I'll Be Good For You, Ch. 8
Previously:
Chapter 1: Here's to the Night
Chapter 2: Maneater
Chapter 3: Know Your Enemy
Chapter 4: I Just Wanna Live
Chapter 5: Shark in the Water
Chapter 6: Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk
Chapter 7: Smooth Operator
Disclaimer: The A.N.JELL-verse belongs to the Hong sisters, creators of You're Beautiful.
Author's Notes: Thanks, as always, to akaironoyoru and lilivanilla1 for reviewing, and to those of you still following this story :)
Chapter Eight - Gives You Hell (All-American Rejects)
It took a few days before Oh-lan agreed to see, let alone speak, to the band, and when she did, Mi-nam saw that the nun from their first meeting was back.
The writer folded her arms and glared at them over the rims of her glasses. That, her severe black clothing and the fact that the members of A.N.JELL sat in a row in her office like guilty schoolboys all reminded Mi-nam of Sister May back at the orphanage. All of the kids had been afraid of her because she was so strict.
"I don't know who you think you're dealing with," she began, "but I am a professional. I was hired to write about your creative process and how you work together as a band." She looked pointedly at Tae-kyung, who had the grace to look slightly embarrassed. "I'm sorry if some of you feel that's intrusive, but if there's one thing I can promise you, it's that whatever you feel should be off the record stays off the record. It's true that I'm still working for Inside Showbiz even while working on this project, but I'm not stupid enough to put this job in jeopardy just for a scoop.
"And furthermore," Oh-lan went on, "even though I will admit that you guys having girlfriends is a scoop, I'll have you know that I don't write that sort of thing for the magazine." She looked down her nose at Mi-nam, who tried his best to meet her gaze but wound up looking away first. "Those of you who claim to be fans of my work would know that. Do I make myself clear?"
All of the boys nodded, but only Shin-woo had the courage to speak. "We're sorry, Reporter Park," he said humbly. "Please understand that we want to be cooperative like President Ahn wants, but there are also people that we have to protect. We've never worked closely with any writers before, so we couldn't think of anything else to do to protect those people we care about."
He probably said the right things, because instead of lecturing some more, the writer just nodded. "I hope that, the next time something like this comes up," she told them, sounding calmer now, "you'll be able to talk to me about it. I don't need details if you don't want to go into them, but I should at least know what topics are off-limits. Does that sound fair to you?"
A.N.JELL looked at each other and nodded. "We can do that," Tae-kyung said.
"Good." Oh-lan sighed and leaned against the wall behind her, as though the discussion had tired her out. "I suppose that's all I really wanted to say, and all I needed to know."
"We should probably get back to work, then," Jeremy suggested, trying not to sound too eager to get out of there.
"I need to do the same," she agreed.
The drummer was clearly eager to get out of there, but there was one thing he needed to ask before leaving. "Are we all friends again, noona?"
"Yes, we are," she assured him. "Don't worry about it, Jeremy."
She mustered a smile at Jeremy's question, but apart from that cold stare earlier, Mi-nam noticed that the writer didn't look at him once during the whole meeting.
When Oh-lan returned home that night, she found that her anger, which had allowed her to go through the past few days with her head held high, had burned itself out. All she was now was very, very tired.
She kicked off her shoes and sagged bonelessly onto her sofa. The motion startled Genghis, who had been napping among the cushions, and he leapt away, hissing. Normally, she would have apologized for giving him such a shock, but she paid him no heed this time, having other things on her mind.
Stupid. She scrubbed her face with her hands as if to rub off the humiliation that had been threatening to smother her ever since she had overheard A.N.JELL congratulating Go Mi-nam in the recording studio. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Just when she thought that she was making progress and earning the band's trust, if not their friendship.... She could see something special when they allowed themselves to relax in her presence, a brotherhood that made them more than just a band that worked together.
Perhaps they had just been pretending that as well, she thought meanly, even though in her heart she knew that wasn't true.
What she did know for sure was that she should have wondered why Mi-nam had suddenly started acting so friendly. For someone who prided herself on her intelligence, where was her brain? Instead of protecting herself as she should have, all she could think of was how nice it was to have someone besides her parents, especially someone so charming and good-looking, to care about her well-being, and make sure she was actually living her life instead of just working all the time. To discover that it had all been an act was crushing.
Oh-lan's eyes began to sting and she shook her head with determination. By now, Genghis seemed to have realized that his mistress was very upset and he padded back to her side, mewing. Rather than demanding the apology that was his due, he climbed onto her lap, his weight warm and reassuring.
Laughing shakily, she cradled him in her arms and he licked her cheek. "You're right," she said. "This is nothing to cry about." Rather, it was a lesson that in this life, a person could really only rely on herself. From now on, she would remember that guys like Go Mi-nam didn't get close to girls like her.
Despite her resolution to get over it and move on, all of this still weighed heavily on Oh-lan's mind when she had dinner at her parents' house the next evening. They were having beef and vegetable stew that night, but she just listlessly picked at her food.
This naturally did not escape her mother's attention. "Is something wrong with the stew?" asked Professor Han, frowning and prodding at the food left in the serving bowl.
"No, it's fine." She ate a spoonful of meat and rice without tasting anything.
"Normally we can't keep you away from it," her father observed, looking concerned. "Are you sick? Did Genghis scratch you? Professor Lee from the College of Natural Science was telling me the other day about this thing called cat scratch fever, where-"
Oh-lan laughed despite herself and shook her head. "I'm fine, Appa," she assured him. "I just have a lot on my mind."
