After shooting a session, Rosé waved her hand. “We will stop here for today ah.”
“But Rosé, there is more ……” Her agent eagerly said.
“Stop here.” Rosé said firmly, then turned to speak to Lalisa, “We will go for a cup of coffee.”
“For this long-awaited reunion, we ought to go for a drink, but unfortunately recently, there is something wrong with my stomach so there is no choice but to drink coffee.”
“Uh, a cup of coffee is good, or you should drink milk.” Lalisa did not know what to say. There are too many things she wanted to ask but did not know where to begin.
“Health is very important so dieting should be done in moderation.” Lalisa tried to find a neutral topic.
“I never go on a diet.” Rosé smiled faintly. “I’m an alcoholic.”
“Park Chaeyoung!” Lalisa was shocked by her friend’s mistreatment of her own body. She anxiously reached out to take her hand. Why did Chaeyoung become like this?
Rosé reflexively pushed away the hand, Lalisa was stunned, the atmosphere turned awkward and quiet.
“You’ve changed a lot.” After awhile, Lalisa said softly.
“Yes, do you still remember my crush when I was a freshman?” Rosé spoke of her own story coldly. “One day, I told him I liked him, he accepted, but he did not love me. After that, Chaeyoung died, I am now Rosé.”
Rosé’s words were like carvings into the heart. Lalisa felt distressed and was not able to ask anything else.
After a while, Rosé coldly mocked: “You have not changed much, still a hypocrite displaying insincere affection. How come you are willing to come back from the glittering United States ah?”
Her words somewhat hurt Lalisa but thinking about it, after all, she was in the wrong first. That year, she left without a word and did not keep in touch for seven years so she was the one who did not value their friendship. “At that time, I left in a hurry ……”
“You do not need to say that to me.” Rosé interrupted her. “You should say those words to Jungkook.”
Jungkook? How come he is mentioned? Lalisa remembered that day he and Somi behaving like a couple at the supermarket: “I think he does not care ……”
“Does not care? Do you think everyone is like you, so unfeeling and heartless?” Rosé’s voice became agitated, “The first few days when you went missing, he looked for you until he nearly went crazy. Later, he just waited all day downstairs in the dormitory, but what did he get in the end?” Rosé’s eyes coldly accused her. “A few people came and took all your stuff away. Then, they told him and us that you have gone to the United States and may never come back.”
“Lalisa, you were really cruel.” Rosé paused and said, “I will never forget the way he looked at that time, like a person falling off a cliff, his face dark and empty, extremely despair until people could not bear to see. He is such a proud person but to actually look like that ……”
Lalisa listened until she was muddleheaded. Did that really happen?
“Maybe he felt guilty ……”
“Lalisa, the one who abandoned him to go to the United States was you so the one feeling guilty should be you.”
“Chaeyoung, you do not understand ……”
“I have eyes to see.”
Lalisa stopped talking. Everyone thinks that she was the one who abandoned him. That’s clearly not true!”
Definitely, he was the one who said …… he said he did not want to see her again. He said he would rather he has never known her. He asked her to go the farther the better ……
Definitely, it was him!
After saying goodbye to Rosé, Lalisa walked in the streets in early summer, Rosé’s words still rang in her ears.
“He has always been single …… Somi? Isn’t she his sister?”
They surprisingly did not get together? Then why did she leave during that time?
Then, why did he say those words?
She spread out her palm, a piece of paper with the address of ‘Kim Min Jeon Law Firm’ laid in her palm.
Rosé said: “Maybe you need this.”
She did not specifically come here, but she was just passing by. Before she knew it, she was already standing in ‘Kim Min Jeon Law Firm‘.
The receptionist smiled apologetically: “Lawyer Jeon is not in the firm. Do you have an appointment?”
Lalisa was not clear if she felt disappointed or relieved. “No.”
“Do you have anything important? I can help you to convey to him or ……” The receptionist looked at the clock on the wall, “You can wait as lawyer Jeon should be back soon.”
“Oh, no need, I will come again.” Lalisa walked away then turned back. “This is lawyer Jeon’s wallet. Please help me to return it to him, thank you.”
An outcome not so bad!
As the fate was shallow, no wonder the love was not deep.
“Lisa, what is different when you worked abroad compared to working in Korea?” It was nearly time to go home so the workers had no motivation to work, while chatting a colleague suddenly asked this.
“Uh.” Lalisa looked around and saw the boss was not in, “The salary abroad was much higher.”
