Night-Owl Romance
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Chapter 7: Cheon G. Seoul
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"Zeeeen~! Pay attention to me! Come on, I was lighting up the mood for the great revealing!"
"Aha."
"Are you even listening anymore...?"
"Aha.", the actor answered dully, his eyes drifting towards the intricate pattern of the shabby wall in front of him. He wasn't exactly listening to the garrulous Seven, his headache taking priority as he needed to contain the boiling pressure threatening to expel from his body. Zen couldn't allow the rage out of his system, not while at work. A certain level of professionalism still needed to be maintained... otherwise, the entire company could suffer from Zen's outbursts and it would shine poorly upon the crew.
All of this was mostly Seven's fault, the actor being angry at him because of his laid back attitude regarding this crisis with MC. The hacker was in a suspiciously good mood, not taking matters seriously when it came to the girl's whereabouts. "She's fine, don't worry~!", his confidence showed no lies, nonetheless... Zen was bothered by the lack of contact, his messages completely ignored by her.
Seven then proceeded to go on and on about matters that seemed like pure gibberish to the silver haired male. It was the perfect recipe to have the actor simply zone out of the discussion...
His patience was running dangerously thin...
This surprise in store for Zen – was it an aneurism? If he had to listen to any more computer related incidents, or the state of Seven's precious chips – which were in the hands of his evil witch-maid at home – or his endless troubles with this nagging lady any longer... *deep groan*
"Tch."
"You're tempting me to really keep it a secret..."
"Mhm."
"Ugh... it's impossible with you like this!", it was becoming too obnoxious at this point. Thus, Zen's eyes trailed back towards those two trespassers, whose conversation was too loud to ignore.
"Since you liked-"
"I see.", his replies were purely automatic at this point, for the only sounds he could pick up were from the couple.
"- the girl, I thought you wanted to know how close she was to your workplace..."
"I guess I was wrong."
"Mhm..."
Zen assumed the imposing male was the teacher,whom the director had mentioned earlier – the one with the project proposition for the actor to consider in partaking. He narrowed his eyes, so far, not liking the vibe he was receiving from the guy. His guts were flaring warning signs, using the sensation as a filter in his people-reading skills. It was how Zen approached the situation with the trust fund brat in the past too. When he first encountered Jumin, the few words muttered by the rich boy had placed a steep, high wall between them that hadn't collapsed since.
'It was never going to work!'
This man carried the same vibrations, his speech pattern and mannerism quite off-putting. Everything about the man evoked this elite status, from expensive attire, to accessories, to smug, to even glasses. The 'NO' answer could not have been any easier to give.
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"Zen? Hello?"
"Aha."
"... Wow... You didn't hear me at all. Lolol!
Too bad... I'll get more chances with her then!
Mmwhahahaha~!"
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Seven sniggered, his provocation unchallenged by the actor. 'This is so boring... 707 feels so neglected by oppa!'
"..."
Zen's gaze landed on the frail looking girl accompanying the teacher... she appeared much younger than the male and sickly, judging by the darkened area underneath the eyes and the skin color, which was lacking its healthy shine. 'Was she a student?' It didn't seem farfetched, considering many of Yoosung's selfies carried a similar unhealthy hue – the difference was, the blonde was too addicted to his games to properly take care of himself.
Though, if his suspicions turned out to be true, then the interaction between the two was more flustering for Zen to witness, clicking his tongue and biting his finger. Normally he wouldn't bat an eyelash over other people's business, but the girl's voice... it was making him anxious, his stomach churning at the sounds.
The actor disliked it, close to losing his mind. 'Heh...' He was hearing MC everywhere... in his neighborhood, in the subway, within the theatre crew as well. One of the actresses spoke in similar tunes like the girl, Zen nearly bumping into the props decor out of realization.
'Tch...'
He was far too tired for this... The actor needed to let loose with his Black Angel.
