was about to snap at him for his rude scrutiny when he remarked, “Your scent and aura reminds me of a daylily’s.”
“A daylily?” she repeated, indignant at the comparison. “How unflattering.” Her lips puckered. “How plain. How typical,” she said in an overly dramatic tone.
He chuckled, the deep, throaty kind that gave any breathing women goosebumps. “You need to see it with new eyes then.” He reached over and captured a tendril of her hair between his fingers. For a brief second, he was still, studying the soft tendril as though bewitched.
Clearing his mind, he continued, “Although highly fragrant, they are merely an illusion, blooming for only one day.” With a thoughtful expression, he added, “In particular, you’re like the specie ‘moonlit masquerade.’ Illusive and enigmatic.”
In a frustrated voice, he said, “I still can’t figure out who you are.”
Yoo Bin smiled. “Don’t agitate over it. Think of me as…a daylily. In any given second, I may not be here.” Yoo Bin changed the direction of the conversation so she wouldn’t have to explain her statement. “So, tell me, why do you know so much about these daylilies?” It was an odd topic for a man to be so familiar with. And she found herself wanting to know as much as she could about this remarkable man, before the night was over and she returned to her world, her reality.
“My mother used to have a garden.” He paused, staring at his hands, which were clasped over the railing. “It was beautiful.” He inhaled, his eyes closed. “She never had much, but she had her flower garden. It was her pride and her passion. I could always count on her fragrant flowers decorating every table in our house. We may be short on extra money, but we would never be short on the joy from these simple flowers.”
“You said she used to. Does she not garden anymore?”
With a sad smile, he said, “She passed away.”
“Oh!” Yoo Bin felt terrible for bringing up such a sensitive topic. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s okay. It’s been five years; it shouldn’t hurt as much anymore.” He turned away and stared at the sea. Now gone was the intimidating flirt, replaced by a man with a life story Yoo Bin wanted to know about.
Despite his comment, she knew he still hurt. Yoo Bin leaned against the rail, tilting her head to the side so she could see his face fully. Trying to lighten the mood, she asked, a bit awkwardly, “So…are daylilies your favorite?”
He nodded. “My mother used to plant them all around our house. When I see daylilies, I think of her, of home, of family.” He turned to Yoo Bin. “You probably know. Being a celebrity, although you are adored by thousands of fans, it can be lonely too. Worst of all, you’re always so busy. Although you plan to visit home, one missed holiday or family birthday turns into two, then three, then four…until you’re never around anymore.”
Yoo Bin thought of her aunt and a wave of homesickness settled over her. Guiltily, she hadalways thought it was lonely to have only one living relative. How wrong she was. At least Aunt Kim was always there for her. Her first school recital, her first job, and her birthdays, at least she knew she had all her family present, even if it was only one. And who ever said anything about numbers?
“I’m sorry,” Yoo Bin said, feeling lame at her inability to make any difference. She sympathized him, but to say she understood how he felt would have been unfair to Aunt Kim. Yoo Bin had the best family she could ever wish for, and she wouldn’t trade it for the world.
“Enough of this depressing talk,” he said in a bright voice as he turned to her.
She agreed. “Yes, you’re right. What should we do instead?” She regretted her words the second she said them.
“Let’s dance,” he suggested in a low voice.
The thought of being held in his muscular arms, their chest and hip aligned in perfect coordination, made Yoo Bin breathless. She was frightened by such sinful thoughts entering her mind and her reaction to it.
“There’s no music.” Her voice shook.
Disregarding her protest, he approached her until they were standing only mere inches away, their breath mingling. He liked the fact she was his height, staring him square in the eyes. Swiftly, he reached for her hands. “No music, you say?”
With an arm on her waist, he spun her around once, catching her off guard. When she returned to his arms again, she was breathless. He savored the life sparking in her eyes. There was excitement. There was energy.
“Isn’t the cries of the crickets in the distance, singing in tune to the rhythm of our heartbeat?” He moved them both in circles, as he spoke in an intent voice, his eyes boring into hers. “Isn’t the sound of the waves as beautiful as the symphony of an expert violinist?”
Her hands tightened around his neck; her knees were turning to jelly at his words. Then when he lowered his head, she knew he was going to kiss her. There was no doubt. It wasn’t a choice for either of them. It was as simple and necessary as breathing.
“Tell me your name,” he urged in a whisper as his lips brushed against hers gently. His nose bumped into hers. The brief contact enhanced the thrill. Yoo Bin shook her head, feeling gloomy for some unknown reasons. When the week was over, she’ll have to return to her old life, working to support her self and Aunt Kim. Yoo Bin knew she couldn’t risk telling him her real name or pretending to be Aeri. It wasn’t part of her job.
“Choi Seung Hyun!” a voice interrupted them.
Quickly, Yoo Bin disentangled herself from him and stepped back. “I’m sorry,” he apologized. Irritated, Seung Hyun swung around to face his friend, who was standing by the balcony entrance.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” Tae Yang said as he stepped out to the balcony. He observed their surrounding. “What are you doing here alone?”
“Alone?” Seung Hyun turned around hastily. He was almost frantic, and the thought was ridiculous.
True to his friend’s words, Seung Hyun was alone now. But he knew, without a doubt, she was no illusion. Although long gone, her footprints on the spiral staircase assured Seung Hyun his moonlit masquerader was indeed as real as the magic between them.
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What do you think of the picture (credits to the owner!!! :D) posted above? :3 Perhaps that's how TOP looked like in the party...with a mask of course. Such a shame to hide his pretty face. :(
Any thoughts or comments for Chapter 2? How was it? Did you feel the same feeling I felt when I first read this? :""""> What do you think guys? Share your thoughts! They will be highly appreciated! :)
Chapter 3 is coming soon so wait for it! It'll be worth it!
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