“What a shame!” The colleagues who thought the grapes were sour, immediately expressed their disdain.
“Did you experience any discrimination there?”
“A little la.”
“This is nothing to be concerned about. Hong Kong people also look down on people from the mainland!” Suho, who just came back from Hong Kong, felt that deeply.
“When you personally experience it, then you would not be able to dismiss it easily. Once in front of all of my colleagues, my former boss said that Korea does not have authentic artists. When I heard that, I was angry. I have never so keenly felt so Korean so I immediately pointed at the old man’s nose and said ‘What do you know about Korean art?’. When we Korean people were practicing our art, who knows where you Americans were wandering at.”
“That’s how to do it! How fierce!” The colleagues kept clapping their hands, praising her continuously and then together asked her: “Later, what excuse was used to fire you?”
“……” Lalisa did not know whether to laugh or cry, “Although the Americans are arrogant, their magnanimity are still directly in proportional to their stature. One day, he unexpectedly took the Four Treasures of the Study (for calligraphy) out, which I did not know where he got them from, and asked me to write a few Korean characters. He said he wanted to hang them in the living room.”
“Wow, really?”
“Lisa, is your writing good enough?”
“Ha, I showed off my unique skill by firstly pouring all the ink on a fine writing paper. Then I pretended to do this and that for a long time, resulting in those Americans grasping in amazement. Honestly speaking, if those words were not written by me, I would definitely not know what they are.”
“What did you write?”
“You are a barbarian!”
“Ack!” A colleague laughed so hard and spit out tea.
In the midst of loud laughter, someone called out: “Lisa, someone is looking for you.”
Lalisa turned around, and Kim Jennie (flower fairy), also known as——starry-eyed infatuation fairy and a busybody, walked over. “In the reception room, there is someone very handsome, very cool and very masculine. He obviously looks like a young and talented urban elite with a successful professional career. Lisa, you have just returned from overseas but already met such good quality stock. No need to hide such talent ah.”
If Jennie’s words can be believed, pigs also fly in the sky. Usually, her words should be taken at less than their value, no, more like half of their value.
Lalisa was very curious, she had just returned home without hardly meeting anyone, who would look for her?
She never thought it would be him!
The handsome man standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows in the reception room with his back to her turned out to be Jungkook. When he heard the door open, he turned around, looked at her with cold eyes, completely indifferent and without any emotions.
Finally, Jennie did not exaggerate. Indeed, he was extraordinarily handsome and impressive looking. His tailored and body fitting suit accentuated his tall and straight figure. He looked just like before, full of confident, calm and collected, but also with something like aloofness that made people uncomfortable.
She was left totally speechless.
In contrast, he looked cool and calm, nodded his head to greet her. “Miss Kwon.”
Miss Kwon?
Lalisa really wanted to smile, but it was just too difficult. “Jeon …… Mr.”
Gesturing to a chair, Lalisa said: “Please sit down.”
She took out the tea leaves and looked down to conceal her expression. She was unable to look indifferent like him so she can only hide her stirred up emotions. “What do you want to drink?”
“Thank you, no need.” His eyes were cold. “After I say a few words, I will leave immediately.”
“Oh, you came to see me …… how did you know I’m here?”
He paused for five seconds before speaking. “It is Rosé, I am her lawyer.”
“What is the matter ah?”
His tone of voice appeared to be chilly. “Miss Kwon came to my law firm three days ago and said you would come back, but after some time you still have not come by. I have no choice but to personally come here to pay you a visit.”
Lalisa was surprised, raised her head and met his luminous eyes. “How do you know ……” She did not leave her name so how did he know she was the one who returned his wallet?
“Miss Kwon, I can reason like any normal person.” He said mockingly.
Probably those who are lawyers also have this kind of ‘ability to reason like a normal person.’ Lalisa stared at a wall. “I did go to return the wallet. Since you have already received it, you do not need to make a trip here.”
Jungkook‘s eyes flashed. “Beside returning the wallet, there is no other matter?”
What other matter? Lalisa was in a daze. “There is nothing else.”
“Very good.” There seemed to be a trace of disappointment in his eyes. He walked and stood in front of her. “But I have a matter.”
He took out the black wallet and put it in front of her. “Inside the wallet, it was supposed to have a photo. Miss Kwon, do you know anything about that?”
Of course. Lalisa lowered her head. “Really? I did not notice.”
“Oh? The inside of the wallet had nothing but money. Thus, how did Miss Kwon know it was my wallet?”
