Chapter 6
You Said Remember Me II
The next morning they boarded an early flight and returned to Seoul.
She listened to Donghae complain when they reached their room, “If only Chief Kang had planned to stay there longer we could have had an actual honeymoon.”
Pulling her suitcase over she placed it on the floor and ped it.
“At least we had some fun,” she pointed out. “And you’re not going to rush straight to work, are you?”
He glanced at her quickly, “I’m going to at least stop by the office. Something may have come up while I was gone.”
“You’re always going to the office,” Victoria stated.
“It’ll be quick, I promise,” he gave her a kiss on the lips, “and don’t unpack my things. I’ll do it when I get back, alright?”
Tousling her hair he smiled before walking out of the room. When the door closed Victoria sighed.
/ / / / /
The drive back to Incheon was quick and even though he shouldn’t have gone in, he did. Chief Kang stared at him with a hard glare, eyes below the frame of his glasses which hung off the tip of his nose. Well maybe not off the tip of his nose but it was near enough.
Donghae smiled back cheerily from the single couch he was sitting in, “Hi, Chief.”
“What are you doing here? I thought I told you not to come in.”
“Well, I came in,” Donghae started.
“Get back home.” he growled.
“Did you find anything new?”
“Lee Donghae, do you not understand me?”
“But Chief…” he complained.
The Chief tossed a newspaper at him after a minute and Donghae quickly dodged. It went flailing onto the couch next to his seat.
“Whoa…someone’s exaggerating here,” Donghae commented.
Chief Kang continued to glare at him. “Take it.”
Donghae glanced at the newspaper then back to the Chief before taking it.
“You could have just handed it to me,” Donghae muttered reaching for the newspaper.
He glanced on the front page but only saw news about conglomerate stocks reaching the peaks.
“Page 8,” Chief Kang said.
“You could have said that,” Donghae told before flipping the pages.
His eyes scanned the entire page before they landed upon the column that took the whole middle of the page.
“What’s this?”
“A Chinese gang went raiding houses in the suburbs,” Chief Kang began.
“They take anything?” Donghae questioned while skimming the paragraphs.
“Just food and some necessities like blankets and first aid.”
“That’s all?” Donghae frowned.
“Im Jin Ah, who’s better known as Nana, visited the site that particular night,” Chief Kang explained.
“Nana? The girl I told you about?”
“She’s parentless,” Chief Kang continued, “her parents were murdered in a hijacking incident and she lived with her brother, Im Junsu, who I couldn’t locate.”
“What?”
“Their house is empty, no trace of a living person at all. He’s either missing or presumed dead,” Chief Kang went on, “if there’s no other link between Nana and those men, we can consider it that they had something to do with her brother’s disappearance.”
Donghae clapped his hands excitedly, “Wow, Chief! You really did your job while you sent me away!”
“But I don’t see how this ties down Ren Gei,” he said. “If he is with them, why?”
Donghae stared at the Chief.
“If he has company, this is not good news for us,” Chief Kang presumed.
“Then do I do since you’ve looked through it all?” Donghae asked.
Chief Kang tossed a binder at him which Donghae was unable to dodge, “The labor work is yours. These people went to school with Nana and the girl listed at the bottom was last seen with Im Junsu. Check them out.”
/ / / / /
“Did you just get off work?” Victoria asked as Eunhyuk took a seat in front of her.
“Why?”
“I haven’t seen you in a real suit before, well outside of any formal event, that is,” Victoria answered, “and I ordered for you.”
He snorted, “What’d you get?”
“It’s a surprise,” Victoria smiled.
“Trying to be so tricky,” he commented, “by the way, where’s Hae?”
“Ah…at work.”
“Really?”
“We just came back from a two day trip to Jeju Island.”
“Oh? What’d you two go there for? To spend some time together?”
Victoria shrugged, “I guess. Chief Kang had some tickets and handed them over.”
“That’s real lucky. I’d want a getaway as well.”
“Should we get one?”
“Really? To where?”
“Your food’s here,” the waiter interrupted.
They laughed in spite of themselves and thanked the waiter for the food.
“So you missed a whole day of school,” Eunhyuk said, “you’re going to have a lot of stuff to catch up on. So, should I let you go early?”
“No, it’s fine,” Victoria shook her head, “I don’t know if I would do when I go back anyway.”
“Where’s uncle? He’s not home?”
She shook her head, “I don’t know where he is. In the mean time, just keep me company. Should we go shopping afterward?”
“Too much money,” he shook his head, “and my mother just basically filled up my closet with some embarrassing things she got for me.”
“Your mother’s so fun,” Victoria commented. “Tell her to buy me some things too.”
“You’d regret saying that,” Eunhyuk told.
A while later they found themselves taking over the arcade while the youngsters stood alongside criticizing and watching them.
