365 Days of You

Chapter 4

"You married Im fucking Nayeon?"

Mina wants to slap Momo. Like seriously. God help her, if one more time she is asked the same question she is either going to slap her or jump off a bridge. Or do both.

A knock on the door stops her from taking a disastrous decision.

She opens the suite door to find a middle aged woman dressed in an expensive business attire looking at her.

"Are you Miss. Myoui?"

"Yes I am."

"Good."

"You want me to stay in this marriage with her? With all due respect, are you out of your mind?"

Boram's face remains blank and expressionless.

"You'd be surprised to know how many celebrities are out there with this kind of arrangement, we call it a marriage of convenience."

"How many?" Momo asks and is silenced by Boram's stoic face looking at her.

"Convenient for who? For Im -I'm so drunk I got arrested twice plus I'm a raging homophobe- Nayeon?" Mina scoffs.

Boram winces. Sana would have missed it if she hasn't been looking. It's pretty clear to her that the manager cares about the singer to some extent.

"For her, yes and for you too."

"How is that?" Mina asks sarcastically.

"Don't think I've come in here extending a proposal without completely researching about you. I know you have just lost your job. I know your biggest dream is to buy the house your family used to live. The house that your father lost when his business went bankrupt. The house in which you grew up. The house you left behind in Japan. The house that holds all your happy memories."

"Home." Mina whispers as she bites her trembling lips.

"I know you were saving money from your last job to buy that house. Trust me, it would take you another twenty years just to save for the deposit and by then the price would have increased three fold."

"Why are you doing this?" Mina whimpers.

"Like I said it'll be a marriage of convenience for you both. She gets her popularity back, you get your happy memories back. The house will be bought by our management once you sign the contract and will be held in store for you. We will also pay double the price of your house if you fully satisfy your contract. If you back out of it anytime, we will sell it to someone else."

"I-I need to think about this."

"I'll take my leave then. This is my card." She says dropping it on the table, "If you don't call me by five in the evening tomorrow I'll take it you've declined the offer and we can file for divorce straight away."

Mina nods.

Boram walks out with a relief in her chest. She knows the girl would call back. She is positive that she couldn't have bought this girl for money. She hopes her hunch is right, that things would go according to plan.

She needs this to work. The girls need this work.

Sighing, she shoves her briefcase into the limo and instructs her driver to drive back to the hotel.

Seoul. KST 07:00

Mina walks closer to Nayeon as the crowd gathers around them. Numerous flashes blinds her eyes and she grips the older girl's hand tightly, her body shaking with tremors.

Nayeon smiles politely at everyone, throwing Mina a concerned and loving look once in a while for the camera's benefit.

"Nayeon-ssi, here. Nayeon-ssi here."

Mina is squeezed, pushed and shoved but she tries not to lose Nayeon in the crowd.

"Is that your wife Nayeon-ssi? She's beautiful." A young man asks.

Mina sees Nayeon glare at the photographer.  The older girl takes a stance near her possessively.

Mina thinks that Nayeon is proving to be an excellent actress. She fakes a smile at the singer when she wraps an arm around her waist and leads her through the crowd.

"She is beautiful. Isn't she oppa? That's why I married her." She grins as she almost shoves Mina into the waiting limo.

"Get your fucking dyke fingers off me."

These are the first words she has exchanged with Mina since they signed the contract.

"I'm not gay. And even if I am, you can't use slurs." Mina replies a bit hurt by the rudeness that is uncalled for.

'"Yeah right. That's why you decided to play house with me." Nayeon mocks her in a baby voice.

Growing increasingly annoyed by her behaviour, Mina retaliates, "Like you said no to playing house."

"I don't appreciate you speaking like that to me." Nayeon meets her eyes, a scowl present on her face. "You work for me. So you better act like that." She spews out venom.

Mina doesn't let the hurt show. It's the truth anyway. "I work for Boram, not you."

"Whatever." Nayeon settles back against the soft leather seat, a good distance away from her. "You are in it for the money. I don't see much difference between you and a prostitute."

Mina flinches like those words literally burned her. Her tears brim to her eyes but she turns away to look out the window as she replies coldly, "Why of course I'm in it for the money. Do you think I'm in it for your charming personality?"

Nayeon frowns at her. She knows the girl is taking a dig at her image. She also knows she has brought it upon herself by being extremely rude to the younger one. She can't help it. This girl, Tina, Rina, whatever her name is, is here for the money.

For a piece of her fame.

Just like everyone else. Her father, her ex and now this girl.

Everyone needs her money or fame.

Nobody needs her.

Nobody even knows the real her.

She shakes her head, trying not to go down the path her thoughts are taking. Despite that, she can't help feel angry at how out of control her life has become, and the bottomless pit of self sympathy and sorrow she was getting sucked into.

The limo arrives at her private villa.

"You stay out of my way. I stay out of yours." These are her parting words the moment they step into the house.