Dara~~When memories
creep up on you
******************************
Yeoseo Island is located in the south-western tip of South
Korea and it would take around 5 hours of driving to get there. Actually, that
is only from Seoul to the port. After that, we’ll have to take more than an
hour’s ride with a ferry to get to the remote island which is home to just
around 100 residents.
Choi Seunghyun, being the divo that he is, refused to ride
with the rest of the magazine staff and makeup artists. He wanted to use his
luxury van. Did I mention that he can’t drive? No, I’m serious. How can a 25
year old not know how to drive in this age, right? That means he needs to be
driven there and hell no will I be the one driving.
Especially since we just had an argument. I was merely trying
to get an idea about what he likes, food he’s allergic to if any, favorite
colors, etc but he refused to answer any of my questions. He said I was stupid not
to ask all these from his manager before he went on honeymoon. Well, I could
have if only I made my mind up earlier into agreeing with YG. When I realized I
had no way to get out of this predicament, it was too late. Choi’s manager has
already flown out of the country.
With no choice left, I took over and prepared what I can. So
now, after meeting with the magazine stylists and agreeing on all the clothes
and concept, I went straight to YG although I didn’t want to set foot there
again so soon. But we were set to leave tomorrow so I had no choice.
I should have followed my intuition of not going there. If
only YG picked up his phone. I ran into the last person I wanted to see. Or at
least one of the two I never want to see again.
My feet were rooted on the spot and I felt breathe caught up
in my throat.
The witch was clad in all black.
We both stopped in our tracks seeing that we’ll be passing
each other in the hallway. She recovered first and when she took a step
forward, I did too.
I walked straight, not even bothering to greet the stylist
and makeup artist trailing after her.
She, too, walked as if I wasn’t there.
I began to shake in anger and pain. I didn’t think that
seeing her would affect me this much.
When I reached YG’s office, I demanded he accept my
resignation, my original purpose forgotten. Seeing me visibly upset, he asked
me what’s wrong. I told him.
We made a compromise. If after 6 months, I still want to
resign, he’ll let me go. Until then, I’ll work with Choi Seunghyun. He even
assigned one of the manager interns, Jjangme as my assistant.
With my muddled head, I belatedly realized when I got back in
my car that I agreed to be TOP’s manager for six freaking months. Note to self,
never agree to any deal with YG ever again.
*******************************************
The day to depart for the photo shoot came. Jjangme drove,
TOP slept the whole way and I kept on replaying the whole scene with CL
yesterday with different scenarios in my mind.
I wished I was clever enough to say the words that I really
wanted to say. I also imagined slapping both of her cheeks before she could
react and pull out all her hair. We could also have talked in a civilized
manner inside a café but I quickly erased that thought because there’s no
chance I’d be that calm and collected. At least not right now.
How many stages are there in moving on? I think I’m still in
the anger stage.
After the encounter with CL, I also came up with different
scenarios of the eventuality of seeing Jiyong again. Being a drama addict, I
came up with different scenes from my favorite shows until it became too
painful and Jjangme noticed me quietly sniffling in my seat.
“Are you, okay?” he asked.
“Y-Yeah” I sniffed. “Just something in my eyes” I reasoned.
Jjangme may look scarily huge but really, he’s more like a
teddy bear with a gentle personality. I know that he didn’t believe me but let
it go and focused back on driving and let me cry silently for the next 30
minutes until we reached the port.
Yeoseo Island is beautiful. The houses are old and quaint
with huge yards. The stone walls are higher than in Jeju because of the wind
and I was told that the team has arranged four houses to be our temporary
shelter for the two days of photo shoot. One was assigned to TOP and me.
Jjangme will be rooming with his girlfriend from the makeup team.
I tried to protest and exchange rooms with him but I reckon
he’s also uncomfortable to be with TOP that’s why he declined.
I was tempted to offer my room to a couple of the magazine
staffs who were obviously fangirling over TOP but my role as a temporary
manager won over and I could only imagine what they’d do to him if they stayed
in one house.
So, we’re stuck with each other. What could go wrong within two days, right?
*******************************************
Everything that could go wrong did.
The photographer slipped and sprained his ankle on our way to
the hidden waterfalls. The concept is “One with Nature” and a week ago, I
thought that they’ve managed to convince TOP to show some skin but I guess
he’ll be the only one in history of modelling to be fully dressed under a
waterfall. It should look ridiculous but he wasn’t. The darn good- looking bastard!
A flashback of our earlier conversation came into mind. While
resting inside the small but neat house we’re assigned to while the crew gets
ready, I attempted to initiate a small talk and I told him about my thoughts of
him being all shy with his body. I told him that all the mystery has built up
such a high anticipation and wasn’t he worried that he’ll disappoint if all the
brouhaha about his covered body gets exposed someday? Is it that he’s not
confident that he’s not sexy enough? I mean, almost all male leads have bodies
to die for, right? I heard he also rarely goes to the gym so I doubt if he’ll
even have six-pack abs. I was babbling all of these, as I kept on talking
because he was just staring at me like I was an insect making me all nervous
and I babble when I get nervous so finally, I ended with a nervous laugh.
