'Golden Mary'

Part 40

\ \ \ \ \

For a slight moment Victoria had believed that she might be able to chase after Donghae and believe in the love she was feeling again. Once again her feelings were a tingled mess and there were loops and loops of trouble waiting for her. She needed to attend every concern selflessly. Siwon and Jeju were next on her list then there was just so much for her to do. Locating the 'Golden Mary' was exhausting and making the trip back to the government would come after. It was for sure going to be a long process. There was no joy in having a personal life, not like she could have one in the first place.

It was dark now. The sun had set while they'd been talking and the streets were as empty as her heart. A soft wind flew by before a tiny rock skipped toward her feet. Looking up she found Donghae smiling at her. Like any other time he was charming and handsome.

"Hey." He simply greeted as if she'd been waiting for him all along.

"What are you doing here?" Victoria asked.

"I couldn't reach you by phone so I wanted to see you."

Victoria hesitated. Stepping on his feelings was better than losing him later. She would probably never see him again after she obtained the 'Golden Mary'.

"That's enough now." She said. "You should go your own way."

Obviously, his face expression changed in less than a second. He looked worried than serious. He turned his face toward the ground with a painful smile which he tried to use to pull himself together.

"Then why...did you come last night?"

"I felt obligated." Victoria lied.

"Are you going to say...you felt obligated to sleep with me too?"

A wave of feelings made Victoria waver on her two feet.

"I poured my heart and soul into you...and this is the false hope you gave me?" his voice trembled. "That hurts, Victoria."

Donghae turned around to leave and without thinking Victoria's foot took a step forward, her mouth opened, but no call for him came out. She just stood there in the dark watching his shadow get further and further away from her.

\ \ \ \ \

"Have you figured out anything?" Seohyun asked.

"I'm still searching for anything Noh Ki Young may have purchased," Siwon explained in the apartment kitchen.

Seohyun sighed, "We're on a dead end here too. Luhan believes there's nothing left for us to find out in Seoul."

"That may be the case."

"This game's so dirty, don't you think?" Seohyun questioned then said slowly. "Everything's...money, money, money. I mean...I used to think highly of money, but I wouldn't do it to the point where I take from others."

Siwon pressed his lips into a thin line before grabbing her hand in comfort.

"Victoria came back, but don't ask her anything. She must have appeared there out of concern for Donghae." Seohyun said then paused to think for a moment. "Do you think Victoria and Donghae had something going on?"

Siwon looked at her with a small smile. "He likes her. He told me a lot that he really likes her."

So was Victoria feeling burdened by her streak of troublemaking that she felt she couldn't have a life of her own? A sense of guilt plunged into her.

"How's your job? You didn't get into a lot of trouble, did you?" asked Seohyun.

"It's fine, I told them something concerning my family came up so I left," Siwon proudly said, "I've taken the next few days off as well."