With Love

42. Lies always hurt

Rachel: Blackmail? What on earth are you saying? How is this blackmail?

Leah: The other day, at the restaurant...

Rachel: Which day?

Leah: The day after we had gone to Hwangun valley, I had received a call from an unknown number. The person on the phone told me that I shouldn't go around meddling into the lives of other people. I asked her who she was and she just laughed it off saying that it's not important who she may be but what really matters is that she has proof. I asked her what she was talking about but she just cut the call abruptly.

Jane: Then what did you do?

Leah: Nothing. I didn't think it's something to take note of. I thought it's someone playing a petty prank. The second time this happened, she told me she knew I was with Taehyung and that I should stay away from him. She said that she'll expose his affair with an ugly commoner like me and that it would ruin his reputation as well as the whole of BTS. If I don't want such a thing to happen then I should steer clear from Taehyung's life and never involve myself with any of them.

Jane: Affair? What on earth!

Rachel balls her hand into a fist and raises her voice.

Rachel: All of this happened and you didn't tell us about it one bit?

Leah: Don't yell at me! If you were in my place, what would you have done? I really didn't know what to do. Yesterday, the same person called again. She told me that she'll show me her proof and that's the picture you are seeing right now.

Jane: How did she get hold of this picture?

Rachel: At least we know it's a 'she'. Did the voice sound familiar or anything?

Leah: The voice didn't sound familiar at all. I have no idea how she got that picture. I mean, it was clicked in the MnM store for the MnM Flash contest.

Jane: Wasn't it inside some booth kind of thing? I remember you describing it while talking about the contest.

Leah: Yeah.

Rachel: Do you think one of the MnM staff did this?

Leah scrunches her forehead as she thinks hard.

Leah: I don't see why they would do that. I mean-

Jane: Rachel may be right. After all, who else has access to this picture? You had said earlier that one copy of the photo remains with you and the other is automatically sent to MnM Agency. You think...

Rachel: Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

Rachel and Jane exchange a knowing look at each other before turning to Leah who stares at the two of them, not comprehending what it was that they were leading to.

Leah: What is it?

Jane: Well...

Rachel: You don't think, I mean, since it goes to the MnM Agency and we don't really know who handles all the pictures that are submitted there, it is after all, a very reputed and highly commercial store employing a lot of people...

Leah: What are you trying to say?

Rachel aimlessly kicks a pebble that was near the edge of the bench they were sitting on. She sighs and looks directly at Leah.

Rachel: You don't suppose the store owner, Kim Ji Woo is behind all this? I know it sounds hilarious and you might think that she wouldn't be crazy enough to harm Taehyung in any manner as she cares for him but what if she really does care a lot about Taehyung to blackmail you.