Matter of Harmony || Oneus Seoho

Storm Brewing(5)

Xion' PoV

Yuri smiles softly as she approaches my car. Her skirts dance with the wind. Today's an important day. My younger brother and his fiance are going to be at the gathering we're attending. He'll be watching me and Yuri carefully to report to my older brother. They all heard the rumors of us of course, all of my immediate family. "Dongju is going to parties again, with a pretty actress. It seems like they are actually dating. You know he never dates anyone seriously..."

You can expect no less haste about whispering some juicy piece of information to whom it may concern when it comes to the elite circle we're around. If it aligns with their objective no secret will stay untold. All of the pretenders –wrapped up in the lies that make their life seem oh-so-important to them, that makes them think they are more valuable than the rest of the world. Yuri's right for not wanting to be around the likes of them, but we have to do this for my plan to work. To fool grandpa I need a strong case.

When Yuri's seated I reach over to fasten her seatbelt. The sudden move startles her but she doesn't object even though her cheeks are painted a shade darker when I linger a second more than necessary. I like testing her boundaries, what makes her shy seems to be quite random. At times she'll keep eye contact longer than even I'm comfortable with despite my experience with women. Then she'll get shy about something little like when I tuck her hair behind her ear. She's completely lax when I do her makeup and hair but she'll avert her eyes when I laugh at her jokes. It's fascinating to be around her.

The fifteen-minute drive is silent but I can tell she has something to say. I look at her expectantly, I need her to tell me now so that she can focus on me for the rest of the evening. They will be watching her as closely as they watch me. If I want my plans to work I can't afford a misstep tonight...

I drape my arm over her seat waiting expectantly, "You know those strawberry candies you gave me this week..." she says finally, fiddling with her hands. "How did you know... to get my favorite sort?" "They are your favorite? It must be luck, they reminded me of you when I saw..." she cuts me off, finally making eye contact. "That's not true, is it? Because you're Son Dongju. You used to live in the house next door." My breath catches in my throat. She remembered. A wave of emotions washes over me and I can't get a word out.

She remembered me...

"Seoho said it was you, I couldn't believe it at first but now looking at you I can remember." I pull my arm back as if I'm burned. The wave of emotions turns into an angry storm. How dare he..! She didn't remember herself after all... How dare he reveal a secret that's not his own, how dare she make me hope.

I hop out of the car to compose myself. I can't let her see my emotions, especially the kinds I'm going through at the moment. I can't pinpoint what I'm feeling myself, pressure fills my ears and I take a deep deep breath before turning to face her again, now standing outside the car.

"Can we talk about this after this evening?" I walk over to hold her hands "I need you to be more tonight... More than a friend. After this, I'll explain." She nods and reaches over to fix my hair "Ok, but just answer one question. Is it true?" "Yes," I say barely in a whisper.

This development knocks my plans over, I was going to take her to dig the time capsules we buried when... It doesn't matter now. I tell myself.

It never mattered. You never mattered to her whispers a low growl deep within the storm.

It was always a game. I would make her fall in love with me to fool grandpa. I will make her fall in love with me, I correct myself, this doesn't change anything, sooner or later I would tell her. Now... I need to focus on the game again.

...

Seoho's PoV

I move slightly on the chair adjusting my guitar on my lap. I'm at the small bar I sing every other Friday. This one's a solo gig, the owner of the Stag, Mr. Shin only wants a couple of songs with an acoustic guitar, not a full-on show. It's therapeutic singing to a few drunken people sitting just a few feet away from them. A regular chair, no mike, no light tricks... I've been playing here for years now, at one point I even played every night. Stag is the first place I got paid for singing. It was only snack money but it meant so much to me. My first long relationship started here and ended here... Yuri knew to find me here every week. And so did Kang Yoonah.

I close my eyes as I tickle the strings for a smooth tune. The tinge of sorrow is a surprise to me when I start singing the first lines of a too-familiar song. Memories rush in like a storm.

...

She had been here every night for more than a week. She was always alone and sat at the table in the right corner. One night as I stood up from my seat to get something to drink I came face to face with her. She had a soft smile and a softer voice "You're going to order a soda with lime. Let me get it for you." She got the drink before I could manage any sort of protest. "Chat with me for a bit," she said pulling me by my hand to her table. She was always assertive. When she had her mind made no one could change it. "I'm Kyungmi," it all blurs after that line, we had so many conversations here, and she asked me out right there. And just outside the door, she broke up with me. When she had her mind made...
...

It was another one of those nights, there were no more than three people at the Stag. Outside there was thunder and rain, and it felt like I was the starving artist out of a romance novel. Kyungmi wasn't here tonight. She had a big presentation at work and I wouldn't want her to bear the foul weather. I heard the door open and close behind me, the wind howling in long sighs. I had finished a song and was weighing whether I should leave or wait the storm out here. The newcomer didn't make a move after coming in, their steps would have been audible in the empty space. I turned my head and my heart dropped. For a moment a million possibilities raced through my mind. What happened to her?

Yuri was standing there, soaked to the bone, dressed in one of the fancy dresses Mrs. Kang would choose for her when they attended a gathering. Tears were rolling down her face, her bare shoulders shaking, either from the crying or the cold. I rushed to her side to envelope her in my arms "What happened?" I asked. She snuggled closer to me, now sobbing freely. I ran my hand through her hair, waiting for her to calm down. My head went in every direction, I had no idea what the problem was but I promised to myself that I would fix it. If I could, I would fix it for her.

I pulled my arms away to get my jacket off, her shivering wasn't only from the crying "Let's sit down, it looks like you walked here," she didn't protest when I pulled a chair for her and went to get something warm. Mr. Shin tried to complain about not being a daycare when I ordered a glass of hot chocolate but I glared at him nudging my head towards Yuri. "I know you have the milk and the chocolate old man, I think you can figure it out."

When I got back she spoke "She did it Seo, Kang Yoonah... We were arguing about acting school again. She said I could try all I want to go against her word, she would eventually make me behave. That a lady does what needs to be done, and that she'll make me do as she wants sooner or later. Then... then when I kept arguing she got angry and lost her cool.

She... She said she didn't like him so she made him go away." A bitter smile mocks her lips as she forces the words out "She started the rumors." A chill went through my spine. That means... I was too afraid to form the conclusion in my head. Yuri had a boyfriend in high school. The rumors started everything. He broke up with her and started drawing away from everybody...

"I asked her how she could sleep after what happened... after he killed himself. Just because she didn't like him. Because she wanted him gone... I asked her how she can go to parties and smile and go on as if nothing happened..."

If it's this hard for me to hear I can't imagine what she must be going through "She didn't even blink," she continued "..her jaw set tight, she said there was nothing she'd do differently if she had another chance. She said a lady does what needs to be done."

The only thing I could think to do was to pull her into an embrace again. "I can't go back..." she whispered. "I can't go back to her house." "It'll be fine, I'll make sure of it..." I soothed her "We'll go to my apartment, you can stay with me."