If this was when Bella was still around, it would be a no brainier.
Should I loiter around the streets, have dinner at some cafe, maybe sit at the park, then get back much later?
Should I get a hotel room?
No, that's going to be expensive. I don't exactly have money to be throwing around.
A thought occurs to me. When I first moved here, I went upstairs to check the roof. There's nothing special up there, just a bunch of air conditioning units.
And a gentle night breeze.
Mind made up, I head towards the staircase and head upwards. There's nothing like solitude and a cool wind blowing in your face to forget about things.
The building has eight floors in total. I'm on the flight leading to the seventh floor when someone appears at the top, coming downwards.
It's a man, dressed all in black with a baseba
Hyun Bin leads me to a coupe sitting in the parking lot outside the complex."Where are you taking me?""Somewhere I can keep my eyes on you," he says, opening the passenger door. "Get it."I sigh. "Look, you're making a mistake.""Do you need me to shove you into the car, or are you going to do it yourself?"I glare at him, rage coursing through my veins. Well, let's see how far he wants to take this. I get into the car and he closes the door after me.Seconds later, he gets into the driver's side and starts the car. Can this be termed as a kidnapping? I remain silent, reviewing everything that has happened in my head. I wonder what he was doing at my apartment building. It's not a cozy complex where the likes of him live. Far from it. Was he there to see someone? Probably. Given his getup and the way he's hiding half of his face with that cap, he has to be hiding something.
I admit that when Park Hyun Bin debuted with his group ten years ago, I labeled myself his biggest fan. He was 23, the oldest member of the group, and the leader. I was a fifteen year old who was beginning to form high standards when it came to the opposite sex based on my favorite pop idols.Park Hyun Bin was not only talented but unbelievably good looking. Millions were infatuated with him, and I was no exception.Five years later, Hyun Bin left the group with two years remaining on his contract. It was a huge scandal that rocked the entire industry. Back then, his group, 6ix, was the biggest in the country and had a huge fan following. Hyun Bin apparently had a falling with the agency regarding mistreatment of the artists, and he choose to terminate his contract. The fandom was divided in half, with one block accusing him of betraying them and his teammates, while the other lauded him for taking a stance against the exploitative agency.
Hyun Bin lifts an eyebrow at my attitude and crosses his arms over his chest. "I'm still your CEO, you know."I hoist my bag onto my shoulder. "And I'm still human. Do you know why I went for a career in fashion design?''"Because you love it?""And because I wanted a career where I could be as freelance as I wanted so I didn't have to kiss asses pleasing hard-to-work-with superiors in the hopes of a promotion or something like that."His jaw ticks. "Are you calling me a hard-to-work-with boss?""No, but right now you appear like one who expects me to be all meek for the sake of my job after that show you pulled."He frowns and shifts from one foot to the other. "Usually, that's what happens.""I understand where you were coming from, Mr. Park. I'd probably also be suspicious of me if I was you. But you should have done due diligence befo
"Christ, Emma. The guy accuses you of being a stalker, almost fires and sues you, and you have a sex dream about him?"I face palm, then slap my cheek twice for good measure. Images from my earlier dream float into my mind and I shut my eyes tight. I need to stop thinking about it.It's 2a.m., and I'm in Hyun Bin's kitchen downstairs. Five minutes ago, I woke up from a dream where Hyun Bin and I were getting it on behind The Daze.That's right, in that alley where Roberto tried to force a kiss and Hyun Bin socked him in the face. But that's not the most mortifying part of the dream.It was the fact that a camera man appeared from nowhere and started taking photos. I knew we had to hide, but I couldn't get the words out to tell Hyun Bin that we should leave. Much like the dreams where I'm running away from something but my feet refuse to move. So there I was, fucking my celebrity crush aka my CEO, but instead of enjo