"You're working too hard," her mother told her. "I think you've lost weight since the last time we saw you. Are you eating and sleeping properly?"
"I swear that I am." As she spoke, she remembered the last person who had worried about her this way and hoped that she wasn't blushing. "It's just that... I'm a little blocked in my writing and it's bothering me. I'm trying to relax and let it pass, but it's been hard."
She had said that last part because she knew her parents were going to fret that she wasn't relaxing enough, but that night, she wasn't completely prepared for everything they were going to say.
After a little prodding from his wife, Professor Park spoke up. "Well, you know, relaxing isn't just about staying home and taking a rest from work," he ventured. "It might involve actually going out, having fun and meeting new people. Take, for instance, one of my junior colleagues at the university, Professor Chin Tae-mul. A very nice young man...."
Oh-lan frowned at her father over a small mouthful of beansprouts. "What about him? Is he an example of another person who needs to go out and have fun, or of a new person that I should meet?"
"Both, actually," Professor Han said, cutting right to the chase. Seeing her daughter stiffen, she hastened to add, "Now, Oh-lan, you know that your father and I don't believe in matchmaking, so this wouldn't be that kind of date. It's just an opportunity for you to make a new friend your age, that's all."
"Does he know that?" she asked suspiciously.
"Not yet," Professor Park told her. "But that's because I haven't even approached Professor Chin yet about meeting you. Your mother and I agreed that we would check with you first before setting up anything."
"At least you got that right," Oh-lan grumbled.
"Would you agree to meet Professor Chin?" her mother asked then. "Even just once?"
She fell silent. On the one hand, she did not like to idea of going out with anyone hand-picked by her parents, for whatever reason. It made her feel as though she couldn't freely choose the men with whom she could associate. (All right, she currently wasn't meeting any likely prospects on her own, but that was beside the point!) On the other hand, what was wrong with making a new friend, as her mother said? At least, this time, she would be sure that the guy was meeting her because he was genuinely interested.
"All right," Oh-lan said finally, "I'll do it."
While the Park family spoke of dates around the dinner table, Mi-nam actually went on one. Her name was Seon-hwa and, if he remembered correctly, she was an aspiring actress or something like that.
Of course, it was all supposed to be completely hush-hush, so instead of picking her up (not that he ever did that with any of his dates), Mi-nam met her at an upscale club in the Yongsan district. As an added precaution, he was disguised in a hat and false mustache.
He caught sight of her sitting alone at the bar, a tall girl in a silver minidress that showed off her slender figure. She had changed her hair since the last time he had seen her; tonight, it was a bold pumpkin orange, almost the same as the new hair color Jeremy had adopted the day before. Everything about her was calculated to catch the eye, and judging from the interested looks she was receiving from the men flocked around her, it was working.
To her credit, Seon-hwa kept the wolves at bay instead of capitalizing on the attention. Mi-nam couldn't help puffing up proudly as he claimed the empty seat next to her. "Sorry I'm late, gorgeous," he told her, enjoying the envious stares of his date's admirers. "Have you been waiting long?"
She had known that he would be disguised (Mi-nam wasn't that bad with details) and he supposed that she recognized his voice, because rather than rebuff his attentions, she showered him with a dazzling smile. "Not at all," she assured him. "Just long enough to build the anticipation."
Mi-nam grinned and tossed some money onto the counter to pay for the drink in Seon-hwa's well-manicured hand. "Well, the wait is over. Why don't we adjourn to someplace more private?"
They followed a hostess to the VIP room that Mi-nam had booked (under an alias, of course) for the evening. "Everything is ready, just as you requested, sir," the hostess told him, fluttering her eyelashes. "Call me if you need anything else."
"I will. Thank you." He couldn't help noticing that the hostess, too, was very pretty, but there wasn't much he could do about that... at least, not while he was on a date with someone else.
"Who's Ong Bae-gu?" Seon-hwa asked when they were alone.
He chuckled. "No one. It's just an alias I use for these things, to protect my privacy." Shin-woo and Jeremy used it, too, when making restaurant reservations or ordering gifts for their girlfriends. Sometimes, Mi-nam wondered whether florists and maȋtre d's all over town thought that Ong Bae-gu was the Don Juan of Seoul.
She giggled and snuggled deeper into the plush leather banquette. "This is all so mysterious! Like I'm in a spy movie or something. I'd better remember this for when I audition for a role in an action movie."
(I guess I was right about her being an aspiring actress, Mi-nam thought.)
"If it wasn't so exciting," Seon-hwa went on, "I'd feel bad about not being able to let the whole world know that we're dating."
He closed his eyes to hide the fact that he was rolling them. "I've already explained it to you, Seon-hwa, and I hoped that you would understand that it would be best to keep this quiet for a while."
"Are you ashamed of me?" she asked, pouting prettily. The gesture displayed her plum-lipsticked mouth to the best advantage, but Mi-nam found himself thinking of another mouth, this one bare of any cosmetics. That mouth... and frizzy hair... and eyeglasses... and eyes that mirrored a world of hurt.
Don't think about her.
"Of course not," he soothed Seon-hwa. "I like you a lot, but you know how fans can be like if they ever found out that a member of A.N.JELL was dating. It'll affect my bandmates, too, not just me. This isn't a decision that I can make lightly."
"Doesn't Hwang Tae-kyung have a girlfriend?"
This girl had come prepared, but then, so had Mi-nam. "He does, but he thought long and hard before deciding to go public. I guess he was also lucky, because he had just broken up with Yoo Heyi and the fans felt kind of sorry for him."
