Chapter 100: Chapter 100
Chapter 100
“…”
Mikyung didn’t know what to say so she remained quiet while Jiwoo continued, “It was partly our fault. We begged Hyoyoung not to tell anyone. Hyoyoung had so many people to protect and so many secrets to keep…”
“I see…”
“But… Hyoyoung didn’t have that many people who were there to protect her. Just Hyojun… and Kiwook… I mean Purple M. That was it.”
“…”
“So… Can’t you be on Hyoyoung’s side, Mikyung?”
“Me…? How could I be? The way I yelled at her that night…”
“Emotions are like water. If it remains in one place without moving, it can rot, but if it flows, it can turn clear again. Remember the time and memories you tow share. You guys went through so much together. Don’t you think you guys can make amends?”
“Do you think Hyoyoung will forgive me?”
“What is there to forgive between friends?”
“But still…”
“Trust her. Believe in Hyoyoung.”
“Ok…”
“Now, let’s drink another cup of tea and clear our heads! No more thinking! The sun is about to set, so it’s going to be spectacular.”
Jiwoo offered her another cup and slowly started to tell her his story.
How he grew up, how hard it was to study abroad, about being The M, and even about his first love.
They talked like they were good friends, and their conversation went well past the sunset.
***
Mikyung told Hyoyoung the conversation she had with Jiwoo. She couldn’t stop the tears rolling down her face, so she looked down as she explained.
Finally, after a deep breath, Mikyung looked up and said, “So… Hyoyoung…”
Just then, Hyoyoung walked towards her and hugged her.
“You are such a meanie.”
Mikyung hugged her back tightly and replied, “You too.”
“Well, since we are both big meanies, we are even.”
“Yeah…”
“By the way, you must’ve had an awesome time, right?”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, come on! Red M made you tea!”
“Hey!”
“What?”
“I didn’t even think of that at the time, but when I went back home last night… that was when it hit me! I thought I was going to have a heart attack.”
“But not during the time you were with him?”
“No… It felt so surreal that I felt nothing.”
“See? Imagine how I felt!”
“Totally. In fact, I was going to ask you! How did it feel?”
“It was so crazy! I thought I was going to faint.”
“So how did you find out? When you went home, were the four of them there with their masks on?’
“No! When I got home…”
“Yeah?”
“There were four drop-dead gorgeous guys in my house!”
“OMG.”
“The three of them told me they were my brother’s friends… And at first, I wasn’t sure but once I heard more of Purple M’s voice, I just knew!”
“Wow… the power of love!”
“Well… the problem is that Black M is my own brother yet I didn’t even know… I didn’t recognize his voice on TV.”
“It’s understandable. I mean, I met your brother too and I didn’t recognize him either… OMG, now that I think about it, Black M bought me tteok-bokki!”
“Anyway, when I screamed in excitement, that idiot…”
“HEY! You can’t call him an idiot! He is Black M…”
“Shut up. To me, he is still the idiot of the family. Anyway, he told me I couldn’t tell anyone.”
“Wow…”
“And that’s not the end of it! There is more! Those four have a huge secret.”
“A secret? More?”
“Yeah… and this is even bigger and scarier… If people found out…”
“OMG! What is it? Tell me!”
“All four of them are…”
“Yeah?”
“Fashion terrorists!”
“What?”
“They suck at dressing themselves.”
“How…? They have perfect bodies… yet they can’t dress themselves properly?”
“It’s beyond reason… they dress like shit!”
“Oh my…”
“And at the time, they had to do the internet show so they desperately needed a stylist. Their ex-stylist… Myunghee Shin was gone as you well know… so I had to work as their temporary stylist.”
“Oh, then the outfits they were at the first internet show was your work?”
“Yeah.”
“OMG. I remember the girls going crazy because they thought those guys were dressed so nicely… But it was you who dressed them?”
“Exactly. And that’s not the end.”
“What else!?”
“While I followed the guys around to help them, Aran ended up seeing me in the Apgujung area. And Myunghee Shin also barged into the practice room one time… she screamed and everything! It was so crazy.”
“Wait a minute! So that time when Aran spotted you… that was when you were working for The M? And Myunghee Shin came to the practice room?”
“Totally! She acted like a crazy person! She said the oppas were all hers and she cried so loudly!”
“Wow… I can’t believe that happened. By the way, what is Myunghee Shin doing nowadays?”
“I don’t know… I assume she is planning something with her uncle.”
“STOPPP! Uncle? Who? What are you talking about now?”
“Gosh, it’s a long story, but basically, there is a guy named Jaehoon Shim… he is the one who told everything to the reporter. He apparently used to own an entertainment agency where my brother and Purple M used to work as trainees. They were treated unfairly, so they left the agency. Soon after, the company went bankrupt… and President Shim blamed my brother and Purple M for everything. Somehow, my brother, Purple M, Red M, and Blue M formed a group afterward under their current agency.”
“And how does Myunghee Shin fit into this story?”
“The M’s current CEO was a friend of President Shim. When Jaehoon Shim went bankrupt, the current CEO helped by taking in President Shim’s niece, which was Myunghee. She was hired as The M’s stylist. The funny thing is, the current CEO had no idea that my brother and Purple M were trainees at President Shim’s agency.”
“How could that happen? Doesn’t everyone know everybody in the entertainment industry?”
“Apparently, the four of them wore masks even during the first meeting with their current CEO. Isn’t that weird?”
“OMG. It’s like a crazy fictional story.”
“And that is why even their current CEO didn’t know the faces of the members at the beginning.”
“Is that even possible? Oh my god… And you knew all this, but couldn’t tell me? How did you even keep all of it inside? Weren’t you dying of wanting to tell everyone!”
“OF COURSE! There were so many times I wanted to tell you. I thought I WAS GOING TO DIE! Gosh, I feel so much better now!”
“You have my respect for keeping all these things secrets for such a long time! Wow… If I ever have a secret, I won’t have to worry about telling you since you will never tell anyone!”
“Please don’t tell me! I am so sick of keeping secrets!”
“Fine, fine. So… Myunghee Shin played a part in revealing that information to the reporter, right? The truth is… after the concert that day, I was waiting for you outside, hoping to talk to you again. But I saw Myunghee Shin instead… and I saw her being dragged away by a scary-looking man. That must’ve been her uncle, President Shim, right?”
“Yeah… sounds about right.”
“When I saw her, she looked like she wasn’t in her right mind… so how did she do all this?”
Hyoyoung thought for a second, remembering how Myunghee looked that day.
“Well… The truth is… I don’t think Myunghee Shin was actively involved in the article incident. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was also a victim in all this.”
“Really? Well… I kinda agree with you. When I saw her at that time, she didn’t look well.”
The school bell rang, but both Mikyung and Hyoyoung ignored it and continued to chat happily.