THIRTY

Yonghwa saw the sudden change on her color. Despite the light behind him that thoroughly exposed her skin, he could tell how pale she looked and it scared him too without even knowing the reason for her abrupt fear. “Hyun?” He asked calmly as his head unconsciously shifted but she held his cheek.

“Don’t,” said Seohyun with a tiny shake of her head.

“What’s wrong?” He cupped her face soothing his thumb on her cheek.

Pinching her eyes shut for a second, Seohyun swallowed then replied, “Oppa, don't turn. There's a man by the car behind you. I think he's holding a camera.”

“Holy ,” he mumbled almost to himself. The thumping in his chest increased but he commanded himself to stay calm especially for Seohyun who looked really terrified.

“Oppa, what are we going to do?”

“Get inside,” Yonghwa motioned towards the studio building behind them and pulled his cap lower in his head, “Just go to work first.”

Seohyun shook her head reluctantly, “No, I-I think w-we should call Unnie or… or something!”

She was panicky but at least she kept her voice in a whisper. “Is he still there?” Yonghwa asked then she slightly tilted her head behind him and nodded, “Okay. Go and don’t look back.”

“Oppa…” Seohyun grumbled clutching his shirt tight, her eyes were now misty, “He must have been taking pictures. What are you going to do?”

Softly, he brushed his lips across her forehead and smiled reassuring her that he will protect her, “Go on, Hyun. I’ll take care of this, okay? Trust me.”

Finally, she nodded and took her duffel bag from his hand, “Call me.”

“I will,” he nodded then watched her walked hurriedly inside the building. Yonghwa took a deep breath. If the man was still there then they have a better chance. When Seohyun disappeared from his sight, he turned and noticed the man standing a few meters away obviously waiting for his next move. Surprisingly, he was walking towards him when he started to approach.

He had a big build and this condescending look on his face but Yonghwa was not going to let him be intimidated. When they were only a few feet from each other, Yonghwa put on his friendly smile on and reached out for his hand, “Hello, Mr.—?”

The man looked at Yonghwa’s outstretched hand for a moment as if weighing his options then accepted his handshake, “Kim Kangin.”

“I wouldn’t really say it was nice meeting you considering what you were obviously doing…” Yonghwa glanced at the man’s camera then smiled amiably, “Do you want to talk here or we can have coffee somewhere?”

Almost half an hour later, they sat across each other in a coffee shop downtown. Since it was too early, Yonghwa boldly removed his cap and he chose not to wear his face mask to show the man his sincerity. They talked casually for awhile as if hoping to get on the good side of each other until he decided it was time to get down to business, “How long have you been following me?”

Kangin scoffed, “I wasn’t just following you… but both of you.”

“Alright,” He nodded casually, “You know that things like this can be easily denied and dismissed especially with the backing of our management.” He noticed that the other man was not shaken at all, “Considering also that you are, according to you, a freelancer.” Finally, Yonghwa saw the slight change in his expression.

“What do you suggest?”

“The easiest and the fastest way to deal with this,” he smiled, “Give me your phone and account number. You will get the money before lunch time.”

The older man shook his head, “Do you really think I won’t find anybody whom I can sell your pictures for a better price than you can give?”

“I’m thinking of actually paying you for your trouble following us today.” He rested on his seat and with a smug grin, he continued, “I am hoping to get the rest of the pictures and the past ones sometime this week. And if you’re agreeable to my conditions, then we can talk about the extra.”

Although Yonghwa wasn’t really sure that it was the best way to handle the situation, he just decided to go on with it just to protect Seohyun. He could have let this pitiful man do whatever he likes with the pictures but he knew that things wouldn’t be easy for his girlfriend. As far as he knows, it won’t be the first time for his management to deal with something like this but his main concern was Seohyun.

He promised to protect her in any way he can and he will make sure there won't be any reason for her to think otherwise. Seohyun has opened her heart to him and he cannot just allow anything to break the trust she gave him.

At last, Kangin agreed to the conditions he gave and he took all his memory cards and deleted the files in his camera. Yonghwa made sure to let Kangin see that he is a good person and he will not break a promise or forget about their agreement. The conversation gradually turned friendly and casual. Yonghwa was also sure that he got on the good side of the man.

After the meeting, they parted ways with a handshake and an unspoken respect for each other.

~~~

It was only late in the afternoon that he was able to call Seohyun during their break from recording. After his meeting with the stalker, Yonghwa called his personal lawyer and discussed what happened and the old man agreed with how handled the situation and gave him some advice. He then instructed him to transact with Kangin since his schedule was already full.

Yonghwa explained to Seohyun that he got the pictures and will get the rest soon and assured her that Mr. Kim was not going to follow them anymore. Most of the recent takes were pretty good, especially the ones clearly showing their faces, a few angles of them kissing and embracing and some even taken the day before when Yonghwa was alighting from his car and one when Seohyun got in. There were also many shots of the plate number so he was planning to use another private car that his father own next time.

With everything that transpired that day, Yonghwa was just relieved that the man negotiated with him and did not run away to sell the pictures to someone else. However, Seohyun still sounded wary so shifted the conversation, “So, are you on your next location?”

“Yep… sportswear collection. Ah! You’ll never guess with whom!”

He chuckled listening to her excited tone, “Try me.”

“Song Junho, the swimmer and F1 driver.”

“He’s a player,” Yonghwa claimed the moment he heard the name. Knowing how nice his girlfriend can be sometimes, he was suddenly feeling worried, “Don’t get too cozy— oh scratch that, don’t get c