Seon-hwa made an impatient noise. "It's not fair. You're a top star. You should be able to do what you want."
"I wish I could, but that's not the way things work. I'm doing this for you, too, you know," he added. "The fans won't just go after me; they'll go after you, too. You wouldn't want to be involved in a scandal like that, would you?"
She thought about it for several moments. "I guess not," she said finally, even though Mi-nam got the feeling that she actually did. Even though the scandal would land her quite a few anti-fans, such a thing would probably be very good for her acting career.
She sighed and twined her arms around his. "You're so sweet, Mi-nam. I love that you're already protecting me like this."
Mi-nam accepted the kiss that she gave him before turning away and pouring himself some wine. He'd had a lot of practice having that kind of discussion - maybe not with Seon-hwa herself, because this was just their first date, but with quite a few of the other girls he had dated in the past.
However, those other girls had waited until the second or third date, or at least well into the evening of their first date, before bringing up the issue of going public.
"I see we're back in black."
Stifling a snarl, Oh-lan looked up from the article that she was finishing on Sung Bo-dae's birthday celebration. Recent events had made it difficult to write, and so now, she was spending her lunch break at the Inside Showbiz offices, rushing to meet the deadline. "May I help you, Reporter Kim?" she asked him politely.
Soon-ok looked down his nose at her, an annoyingly superior smile on his face. "I couldn't help noticing that you've reverted to your old wardrobe. Such a shame...." he drawled. "Just as I was getting used to your trendy new look."
She wished she was wearing her combat boots instead of flat shoes; that way, she wouldn't have had any qualms about kicking him. "I'm sorry you have to look at these old clothes again," Oh-lan replied sweetly, "but I'm dressing for comfort these days. I'm mostly done with my research for the A.N.JELL project, and I need to buckle down and start writing the actual book."
It turned out that mentioning the book was just as good as kicking Soon-ok. He glowered at the reminder of the project for which he had not been recommended. "Forgive me for interrupting your oh-so-very-important work, Reporter Park," he said, even though his tone indicated that he wasn't sorry at all. "I suppose I'll let you get back to it, then."
"Was he bothering you again, noona?" In-jung asked, approaching Oh-lan's desk after the senior reporter had stalked off.
"He was trying," she replied.
"Maybe you should complain to your uncle-I mean, Editor Park," the photographer suggested in a low voice. "Reporter Kim's sort of on your case all the time now."
She gave a brief shake of her head. "He's not worth my time. Now, if you'll excuse me, In-jung, I have to finish this within the hour."
Oh-lan was not using her own computer, and even if she were, she knew better than to bang on the keys, so typing out the rest of her article did little to vent her frustration. At least, she consoled herself after she had sent off the finished piece, she managed to meet her deadline despite certain petty distractions, and now she was on her way to her own private office, where she could be alone and focus on the project that could make her career, and maybe blast some music to help make her feel better.
As luck would have it, the first people whom Oh-lan saw at AN Entertainment was A.N.JELL. It was the first time they all saw each other since the day she had chewed them out in her office. "Hi, noona!" Shin-woo greeted her politely. "Coming back from lunch?"
She shook her head. "I had to finish an article for Inside Showbiz. Now I need to start seriously writing your book."
"You haven't eaten anything at all?!" Jeremy screeched. His hair, she noticed, had gone from blond to bright orange. He looked like his head was on fire.
"I'll get something later," she assured him.
"Where?"
"There's a cafeteria in this building, isn't there?" Oh-lan snapped, then fought to curb her temper. The drummer was a bit of a health nut, she reminded herself, and would thus be concerned about proper nutrition. Besides, it wouldn't be fair to inflict her bad mood on people who weren't directly responsible for it.
"I'm sorry, guys," she went on in a calmer tone. "I truly appreciate your concern and wish I could stay and chat, but I have a lot to do today. Excuse me."
"Did you see the look on her face when she saw us?" Tae-kyung observed when she had gone. "I think you seriously pissed off the writer, Mi-nam."
"Me?" he retorted. "Who was it who made me get close to her in the first place?"
"I think you turned on the charm a bit too much in this case," Jeremy reflected, gazing at the ceiling. "Instead of just making friends, I think you made her fall in love with you, so now she's doing the whole 'woman scorned' thing."
Mi-nam snorted derisively and flung off the arm that the now-redheaded boy had draped over his shoulders. "Hey, I was just carrying out all of your instructions," he told his bandmates. "I can't help it if I'm irresistible to women."
He gave them one last smirk before stalking off, hoping that his face wasn't as red as it felt.
Mi-nam's irritation wasn't just because his bandmates had the nerve to make joking remarks at his expense, but also because they were probably right... at least about him pissing off Reporter Park. (He wasn't quite ready to think about her possibly being in love with him.)
It was thus for that reason that he knocked on her office door half an hour later, bearing the best that the AN Entertainment cafeteria had to offer.
"Come in," came her voice from inside, sounding very much like Mother Superior after finding out that all the cookies that the sisters had baked for dessert that night had bites taken out of them. He still wasn't quite sure how the nun found out that he had done it.
Mi-nam opened the door and stuck his head inside cautiously. "I was just checking to see if you had already eaten lunch," he said. Oh-lan had looked up as the door opened and, to his dismay, a guarded look settled over her features when she saw that it was him.
"I've brought you some food," he went on, "just in case you haven't." His arm followed his head inside the office, holding out the bag of food like a flag of truce.
"I haven't eaten yet," she admitted. "Thank you. How much do I owe you?"
"Nothing. It's my treat." Deciding to risk it, Mi-nam went all the way into the office to put the food on her desk.
