jihoon's muse

Chapter 65: Felicia

Felicia clasped her hands together and made a dreamy face. Then as if mocking me, she said, "Oh, Lee Jihoon-oppa, I really want to be a music producer just like you. Would you help me?"

My heart stopped when she uttered his full name. I glanced at Chaerin who was equally as surprised as I was. Though we tried to suppress the shock.

The blood rushed through my veins from the heightened anxiety, worry and rage. Instinctively, I wanted to get up and grab her; but I stopped myself. I told myself to stay calm and held the edge of the bench.

Surely she did not have concrete proof. I had to deny it. For now, I had to deny it to throw her off. A volatile reaction would only prove her right about VOBO's true identity.

It hurt that I had to protect Jihoon even after we fought. I could feed him to sharks right now. I really could. But I was more than that. No matter how badly our relationship was to sour, I would hold true to my word.

"VOBO isn't him," I said to her firmly. "VOBO is someone else."

Yet the smug look on her face remained ingrained. She believed none of my words. Instead, she picked up her phone and scrolled through it for a bit. A soft hum left her lips. Her eyes filled with glee.

"Thanks to some dear friends, I got all the proof and information. Want me to reveal them to you?" she taunted me with a grin.

My heart started to pound against my chest. My strong grip on the bench did not falter. My knuckles were probably white now. Information? As in private information? Information on his whereabouts and relations? My forehead creased as I awaited her next move in anticipation.

Felicia cleared her throat before reading off her phone screen.

"VOBO a.k.a. Lee Jihoon. Birthday: November 22, 1996. Drives a black Hyundai Avante- I won't state the license plate number because that would be overkill. Height: 164cm. Hometown: Busan. Am I right so far? Just checking if we got the right guy," she stated.

I fell speechless. Blood drained from my face. My hands continued to grip the bench harder and then I felt Chaerin's hand on mine. She grabbed my hand, removing it from the bench gently then squeezing it. Though there was not much comfort found in her warmth, it did simmer me down slightly. I was reminded Chaerin was right next to me. I was not alone.

Seeing the bewildered look on my face, Felicia smiled and carried on, "He works at SVT Entertainment. And occasionally goes over to PRISMATIC studios to work with them. Do you know who else in SVT works with them? VOBO-"

"And Han. Han goes there too. Maybe the person seen was him."

"Please, they know what he looks like. Lee Jihoon is the only other person who regularly commutes between SVT and PRISMATIC or his home and PRISMATIC- Oh yeah, he moved house late last year, didn't he?"

Her words sent shivers up my spine. The accuracy of the information was shocking. How could this have possibly gotten out? How did I not notice anything? Perhaps they already had all this information long before I even met him.

It then hit me...

Eunkyung.

Eunkyung, who claimed to be an avid fan of VOBO and hinted at wanting to see him reveal his face. The girl who had been texting me even after the camp ended. As if she was genuinely interested in me.

She was not actually interested in me... She was interested in the producer I was close to. Perhaps she hoped I would let slip VOBO's upcoming works and schedules if she spoke to me enough.

But how did Felicia come into the picture and why? If Felicia did orchestrate this, she must have used her extensive network to find sasaengs of the producer I admired to destroy his life- thus indirectly hurting me. Or perhaps, she thought that if she told them about me and added fuel to the fire- that is the possibility of me and Jihoon dating- then they would hurt me. Felicia would not even need to lift a finger...