Lost in Your Beauty
Fool's GoldWoobin woke up with a bit of a chest pain. He wasn't certain how he got it. Perhaps the lobster he ate for dinner or the steak. He reached for his phone, placed on his bed after staring at a photo fo Bella for far too long. He was in a committed relationship with Kahi these past four months, yet he found himself, at night especially and in the early mornings before his day began, to sneak a peek of his now estranged fiancee. As he reached for the phone, a sting on his finger rose him to a sitting position on his bed. The paper. The letter. The last hello and goodbye from THE girl who shook his pristine, selfish world.
Woobin unfolded the letter on the same creases it made the many times he opened and closed it. He placed it behind his iPad, sealing it to the case. It's been four months since he first read the letter. Four months since she left. Shaking away his thoughts he got ready for his trip to Jeju and packed the remaining essentials in his luggage.
...
He put his seat in the upright position and took a bite of his in-flight meal. Kahi set on the seat across from him enjoying a cocktail.
"So you're telling me we are going to Jeju for a meeting?" She was smiling only because she felt like this weekend getaway could be the moment Woobin proposes to her. Of course he hasn't asked for her parents permission but then again maybe he did and she just didn't know it. Her excitement grew.
They took a stroll down the boulevard near the resort. The meeting was scheduled for tomorrow morning and there were some hours left in the daytime to breathe in the Jeju air. A cozy beverage shop situated near the beach seemed like a good place to watch the sunset. Kahi browsed a boutique near the shop. Allowing her to take her time shopping, Woobin entered the beverage shop and a little bell hung from the door chimed.
"Welcome! What can we make for you? Suns about to set and you can enjoy the view from here." A perky young woman behind the bar greeted him pleasantly. The poised man spoke money with his attire and accessories. A clean-cut white button-down shirt, a sweater draped over his broad shoulders, paired with navy chino shorts, Balmain loafers, and CK watch. He smiled softly at the barista. For a few seconds she stared. Uncontrollably. His tall physique and model looks mesmerized her, causing the male customer to repeat his order. When she broke from her reverie, she mumbled an apology and called out his order to another woman preparing the drink, and the tea sandwich he requested.
Woobin found a seat through the large sliding glass doors of the shop and sat at a table looking past the pier and towards the beach. The sun was about to set and the cool Jeju breeze ran through his hair, cooling and calming the male. He actually felt relaxed after months of inner turmoil. With his attention away from the two attendants behind him, he looked at his iphone at his busy work schedule. In the meantime, Kahi picked out a cute lace top at the boutique and made her way to the shop next door. She stood, with gaped open. The beverage shop was familiar to her. After a moment, her mind cleared. This was the very shop Bella worked at. She looked around frantically for Woobin when she entered. The chime rang and the same perky barista greeted her. Kahi ignored her greeting and continued to look about in the shop for her boyfriend. At the same time, she feared she, they, may spot someone from his past.
"Bells, you have to see this guy who came in, oh my gosh, he's so good looking. And obviously made of money." Isabella laughed at her friend and co-worker. She got this way every now and again when her ideal entered the shop. She smiled and continued to make the sandwich.
Bella handed the tray to her friend. "Here, give it to the good looking tourist. I'll man the register." She knew Steph would want to make more contact with him anyway. She turned to find that most of the customers had already left since the sun was setting. Most likely they went to their respective resorts or homes, or took a stroll on the beach. It was almost time to close shop, and the final customer who entered the shop was still wandering around in search of someone. Catching the back of the customers head as she passed the register and moved towards the patio, Bella called her out one last time.
"Excuse me, the shop's about to close, would you like to order." She said this in Korean, her Seoul accent well hidden after months of being around the locals in Jeju. Though it took time to adjust to their dialect, Bella was still able to keep up even if she was from Seoul. The city girl was what they called her.
Kahi waved her off when she saw Woobin speaking to an attendant. A breath of relief expelled from her lips and she put on a smile as she walked to her boyfriend. "You may leave us now." She said in an arrogant way and shooed the teenager away. "How many times do I have to tell you not to woo these young girls, babe?" she replied, jokingly to Woobin who answered with an indifferent smirk.
Steph helped Bella wipe down the tables and put up the chairs as they waited for the last two customers to leave. "Ugh, that woman." Steph sat on the stool behind the bar as Bella closed the cash register successfully. "How can one be so y to people who serve them drinks or food. Don't they know we can easily spit in their drinks?" Bella laughed at her friend. She looked at the backs of the couple who were enjoying their meal together in the patio. The sun was set and it looked like they were readying themselves to leave.
She shrugged her shoulders. "I am happy we get to go home on time. I hate it when they stay half hour past closing time. Besides, they're two lovebirds enjoying Jeju. Maybe she felt like you were moving on her man, you practically look like a model, Steph." Her friend was a model actually. Standing at a model's height and used to do runway shows in NY before her family moved to Jeju and opened the shop. They both were out of their element when they first moved to the island, Bella was fortunate she found a kindred spirit in Steph. The two women bowed at the customers as they walked past them, as soon as the door chimed they lifted their heads and Steph closed the glass doors to the patio, locking it securely.
Woobin held the door open for Kahi and thanked the two as they exited the beverage shop. He paused for a second when a reflection appeared on the glass panel of the door. "No way." He turned his head at the attendant with the familiar face. Her back faced him once again. Long wavy dark brown hair, a slightly curvy physique. "Excuse me?" The woman turned and Woobin took a step back upon seeing the face that he met frequently in his dreams these past four months.
"Bella! Could you help with this?" Steph called her out, and Bella tried her hardest to remain unaffected upon seeing and hearing Woobin. She quickly walked past him, pretending not to recognize him, as she assisted her friend. "Steph, I have to use the restroom, I'll be right back." She nervously walked past Woobin, bowing at him and still pretending to not recognize the face of the man who changed her life. She found solace in the employee bathroom and leaned on the wall to gather her emotions. Kahi stood in front of Woobin and dragged him out of the shop, asking him, jokingly if he saw a ghost by the look on his face. She too was nervous. However, she did not see Bella in the shop... Steph closed the door behind them and locked it, she turned the closed sign and waved goodbye at the handsome man.
Kim Woo Bin didn't know how to react as he walked slowly back to the hotel room. Fortunately, he and Kahi had separate suites, requested by his highly conservative mother. "I'll see you tomorrow, I'm not feeling well and need to rest for tomorrow's meeting," he informed Kahi as he sat on his bed, still shocked at who he saw. Though they've been exclusive for four months, Woobin was still very reserved around her. Especially after the debacle with Bella and the scandal he became more willing to keep his emotions in check, which meant, not show any.
Was she always that beautiful? He asked himself as the image of Bella in her barista uniform appeared in his mind. He felt out of it. He felt the need to find her again. He also felt distraught for Bella didn't seem to recognize him at all. Had she erased him from her mind after such a short amount of time being apart? How could she, and do it so easily? While here, he laid, seemingly lost in her beauty. Four months ago it would have alarmed him as to why he was obsessed with her. She almost ruined his chances to becoming heir of his family's company. However at the moment, all thoughts of the scandal, which favored him actually, and made the community empathize and adore him, disappeared. All he could think about was her. He grabbed his jacket and called for valet to pull the Porsche rental to the front of the hotel. He was determined to find out if indeed she forgot about him and her past in Seoul.
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