"Thank you," Oh-lan repeated, looking at the bag as it landed beside her pen holder. She adjusted her glasses and looked at him. "Is there anything else?"
"Oh, we've started reading that book on Genghis Khan that you recommended," he told her. "The others were interested, too, so we're reading it together."
He hoped that her face would light up the way it had when he took her to the book café, but all he got today was a thin, brief smile. "That's great. I hope you enjoy it."
"It's pretty good so far."
"It's the first book in a series. If you really like it, then you should buy the rest."
"We'll probably do that." Mi-nam stuck his hands in his pockets and shifted from foot to foot. "Look, I'm sorry... about everything," he went on, glancing at the floor.
She stiffened in her seat. "Forget about it," she told him flatly. "We've all talked about it and moved on. It's over."
"The two of us haven't talked about it yet. I was hoping I could at least tell you my side of things. Reporters are supposed to look at a story from all angles, aren't they?"
Oh-lan scowled and for a while he feared that she was going to throw him out of her office then, but Mi-nam supposed he was right, because she didn't. "All right," she said instead. "What is it?"
"I'm not going to deny that I started hanging out with you because the others asked me to," he began, "but I never pretended to enjoy your company. I really had fun talking to you and everything. You're smart and funny, and you love what you do, and I really, truly think that all of that is cool.
"I don't know if that helps make things better," he concluded, "because I know that out of everyone in the band, I hurt you pretty badly; but I wanted to make it clear that I wasn't just putting on an act when we were together."
She was quiet for a moment, but when she spoke, her voice was stony. "You needn't have worried; you didn't hurt me. I'll admit that it was a shock, but as I told you, it's over. You guys have admitted your mistake and apologized, and I've accepted your apology. I did tell Jeremy that we were all friends again, didn't I?"
"Yeah, but I didn't think we should all move on without clearing up my side of things first."
"Well, I appreciate your honesty."
They regarded each other in silence for a few moments. That was it? Mi-nam thought when Oh-lan said nothing more. Her face was expressionless, but he got the feeling that she was keeping silent on purpose, just to make him squirm.
"I'm glad you do," he said finally. He nodded at the still-untouched food on her desk and made a move to leave. "I suppose I'll let you get back to work, then. Don't forget to eat your lunch."
Mi-nam was glad when the band decided to stop recording early that day. The official reason was that Shin-woo and Jeremy were taping a TV guesting that evening; but the truth was that there had been no pleasing Tae-kyung during rehearsals and, to Mi-nam's relief and Jeremy's undying gratitude, Shin-woo suggested that everyone take off early that day. Mi-nam took advantage of the extra down time to pay Mi-nyeo a surprise visit at the orphanage, dragging Tae-kyung along with him.
Unlike other women who didn't need to be named, Mi-nam's sister was delighted to see them. "I'm glad you decided to come all of a sudden, oppa," she said when he and Tae-kyung arrived with treats for the kids. "A new boy arrived this week and he's having trouble adjusting to life at the orphanage. Maybe you could talk to him?"
Mi-nam laughed. He had been bent on getting out of the orphanage from the moment their aunt Mi-ja had left them there, but he couldn't resist it when Mi-nyeo asked him for a favor. "I'll try my best," he promised. "At least you're not asking me to clean gutters or change light bulbs like the last time I was here."
"Well, we do need the fallen leaves swept up," she answered innocently, "and Mr. Ha, the groundskeeper's, bad back has been bothering him lately...."
He made a face at his twin, but instead of getting mad, he grinned and clapped Tae-kyung on the back. "Boy, am I glad you decided to come along, brother-in-law."
Mi-nam had to admit that visiting the orphanage was good for his ego, because the kids were awed at the idea that a celebrity like him had lived there, just like them; but it kept him from getting a swelled head, too, especially when his sister and Mother Superior asked him (and anyone who decided to come along) to help with the chores.
"This wasn't what I had in mind when Shin-woo told me to relax," Tae-kyung said dryly as he wielded a rake over the grass, which was starting to turn brown in the cold weather.
"Now, brother-in-law, you mustn't complain," Mi-nam chided as he dumped a dustpan full of dried leaves into a waiting garbage bag. He nodded at the little groups of children around them, all of whom were busily raking and sweeping, eager to help the idols with the task. "You don't want these kids to think that you don't want to be here, do you?
"Besides," he added virtuously, "Mother Superior always said that hard work was good for the soul."
"I'm sure you heard that a lot because you got punished with chores so much," the vocalist retorted.
Mi-nyeo stopped raking to touch her boyfriend's arm gently. "You can sit down and rest if you like, oppa. I know that you were both working very hard before coming here."
Tae-kyung's expression softened as he looked at her and he resumed raking with renewed energy. "I'm not that tired," he said. "And with all of us working together, we'll be done in no time."
Mi-nam scooped up some more leaves to take to the garbage bag. "Did you get Mother Superior's permission to go to the foundation thing, Mi-nyeo?" he asked her.
His twin smiled and nodded. "She was happy to let me go, and told me to see if I could get ideas on how to improve the sports program for the children here. Maybe the foundation can sponsor a team or some equipment, or something."
"Maybe they could. Or maybe we could," Mi-nam suggested. "Living at the orphanage was OK, but I'm sure I would have liked it here a lot more if I had more opportunities to run and jump around. A.N.JELL could give the orphanage some money to do that."
Tae-kyung nodded. "We'll suggest it to President Ahn."
Mi-nam found himself smiling. It was a small thing, and nothing was certain at that point, but the idea of helping the orphanage made him feel a lot better.
