Summer in Seoul - CHAPTER 2 PART 2
Sandy pushed the wheeled shelf which was almost filled with clothes along the corridor. Still feeling annoyed, she walked towards the elevator. In the middle of the way, Sandy run into a boutique guard who knows her well and was told that Jung Tae-Woo is waiting on the second floor.
Arriving at the door of second floor demonstration room which exuded an elite impression, she paused for a moment. She hesitated. Why does she have to meet Jung Tae-Woo again? What should she say to him? What should she do? Did the man know about the photos posted on the tabloid?
Sandy sighed and bit her lip. Maybe Jung Tae-Woo doesn’t even remember her anymore. Sandy nodded. Right, Jung Tae-Woo must have forgotten her. Celebrities must be hard to remember other people faces because they have to meet so many new people every day. That must be it. How could they remember everyone they met in a short time, right?
With that thought, Sandy pushed the large glass door in front of her and stepped inside. She took a deep breath and forced her legs to continue.
Sandy stood in front of one of the demonstration room door and took another breath. Okay, this is the time. Do and finish it as soon as possible! Don’t worry. That person won’t remember you. Just do your job.
She reached for the door handle and opened it.
***
“One of his men will deliver the clothes here,” Park Hyun-Shik said as he closed the cellphone flap.
Tae-Woo took a deep breath and threw himself into the soft sofa placed in the middle of the room. “I told you, we shouldn’t have to come this early.” He glanced at his watch. “Ah, I’m wrong, it turns out it’s not us who come too fast. They are the one that late. Hhh … how long do we have to wait?”
Park Hyun-Shik just wanted to answer when his cellphone rings for the umpteenth time in the last two hours.
Tae-Woo looked at his manager who is speaking in a formal language on a cellphone. Looks like a call from a producer or something. Park Hyun-Shik gave a signal to be out for a while. Tae-Woo nodded indifferently and Park Hyun-Shik came out of the room.
Tae-Woo leaned his head on the back of the sofa, trying to get comfort. Just when he felt peaceful and almost fell asleep, he heard the sound of the door being opened and the voice of a woman.
“Good afternoon. Sorry to keep you waiting for a long time.”
Tae-Woo opened his eyes. A shoulder-length haired girl with red hat entered the room while pushing a wheeled clothes rack. The girl bowed respectfully. Tae-Woo got up and bended his body slightly to reply her greeting.
“Mister Kim asked me to bring these clothes for you. Please try.” The girl pushed the shelf to the end of the room, near the changing room. She took out one of the clothes from the hanger and handed it to Tae-Woo. “Please try it there,” she said, pointing to the cubicle covered in thick curtains.
There was a strange feeling that was bothering Tae-Woo, but he didn’t know what made him feel like that. He received the offered clothes and went to the dressing room.
Finished wearing clothes, Tae-Woo pushed aside the curtain. Right at that moment he saw the girl that carrying the clothes before sitting on a round chair beside the sofa. The red hat was removed and the girl was combing her curly hair with her fingers. Tae-Woo was stunned and looked at the girl. That was the first time he had seen the girl’s face clearly since she came in with the clothes rack.
Suddenly the girl turned around with a surprised face, it seemed she realized she was being observed. She quickly put back her hat and stood up. “How was it? Are the clothes suitable for your taste? Do you like it?”
Isn’t she the girl he met yesterday? Absolutely. Tae-Woo still remember her face. A tired and pale face. The girl standing before him was indeed the girl that he met yesterday. Her face still looks tired and pale. But why did this girl say nothing? Did she not recognize him?
“We’ve already met,” said Tae-Woo. He wasn’t asking. He was really sure, so he wanted to see her reaction.
The girl was stunned, then slowly raised her head and looked at Tae-Woo doubtfully.
The hesitant gaze was absolutely the same as the girl’s gaze who had come to his house yesterday. Tae-Woo waited for the girl to say something.
After a few seconds of silence, she just muttered, “Oh?”
Tae-Woo was disappointed because she didn’t show any reaction. She just stared at him with her big eyes. This girl is stupid or really didn’t remember about their meeting last night? Well, it is’nt an arrogant feeling, but Tae-Woo just can’t understand how someone can forget a celebrity that he just met last night? Tae-Woo was upset because he was the one who remembered the girl, while she didn’t seem to remember him at all. How can it be? Or actually he wasn’t as popular as he thought? Has the world changed without his knowledge?
“You came to my house last night because our cellphone were switched,” Tae-Woo said flatly and quickly, trying to help her regain her memory. For God’s sake, did this girl suffer from amnesia?
***
Sandy looked at Jung Tae-Woo who was getting into the dressing room and pulling the curtain. She breathed a sigh of relief and sat in a soft round chair. He really didn’t recognize her. Sandy took off her hat and held her cheek with one hand. Very tired. Hopefully until the work is finished, Jung Tae-Woo won’t recognize her. She combed her hair with her fingers while daydreaming. Suddenly she saw Jung Tae-Woo standing there watching her. Sandy gasped and immediately put on her hat.
