"This is annoying. Why does she make me so curious about her"
"Ahhhhh....anyways"
"Hyung!(Brother) Yes, I need to call him."
He picks up his cell-phone and calls his elder brother Jun.
"Jun Hyung! What am I hearing, you are getting engaged? That too with Park Yuna? Have you gone mad? How is that even possible? Why would you want to marry a woman like her? Are you too perhaps blinded by money and don't see how obvious it is, that you are gonna suffer forever after this marriage? Don't you see around yourself? Why would you sacrifice your life for the throne like that? Why would you follow dad's evil plots and ruin yourself? WHY? WHY? Don't you wanna be happy at all?"
'...If only...If only, I could say that to him,if only my brother ever picked up my calls or listened to me...
'....THE NUMBER YOU ARE TRYING TO CALL IS CURRENTLY BUSY PLEASE TRY AGAIN LATER.....'
...because he never does.'
'If only he ever stayed at home and took a break from his work. Mom,Dad,Hyung all of you why can't you act like a normal family for once?'
He scrolled down in his contacts list, there were numbers of business clients, business owners, business entities,business this and that, and at the end was his elder sister's number which had long been deactivated.He stared at the number and the profile picture of her sister she was a beautiful young woman.
He tried calling it again like he always does.
'THE NUMBER YOU ARE TRYING TO CALL IS NOT AVAILABLE....'
The same response he has been hearing since years.
"Like always...No one would pick up." he said to himself.
He lied down straight on his bed, starting to wonder for the first time ever.
"Why am I even here? What's the purpose of being here?In this world?"
The time couldn't bother Eric he decided to take a walk,outside the huge garden near the entrance of PARK HYATT.
Before he could reached all the way down through the elevator,the elevator door stopped and opened up at the floor below his.
A pale old man in the hotels uniform entered.
"Ah???You are..."
The old man upon seeing Eric bowed down in respect.
"Kim Lia's father! Aren't you?"
"Ye. It's good to meet you again Mr.Jiseok"
"Ajhusshi (Uncle/older man) ?...Ummm?...!
"SAKI?" He looked at the old man's name-badge and exclaimed.
"That name?...Is that?...HUH!!...Are you perhaps?... A Japanese?"
"Ahh...Ye" the man replied.
"But you speak fluent Korean?... you also look like a Korean"
"Yes, people do say that a lot" he gently replied.
"Hmmm so you work here too with your daughter..." he confirmed while going into his own thought conversations.
'Wait a second...does that mean?...Kim Lia ...is a half Japanese??'
'Haeeeee!!!'
As he went outside, the place was indulged in silence, a cold calm wind stroked pass through Eric's hair,while strolling forwards he suddenly stopped.
He saw a dark shadow sticking out from a corner, terrified he moved ahead to its source.
Naa...nanana...naa...nanaa.nnaa...naaaa-
He heard a young voice humming a song,he went closer to the place while taking a turn towards the voice.
Nananaaaanaa....naaaaaaaa naaaa....aa...aa..a...---- the voice suddenly went low and low and eventually broke.
"YA! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"
He said in a surprise when he saw Lia sitting on her toes holding a watering can and humming the music. But as soon as she saw someone coming near she lowered her voice.
"OMO! YOU SCARED ME!" she replied with a stunned face when she saw the person coming was actually Eric.
"You are the one who's scary...What are you doing here at this time?" he questioned raising his voice in doubt.
"Watering the plants!"
"Who the hell waters plants at 3 am?"
"I DO! Any problem? More importantly what are YOU doing here at this time?Creepy human."
"You are the one who's creepy and scary, are you some sort of lost ghost who wanders around killing people for souls?" he exclaimed
"YA!Get lost...SHU-SHU-SHU"
"You are really...shameless"
He sat down on the little wall that covers the flowers around.
"Why are you sitting here..go back..let me do my work" she bashed.
"Ani(No)...I am gonna stay here and watch you."
"Ah..how stubborn!" she glared at him and said.
'Is it that you couldn't sleep why you are watering the flowers or is it that its your pending work that you have to complete before sleeping or is it that you are just weird.' Eric said in his heart while looking at Lia who is just next to him bending down to water the flowers, tilting her head watering the beautiful red Tulips that shined in the dark night,as slowly caught up by the wind the strands of her hair fall in front of her eyes covering up a side of her face, from Eric's sight.
Eric slowly bent himself towards her while gently stroking her hair backwards;behind her ear ,with his right-hand.
"Quite disturbing." he said softly while still near her.
She looked at him in surprise.With eyes as calm as the winter breeze itself.
He went back to his position and said " Continue"
Deep in his heart Eric was flattered by her look.
"AH! WHY DID YOU NOT TELL ME EARLIER....?" Eric suddenly questioned.
"WHAT?"
"That you have a Japanese father and you are a half Japanese!" he stated.
"Ahh...What's there to tell in that?" she replied in an uninterested way,while still watering the plants.
"Ah so your mother must be a Korean?"
"WAS!" she arrogantly declared. While her eyes were firing up with heat of rage.
" AH! MIANHAE (sorry) I asked the wrong question....I am sorry.."
"Yes!... You should be sorry" she softly said.
"Humhh?" Eric being unsure of what he heard questioned.
"Ah..Nothing..."
"My..." Eric said as he seemed as if he wanted to say something to Lia
Lia looked at him with curiosity of hearing what he was about to say. After looking at her now he was sure he can share his words comfortably.
" (My sister!)... She used to love Tulips too as I recall..."
"Ehhh..You have a sister?"
"Hmm..even a brother!"
"Ohhh...you are filled there." she enviously said.
"What about you?"
"Me? I don't have siblings...I am the only child." she replied in a rather sad tone.
"Must be nice?Huh?" he asked.
"Ani (No)..... not really..."
They both engulfed in the reflection of their own lives.
Meanwhile some weird feelings were planted in their hearts which they had no idea about.
ERIC had always been longing for this something which Lia too had been longing for. But what is it that they seek deep within their hearts?
"Ah would you give me your cellphone for a sec? he suddenly questioned."
"Wae?(Why?)"
"I think I left mine somewhere!" he said
"HMM...really? Why don't you take the hotels telephone?"
"Give me yours now its urgent!" he demanded in a serious tone.
"Ahh..okay...okay"
She reached to a pocket on her jeans and took out a small pink color flip-phone
"A cute phone like this doesn't really suit a girl like you" he told mockingly while taking her phone.
"SHUT-UP!"
He dials his number and gives a call. Just then
RTING-RTING-RING-RING-TING
The sound came from somewhere really close-by.Eric reached out his hand and took out his cell-phone from his front jeans pocket.
"AH! GOT YOUR NUMBER." he said while looking at his phone screen. Looking at Eric, Lia replied angrily.
"YA GAESAEKKI-YA...Did you just...Do you wanna die?"
"Hmm..I knew you wouldn't just give me your number...so I tricked you."
"YA DELETE IT NOW." she demanded.
"Okay as you say.....I have already memorized it"
"YAAAAAAAA!!!!" she screeched
"Besides you should be happy in return you got ERIC JISEOK'S number...all ladies die to get it..." he said arrogantly
"Who would even die for such thing." she responded.
"Do whatever you want I am leaving...." Lia said while getting up and taking the can away in rush.
.
.
.
.
'IF I KNEW YOU HAD THIS SIDE TOO, I WOULD'VE LONG BEEN IN LOVE WITH YOU. YOU ALWAYS DRIVED ME AWAY. IF I KNEW YOU HAD THIS SIDE TOO, I WOULD'VE NEVER BEEN DRIVEN AWAY.'