A splash of water slapped over my face woke the hell out of me and choked up my nostrils. I rubbed my eyes while coughing out the water from my mouth.
"What the…." I screamed loudly.
"What? Were you going to curse at this old lady now? Chchch…Kids these days are so rude, my god…" Dojun's grandmother scolded me with sweet voice.
"No! No… Grandma, how could I curse at you…hahaha… you must've misheard something…" I laughed awkwardly trying to save my image.
"Forget it, why are you sleeping here in my hotel? Didn't I give you good mattress inside cottage? And I'm so exhausted after shouting so loudly for you to wake up , did you eat sleeping pills or what? At last, this was the only way to open your eyes lost in sweet dreams you were smiling for." She said patting her hand over my back.
I looked around, and found myself sitting over wooden chair in the café. Did I walk inside café after pushing down Rose last night? Why don't I remember walking in here…..
"Grandma! Have you seen Rose? She's in the house, right?" I asked Grandma while getting up from the chair.
"Rose? She left to Seoul, early morning… with Dojun… It's their last exam today, weren't you aware of it? You're their Sunbae, if I'm not wrong?"
"Oh? Ahh…oh… yes.. yes, I'm the sunbae… I must be sleepy… hahaha…" an awkward laugh from me surprised Grandmother.
"Are you really fine? Because there are enough stories…"
"Stories? Like… what?"
"Tales of men going crazy for their love…" Grandma whispered softly placing her hand over lips.
"Love? What love? Whom do I love?? Ha…ha… you've quiet a strange humor, Grandma…" I tried controlling my flustered expressions which had failed obviously.
Grandma laughed at me with a suspicious face. I walked out of the café in a rush.
Rose managed to escape from me… yet again… Is it really necessary to run away from me? Am I that evil person… Am I being annoying with Rose? Why does she needs to avoid me every time?
"Wait! What's wrong with me? Is she really that important for me to think about her 24/7? What bullshit am I up to these days? Love? Shim Daniel, you're falling for her… you can't let this happen! Rose… No, wait… Lee Yuri! She's just a spy agent I'm gonna use for my future business deals and also…to find out that person… A person who ruined my whole life… You cannot fall in love with Lee Yuri… never, never ever… She was one of the few witnesses who has seen my dark past… I can never fall for her… never…" I kept on convincing myself, but convincing my brain was somewhat attainable… but my heart which was frozen up for all these years… like an ice stone… it had begun melting down slowly In the presence of Rose… ten year old little Yuri… 19 year old young woman Rose… she has stunned me at every phase of her life… She was just… my type of girl…
"NO!! Daniel!! NO!!! Don't think about her!" I shouted loudly slapping myself on both of my cheeks.
I need to get out of this village and meet Rose after she's done with her exams. Finally, she'll be left with no more excuses of exams and has to accept the contract or else I'll have to threaten her with few of my evil deeds… no option left… she's the one responsible for me to lose my good behavior.
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A dusky evening awaited me in Seoul city. I stepped down from my suv and walked nearby the main gate of Seoul International Highschool, waiting for clock to tick 6pm. My eyes were looking for my girl… in that crowd of teenagers rushing out of the gate… And green bag caught my attention from that crowd, I ran towards the green bag… held it's back cloth handle tightly and pulled it towards me…
"What the hell!"
A random highschool girl turned around and shouted at me. I was baffled with sudden confusion.
"Rose… this bag…" I said while collecting my confused soul together.
"Rose? There's no Rose in our school, You fool!! And this bag is MINE!!" She said rudely.
"Ahh…I mean… Yuri…Lee Yuri… I thought this was her bag…" I said
"That bitch?!! Why did you even mention her name? Waahhh…. Don't you know she's an outcast in our school… no one talks with her, except that stupid Dojun!!"
"Outcast? Do yáll bully her or what?!!!" my blood boiled up as soon as I heard about Rose being suffered in the school.
"Omo..omo… Who bullies whom? We bully Yuri? Waahhh… Yahh! She's one of the top bullies in our school! She has made so many students quit studies! She's just a bitch who can sleep with any man for money!!"