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~oOo~
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"Ms. Choi. Thank you for the unexpected help you've provided today. I'll consider your proposition regarding the event, so expect an e-mail in the following days!", the older male spoke with content, a smile on his features as the girl bowed down, cheeks flushed in a pretty red. She was incredibly flustered, her courage and confidence at her upmost limit – Mina never expected such a fated meeting; especially not this... lighthearted. "But at the same time, I do wish you'd reconsider applying for the courses next semester. If you don't, then I'm afraid your spot will be taken down completely, with no chance of re-entering."
"It would be most unfortunate..."
"...", she chewed onto her bottom lip, lowering her gaze. "Time's ticking, so better be quick in your decision."
"Yes... I understand.", she weakly answered, clutching the hem of her coat with trembling hands. Mina had yet to climb out of the emotional rut where life had dipped her in these past years – studying was not a priority. In spite of that, with the sudden arrival of the R.F.A., maybe... just maybe, the planner could muster the power to overcome these struggles.
In her daze, the man's hand went for her head, ruffling it lightly.
"Show a more determined expression! And have more faith in your skills, Mina.", he used a thundering voice, the girl's eyes widening in the process as she tried combing back her hair to a proper state. This teacher was always so blunt with the students, making her heart skip a few beats.
"Y-YES!", she answered back like a military girl, respectfully bowing down again before leaving this odd building. 'Assistant Lee...' Who would have thought that, after nearly two years, he would continue to remember Mina with such clarity...
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"It's not every day a student walks into their teacher twice in a lifetime.
Also, your portfolio was a top 10 one, strong contender for the first spot.
There's no way I would forget such talent~!"
"Y-Yes?" OwO
"Not to mention such a disappointing one...
Worst I've seen through my entire career at SKY University."
"Y...es.. ... ... ... (ಥ﹏ಥ)"
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... even the recollection about it brought physical pain as the cringiness would forever remain a stain. Mina willed herself to forget by switching her attention to the pockets, her fingers gliding across the rubber case her phone was wrapped in.
"Shoot..."
She forgot about the time!
Mina's expression was of great shock, feeling like she had been hit by a car.
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'So many missed calls and messages... Pandemonium!' ＼(º □ º l|l)/
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She was undoubtedly in trouble.
Mina did not bother to raise her head from the screen, steering straight through the corridor on the path she came with Mr. Lee. Mina narrowly passed by some workers, unaware that one of them was actually the silver haired actor himself. Their bodies were inches away from touching.
Zen's eyes kept following her rushing figure, losing sight of the girl passing around the corner.
"..."
Something kept picking at the back of his mind, but he had no time to linger on these thoughts. His focus returned to Seven's rambles... who had left, in between Zen's pensive moments, without a word of good bye. Talk about wasting his time -
"Zen!", the full-faced director soon spotted the actor, gesturing wildly towards him. "Come, come~!"
Zen straightened up his composure, plastering his best charming mask across his handsome face. He had the warmest of smiles hiding the deepest annoyances.
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His next performance began behind the curtains.
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~oOo~
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Mina was running down the streets, trying to avoid the icy areas and not break a hip in her mad pursuit. It was enough to just hear a few voice mails in order to realize the amount of sheer guilt that would be eating up her entire body for the remaining daylight hours. The messages were not any better – Jumin's was the worst.
One word: "Disappointed." Not to mention, he put the extra effort in using an emoji of a sad kitten to accentuate his mood.
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AN EMOJI OF A KITTEN!
"(=^눈.눈=)"
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"Oh, my lord...", she felt the waterworks threatening to leak out, experiencing many shivers in her body from one word – it was not the good kind. Furthermore, having received it from the top bachelor of the nation and probably between the more influential R.F.A. members... this made Mina want to cry rivers and flood a few streets in the process. Right there and then she vowed never to put the members in such a difficult situation again.
Gosh... she could be such a handful.
Mina only hoped she could keep the promise and not become a bigger disappointment in the nearest future...
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The first one she had attempted to reach was Zen, Mina being the most remorseful for the awful way she had treated him earlier today. It was unacceptable to yell at him... the girl needed to give a sincere apology and she dearly hoped he would accept it, but... not only did he pick up – she couldn't mutter a single word before she heard the closing call. *heart stab*
She stopped mid-run, looking at the screen for long minutes, before typing down a short message.