Chapter 1: Here's to the Night
Chapter 2: Maneater
Chapter 3: Know Your Enemy
Chapter 4: I Just Wanna Live
Chapter 5: Shark in the Water
Chapter 6: Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk
Chapter 7: Smooth Operator
Disclaimer: The A.N.JELL-verse belongs to the Hong sisters, creators of You're Beautiful.
Author's Notes: Thanks, as always, to akaironoyoru and lilivanilla1 for reviewing, and to those of you still following this story :)
Chapter Eight - Gives You Hell (All-American Rejects)
It took a few days before Oh-lan agreed to see, let alone speak, to the band, and when she did, Mi-nam saw that the nun from their first meeting was back.
The writer folded her arms and glared at them over the rims of her glasses. That, her severe black clothing and the fact that the members of A.N.JELL sat in a row in her office like guilty schoolboys all reminded Mi-nam of Sister May back at the orphanage. All of the kids had been afraid of her because she was so strict.
"I don't know who you think you're dealing with," she began, "but I am a professional. I was hired to write about your creative process and how you work together as a band." She looked pointedly at Tae-kyung, who had the grace to look slightly embarrassed. "I'm sorry if some of you feel that's intrusive, but if there's one thing I can promise you, it's that whatever you feel should be off the record stays off the record. It's true that I'm still working for Inside Showbiz even while working on this project, but I'm not stupid enough to put this job in jeopardy just for a scoop.
"And furthermore," Oh-lan went on, "even though I will admit that you guys having girlfriends is a scoop, I'll have you know that I don't write that sort of thing for the magazine." She looked down her nose at Mi-nam, who tried his best to meet her gaze but wound up looking away first. "Those of you who claim to be fans of my work would know that. Do I make myself clear?"
All of the boys nodded, but only Shin-woo had the courage to speak. "We're sorry, Reporter Park," he said humbly. "Please understand that we want to be cooperative like President Ahn wants, but there are also people that we have to protect. We've never worked closely with any writers before, so we couldn't think of anything else to do to protect those people we care about."
He probably said the right things, because instead of lecturing some more, the writer just nodded. "I hope that, the next time something like this comes up," she told them, sounding calmer now, "you'll be able to talk to me about it. I don't need details if you don't want to go into them, but I should at least know what topics are off-limits. Does that sound fair to you?"
A.N.JELL looked at each other and nodded. "We can do that," Tae-kyung said.
"Good." Oh-lan sighed and leaned against the wall behind her, as though the discussion had tired her out. "I suppose that's all I really wanted to say, and all I needed to know."
"We should probably get back to work, then," Jeremy suggested, trying not to sound too eager to get out of there.
"I need to do the same," she agreed.
The drummer was clearly eager to get out of there, but there was one thing he needed to ask before leaving. "Are we all friends again, noona?"
"Yes, we are," she assured him. "Don't worry about it, Jeremy."
She mustered a smile at Jeremy's question, but apart from that cold stare earlier, Mi-nam noticed that the writer didn't look at him once during the whole meeting.
When Oh-lan returned home that night, she found that her anger, which had allowed her to go through the past few days with her head held high, had burned itself out. All she was now was very, very tired.
She kicked off her shoes and sagged bonelessly onto her sofa. The motion startled Genghis, who had been napping among the cushions, and he leapt away, hissing. Normally, she would have apologized for giving him such a shock, but she paid him no heed this time, having other things on her mind.
Stupid. She scrubbed her face with her hands as if to rub off the humiliation that had been threatening to smother her ever since she had overheard A.N.JELL congratulating Go Mi-nam in the recording studio. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Just when she thought that she was making progress and earning the band's trust, if not their friendship.... She could see something special when they allowed themselves to relax in her presence, a brotherhood that made them more than just a band that worked together.
Perhaps they had just been pretending that as well, she thought meanly, even though in her heart she knew that wasn't true.
What she did know for sure was that she should have wondered why Mi-nam had suddenly started acting so friendly. For someone who prided herself on her intelligence, where was her brain? Instead of protecting herself as she should have, all she could think of was how nice it was to have someone besides her parents, especially someone so charming and good-looking, to care about her well-being, and make sure she was actually living her life instead of just working all the time. To discover that it had all been an act was crushing.
Oh-lan's eyes began to sting and she shook her head with determination. By now, Genghis seemed to have realized that his mistress was very upset and he padded back to her side, mewing. Rather than demanding the apology that was his due, he climbed onto her lap, his weight warm and reassuring.
Laughing shakily, she cradled him in her arms and he licked her cheek. "You're right," she said. "This is nothing to cry about." Rather, it was a lesson that in this life, a person could really only rely on herself. From now on, she would remember that guys like Go Mi-nam didn't get close to girls like her.
Despite her resolution to get over it and move on, all of this still weighed heavily on Oh-lan's mind when she had dinner at her parents' house the next evening. They were having beef and vegetable stew that night, but she just listlessly picked at her food.
This naturally did not escape her mother's attention. "Is something wrong with the stew?" asked Professor Han, frowning and prodding at the food left in the serving bowl.
"No, it's fine." She ate a spoonful of meat and rice without tasting anything.
"Normally we can't keep you away from it," her father observed, looking concerned. "Are you sick? Did Genghis scratch you? Professor Lee from the College of Natural Science was telling me the other day about this thing called cat scratch fever, where-"
Oh-lan laughed despite herself and shook her head. "I'm fine, Appa," she assured him. "I just have a lot on my mind."
