NIHARIKA
There are girls who cry after fighting with their boyfriends. Niharika could never relate to them. She always thought it was ridiculous. She won't ever cry for some else.
So when the first few drops escaped her eyes, Niharika was confused. Did she just shed tears because of a 'boy' she barely even knows. How absurd is that!
So many emotions were swirling inside her that she needed an outlet, crying seemed like the easiest one.
"Scandal" the words still ringing in her ears. Niharika is not very familiar with humiliation. She's used to being the best. She's used to being called 'the pride' of her class, of her parents or her teachers because she always stood upto everyone's expectations. So she didn't know that she has in fact a very thin skin. And 'shame' is definitely not the word she ever imagined could be associated with her.
And what hurts the most is that he remained silent all through the while. What did Niharika expect honestly? He even lied about their encounter, posing like the hero saving the damsel in distress. Niharika wants to laugh. Also reminding that he never called? Making her look like the one desperate for attention. Well given his face he must be used to such attention. But how dare he assume Niharika to be one of those girls?
She is fuming with fury. Throwing the damned shirt in the trash doesn't seem enough. But at least it makes her feel a little better.
'Goodbye! I so regret meeting you."
REX
He takes a deep breath before closing the cafe door behind him. Trying to leave all the mess outside.
"Jun, you have to stay away from such incidents, you know how this industry." Hyung starts as soon as he is inside.
"Hyung, you shouldn't have said like that , she did nothing wrong." He cannot help the words. In the three years of knowing this man, Rex has all but respected him, listened to everything he said, never crossed his words. This is a first, she seems to be making him experience a lot of 'firsts' lately.
"...why are you defending her, you don't know these type of girls, what if she spreads some dirty rumours about you or blackmail you in future? I'm in this business long enough ,so trust me okay?"
"..." He's exhausted, there's a lot of things he wants to say to counter him but he has no ground to his defence. And he has a lot in his mind already.
Today he met up with mi-jeong earlier. She took him to meet the CEO of her company. Apparently they are interested in him. But they want a group debut with him as the lead vocal. Now there are two issues.
1. He has never worked in groups, aside from the last company he was in. But they never got to debut, so he's not sure how he'd function in groups. Compatibility is a big factor.
2. Even bigger problem is other members, he doesn't have a band of his own, and a group means vocal, dance and rap line synchronised together, so even if he joins 'Dewdrop Ent.' his debut will be pending until they find him suitable groupmates.
He sighs and flops on the bed. But sleep doesn't come. Unspoken emotions suffocating him in subconscious. So he gets up. Some cold wind and sweating might help. He picks up a tracksuit.
An hour later...
He's not sure why he came back with a dirty smelling satin shirt. He doesn't even know himself these days.
"I've got good news for you! Dewdrop called!" Lee hyung says as he puts the shirt in the washing machine.
"I know."
"Eww.. why'd you bring that back, just throw it away, you're going to be a star now Jun finally! You should be more materialistic , don't stick onto old things." He continues his lectures.
He takes a deep breath. Fist clenching around the fabric. Jaw working to stop whatever he is about to say and regret later. Ultimately he remains quiet and pours some washing soda in the machine.
"Anyways, I should talk to their manager about your signing contract with them! We're going there tomorrow!"
"They won't sign me as a solo, I talked to their CEO today. So don't get your hopes high just yet hyung, you know luck's hardly been in my favour." He turns around with a dry smile.
"What? What kind of excuse is that...I mean you're good enough to debut as solo! Those petty people!" The other man makes some dissatisfied grunts.
"It's ok hyung, do you need me to buy something from the market?"
"Uh yes...., we are actually out of sugar and coffee beans but didn't you just come from outside?"
"Just tell me, I don't mind going again, also we need them in the morning for the cafe." He offers.
"Okay then...but don't worry Jun! Some other companies have also approached me, though they are not as big but I think you still have hope of debuting! We'll figure something out" He pats his back.
He returns to his room once to change the sweaty tshirt. Zoning out all the while. How he wish to just shut down his brain and not think about anything.
Not a single day, not even one, in his almost twenty one years of life have been normal. If he can trade his life how he wish to be a normal kid for once.
Have a normal family, a normal childhood. He wants to go back to school, he wants to pursue college, have friends of his age, discuss girls with them. Get drunk and cause trouble. And when he's not sober he wants to call her and tell her that he's sorry for not calling soon. He wants to tell her to not hate him because he hates himself too.
NIHARIKA
2 weeks later
Is it weird to be afraid of something and crave it at the same time?
Niharika is afraid of changes, she's used to get up every morning and repeat the same couple of things every day. She has problem coping with any small change that may disrupt the little boring routine of her life. She hates unpredictable occurance, it makes her anxious.
Back in 7th grade when that one girl beat her by 2 marks in class test, Niharika didn't like it. When high school ended and she had to look forward to college, she didn't like it. When her application for foreign studies was approved she almost didn't like it.
But Niharika hates it too, the way her life is. The way she has nothing to look forward to for the rest of the day. The way her grades are always consistently good, no boy problems, no enemy, no big tragic past, heck she doesn't even have pimples. Everything is too normal, so normal that it's suffocating. There's nothing special about her, nobody notices her, nobody would probably care if she suddenly stops existing. Her parents would, she knows but that's different.
So thinking about what happened that night is suddenly making her smile in the middle of an Otorhinolaryngology lecture. Did she really make a scene in front of some cafe? Did she really let her emotions get better of her? How satisfying it felt to shove the shirt in the garbage bin. How light it felt after she cried her heart out that night.
So this is how it feels to step out of her own shadow? Well it's not all that bad then. She almost wants to thank that guy for causing a chaos in her outer peace. A crack in the cage she has locked herself into.
It's refreshing.
Sometimes in indefinite future Rex would ask her, "Do you really have stage fright?"
"I do." Niharika would chuckle," I'm a scaredy cat, in case you don't know."
"Well, I wouldn't have guessed, given you almost stripped me on stage." Rex would recount with a smirk.
Niharika would feel a little blush creeping on her face but she'd quickly pull off her confident facade.
" Well in case you didn't notice, I tend to do a lot of things out of character around you."
"I'm no different." Rex would smile.