Behind the Curtains: A Tale of Hidden Emotions

Chapter 9

"It's ME time!"

I woke up full of energy and joy.

Today is my favorite day. After endless tapings and photoshoots, it's finally our rest day! I can’t stop hopping and doing cute dances in my living room.

I have so much on my list of things I want to do during this short break. I was so happy when P'Wanwan announced we’d have a week off. She said that after all our hard work, we deserved a break to refresh.

We're really lucky to have an understanding CEO and a hardworking crew. It makes the work environment healthy and productive.

Since we finished filming season 1 of our series, we’ve received different feedback from our fans. Most of it is sympathy for my character after the last part of the season.

It was really unfortunate for Neung to get that kind of treatment from the person she did nothing but love. Some understand Faye's situation too, trying to put themselves in Khun Neung's shoes. But I think no matter Khun Neung's reason, it’s never right to use someone just to temporarily forget the pain. By doing that, you’re hurting the person who did nothing but love you.

It's really unfair.

But anyway, let’s set aside work. Today is for Yoko and Yoko only. What should I do first? Hmm. Maybe I should go to a restaurant? Derma? Oh, maybe I’ll do some cafe hopping?!

I was so excited I didn’t have a concrete plan. In the end, I decided to just go to the mall and look for things I’d probably need.

I grabbed my car keys and headed to the parking lot. Did I mention I know how to drive? Well, if not, now you know.

It wasn’t a long drive before I reached the mall. It was still early, so I had plenty of time to spare.

While walking, I was surprised when people recognized me. I’m still not used to being known, so I’m having a hard time adjusting. I appreciate how people love and appreciate us and what we do. It always sends warmth to my heart.

I politely bowed and waved to people every time they greeted me. No one dared to invade my personal space, which I really appreciated. I was happy people respected our privacy. They’re such great people for doing that.

When I got tired of roaming around, I settled myself in a cafe. I had never been here before, so I asked the waiter for their best seller and ordered it. Feeling mischievous, I decided to do something to entertain myself. When the cashier asked for my name to call when my coffee was ready, I didn’t give my real name. Instead, I said, "Peraya," which is Faye's surname.

I don’t know what got into me, but I did it anyway. I let my intrusive thoughts win.

I waited while scrolling on my phone. I don’t know how many minutes passed, but when I heard "Peraya" called from the counter, I immediately rose from my seat.

"I think that’s my drink." I was a bit confused when I saw my order. It looked different from the picture I saw earlier. Was that really my order?

"Oh, sorry, ma'am, but this drink is taken," the attendant said, also confused.

"You said 'Peraya,' right?" I asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Then it’s my drink," I insisted.

"Sorry, ma'am, but she said it was her drink," the attendant said, pointing behind me.

When I turned around, I almost lost my balance. The person the attendant was pointing to was Faye.

"Miss Faye Peraya, right?" I heard the attendant again.

"Yes, it's me," Faye said while smirking, looking directly at me, not even minding the attendant in front of her.

"Drink for Peraya!" Another attendant called out, and I think this time it was really my drink.

How could my silliness backfire on me this fast?

I wished the ground would open up and swallow me whole. This was so embarrassing!

"So, you’re Peraya now, huh?" I glared at Faye. After that incident at the counter, Faye never stopped teasing me. "I didn’t know I had a wife." I shut my eyes tightly to conceal my embarrassment.

"Peraya, huh."

"Can you please stop?" I couldn’t take it anymore. I really regretted what I did. That was the most embarrassing thing that had ever happened to me, and this person here was enjoying every second of it. She’s so annoying!

I looked at her seriously now, but she was still laughing. I could see so much delight on her face. Her cheeks were so red, it looked like they were about to pop.

"I hate you," I said, folding my arms and slumping in my chair.

"Okay, okay. I’ll stop now." She raised her hands in surrender and tried to stop laughing.

"But may I ask why you used my surname?" she asked again.

"I already told you a hundred times why, Faye. I just felt like doing it, so I did it. Can you stop now?" I looked at her pleadingly, pouting.

She smiled at me and folded her arms over her chest. I looked at her, inspecting every inch of her face down to her chest. I unconsciously swallowed the lump forming in my throat. Jane was right. She’s really hot.

Fortunately, she stopped teasing me. We talked about everything we could think of, hopping from one topic to another. After some time, we decided to go shopping since we had already bumped into each other and decided to hang out.

"This is so cute, don’t you think?" I showed her a white mini fan. "You could use this during tapings, especially now that the weather is so hot. I’ll buy this for you." I grabbed the fan without waiting for her reaction. She had no choice but to accept it.

We shopped for different things, especially the ones we needed during shootings. I also bought myself a mini fan identical to Faye's. We were twinning!

After we were done shopping, Faye and I decided to eat lunch. We chose to dine at a famous steak shop Faye recommended. She ordered food for both of us, saying she knew exactly what tasted good. She better be right because I was starving.

"Is it good?" she asked, smiling.

"Yeah, you’ve got great taste," I replied. She shrugged, probably satisfied, and continued eating happily.

I was startled when I felt a touch on the side of my mouth. "You’re such a baby..." She wiped the side of my mouth and licked her lips. "My baby." I couldn’t hear her last statement clearly. What was she doing to me? I was really having a hard time dealing with these weird emotions I’d been feeling since I met Faye. She was making me question myself, and I didn’t know how to control it.

No matter how much I hid and denied it, I couldn’t lie to myself anymore. I was slowly getting more and more attracted to her. And I didn’t even know how to stop it.

Or did I even want to stop?

~~~~
🖤🤍