Her POV
"Hyun-ji…Hyun-ji are you okay?!"
A familiar voice kept calling out my name. A voice I undoubtedly longed for, all this time. Oh, right, I was in Tokyo. And somehow, I found him again. But unlike before, all I felt when I looked at him this time, was hate.
He promised we would do something special when I turned nineteen. He promised he would always be there for me, when I needed him most. Lies all lies. I feel so stupid for having believed in him back then. What could I do about it though? I was naïve and immature—I couldn't help but fall for him.
My name is Kim Hyun-ji, I am a model, and was once a child actress too. I just turned nineteen today. That means I am an adult now, right? I can do whatever I want. I could stay up all night partying with my friends, and not even go back home at all, no one's waiting for me after all.
***
"Are you sure we should buy this much Hyun-ji?" They asked.
I could almost see the grins forming on their faces. They asked me that question every time, knowing I would respond in the exact same way. It was almost like a ritual if you may.
"Of course. Anything for my three favorite girls!" I replied, putting up my best fake smile.
I hated how good I was at faking my emotions. I knew the three of them were not really my friends. All they wanted from me, was my money—I knew that all too well. It was not the first time I had made fake friends. I knew it was wrong of me to make friends that way, but getting too attached to someone, just so they would inevitably betray my trust, was something I was determined never to go through again.
"Wow! You're so generous Hyun-ji! These were featured in Nana's summer collection right?" One of them asked excitedly.
"Yes, I actually attended the fashion show; it was quite…" I was interrupted by another voice.
"Excuse me Ms. It seems your card is out of order." The manager of the boutique said.
Those were words I thought I would never hear. Well, at least addressed to me that is.
"Were you talking to me?" I asked. Dreading the answer I knew I was about to be given.
"Yes Ms. It seems none of the transactions are going through. Do you perhaps have another card we can use instead?" He asked politely.
I hoped the result would not be the same, but it was; for all three of the cards I had with me. I do not recall ever having been as mortified as I was that day. Do not get me wrong however, the problem was not a lack of money. No. Money was the least of my concerns.
"What? She's broke now? OMG!" Two of the girls I was with said, as they laughed out.
Suddenly, dozens of people who were in the boutique, gathered around and started taking photos and videos of me.
"Isn't she the heir to the Kim Family conglomerate?!" I heard one of them ask.
"You're right she is! Kim…Kim Hyun-ji right?" Another replied
"I've heard she's a bit of a wild one!" A man exclaimed, and suddenly they all burst into laughter.
I clenched my hands in fear and disbelief. Was it her doing? Was she trying to get a message across? And then, something I did not expect to happen, caught me by surprise. Reon, one of the girls I was with, suddenly walked up to the crowd and said;
"If any of you, takes even one more photo or video of my employer without her consent—the Kim Family will sue you for all you're worth!"
I could not believe my eyes. Was she actually standing up for me? Even though she knew I had no money at that moment. And what was all that about me being her employer? I had so many questions running through my mind.
The crowd promptly dispersed. They knew my family was not known for idle threats. The other two girls had seemingly disappeared with the crowd too.
And there before me, stood Reon; she looked back and gave me a smile. It was unlike any of the smiles I had seen before, from my other fake friends. It felt genuine. She then took her phone, dialed up someone's number, and said;
"I'm sorry Mrs. Kim, it looks like I blew my cover."
Mrs. Kim? Her cover? Finally it all made sense. The reason she called me her employer was because my grandmother had hired her to keep an eye on me. As much as I wanted to say I expected that, I did not.
"Are you okay Hyun-ji?" Reon asked.
I did not even know what to think anymore. I felt so overwhelmed by it all; all my cards were out of order, the fake friend I thought I had, actually worked for my grandmother, and worst of all, news about me failing to buy clothes costing only a few thousand dollars would probably be all over social media soon.
"Am I okay? Tell me Reon, would you be okay if you lost all your hard earned money?! Or found out your fake friend was actually hired by your grandmother?! Even worse, if you would soon be everyone's joke on social media?! No Reon I am not okay!" I yelled at the top of my voice.
Why was grandmother doing that to me all over again? I thought I was finally free.
"Fake friend huh? I guess you could call me that. But I genuinely do care about your well-being Hyun-ji." Reon said, as she continued; "I have no excuse for deceiving you, but believe this if nothing else; I never intended to hurt your feelings, I had my reasons for taking your grandmother's offer."
I could not take it anymore. Failing to even notice tears were rolling down my cheeks, until Reon reached in to wipe them off and then gave me a hug.
"It's going to be okay." She said softly.
"Is this part of your job too?" I asked.
"No. I'm doing this, because I want to, Hyun-ji." She replied, in a gentle soft tone yet again.
"Thank you." I said simply, as I cried softly.
We stayed like that, for a few minutes, it was really comforting. Reon then took me to a coffee shop elsewhere in the mall.
"I'm not really sure what's going on between you two, but i think you should talk to your grandmother Hyun-ji." Reon said.
"I know, I think it is about time I went back to Seoul."
I made up my mind, and was going back there, to the city that took everything from me.