“I bet you’re one of them girls wanting to get a chance to
look at my body, right?” he said cockily after a moment and then sauntered
towards my direction. “What would you do to see it, huh?”
I was flabbergasted. “Excuse me?! In your dreams!”
“I bet you’d like to see me in your dreams, Park.” He smirked
and went inside his room. He only came out when I asked Jjangme to tell him
that it’s time to trek out to the location.
Aside from the accident, diva TOP, refused to change clothes
without a properly sealed changing room in the middle of the forest. He really
was adamant and just sat petulantly on a chair carried by Jjangme for him until
the crew finished building the makeshift dressing room. I’ve heard that he
always dresses alone and only lets the stylists touch or see him once he’s
fully dressed. Is he hiding a third
nipple or some kind of deformity?
I chuckled by myself when I thought of that as I was looking
at him being prepped up and he looked annoyed at me which made me chuckle even
more which made him frown even more. Ahh… he is so different from Jiyong. Ji
has always been a charmer. He would only show his good side to other people. What a two faced bastard!
The smile wiped off my face thinking of him and an unexpected
longing blossomed inside me. I tried to shake the feeling away and I chanted
“no, no, no” over and over. I must be talking out loud because I suddenly see
Choi in front of me.
“You are one weird girl, Park.” He declared.
“It takes one to know one, Choi.” I retorted.
He flashed his famous smirk at that and sauntered off for his
beauty shots.
We had to pack up early because the wind got crazy and the
sky had turned to an angry shade of gray and before we managed to reach our
lodgings, it began to rain so hard that we were all soaked. I was chilling to
the bone but there was only one bathroom and we couldn’t afford for the top
star to get sick so I told him to go first not that I had any hopes of him
being a gentleman but to my surprise, he did tell me to go in first.
I mumbled a thank you and he said that I look pitiful looking
like a drowned kitten. I rolled my eyes at him.
*******************************************
It rained the whole night and everyone was pretty much spent
and rearing to sleep that we all ate our dinner in a hurry to get to our beds.
Something woke me up in the middle of the night. I lay in my
bed a minute more, a bit disoriented, with the unfamiliar surroundings when I
remembered where I am. I was about to go back to sleep when I heard a noise
outside.
I got up to investigate and saw a crouched headless body in
the small kitchen. “What are you doing up, Choi?” I spoke directly from behind
him.
He shot up and hit his head on the open fridge where his head
has been chilling. “Yah!” he exclaimed, nursing the back of his head.
“Tch. Why are you guys such scaredy cats?” I lightly pushed
him aside to get some cold water. “Do you need something? Are you hungry?” I
asked after drinking. I glanced at the old wall clock. Its half past 2AM.
“I wasn’t really able to eat earlier” he answered sullenly.
The dinner earlier was held at the town hall and most of the female crews were
fussing all over him. Maybe that’s why he barely touched his food.
I saw some ramen noodles earlier and I, too, suddenly felt
hungry. “You want some ramen?”
He smiled at me for the first time. A genuine one.
******************************************
“Your face is going to be bloated tomorrow” I smiled with
satisfaction at TOP.
“I don’t get bloated” he bragged, eating from his porcelain
bowl.
I curled my upper lip to the right in a smirk and scooped up
some more noodles from the pot to my lid.
“I don’t get why people likes to eat from that” he gestured,
“when there’s a perfectly fine bowl to eat from.” He was shaking his head in
disapproval. Earlier, as soon as I set the pot on the table, I raced to get the
lid but he just looked at me funny and thought I was crazy to want to eat from
it.
“Well, have you tried it?”
He gave me a snobbish glance. “My mother trained us with
proper table manners.”
“Too bad you don’t have proper people manners” I muttered
under my breath.
“Yah, Park! I heard that!” he raised his voice.
I stuck out my tongue at him swiftly.
He scowled at me and then tried to scoop out all the
remaining noodles into his bowl.
In the middle of eating, a sudden memory of me eating alone
in the apartment while crying came unbidden. Back then, I imagined Jiyong
fighting for the lid that time. And here I am now; it seemed like a lifetime
away and also like it just happened yesterday. I can’t explain it. Only … it
was painful.
Before the tears fall, I stood up suddenly and turned my face
away. “I’m done. Just leave the dirty dishes. I’ll do them tomorrow.” I said in
a hurry and escaped to my room and cried myself to sleep. Its unexpected
moments like these that I hate the most … when memories creep up and I lose all
the power to stop my heart from feeling the pain. And although I hate him, I
still miss him … Tomorrow … tomorrow … I’m
going to be stronger … one day at a time …
Come morning, I had a headache, my face was bloated and my
eyes are swollen.
Meanwhile, TOP came out shining … looking like he came from a
spa treatment.
Curse him!
********************************
A/N:
My last
update for the week … ‘til next time!
Song for
the day is Because I Miss You by Jung Yonghwa => http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQln0wL6yEU#aid=P562G3hGHeA
If you
have comments, suggestions or violent reactions, feel free to state your case
below.
*bisous*
~mzbookworm4life