"You're working too hard," her mother told her. "I think you've lost weight since the last time we saw you. Are you eating and sleeping properly?"
"I swear that I am." As she spoke, she remembered the last person who had worried about her this way and hoped that she wasn't blushing. "It's just that... I'm a little blocked in my writing and it's bothering me. I'm trying to relax and let it pass, but it's been hard."
She had said that last part because she knew her parents were going to fret that she wasn't relaxing enough, but that night, she wasn't completely prepared for everything they were going to say.
After a little prodding from his wife, Professor Park spoke up. "Well, you know, relaxing isn't just about staying home and taking a rest from work," he ventured. "It might involve actually going out, having fun and meeting new people. Take, for instance, one of my junior colleagues at the university, Professor Chin Tae-mul. A very nice young man...."
Oh-lan frowned at her father over a small mouthful of beansprouts. "What about him? Is he an example of another person who needs to go out and have fun, or of a new person that I should meet?"
"Both, actually," Professor Han said, cutting right to the chase. Seeing her daughter stiffen, she hastened to add, "Now, Oh-lan, you know that your father and I don't believe in matchmaking, so this wouldn't be that kind of date. It's just an opportunity for you to make a new friend your age, that's all."
"Does he know that?" she asked suspiciously.
"Not yet," Professor Park told her. "But that's because I haven't even approached Professor Chin yet about meeting you. Your mother and I agreed that we would check with you first before setting up anything."
"At least you got that right," Oh-lan grumbled.
"Would you agree to meet Professor Chin?" her mother asked then. "Even just once?"
She fell silent. On the one hand, she did not like to idea of going out with anyone hand-picked by her parents, for whatever reason. It made her feel as though she couldn't freely choose the men with whom she could associate. (All right, she currently wasn't meeting any likely prospects on her own, but that was beside the point!) On the other hand, what was wrong with making a new friend, as her mother said? At least, this time, she would be sure that the guy was meeting her because he was genuinely interested.
"All right," Oh-lan said finally, "I'll do it."
While the Park family spoke of dates around the dinner table, Mi-nam actually went on one. Her name was Seon-hwa and, if he remembered correctly, she was an aspiring actress or something like that.
Of course, it was all supposed to be completely hush-hush, so instead of picking her up (not that he ever did that with any of his dates), Mi-nam met her at an upscale club in the Yongsan district. As an added precaution, he was disguised in a hat and false mustache.
He caught sight of her sitting alone at the bar, a tall girl in a silver minidress that showed off her slender figure. She had changed her hair since the last time he had seen her; tonight, it was a bold pumpkin orange, almost the same as the new hair color Jeremy had adopted the day before. Everything about her was calculated to catch the eye, and judging from the interested looks she was receiving from the men flocked around her, it was working.
To her credit, Seon-hwa kept the wolves at bay instead of capitalizing on the attention. Mi-nam couldn't help puffing up proudly as he claimed the empty seat next to her. "Sorry I'm late, gorgeous," he told her, enjoying the envious stares of his date's admirers. "Have you been waiting long?"
She had known that he would be disguised (Mi-nam wasn't that bad with details) and he supposed that she recognized his voice, because rather than rebuff his attentions, she showered him with a dazzling smile. "Not at all," she assured him. "Just long enough to build the anticipation."
Mi-nam grinned and tossed some money onto the counter to pay for the drink in Seon-hwa's well-manicured hand. "Well, the wait is over. Why don't we adjourn to someplace more private?"
They followed a hostess to the VIP room that Mi-nam had booked (under an alias, of course) for the evening. "Everything is ready, just as you requested, sir," the hostess told him, fluttering her eyelashes. "Call me if you need anything else."
"I will. Thank you." He couldn't help noticing that the hostess, too, was very pretty, but there wasn't much he could do about that... at least, not while he was on a date with someone else.
"Who's Ong Bae-gu?" Seon-hwa asked when they were alone.
He chuckled. "No one. It's just an alias I use for these things, to protect my privacy." Shin-woo and Jeremy used it, too, when making restaurant reservations or ordering gifts for their girlfriends. Sometimes, Mi-nam wondered whether florists and maȋtre d's all over town thought that Ong Bae-gu was the Don Juan of Seoul.
She giggled and snuggled deeper into the plush leather banquette. "This is all so mysterious! Like I'm in a spy movie or something. I'd better remember this for when I audition for a role in an action movie."
(I guess I was right about her being an aspiring actress, Mi-nam thought.)
"If it wasn't so exciting," Seon-hwa went on, "I'd feel bad about not being able to let the whole world know that we're dating."
He closed his eyes to hide the fact that he was rolling them. "I've already explained it to you, Seon-hwa, and I hoped that you would understand that it would be best to keep this quiet for a while."
"Are you ashamed of me?" she asked, pouting prettily. The gesture displayed her plum-lipsticked mouth to the best advantage, but Mi-nam found himself thinking of another mouth, this one bare of any cosmetics. That mouth... and frizzy hair... and eyeglasses... and eyes that mirrored a world of hurt.
Don't think about her.
"Of course not," he soothed Seon-hwa. "I like you a lot, but you know how fans can be like if they ever found out that a member of A.N.JELL was dating. It'll affect my bandmates, too, not just me. This isn't a decision that I can make lightly."
"Doesn't Hwang Tae-kyung have a girlfriend?"
This girl had come prepared, but then, so had Mi-nam. "He does, but he thought long and hard before deciding to go public. I guess he was also lucky, because he had just broken up with Yoo Heyi and the fans felt kind of sorry for him."
Seon-hwa made an impatient noise. "It's not fair. You're a top star. You should be able to do what you want."
