he heard him take a deep breath. ‘Shin Hye. It’s been just a few hours since the Chinese media reports came out. Right now, we’re still trying to find out how this all happened so we can determine what our next move is going to be,’ he explained calmly, but Shin Hye sensed that he was already worked up. ‘We’re doing our best to protect you and Min Ho. So please, trust us. Trust me,’ he urged.
Shin Hye sat down and looked at the article again. She wasn’t sure what to do. On one hand, she trusts her manager’s words and she knows that her agency will protect her no matter what, but on the other, she can only truly calm down once she hears from Min Ho. She wanted him to tell her everything was going to be okay, and nothing was going to change. She needed to hear it from him.
‘There isn’t much you can do there anyway,’ her manager continued. ‘Let me talk to Min Ho instead. If he hears your voice, who knows what he’ll do. You’re both emotional right now, so you need to leave this to us first.’
‘Arasso,’ she replied weakly. At this point, there was no use trying to argue. She will have to wait patiently and trust that everything will soon blow over.
‘Turn your phone off,’ he told her. ‘You’ll be getting a lot of messages and calls and it will just make you more anxious. And I don’t want you recklessly making statements to anyone about this, not even to your friends. I’ll call you through your brother’s phone.’
Shin Hye hung up and buried her face in her hands. Part of her wanted to break down and cry but the other part of her didn’t want to succumb to the feeling of helplessness. It was so unfair for her and Min Ho to have to go to such lengths just to protect their relationship, when they were the same as any other couple who just wanted to be together. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Do they really need the permission of the rest of the world to be happy? Why can’t they just leave us alone?
She was lost in her own thoughts when she heard her phone ringing again. She took one look at the caller and her heart sank. For a moment there, she wavered. But then her manager’s words echoed in her head.
‘Min Ho isn’t thinking straight… if he hears your voice, who knows what he’ll do…’
I’m sorry, oppa. Shin Hye turned off her phone and wiped the tears that started to fall.
Min Ho balled his fists and closed his eyes, feeling confused and helpless. Ever since he and Shin Hye got together, he had conditioned himself for a scenario such as this. But nothing could have prepared him for that overwhelming feeling of limbo. He had been in this position before, but back then it seemed like only his career was at stake. This time, he was holding on to a bigger fear.
‘Okay, I’ll meet him at the lobby,’ he heard his manager say. The ahjussi was on the phone with one of his staff members who went to the news agency that published the story first. Min Ho was told that they were trying to track down the writer of the article to uncover how all this uproar started. He knew that he should be more concerned about what was happening around him, but there was only one thing on his mind right now. Min Ho glanced at his phone again. It was almost twelve noon in Japan but he still hasn’t heard from her. Is she screening my calls on purpose? He shook his head. She wouldn’t do that. Impossible.
When he saw his manager hang up, he stood up from his seat. ‘Hyung, why can’t I reach Shin Hye? Have you talked to her agency yet?’ He’s been holding it together long enough, but he could no longer keep his anxiety in. He needed to know if she was okay.
‘I’ve contacted Joon a few hours ago. I don’t know if he has talked to her yet. But President Jang is at her agency as we speak. They’re trying to find a way to make this go away,’ he replied.
Min Ho let out a frustrated sigh. ‘I’m not asking you about the agencies. I’m asking you about Shin Hye. Why hasn’t she picked up any of my calls? This isn’t like her. She knows I get anxious when I don’t know where she is. I don’t believe for one second that she doesn’t know what’s happening yet. She should have contacted me by now!’ He didn’t like raising his voice at his manager, but he couldn’t control it. The three staff members who were in his room turned their attention to them, looking concerned. It was out of character for Min Ho to be acting that way.
‘Min Ho-yah, please calm down. Maybe Shin Hye is still busy with her family. You told me she’s on a vacation, right? Maybe she turned off her phone so she doesn’t get bothered. I’m sure she’s fine,’ he said calmly.
Min Ho was seething. How stupid do they think I am? ‘Listen to yourself, hyung. Does that make any sense to you? Since she landed in Japan, she’s been texting and calling me everyday. Now this happens and I can’t reach her? If I find out that President Jang is purposely blocking me from talking to her, I’m not going to let this slide!’
Min Ho stomped to the door and opened it so violently he could have torn it off the wall.
‘Ya! Where are you going?’ His manager called out to him. He didn’t reply and slammed the door, unsure of where to go. All he knew was that he needed to get out of there. He found himself striding to the end of the hotel floor. Hearing his bodyguards’ footsteps behind him, he turned around to face them. ‘Hyung, I’m not going anywhere else, just there,’ he pointed to the corner where the fire exit was. ‘I need to be alone.’
His bodyguards nodded their heads slightly and told Min Ho that they’ll be waiting by the corridor. Min Ho thanked them and made his way to the fire exit. As soon as he closed the door behind him, he sat on the one of the steps and leaned his forehead on his palms. The moment the articles came out, his mind was filled by so many worries. But now, he didn’t care about all that. He just wanted to know why Shin Hye wasn’t picking her phone up. He took his phone from his pocket and saw that there were already several messages, including one from her sister.
Jung Il Woo: I just read the articles. Are you okay? Is Shin Hye okay?
Kim Woo Bin: Hyung. I hope everything gets settled soon. Himnae.
Lee Jun Kyung: Min Ho-yah, gwaenchana? Shin Hye neun? I haven’t told Omma and Appa about the articles yet. Call me when you can.