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"I'm sorry I lashed out at you so rudely, it was stupid of me... You were only concerned and I took my frustrations out on you. You're right, Zen... I should treat my safety with more care. I'll do a better job from now on.
I'm really, really sorry..."
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Mina brushed the falling droplets tainting the black screen, continuing her journey underneath the cloudless sky.
Because it was taking too much time to individually apologize, the girl decided to message them by the R.F.A. app – thankfully for her nerves, nobody else was logged on.
She did a summary of what had happened, trying to ease everyone's concerns. Mina was safe and sound, heading back to Rika's as she was typing. "Without any more detours. I promise!" The girl further mentioned how she had some last minute things to handle at a shop downtown, finding out about the issue this morning. On the way back, close to the subway, Mina had actually bumped into an old acquaintance – painfully... And that's when she lost track of time, apologizing to the members for neglecting to announce this.
Mina had her device on silence mode, so she didn't register the passing of time until hours later...
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"Not to worry! I had the party planning in mind as well!
If I may suggest myself, I think I found a suitable candidate for the party.
The man's from a renowned family of artists, the owner of one of the largest galleries in Seoul. He does a lot of side projects, bringing children and students closer to the arts by creating various cultural events ^^.
Cheon G. Seoul Foundation.
I think he fits the criteria in mind... moreover, there's a high chance he'll accept the invitation~!
So! If you all agree, I shall do my best!
Oh.
I'll probably log later tonight, since I'm currently busy avoiding pedestrians on the sidewalk. Bye~!"
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~oOo~
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Bored out of his mind, Zen's mask was threatening to falter inside this tiny room. His foot had been tapping the floor lightly, almost inaudible in its impatient rhythm, while his arms remained crossed in this dark environment. He skillfully suppressed a yawn by biting his inner cheeks – the presentation was not something he was watching intensely, far too busy to stare at the ticking clock at the edge of the screen.
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Tick – Tock – Tick – Tock
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He could almost hear the ticking inside his head. 'When will you be over?', Zen shot a penetrating stare to the man offering this sudden lecture – Lee Yeonghon. It wasn't to say the information was dull and not of interest to his field of work. In its essence, the actor could appreciate the hard work behind the ideas, which weren't too appalling – the few fragments he had heard...
Still. Being back at school was not what he had signed up for, especially with the crisis looming around MC.
*Buzzzzz*
A tremor in his coat had caught Zen's attention, hand flying into his pockets the next second. Luckily, the sound wasn't loud enough to disturb the guest, quickly shutting the device off – as much as he wished to exit the room to pick up the call, Zen stayed put for the director was already giving him the evil eye.
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'Was she back at Rika's yet?',it was a maddening question, plaguing his thoughts. 'Ack!', the silver haired man was so unfocused, nails biting through the coat at this point from his impatience. 'Just end already-'
"Zen.", he raised his head towards the director, whose hands were pointing at the screen – confused, he turned to see an array of posters for the musical this upcoming Friday's premiere. Many had their hands raised at the table, only he was in denial. "Do you agree to do this or not? It seems like a marvelous idea!"
The actor was confused. 'Shit... I shouldn't have dozed off!' To save face, he simply told the truth about the matter – such an art form was not his area of comfort to give well rounded opinions. He was uncertain of the right decision, though he would not oppose the choice.
"Understandable.", Mr. Lee grinned, thumbing onto the laptop and closing the images, one by one... slowly. "However... if that's the final verdict, then the kids need to practice harder in order for such doubts to be erased from the minds of the inexperienced!", there was a hint of saltiness there.
"The majority of you voted for this piece; it will have to suffice for now. I'm afraid there is no better option I can offer to the table."
"I-It's more than we had hoped for, Mr. Lee! The help you provided so far to make the youth aware of the show is quite admirable and we appreciate these masterpieces! Right everyone?!", the chuckling, round figure of the director was targeting the young actor with his speech, expression not as friendly as his words.