In the morning, I pick out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt from the closet. I add my leather jacket on top. I shove the clothes I had on yesterday into my shoulder bag and head downstairs.It's a few minutes to 7.As I take the stairs downstairs, my mind is a jungle of thoughts. How am I going to act when I see Hyun Bin? Is he going to mention last night?Is it possible to pretend that what transpired in his kitchen never happened?My thoughts come to a sudden halt when I see him standing in front of his study room, all dressed up for work. He's in a fitting black suit, white shirt, no tie. His dark hair is slicked back, allowing me a full view of his face. He looks ready to go... Is he waiting on me?I hurry down the remaining stairs and head towards him."Morning," I mumble when I'm a few feet from him.His eyes rise to me, then he gives his wristwa
"Oh, wow, are those Fendi jeans? You're full of surprises, aren't you?"I suppress the urge to sigh as Fiona appears beside me.We've just completed our morning meeting to check the progress of the various projects. I arrived at the company a few minutes to eight to find a crowd of protesting fans gathered outside. I managed to make my way through and get into the building.It's almost nine thirty and the crowd is only growing bigger.I organize my folder and hold it against my chest. "You seem to have me pegged as someone I'm not," I reply. "That's why you're always surprised."I, of course, don't own a pair of Fendi jeans. Or any designer clothes at all. I tend to go for comfort before worrying about what brand names I'm wearing. Besides, I'm not in a position to buy jeans worth hundreds of dollars. But Fiona doesn't need to know that my current pair was borrowed from a closet in Park Hyun B
The media and the internet have a field day.That's until 2p.m when Ji Bora, Byun Jihoon's co-accused, holds a press conference organized by her agency.What she reveals leaves the country in a frenzy, but of a much different kind from that of earlier on today.Apparently, Ji Bora and Byun Jihoon are mother and son.Ji Bora had Jihoon at 18. Being a mother threatened the dreams she had of being a star actress. To make matters worse, her son was the product of a fling with a married man in his thirties. The man and his wife agreed to take Jihoon as their own if she disappeared from their lives. She gave up her son and chased her dreams.Her acting career went well, but she always regretted giving up her son. After he turned eighteen, she was afraid to approach him lest he hated her. Then he debuted as an idol and she knew she couldn't ruin his career by bringing a messy family scandal into the pictur
*Hyun Bin's POV*My bottle of wine is almost gone, but the thoughts in my head are as prominent as ever. It's funny how after everything that has happened yesterday and today, she's the only thing my mind is fixated upon.I mean, yesterday, I was in a cold sweat, terrified that someone knew about Yeri's location and had been following me around. Today, I woke up to the news that Byun Jihoon, leader of my debut boy group, was in a dating scandal with a much older actress. Who later turned out to be his birth mother.To be honest, the issue with Yeri had me in the worst position. I could have easily navigated the situation with Jihoon had it turned out worse.Regardless, despite those two near disasters, it's her face that's at the forefront of my mind.Emma Tsindoli.Ever since that woman walked through my office door, I've broken a few of my own rules. I was attracted to
One Year Later "Thank you for coming. Bye, have a safe ride home." I walk back towards the entrance and heave a sigh of relief. That was the last guest to leave. The night is finally over, and as much as I enjoyed it, my legs are killing me from being on my feet all evening. Before getting back into the building, I come to a halt and stare at the shining sign above the entrance. Emma's. The smile that has been assaulting my lips every time I see that logo appears. It still feels unreal. A year ago, I never would have thought I would be launching my company today. I've spent the last year planning everything and putting together my first collection while also working for one of the biggest fashion houses in the city.
