Chapter 158 - Sunny Daze (4): Let's do this

"Aren't you being too hard on yourself?" Ash commented. Mirae broke out of her daze. They were at her apartment, having dinner. Ash had noticed that Mirae was barely touching her food. 

"Huh?" she asked. 

"You're being too hard on yourself," Ash repeated. "You're not even feeling that well for the past couple of days. And now you're undertaking the operation at Sunny Daze. Why are you pushing yourself?" 

"I have to," Mirae replied. "If something goes wrong and we can't catch Teppei, we'll fall behind again! He's our key to catching Ziko."

"But does Ziko even know who the main head of the Cartel is?" Ash asked. "From what I know about them, even the leaders themselves never saw the President's face." 

"But it'll be a blow to the Cartel," Mirae said. "Ziko holds a lot of their secrets. If we can catch him, most of their activities will be exposed." 

Ash nodded. "But I don't think you should go there in this state," he said. 

"I'm fine," Mirae assured him but he reached over to touch her forehead. 

"No, you're not!" he said sternly. "Your forehead is burning." 

"I'll be okay if I have some medicines," she insisted. "But I have to go to Sunny Daze tomorrow. Otherwise I won't be able to rest!" 

Ash pursed his lips. It was no use trying to convince her. Once she set her mind on something, she would go through with it. 

"Just take care of yourself," he told her. 

"I will," she smiled at him. 

….. 

KJ put Jade's bowl away. The cat was purring on the sofa, licking its paws. KJ whipped up some pasta for himself and scooped it in his mouth.

Heading over to the couch, he was about to turn on the TV when his phone began to vibrate. He picked it up to see an unknown number. 

He hesitated before picking it up. "Hello?" he greeted the caller with uncertainty. "Who is this?" 

"Hello, Mr. Kwon Jiwon?" a squeaky voice came from the other side. "I am Kang Dongsik, a reporter for Exposed." 

KJ rolled his eyes. Exposed was a tabloid which was known for its yellow journalism. It had used underhanded methods to reveal the secrets and personal lives of many idols. They breached people's privacy for juicy scoops. 

"What do you want?" KJ asked sourly. 

"I would like to meet you, Mr. Kwon," Kang Dongsik requested. "We want to put out our next feature on you." 

"What sort of feature?" 

"I'll explain when we'll meet." 

KJ was apprehensive but refusing a reporter could be detrimental to his career. 

"Tomorrow at 1 pm," KJ replied. 

"Thank you Mr. Kwon," Dongsik said. 

He hung up the phone and frowned. What sort of feature would this guy write? He wondered. Even though KJ had his fair share of scandals and link ups, those were mostly rumors. Most journalists found it difficult to find any dirt on EXOTIC. KJ made sure of that. 

He shrugged and put the phone away. Jade jumped on to his lap and stretched his limbs. The cat was ready for a good night's sleep. 

…. 

Junhyung was leaning against the wall, sipping a drink. 

"What are you thinking?" Nida asked sleepily. She was lying on the bed, n.a.k.e.d. 

"Just thinking about how everything is going smoothly according to our plans," he replied quietly. 

"Boss will be very happy," Nida said gleefully. "Now that Shun is out of the way." 

"Ziko is still there," Junhyung pointed out. 

"But how long? He's going to fall from grace anyway. Moreover, he's already under the surveillance of the Cartel and police." 

"Ziko is stubborn," Junhyung commented. "He can't be beaten this easily."

"How are we going to get him then?" Nida frowned. 

"We don't have to," Junhyung said lazily. "We'll wait. Everything is in motion anyway. Now it's all up to our boss." 

Nida gave a wide smile. "Fu fu this will be fun," she said gleefully. 

She sat straight, showing off her pearly b.o.o.b.s. Widening her arms, she gestured at him to come closer. 

"Come here," she said. Junhyung smirked and joined her. Instead of going into her arms, he pushed her backwards. He eyed her hungrily. 

Trailing his fingers towards her forbidden area, he began to rub her hole. 

"Faster," she gasped as her clit tingled. His mouth found her left b.r.e.a.s.t and began to bite into it. 

"Ahh ahhh…" she m.o.a.ned. Soon her cries began to echo around the hotel room as the night darkened. 

…. 

Somi was unable to sleep. She was at her shooting spot and was staying at a hotel overnight. Her entire cast and crew were assigned to different rooms as well. 

The upcoming events were making her nervous. Even though Mirae was hesitant to allow Somi to be fully involved with this mission, it was Somi herself who had insisted. She wanted to help her friend and Hyun Jung and not run away in fear anymore. 

But she could not fight off her fears either. Her trauma was eating her alive from the inside and she could not help but feel that something bad was going to happen. 

Unable to go back to sleep, she decided to go on a walk at the hotel's garden. She wrapped a jacket around her and slipped into a pair of sneakers before exiting her room. 

She headed towards the garden when a voice stopped her.

"Can't sleep?" 

She turned around to see Hyun Jung standing there. He was holding a can of juice and held it up for her. 

"Thanks," she muttered, taking the can. "Why are you still here?" 

Hyun Jung had arrived at the set that day since he was still a consultant for the drama. 

"The director asked me to stay overnight," he shrugged. "I couldn't sleep and came out for a walk when I saw you heading the same way. So I got you a drink." 

"Thanks," she replied. 

There was an awkward silence in the air. It was still strange to talk to him after that night. Somi tried a lot to avoid him but Hyun Jung was determined to break her out of her shell. 

"Wanna take a walk together?" he asked. 

Before she could answer, he took her arm and led her towards the garden. 

It was a little chilly outside. Summer was ending and autumn was almost upon them. The tree leaves were already turning orange. The leaves crisped under their steps. 

Somi felt awkward. It was still hard for her to face Hyun Jung. She had expected him to treat her like a stranger. She wanted him to distance himself from her after knowing the truth. 

But he treated her like a person. He was normal with her and was willing to accept her wholeheartedly. All this only made her feel guiltier that she could not overcome her trauma. 

"Stop feeling guilty," Hyun Jung said. He knew what was going on in her mind and he wished she would stop blaming herself. "You have nothing to feel sorry for. How many times do I have to tell you?" 

"I wish I could forget what happened…" Somi said in a small voice. "But I can't. I can never forget that night. His face… His face haunts me. I can't forget…" 

"You'll never forget that face," Hyun Jung said sharply. "But if you're going to remain scared, you'll let him win."

"The fear won't go away…" she whispered. Hyun Jung stopped and cupped her face with his hands. 

"If you're scared, then I'll give you the strength," he said firmly. "I was unable to protect you once. But I won't fail you again. I will find that guy and make him regret what he did to you. And I won't let you stay in this darkness. The only way you can truly defeat him is by living your life to the fullest. And I'll be here with you."

"What if I never recover?" she asked tearfully. 

"You'll never know if you don't try," Hyun Jung said. He held her hand. "Let's try, Somi. Let's try for real. Just say yes and we'll go to therapy together." 

His firm determination was melting her defenses. 

"Think about your friend, the CEO, as well," he said. "She's fighting for you too. Don't you want her to win? If you're going to run away due to fear, she's never gonna win! You gotta be her strength." 

He was right. Mirae trusted her and was fighting for her. She must protect her friend as well. Running away will not help. 

"I will," Somi finally said. "I will go to therapy and emerge as a stronger person. I will help my friend… And protect you as well." 

Hyun Jung wrapped her around his arms. After hesitating a little, Somi also returned his hug. 

"We'll fight this," he promised. "Together."