'Just my luck... Director Kwon is angry too.', Zen fidgeted slightly from the stone-cold stare, mask kept in place. Usually, this meant he would have to pursue more theatre hours in order to improve on his oratory skills; basically, be punished with heavy workload and forced to hear the complaining old man about his lacking social skills with men. The silver haired male was sure of it, placing his elbows on the table in small defiance – not that he viewed the work as punishment, it was the on-going rant which was bothersome. Zen was a raging workaholic – the more he had to do, the faster he would improve in his craft. The actor rejoiced with every opportunity, not backing away from a challenge!
"As for the second version...", Mr. Lee cleared his throat.
The idea was centered on a lasting impressions poster, a chromatic review of the musical through the lenses of the students, each bringing forth the unique emotions experienced during the viewing. This would mark as a follow-up to the first poster sets, which had been created using static sources of inspiration – the major plot points offered by the story writer, the literary roots the musical had been based on, the cast members' visuals from the theatre's website and the descriptive images of the costumes. In this case, the students would require special access to one of the cast's rehearsal, idea permitted by the director in a heart beat.
Mainly, the professor would appreciate a deeper emphasis on the scenes revolving between Zen's character and the female lead, since the story gravitated around their romance~!
"In two days I plan to bring the students here, at noon.", Mr. Lee ended.
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It was the weekend.
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"Oh my!", the woman yelped out of excitement – the actress did not mind at all, always appreciating a good fanart of her impeccable visage~! To think she might get professional ones with Zen as her partner. She'd become the envy of all women, already gifted with many beautiful choices from this gorgeous presentation alone.
Her eyes reveled in the talent presented on the screen~!
Zen wasn't as excited or touched by the news. Basically... the actor's free day morphed into an university field-day assignment and this meant more rehearsal practices – with an audience of mostly females, judging by the names of the attendees he had spotted on the Excel File. "Ah... the curse of being so handsome.", he smiled, panning through the names.
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Mina Choi.
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That particular name was highlighted in red, setting it apart from the others. Unaware he spoke the name out loud, Mr. Lee turned to the screen, adjusting his glasses and wearing a proud expression. "Ah yes... if anyone could convince even the most inexperienced and undecided, surely Ms. Choi would have been the chosen one."
"..."
Yup... this guy definitely had salt pressed over his wounded pride. While resuming the chat between the director and professor, Zen was curious whether it was the same girl who had accompanied Lee. From what he recalled, the name Mina was addressed outside the conference room.
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He was truly bored for being interested in such a trivial matter.
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~oOo~
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*SNEEZE*
Mina couldn't shake the creeping feeling that she was being followed, for quite some time... her senses went in overdrive since the encounter with Mr. Lee. Somehow... all the R.F.A.'s worries had made this walk a more restless action than it should've been.
'Five more minutes', she thought happily, noticing the apartment complex in the horizon.
"Spare a coin for a poor, old woman...", Mina's eyes darted to the nearby bench, the cloak hiding the woman's figure and face, white hair coming underneath it in long, messy strands. The planner stopped in place as the sight was... saddening. It made her heart break... where was this woman's family?! Mina checked her thin wallet, throat constricting – she didn't have a lot to spare, but...
"I'll manage somehow... . ;"
"Here.", she took almost all of it out – counting loudly. "Enough for a nice full-course meal for days. At least~!", Mina extended her hand but all she could sense was the rapid trembling underneath the coat. She panicked, unsure what to do because of the painful, muffled sounds. The girl presumed the elder started crying when she saw the money in her lap.
Mina knelt closer and touched the elder's back softly- *GRABS*
"Hehehe...", it sounded too... happy, Mina looking at the hand gripping on her left wrist tightly, eyes widening to the extreme.
It didn't belong to an old person's at all.
Mina's heart leaped out, jerking her hand away with as much strength as she could muster. She then sprinted towards the building, all the while hearing the woman's giggles, which became louder and louder, until it turned into a sudden, evil laughter.
The money remained on her lap.
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'... Such a kind girl.
It will surely get her in grave trouble at this rate...'
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Intense golden eyes flashed from beneath the hood.
Fun time was over.
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End note: If any of you guys find mistakes, it's okay to point them out to me XD Thanks for reading ~!