"I wish I could, but that's not the way things work. I'm doing this for you, too, you know," he added. "The fans won't just go after me; they'll go after you, too. You wouldn't want to be involved in a scandal like that, would you?"
She thought about it for several moments. "I guess not," she said finally, even though Mi-nam got the feeling that she actually did. Even though the scandal would land her quite a few anti-fans, such a thing would probably be very good for her acting career.
She sighed and twined her arms around his. "You're so sweet, Mi-nam. I love that you're already protecting me like this."
Mi-nam accepted the kiss that she gave him before turning away and pouring himself some wine. He'd had a lot of practice having that kind of discussion - maybe not with Seon-hwa herself, because this was just their first date, but with quite a few of the other girls he had dated in the past.
However, those other girls had waited until the second or third date, or at least well into the evening of their first date, before bringing up the issue of going public.
"I see we're back in black."
Stifling a snarl, Oh-lan looked up from the article that she was finishing on Sung Bo-dae's birthday celebration. Recent events had made it difficult to write, and so now, she was spending her lunch break at the Inside Showbiz offices, rushing to meet the deadline. "May I help you, Reporter Kim?" she asked him politely.
Soon-ok looked down his nose at her, an annoyingly superior smile on his face. "I couldn't help noticing that you've reverted to your old wardrobe. Such a shame...." he drawled. "Just as I was getting used to your trendy new look."
She wished she was wearing her combat boots instead of flat shoes; that way, she wouldn't have had any qualms about kicking him. "I'm sorry you have to look at these old clothes again," Oh-lan replied sweetly, "but I'm dressing for comfort these days. I'm mostly done with my research for the A.N.JELL project, and I need to buckle down and start writing the actual book."
It turned out that mentioning the book was just as good as kicking Soon-ok. He glowered at the reminder of the project for which he had not been recommended. "Forgive me for interrupting your oh-so-very-important work, Reporter Park," he said, even though his tone indicated that he wasn't sorry at all. "I suppose I'll let you get back to it, then."
"Was he bothering you again, noona?" In-jung asked, approaching Oh-lan's desk after the senior reporter had stalked off.
"He was trying," she replied.
"Maybe you should complain to your uncle-I mean, Editor Park," the photographer suggested in a low voice. "Reporter Kim's sort of on your case all the time now."
She gave a brief shake of her head. "He's not worth my time. Now, if you'll excuse me, In-jung, I have to finish this within the hour."
Oh-lan was not using her own computer, and even if she were, she knew better than to bang on the keys, so typing out the rest of her article did little to vent her frustration. At least, she consoled herself after she had sent off the finished piece, she managed to meet her deadline despite certain petty distractions, and now she was on her way to her own private office, where she could be alone and focus on the project that could make her career, and maybe blast some music to help make her feel better.
As luck would have it, the first people whom Oh-lan saw at AN Entertainment was A.N.JELL. It was the first time they all saw each other since the day she had chewed them out in her office. "Hi, noona!" Shin-woo greeted her politely. "Coming back from lunch?"
She shook her head. "I had to finish an article for Inside Showbiz. Now I need to start seriously writing your book."
"You haven't eaten anything at all?!" Jeremy screeched. His hair, she noticed, had gone from blond to bright orange. He looked like his head was on fire.
"I'll get something later," she assured him.
"Where?"
"There's a cafeteria in this building, isn't there?" Oh-lan snapped, then fought to curb her temper. The drummer was a bit of a health nut, she reminded herself, and would thus be concerned about proper nutrition. Besides, it wouldn't be fair to inflict her bad mood on people who weren't directly responsible for it.
"I'm sorry, guys," she went on in a calmer tone. "I truly appreciate your concern and wish I could stay and chat, but I have a lot to do today. Excuse me."
"Did you see the look on her face when she saw us?" Tae-kyung observed when she had gone. "I think you seriously pissed off the writer, Mi-nam."
"Me?" he retorted. "Who was it who made me get close to her in the first place?"
"I think you turned on the charm a bit too much in this case," Jeremy reflected, gazing at the ceiling. "Instead of just making friends, I think you made her fall in love with you, so now she's doing the whole 'woman scorned' thing."
Mi-nam snorted derisively and flung off the arm that the now-redheaded boy had draped over his shoulders. "Hey, I was just carrying out all of your instructions," he told his bandmates. "I can't help it if I'm irresistible to women."
He gave them one last smirk before stalking off, hoping that his face wasn't as red as it felt.
Mi-nam's irritation wasn't just because his bandmates had the nerve to make joking remarks at his expense, but also because they were probably right... at least about him pissing off Reporter Park. (He wasn't quite ready to think about her possibly being in love with him.)
It was thus for that reason that he knocked on her office door half an hour later, bearing the best that the AN Entertainment cafeteria had to offer.
"Come in," came her voice from inside, sounding very much like Mother Superior after finding out that all the cookies that the sisters had baked for dessert that night had bites taken out of them. He still wasn't quite sure how the nun found out that he had done it.
Mi-nam opened the door and stuck his head inside cautiously. "I was just checking to see if you had already eaten lunch," he said. Oh-lan had looked up as the door opened and, to his dismay, a guarded look settled over her features when she saw that it was him.
"I've brought you some food," he went on, "just in case you haven't." His arm followed his head inside the office, holding out the bag of food like a flag of truce.
"I haven't eaten yet," she admitted. "Thank you. How much do I owe you?"
"Nothing. It's my treat." Deciding to risk it, Mi-nam went all the way into the office to put the food on her desk.