“How was it? Are the clothes suitable for your taste? Do you like it?” She asked in a tone that was made cheerful and polite.
“We’ve already met.”
Sandy didn’t budge. She bit her lip. Apparently Jung Tae-Woo recognized her. How about now? Just confess? But if she just confess now it will feel strange. Finally she could only muttered something unclearly.
“You came to my house last night because our cellphone were switched,” Jung Tae-Woo said again. His tone was flat.
Alright, she can’t dodge anymore. Sandy forced a smile. “Oh, yes, right. How are you?”
That’s all she can think of. Sandy scolded herself in her heart.
Jung Tae-Woo looked at her with a strange look, then turned away and snorted softly. “Apparently remember too,” he murmured.
Sandy raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”
Jung Tae-Woo looked back at her and said, “So you work here?”
“Yes … you could say that,” Sandy answered. She is relieved now. At least she didn’t need to bow her head again. No need to hide her face again.
“The photos on the tabloid … Have you seen it?” Jung Tae-Woo asked.
Sandy swallowed hard. This is it. Did Jung Tae-Woo think she was behind this incident?
“Already seen it…,” she said doubtfully, then quickly added while shaking her hands, “but it wasn’t my doing… I mean, I have nothing to do with that. Really.”
Jung Tae-Woo chuckled. “We knew it. After all, the photos actually helped me.”
Sandy didn’t understand.
“Do you often read tabloids?” Tae-Woo asked.
Sandy shook her head. She didn’t have time for that. After all, she didn’t need to read the tabloids at all to know the gossip about celebrities. Her friend, Kang Young-Mi, is a walking tabloid. Kang Young-Mi knows everything that happened in the entertainment world. Whatever she knew, she would tell Sandy, no matter Sandy actually wanted to know or not.
Jung Tae-Woo nodded. “Hmm, that means you don’t know anything about my gossip.”
“Gay gossip?” The words just slipped from her mouth without being processed in her brain first.
Jung Tae-Woo looked at her. “Didn’t you say you didn’t read the tabloids?”
Sandy tilted her head in an embarrassement. “My friend told me that.”
“It turns out that many people already know.” Jung Tae-Woo sighed. “After all, the photos have helped me overcome the gossip.”
Sandy just nodded indifferently, but she was surprised when the man in front of her suddenly turned towards her with a beaming face.
“Han Soon-Hee ssi — your name is Han Soon-Hee, isn’t it?” Without waiting for her answer, he continued, “Because you have helped me once, how about you help me again?”
Sandy took a step back. “What kind of help?”
“Be my girlfriend.”
“W-whaat ?!”
***
Tae-Woo was rather shocked at the scream of the girl, but somehow he can understand it.
“Look, let me change my sentence,” he said while putting his both hands in the waist and thinking. Then he looked at Sandy. “I just want to ask you to take a picture with me as my girlfriend.”
Sandy blinked in confusion. Then Tae-Woo explained quickly. He was very aware of the girl’s eyebrows raised when listening to the story.
“Just take pictures. How is it?” Tae-Woo asked at the end of the explanation. He looked at Sandy who was still dumbfounded. Why did he suddenly feel like he was being tried in court? He was very curious what would she say, what was her answer.
The first sentence that came out of Sandy’s mouth was, “Why it should be me?”
Good question. “There are no special reasons,” Tae-Woo said casually. “I thought you might want to help me. After all, we have been photographed together though accidentally.”
Sandy still looked confused, but Tae-Woo saw her forehead furrowed, a sign that she was considering the proposal he offered. At least she didn’t immediately reject it.
Tae-Woo quickly took the opportunity to add, “If you want, just consider it as I offer you a job. And it wouldn’t interfere with your current work. Are you still in college? Your lecture will also not be disturbed.”
“Do I look like I need a job?” Sandy asked flatly. “Or money?”
Tae-Woo was silent. He looked at Sandy from head to toe. No, this girl already has a job and if you see from the way she was dressed, she didn’t look like a pennyless girl.
“It’s not,” Tae-Woo admitted. “How about this, I will give you whatever you want if you are willing to help me.”
“Just to take pictures together?” Sandy asked to make sure.
“That’s the plan,” Tae-Woo replied surely. He began to feel insecure seeing her response. What is she considered? Well, maybe it’s because basically Han Soon-Hee wasn’t one of his fans. So, it’s not strange that she wasn’t enthusiastic about this idea.
Suddenly there was a cellphone ring. Automatically Tae-Woo reached into his coat pocket. At the same time Sandy also reached into her handbag located at the table. It turns out that her cellphone that rings. Tae-Woo just remembered Sandy’s cellphone was the same as his cellphone. Even the ringtone was exactly the same. Maybe one of them must immediately change the ringtone.
