[NOTE]
[1]Tokki = Rabbit
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(Half an hour ago)
Shu Hwa had been pacing back and forth anxiously behind the entrance of the hall. She had inhaled and exhaled numerous times already in order to ease her nerves. Unfortunately, it didn't help her even a bit. In fact, she only became more panic.
Even as a kid, Shu Hwa had never been good with public speaking. Eun Hye had been the one who loved the spotlight and having dozens of friends. So now that Shu Hwa had to face a crowd of fans, the stress weighed down on her.
All she could think about was a thousand ifs.
'What if they don't like me?', 'What if they think I'm weird?', 'Is my clothes okay?'
Meanwhile, Ji Woon had been watching from the side. He pinched the space between his eyebrows when he saw Shu Hwa began pacing back and forth again.
"Can you stop for a second? You're driving me nuts as well," he finally denounced her.
Shu Hwa shook her head and mumbled, "I can't. I'm too nervous." She waved her hand at him absently. "Just bear with it for a while."
Ji Woon breathed a long sigh before he decided to look away. If he watched her for another minute, he would end up crazy as well. However, the moment his eyes shifted, he saw some of the onlookers there were gawking at Shu Hwa exposed legs.
Ji Woon frowned. He turned back to Shu Hwa but, the girl was still immersed in her own world. She was completely oblivious to her surroundings.
Even though Shu Hwa's face was half covered with a mask, the dress she wore highlighted her figure and her pair of long slender legs were left open for everyone to see. It was especially eye-catching when she wore high heels too.
Ji Woon clicked his tongue and walked towards her. He stopped her by the shoulders. Surprised by the sudden action, Shu Hwa jolted and she immediately stood still facing Ji Woon.
"Calm down, Tokki[1]. I know you're nervous since this is your first ever meet and greet. But, think about it, you never show your face before. Despite that, your books still become famous, so I'm pretty sure your fans genuinely love your work," he soothed her.
Afterwards, he continued as he ruffled her head, "You'll be fine. Just keep the conversation around your book. I'll be beside you as well, remember? If you need help, you only need to turn around. So, just be yourself, the strong and confident woman who stuffs her mouth with food even though it's already full."
Shu Hwa chuckled lightly upon hearing the last sentence. But then, she puffed up her cheeks and glared at him resentfully for commenting on her eating habits.
Ji Woon laughed and his hands reached out to pinch both of her cheeks. "Now, you are my chubby tokki."
She slapped his hands away in annoyance as she cupped her cheeks and pouted.
The other onlookers who had been gawking at Shu Hwa became a little bit depressed after they had witnessed their cute banter.
'Ugh...bummer!' They thought to themselves.
On the other hand, Ji Woon kept stroking Shu Hwa's head but he was also secretly glaring at them to back off. Thus, the onlookers stopped watching and went about their own job.
Soon after that, Shu Hwa and Ji Woon heard the crowd cheering and the door opened up before them. The authors began entering the premise in accordance to the roll call.
Shu Hwa clutched Ji Woon's hand tightly as she felt her nerves tensed up. He patted her hand comfortingly in return.
Ji woon smiled encouragingly at her and whispered, "Be confident, Tokki. This is our first step to the grand showdown we have planned."
Instantly, he saw her worry vanished and it was replaced a burning determination. Shu Hwa took a deep breath as she nodded at him. "Yeah, I will do this. Thanks Ji Woon!"
"Now that is my tokki. I will treat you to dinner later. How does all-you-can-eat barbeque sound?"
He laughed when he saw her eyes sparkling. Shu Hwa nodded vigorously.
Both of them turned to the door when they heard the host announced, "Now, let us welcome our lovely Bluebell!"
Shu Hwa straightened her posture before putting on her sunglasses. She gripped his hand for support one last time and then entered the hall.
Ji Woon followed from behind as she greeted her fans. Shu Hwa could hear everyone shouting how much they loved her book and she also heard them saying how beautiful she was. She would be lying if she said it didn't bring a smile to her face. She felt flattered when she heard their praises.
Shu Hwa began to feel confident standing in front of the crowd. She waved and bowed to her fans.
However, she immediately froze when she saw 'them'. Her eyes just stopped abruptly at the sight of them holding each other.
She gulped as she tried to calm herself down. Slowly, she turned her head away from the crowd and proceeded towards the stage where the authors were seated behind a long table.
Despite her calm appearance, her heart was pounding loudly inside her chest. She was both confused and a bit nervous. She was not ready. Not at this second, at least.
'Why are they here?!' She screamed in her heart.
Even though the crowd didn't notice anything wrong with Shu Hwa, her sudden weird antics didn't escape Ji woon's observation. He turned to the spot where she had stopped before. As soon as he saw who stood there, he scowled.
' Tch..' he tutted under his breath.
With his eyebrows scrunched up, he continued towards the stage and sat behind Shu Hwa. He whispered then, "It's okay. Remember your objective."
Shu Hwa clenched her fist. Ji Woon was worried about her mental state after witnessing the enemies of her life. But, he saw her turning around and gave him a slight nod, indicating that she was fine.
During the event, Shu Hwa snuck a glance at them but regretted it instantly. Her heart was smothered in pain and her eyes stung ever so agonizingly as she witnessed them being lovey dovey. She saw how gentle his gaze was at the face that belonged to her, yet it was not her.
She wondered then, 'Who do you think of every time you look upon that face?"'
That smile should have been hers. That position beside him should have been where she belonged. But reality spoke differently, they were one meter away from each other. She was here, up on the stage, glancing down at him while his attention was towards the lady beside him.
Everything that should have been hers was snatched away. Shu Hwa bowed her head as tears welled up in her eyes. Countless times already had she regretted what had happened in the past.
Why didn't she stand up for herself? Why did she let her mother and sister treated her so?
She hated it. She hated her younger-self.
But no matter what, when she remembered her two munchkins, all rage and self-blame disappeared within her. All that remained was nothing but a warm smile.
She glanced at the graceful man in a royal blue suit and her eyes turned soft. 'Thank you for giving be the best gift,' she mouthed from behind the layer of mask.