"Stop worrying," Hyun Bin urges as he closes the door behind us. We've ended up in a condo by the beach. He takes hold of my hand and pulls me to him. He cradles my face in his hands and looks at me earnestly. "Everything is going to be fine. I promise." After he explained everything during the ride over, I tried to be positive. Everything he's telling me points to a massive exposé that's going to cause ripples countrywide and clear up a lot of misunderstandings from the past. But there's a part of me that's reluctant to relax. I've watched him battle negative press time and again successfully, but it only provides temporary reprieve. When the next scandal arises, it's as if he never proved himself before. How many times does he need to prove himself before people leave hi
In the morning, my mother shakes me awake. I realise the sofa bed is pulled out and I'm covered up. When I cried myself to sleep last night, I didn't get up to pull the bed out or get a blanket. "Emma, wake up. You have a visitor." I sit up, half-confused. "What? Me? Who? What's the time?" Why would I have a visitor in Busan? I don't have any friends here. "It's six." And who on earth pays someone a visit so early? "Emma?" I stare at my mother, uncomprehending. Someone else just called my name. Someone with Hyun Bin's voice. I whip my head towards the direction of the door. Hyun Bin i
When I get to the station in Busan, I get a taxi and give the driver the address Jennifer sent me. It's an address for an apartment in Daeyeon, which has me a little confused. All along, I thought I was headed to Haeundae, where Louise lives. Unless Jennifer got a separate place. I arrive after about ten minutes and make my way to the fourth floor. I ring the bell and the door opens a few seconds later. Jennifer is standing on the other side, dressed in a purple shirt and black slacks. It looks like work uniform. She smiles at me and reaches for my suitcase. "Emma! Come in." "Thanks," I step over the threshold and walk into the room. The living room is about the size of mine, but it's a lot neater. "I didn't know you had your own place." She closes the door and comes after me. "Yes, I… Louise go
By the time we emerge from the bedroom, it's dark out and I'm starving. We plan to make dinner together, but Hyun Bin excuses himself to his study room first. I've kept him away from work for long enough, so I don't try to hold him back anymore.When he finally reappears, the spicy chicken stew I'm making is almost done, same as the rice. I'm in the middle of preparing a vegetable salad.He walks over and gives me a kiss on the forehead. "I'm sorry, that took longer than I expected.""No worries, I've got this covered."He sniffs the air. "Yeah, I can tell." I dig my elbow into his side playfully. He chuckles and moves away. "I'll set the table.""Any developments?" I ask later when we're at the table."There's a
I head to the bathroom and when I come back, I run into Hyun Bin heading into his study room. I frown and walk over. "What are you doing?" "I have to take care of some stuff." I shake my head and reach for his hand. "You've been at work all night. Did you sleep at all?" "Don't worry about me. I was an idol, remember? I've gone for days without sleep." I shake my head. "You need to rest. Dealing with everything when you're tired will only make you more frustrated." "Emma, every second I don't spend looking for who is behind all this is another second of people smearing your name all over the place." "I don't want you to sacrifice your health for that. I'm sure your team is handling everything well. Come." I
I taste the orange juice on his lips. But that's not the reason my insides are in a knot. I thought I'd never feel his lips against mine again. My eyes are closed tight, but I don't need to look to know I've caught him by surprise. I pry his lips apart with mine, giving him a soft kiss. "Emma--" "Kiss me." It's too quiet. The sound of our breathing is the only thing in my ears. He makes no move for so many seconds that I believe he's not going to. By when I'm about to pull away, his lips crash into mine. I lock out all thought from my mind and kiss him back, taking everything I can. I didn't realise how much I missed this. Not just kissing him but being thi
I make a call to Bella and let her know what's up. After that, I spent most of my time pacing around Hyun Bin's living area, waiting for him to show up. He disappeared into his study room after we agreed on what to do about the dating rumours. He hasn't come out of the room since. The company has already released a statement revealing that the song leak was an intended early surprise for the fans. Another statement noted that I'm not related to any anti-fan activities. But fans' reactions show they need more than a couple of statements to go by. Many think this is PR's way of saving the company's face. Unless they sue someone for the false accusations and reveal a motive, nothing is going to be convincing. I want to ask Hyun Bin whether they've found something on Fiona. But that's not the only thing that has me restless.
"What do you think you're doing?" I demand, fixing my eyes on Hyun Bin. "Are you okay? Did anyone hurt you?" he asks instead of answering my question. His eyes roam all over my body, as if searching for a sign of injury. "I'm fine!" I snap. I was fine before he showed up. "Why the hell are you here? You made things worse!" "There are crowds of angry fans outside your building, Emma! How exactly did I make this worse?" "I had a plan! I was going to leave, unnoticed, before you showed up and made a show of it. God knows what they're saying now." His jaw clenches. "Where were you going to go?" "Bella's." "They know about Bella's."