Sandy looked at her cellphone, opened the flap, but immediately closed it again without being answered first. Tae-Woo’s curiosity increased when he saw the girl removing her cellphone battery and then returned the cellphone and its battery to the bag. Who had called her earlier? There was no expression on her face. But it seems that Sandy has no intention of giving an explanation for her actions just now.
“Want to help me, right?” Tae-Woo finally opened his voice after the two of them were silent for a while.
The girl raised her face and looked at Tae-Woo. “Alright, as long as my face isn’t visible.”
The air around Tae-Woo feels lighter. He exhaled softly and smiled with relief. Asking Sandy for help wasn’t as difficult as he thought. There were no strange conditions. If just too keep her identity a secret, he can understand that. This girl certainly didn’t want to deal with reporters.
“Thank you. I hope you won’t tell anyone about our deal, even your parents. I don’t want to create a more severe scandal. I can trust you, right?”
“Um, I understand,” Sandy agreed. But as soon as he saw her rather glazed eyes, Tae-Woo wasn’t sure whether the girl really understood his words.
At that moment the door opened and they both turned around. Apparently the one who entered was Park Hyun-Shik. The manager looked at the two of them with a questioning look, then after a while his face turned bright.
“Oh, were you from yesterday, right?” Park Hyun-Shik asked as he approached Sandy.
Tae-Woo smiled broadly. “Hyong, she is willing to be my girlfriend.”
The manager’s smile vanished immediately. “What do you mean?”
“It’s about what Hyong said yesterday … about the photos… I thought about it,” Tae-Woo said, still smiling. “Just do it. She was also willing to help. Though, it’s not exactly like the plan that Hyong proposed yesterday.”
Park Hyun-Shik looks confused. “What I said yesterday…?” He paused for a moment, then, “Gosh, are you serious?”
“I’ll explain further to Hyong later,” Tae-Woo said, patting his manager’s shoulder. “We should continue our work first. Aren’t we here because I have to try all these clothes?”
***
Sandy came out of her place of work with a giddy step as if she were half conscious. Her task of matching Jung Tae-Woo’s clothes was over, but a part of her brain seemed to still be left behind in the boutique. She walked slowly, turning at the end of the road, then her footsteps stopped.
“What have I done?” She asked herself, holding her cheek with one hand.
Sandy had to try hard to calm herself because her heart was pounding so fast. Ever since then, she had to fight her nervousness so it couldn’t be seen by the two men. A feeling of awkwardness when Jung Tae-Woo explained his plan to the manager while he tried the clothes even now still could she feel.
The manager was a little hesitant. He asked Sandy a lot, besides repeatedly emphasizing that this problem shouldn’t be known to others. Of course Sandy understood. Secretly, while listening to Park Hyun-Shik’s remark, Sandy watched him. This man really has a charm. The way he speaks was pleasant, his smile was charming, and his eyes were friendly. Sandy knew Hyun-Shik was wondering why she wanted to help Jung Tae-Woo, but she pretended to be stupid. At first, Sandy was a little hesitant about Tae-Woo’s offer, but finally her curiosity won. She convinced herself that this was the right decision. This may be a long-time opportunity that she was waiting to get answers to questions that have long haunted her..
After all, according to him the work offered to her wasn’t difficult. She only needs to be photographed with Jung Tae-Woo. Not a problem. She could do thatt. She realized that this agreement would make her meet Jung Tae-Woo often, but this wasn’t a problem, she felt nothing about that celebrity, though. Another added value, if she was often with Jung Tae-Woo, she will know and understand why her close friends and many other women can be crazy about him.
“Okay,” she said to herself. “I can do it. Ah, my God! I forgot to ask Jung Tae-Woo’s autograph for Young-Mi.”
Sandy reached into her bag to look for her cellphone, but then stopped. Should I not tell Young-Mi I met Tae-Woo earlier? She must be upset because I forgot to ask for an autograph. But she would be even more annoyed if she knew I was hiding the matter of this meeting…
Sandy continued to look for her cellphone in her handbag and found the cellphone battery she had just took off. Suddenly she remembered Lee Jeong-Su’s call before. Hopefully Jeong-Su can understand why she can’t take the call. Eh… wait, if you think about it, why should she feel guilty? Can anyone answer the phone when they are in a situation like that? After all, throughout her experience, if Lee Jeong-Su called, it certainly wasn’t because there was something important.
Why was Lee Jeong-Su still contacting her? Isn’t the man himself asking for a breakup? Such a strange person!
Sandy put the battery back in her cellphone and wanted to contact Young-Mi when she remembers her promise. Aah … that’s right, I promised Park Hyun-Shik-ssi to keep this matter a secret with anyone else. Ah, how is this? Well … whatever…
She put the cellphone back into her handbag, then she looked up at the blue sky and muttered, “All right, Sandy. Hopefully your decision has a meaning. Aja aja, fighting*! “
Now she must go home and sleep first to gather energy. She had promised to meet the two men later tonight.