Chapter 178 - EXOTIC (X): Defying Fate

Jinhyun was troubled. He was still living at Dasom's house and both of them were watching the news at his living room.

"Our PA is the CEO of Abyss!" Dasom exclaimed. 

"We should have figured it out," Jinhyun said thoughtfully. "But she was protecting KJ, so we can't really blame her for hiding her identity."

"And she was dating Ash," Dasom said. "Look where that ended her up at…"

"We were with Ash for ten years!" Jinhyun snapped. "If we couldn't figure out his intentions, then what chance did she have? He was just too far ahead of us. Even the combination of our time together and her endless resources couldn't expose his truth to us…"

"So you're finally admitting that he is a liar?" Dasom asked in surprise.

Jinhyun hesitated. "I don't know what I believe anymore," he sighed. Dasom did not know how to reply to that. They simply sipped the drinks they were holding in silence.

"Hey Dasom…" Jinhyun started. "What would you do if EXOTIC disbands?"

Dasom was surprised by the question. "I can't even imagine a life without EXOTIC," he said firmly. "It's all I've known for the past decade. Even though I have my own solo albums and endors.e.m.e.nts, I still wouldn't imagine a life without EXOTIC."

He looked at Jinhyun with suspicion. "Why are you asking this?" he demanded.

"But is it EXOTIC without all four of us?" Jinhyun asked. 

Dasom leaned forward on the couch. "We can't let EXOTIC's name be tarnished because of one person," he reasoned. "What Ash did was wrong and he should be punished. But EXOTIC should stay on. We will carry its legacy forward."

Jinhyun was conflicted. He wanted to be with EXOTIC too. The family he had, the people he gained and the love he got over the past ten years was something he held on to with all his life. Those were the very reasons why he could not hate Ash like KJ and Dasom did. He suspected that neither of them hated Ash either despite their outer emotions. 

But no one wanted to acknowledge it. He held out a ray of hope that maybe the moments they shared had an effect on Ash too. Was he really as vile as they were thinking he was? Or was he, too, hiding something?

He got up and headed for the front door.

"Where are you going?" Dasom frowned.

"Out for a walk," Jinhyun replied. "I feel stuffy. You want anything?"

Dasom thought for a while. "Get some bibimbap on your way," he requested.

"Alright," Jinhyun said. He put on his cap and mask before exiting the door.

He walked aimlessly around the streets, trying to clear his head. The night was cool. For once, the unusually dark skies of Seoul were clear as the stars twinkled merrily. All around him, people passed by without glancing back as they could not recognize a famous celebrity in their midst. Jinhyun walked past brightly lit shops before finally stopping by at his usual coffee place.

It was his usual place because he had been visiting it quite a lot lately. He approached the counter.

"One espresso," he ordered. The cashier noted his order and took the money from his hands.

Jinhyun took a seat at the corner near a large glass wall overlooking the streets. His mind was full with worry. He needed answers but he knew there was no point. No one had any explanation of what was going on. Was it fate playing a cruel trick on them?

The door to the cafe opened as the bell tinged. A sudden wave of cold air hit Jinhyun. For some inexplicable reason, his heart began to beat loudly in his chest. A strange yet familiar feeling dawned on him. Automatically, his eyes darted towards the person who entered the shop. He caught a glimpse of her red shawl.

It was her. The girl from that day!

But unlike the other day, she was wearing new, expensive clothes even though she was still wearing a red coat and boots. It seemed to be her favorite color. He watched her head over to the counter to order.

"A chocolate pastry, a strawberry cake, a cheesecake, a blueberry cake, coffee cake and a mango cake," she ordered coolly. The cashier stared in awe. With that face and killer figure, it was difficult to imagine she would be eating that much carbohydrates in one go. 

"Stat!" the girl instructed. The cashier nodded and took the money from her hands. She then disappeared to the kitchen and emerged with a plateful of desserts which would make any fitness freak faint. The girl calmly took the tray and headed for a seat.

Even though the girl had a royal elegance to her, as soon as she bit into her dessert, she looked like a happy child. Her face beamed in happiness as she stuffed her mouth with the sweet pastry, oblivious to the fact that someone was watching her with a smile. Cream from the pastry was stuck to her chin. He noticed that she took off the cherries from the cakes before taking large bites out of them.

Jinhyun took out a tissue and like the other day, began to sketch this memory of hers. He did not dare to talk to her in case if any paparazzi was nearby. But for some reason, he liked to see her act so carefree.

"This world sure has some amazing food," Cherry said. Her day only improved with desserts. For weeks, she had been trying to track down the artist who drew a sketch of her real self that too during the day time. But to her surprise even SD could not come up with any plausible information. He had admitted the truth to her just that day and she ended up trashing his place. 

"I need more cakes," she declared as she licked her lips of all cream. 

"Umm…"

She looked up to see the cashier standing in front of her. It was like dejavu. The cashier was holding a tray full of more dessert. 

"Ma'am, this is for you," she said.

"I didn't order anything," Cherry frowned.

"That man over there ordered it," the cashier said pointing towards a corner but it was empty. She set the tray on the table and went off.

Cherry gazed at the all the dessert hungrily. Someone had ordered tiramisu, red velvet cupcakes with cheese on it, chocolate mousse, vanilla pudding and mango sticky rice for her. There was also a small note on the tray. 

She unfolded it to find a sketch of hers eating sweets with a smile on her face. There was also a tiny bit of cream on the figure's chin. Cherry quickly wiped her chin to realize that she did indeed have a little bit of cream stuck there. The person drew it with impeccable details, making the sketch look almost life like. There was also a small message written on it.

"To the Lady in Red, 

I wish that someday, I can muster up the courage to talk to you. It feels as if we are not fated to meet. If a day comes when I can defy fate and meet you, would you like to have a cup of coffee with me? If yes, then come back here on 15th July 2022, exactly two years from now. Till then, goodbye.

Sincerely,

J"

Cherry stared at the note for a long time before folding it up and putting it in her purse. She quietly ate her dessert and went about her way. Once outside, she looked up at the sky.

"Two years, huh?" she wondered. "Let's see, Mr. J."

Her heels clanked on the road as she strutted off before she vanished into thin air.