“Ahjusshi! That’s not how you play it!”
“Eh?” Eunhyuk twisted his neck around from the game he was busy playing at.
“Move over!” the little boy pushed him aside and took over. “Like this! Like this!”
Victoria giggled from the side, stepped out of the way, and walked away.
When she was halfway down the block she heard, “Yah!”
Eunhyuk chased after her and grabbed her shoulders as he ran into her.
“You got owned!” Victoria laughed.
“Tsh…I was only allowing him to feel like a man,” Eunhyuk shrugged her words off as he stuck his hands into his pockets.
“Should we get Melodix something?” Victoria wondered. “New toys? An outfit?”
Eunhyuk turned around the corner with her and they entered a dog store. They paused by the shelf and glanced at the many different outfits hanging off each hanger. Eunhyuk reached over her to grab one he’d seen, but Victoria paused, and turned to look at him.
“What?” he questioned.
“Nothing,” she smiled.
“She has a lot of toys and treats,” Eunhyuk explained, “the doctor said she’s gaining weight, which might be a bad thing, so maybe we’ll get her an outfit to help her hide her fat.”
“Cause you’ve been spoiling her too much,” she scolded by hitting his arm.
“It hurts!” he muttered rubbing his arm.
Victoria snorted, “Did not. I didn’t even hit you hard.”
“Then you pay for this,” he shoved the pooh bear outfit toward her.
Victoria snorted again and watched as he walked away to go look at the fishes in the tanks at the side. As she walked up to the counter her phone began buzzing in her pocket. Pulling it out she discovered that it was Donghae calling.
“Hello?”
“Where are you?”
Victoria turned around to look at Eunhyuk, “Incheon.”
“Why?”
“I’m getting something for Melodix,” Victoria half lied.
“Hurry up, I’m hungry,” he whined.
“Ok,” she replied then hung up.
After paying she turned to look at Eunhyuk who turned to look at her after a moment.
“What? Do I have something in my hair? You put something in my hair, didn’t you?” he accused as he ran his fingers through his hair.
Victoria laughed at him, “Come on, lets go. I want to see Melodix a little bit before I head back.”
“Oh? You’re heading back?” he asked. “If Hae’s not home, you could stay for dinner. Mom wouldn’t mind.”
“I would,” she told, “but he’s home and whining.”
“Ah…did he call you?” Eunhyuk asked. “Does he know you’re here with me?”
They stepped out of the shop and headed toward their cars.
“I told him I’m in Incheon getting something for Melodix,” Victoria replied, “but not that I’m with you.”
Eunhyuk’s face expression changed to a worrisome one.
“Are you ok?” she asked.
“I should be asking you.”
Victoria paused and stared a little at the ground before she turned to look at him with a smile, “It’s ok, but you know…he’s a little sensitive after the incident.”
Eunhyuk looked guilty, “Sorry.”
She shoved him a little, “No, it’s no one’s fault. It’s already the past. Come on, lets go. I want to see Melodix.”
Grabbing his arm she pulled him forward.
/ / / / /
Eunhyuk watched with an amused smile as Victoria caught Melodix and sat on the ground to slip her new outfit on. However, he couldn’t help but feel that he’d been part of the argument between Victoria and Donghae. He could have taken better care of the situation, but he hadn’t at the time. But it wasn’t a big deal anymore since the two of them seemed to be doing fine.
“Isn’t it cute?” Victoria’s voice caught his attention.
Victoria had always been the same. The same girl he’d gone to save when her feelings were falling apart, when her heart had been shattered. She was still the same person he’d confessed to at one point, she was still the same sane person he’d gotten drunk with. And he was the same person she’d kissed that one awful night after so much misery had been brought upon her.
“It’s cute,” he replied with a smile.
“Ok,” Victoria got up and set Melodix free to rub herself against the floor, “I’ll be leaving now. Let me know whenever you’re free, it’s your turn to call me up, you got that?”
He followed her out and waved from the door as she got into her car. When Victoria drove off Eunhyuk turned around feeling kind of empty and sad as if a friend he’d always been with was now leaving and he wouldn’t know what to do when that person wasn’t there anymore.
“Oppa,” Jung Hee Sun’s voice caught his attention.
Turning from the door he glanced at her before he spotted a newspaper in her hand.
“What?”
She handed him the newspaper. Eunhyuk took it and glanced at the front page to discover that it was the paper from just a few days ago.
“Isn’t he the guy from a year ago who stalked Victoria?”
Eunhyuk glanced through the open door to the parking lot where Victoria’s car was now missing. His heart raced. Was that why Donghae had been so cautious the other day by dropping her off at his house before leaving for work? Did Victoria really not know?
“I’ll be back,” Eunhyuk handed her the newspaper and headed for his car.
spring semester ends this friday and i'm off for summer break :D i'll get back on track with YSRMII
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