"Thank you," Oh-lan repeated, looking at the bag as it landed beside her pen holder. She adjusted her glasses and looked at him. "Is there anything else?"
"Oh, we've started reading that book on Genghis Khan that you recommended," he told her. "The others were interested, too, so we're reading it together."
He hoped that her face would light up the way it had when he took her to the book café, but all he got today was a thin, brief smile. "That's great. I hope you enjoy it."
"It's pretty good so far."
"It's the first book in a series. If you really like it, then you should buy the rest."
"We'll probably do that." Mi-nam stuck his hands in his pockets and shifted from foot to foot. "Look, I'm sorry... about everything," he went on, glancing at the floor.
She stiffened in her seat. "Forget about it," she told him flatly. "We've all talked about it and moved on. It's over."
"The two of us haven't talked about it yet. I was hoping I could at least tell you my side of things. Reporters are supposed to look at a story from all angles, aren't they?"
Oh-lan scowled and for a while he feared that she was going to throw him out of her office then, but Mi-nam supposed he was right, because she didn't. "All right," she said instead. "What is it?"
"I'm not going to deny that I started hanging out with you because the others asked me to," he began, "but I never pretended to enjoy your company. I really had fun talking to you and everything. You're smart and funny, and you love what you do, and I really, truly think that all of that is cool.
"I don't know if that helps make things better," he concluded, "because I know that out of everyone in the band, I hurt you pretty badly; but I wanted to make it clear that I wasn't just putting on an act when we were together."
She was quiet for a moment, but when she spoke, her voice was stony. "You needn't have worried; you didn't hurt me. I'll admit that it was a shock, but as I told you, it's over. You guys have admitted your mistake and apologized, and I've accepted your apology. I did tell Jeremy that we were all friends again, didn't I?"
"Yeah, but I didn't think we should all move on without clearing up my side of things first."
"Well, I appreciate your honesty."
They regarded each other in silence for a few moments. That was it? Mi-nam thought when Oh-lan said nothing more. Her face was expressionless, but he got the feeling that she was keeping silent on purpose, just to make him squirm.
"I'm glad you do," he said finally. He nodded at the still-untouched food on her desk and made a move to leave. "I suppose I'll let you get back to work, then. Don't forget to eat your lunch."
Mi-nam was glad when the band decided to stop recording early that day. The official reason was that Shin-woo and Jeremy were taping a TV guesting that evening; but the truth was that there had been no pleasing Tae-kyung during rehearsals and, to Mi-nam's relief and Jeremy's undying gratitude, Shin-woo suggested that everyone take off early that day. Mi-nam took advantage of the extra down time to pay Mi-nyeo a surprise visit at the orphanage, dragging Tae-kyung along with him.
Unlike other women who didn't need to be named, Mi-nam's sister was delighted to see them. "I'm glad you decided to come all of a sudden, oppa," she said when he and Tae-kyung arrived with treats for the kids. "A new boy arrived this week and he's having trouble adjusting to life at the orphanage. Maybe you could talk to him?"
Mi-nam laughed. He had been bent on getting out of the orphanage from the moment their aunt Mi-ja had left them there, but he couldn't resist it when Mi-nyeo asked him for a favor. "I'll try my best," he promised. "At least you're not asking me to clean gutters or change light bulbs like the last time I was here."
"Well, we do need the fallen leaves swept up," she answered innocently, "and Mr. Ha, the groundskeeper's, bad back has been bothering him lately...."
He made a face at his twin, but instead of getting mad, he grinned and clapped Tae-kyung on the back. "Boy, am I glad you decided to come along, brother-in-law."
Mi-nam had to admit that visiting the orphanage was good for his ego, because the kids were awed at the idea that a celebrity like him had lived there, just like them; but it kept him from getting a swelled head, too, especially when his sister and Mother Superior asked him (and anyone who decided to come along) to help with the chores.
"This wasn't what I had in mind when Shin-woo told me to relax," Tae-kyung said dryly as he wielded a rake over the grass, which was starting to turn brown in the cold weather.
"Now, brother-in-law, you mustn't complain," Mi-nam chided as he dumped a dustpan full of dried leaves into a waiting garbage bag. He nodded at the little groups of children around them, all of whom were busily raking and sweeping, eager to help the idols with the task. "You don't want these kids to think that you don't want to be here, do you?
"Besides," he added virtuously, "Mother Superior always said that hard work was good for the soul."
"I'm sure you heard that a lot because you got punished with chores so much," the vocalist retorted.
Mi-nyeo stopped raking to touch her boyfriend's arm gently. "You can sit down and rest if you like, oppa. I know that you were both working very hard before coming here."
Tae-kyung's expression softened as he looked at her and he resumed raking with renewed energy. "I'm not that tired," he said. "And with all of us working together, we'll be done in no time."
Mi-nam scooped up some more leaves to take to the garbage bag. "Did you get Mother Superior's permission to go to the foundation thing, Mi-nyeo?" he asked her.
His twin smiled and nodded. "She was happy to let me go, and told me to see if I could get ideas on how to improve the sports program for the children here. Maybe the foundation can sponsor a team or some equipment, or something."
"Maybe they could. Or maybe we could," Mi-nam suggested. "Living at the orphanage was OK, but I'm sure I would have liked it here a lot more if I had more opportunities to run and jump around. A.N.JELL could give the orphanage some money to do that."
Tae-kyung nodded. "We'll suggest it to President Ahn."
Mi-nam found himself smiling. It was a small thing, and nothing was certain at that point, but the idea of helping the orphanage made him feel a lot better.