Lalisa was dumbstruck and unable to reply. She almost forgot he is a lawyer, someone good at spotting all the loopholes in other people’s words. Want to deceive him, it would be best to realize one’s own capability first.
He half rose out of his chair. “Miss Kwon, can you return the photo to me?”
Suddenly, Lalisa felt baffled. What did he mean? On one hand, he put on a ‘you are a stranger’ look, yet on the other hand asked for her photo.
“The person in the photo is me so why should I give it to you?”
“Miss Kwon, I advise you not to discuss ownership legality with a lawyer.” Jungkook said coldly.
Lalisa was discouraged as she was not familiar with Jungkook like this and unable to deal with it. “The photo is not here.”
“Give it to me tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow, I have ……”
“Miss Kwon!” Jungkook interrupted her, “I think both of us do not want to have too many entanglements with each other, let’s end this quickly.”
End this quickly? Lalisa was silent for quite a while, “What do you want that photo for?”
“Who know?” Jungkook’s gaze darkened, “Maybe I want to keep it with me, to constantly remind me about that part of my stupid past.”
Stupid …… yes ah, so stupid! She even had some expectations.
Jungkook went ahead to make a decision. “I will come to get it tomorrow. If you do not have time, you can ask someone to pass it to me. Goodbye, Miss Kwon.”
He moved forward to leave. When his hand was grasping the door handle, he heard Lalisa said from behind: “Wait …… tomorrow, I will send it over.”
“Good.” Jungkook turned around with a blank face. “Thank you for your cooperation, see you tomorrow.”
Lalisa, in a daze, looked at the back of the tall and straight figure walking away. Not that she had not thought what it would be like if they met again one day, but she did not expect they did not even have the affection to say “Long time no see.”
Really, stupid past ah?
Lalisa stood in front of the bedroom mirror and looked closely at the woman facing her in the mirror.
If the short hair changed into long hair tied up in a ponytail. If the tanned skin became whiter. If she could still smile brilliantly without a worry …… most importantly, if the eyes could lose more than seven years of deep melancholy and be filled with innocence —— then she could become the Lalisa who first started university and met Jungkook.
“Jungkook, Jungkook ……”
“Jungkook, Jungkook ……”
She was not very clear how she managed to pursue Jungkook. Jungkook was even more unable to make head or tail of it. At that time, she just chased after him continuously. Finally one time, he could not stand it anymore and, with a straight face, asked: “Lalisa, why do you always follow me around?”
If now, she would probably be ashamed until unable to show her face! However, back then, she was shameless so she opened her eyes widely and asked: “Jungkook, are you stupid or am I stupid? Aiya, you’re so smart, I must be the stupid one la. How can I be such a failure? I chased for such a long time, yet he still does not know what I’m doing!”
She remembered Jungkook was dumbstruck and speechless for a long time. Later, when he mentioned about this, he laughed and also angrily said that he wanted to use the questioning tone to make her feel ashamed. But who could foresee in this world, there would be such a shameless little girl, in the end he was the one ashamed.
Thus, the outstanding student at that time in the Faculty of Law, after reacting slowly, unexpectedly can only stammer: “I don’t intend to find a girlfriend in university.”
At that time, she was too simple because she was not aware that it was just an excuse so in a spurt of energy asked: “Then I will stand in line right now and wait for you to graduate from university. I will be given priority, right?”
Facing such a stubborn opponent, the future lawyer and also best debater surrendered. He quickly ran away after saying out loud: “I have to go to class.”
She certainly was not discouraged by this. Before she could think of a better plan, she unexpectedly heard someone in the university said: “I heard that Jungkook from the Faculty of Law already has a girlfriend called Lalisa, the name is quite a mouthful.”
After hearing that, she immediately ran to the self-study classroom, found Jungkook and hastily clarified: “I did not start the rumour. You have to believe me.”
Jungkook looked up from his book, with a clear and bright expression, said: “I know.”
She foolishly asked: “How do you know?”
Jungkook answered with a calm expression: “Because I’m the person who started it.”
Finally, it was her turn to be stupefied. He calmly explained: “I have thought about it. If three years later, you are destined to be my girlfriend, I might as well exercise my rights earlier.”
Oh! That time ah!
The mouth of the person in the mirror curved up slightly, but the smile had not reached her eyes before it quickly disappeared.
Lalisa walked onto the balcony, her mind in confusion. Looking at the bright moon and stars, tomorrow should be a good day.