My wrist tightened up at those words… felt like planting a good punch on that girly's face… She just smiled pitifully at me and walked out of the gate…
The only thing that lingered on my mind was, "The Lee Yuri I've known since 8 years, she's not a kind of person who could hurt others for her mere enjoyment. The Rose I've met in present, she's not a person who could sleep with just anyone… for money… I've seen her on the night of her first day being prostitute… she was not at all mentally prepared for that kind of gross work… But then what made her peers to have this lowly opinion about her… Or she has been living with this mask all along just to keep human beings away from her… is this her defense mechanism? To protect herself from something… but what?"
Sitting inside the car, I scratched my head in angst, somewhere at some point when I feel like that I've solved this puzzle called Rose lee… she broods more and more web around her…. Tangles up herself… and blocks the way for me to get any closer to her… Huhh… exactly what are you Rose? What kind of person are you?
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"Good evening, Sunbaenim. Sorry, the bar is pretty crowded since morning, so I couldn't report to you this month's evaluation." Yerin said while opening car door, in front of Red Moon bar.
"It's fine, just bring a glass of whiskey in my cabin." I got down and walked straight inside the cabin.
"Yes sir!" She said and followed me to the cabin.
"Yerin-ah! Uhmm…just come here for a bit…" I called her closer to me, as I sat down on the couch.
"Yes? You need something?"
"Ahh… Have you seen any young girl in our bar since morning?"
"Sunbae…there are so many young girls visiting our bar everyday… who are you talking about exactly?"
"A girl, with green bag… Ohh....Her bag has got that sparkling red beads keychain! She ties up her long black hair in a high ponytail and… wear those, loose hoodies… ripped jeans… very high schoolish appearance… she's got fair complexion… double eyelids… and what more… makeup? No.. She doesn't really use too much makeup often… Uhmm.. Let me think… she's quite tall though… she's a high schooler who doesn't look like kid… a very mature look…" I kept on describing Rose on and on without realizing that Yerin was fondly smiling at me.
"Okay, enough…enough… That's a lot of description Sunbaenim!! Now if you could simply tell me her name, I might check it on our billing details." She whispered teasingly.
Few seconds of awkwardness passed by and both of us burst out laughing. I bowed down at her as a gesture of giving up in front of her wit.
"Wait for a minute, I'll just check for Rose Lee in our payment list." Yerin said while leaving the cabin.
"What? Yahh you brat! If you already knew whom I was taking about why did I kept on explaining? Just wait till I transfer you to Damyang!!" I said while pouting in anger.
I relaxed back on the sofa and sipped a bit of whiskey from glass. Closed my eyes but couldn't forget that scene from last night in woods… like a film it went on scrolling in front of my eyes… Her scent was driving me crazy… for a moment I felt like she was bringing out the animal out of me… an uncontrollable desire to consume her… to melt her down within me…
"Rose!!!!!! Wait!!" Sudden scream from outside disturbed my tempted dreaming.
"Rose? She's here??" I shouted from inside the cabin.
Yerin ran towards me, "I'm so sorry Sunbae, she was hiding inside the washroom. Just now she pushed one of our customers and ran outside the Bar. That's why called out her so loudly! But she disappeared in next few seconds. What a fast runner….wow…"
I slapped by own forehead in anger and stood up from the couch, went outside the bar to check if she can be still seen around somewhere. But as expected she had fled away… I screamed in agony…
"Please keep your calm, Sunbaenim… she must be around here…it's been just a few minutes… we can find her out.."
"NO Yerin!! She's Rose Lee!!! You've got no idea how far she can reach just within few minutes!! How could I end up losing to her every fucking time?!!! Haa… I can't deal with this girl anymore… she's testing my patience… Yerin!! I'm giving you 2 hours!!! I want Rose up in my room within next two hours!!! DO WHATEVER YOU WANNA DO!! BRING HER BACK!!!"
Yerin looked at me like a scared puppy and nodded her head. I climbed up the staircase beside main gate of Red Moon, which connected to the terrace apartment above. This was my home in Itaewon, a place which my Mom had gifted me since my high school days.
"Rose lee…just how many times will you be successful in hiding from me… You've really underestimated my power network… I never wished to use it for you, but you've left me with no option… Once I get my hands over you for this last time, I will never let you go off … you'll be trapped with me forever." I said while laughing like a lunatic swinging on the wooden swing in my terrace garden...