4

"It's not me, Your Highness!" I beg him again and again. But all I got were slaps and kicks. I held my belly, protecting what was inside me with all my might.

"If it wasn't for the servant to taste the food first, you might succeed in killing me, don't you?!"

"I swear to God... I'm not the one-"

"The kitchen maid told me it was you who prepared the food!"

"I am... But I will never poison it... Please, Your Highness, you need to believe me!"

A hard slap on my face made me scream. No one in the room can help me at this stage. I kept praying to God that I'll be alive today.

At least, for my baby.

"Are you trying to put a treason against me, huh? So your father can take over?! Isn't it? Isn't it?!!"

"What my father did got nothing to do with me. I'm your wife. I love you and I respect you as my husband..."

"You're not my wife! You're nothing but a vessel!"

The hurtful feeling in my heart right now, it's even more hurtful than the choke on my neck. I cried when I saw his eyes full of fury and intention to finish me off tonight. For all this time, I learned how to love him, even though the marriage was an arranged marriage. I told myself that even if I couldn't sit on the throne next to him one day, at least I wanted to be a good wife.

A good wife who loves her husband so much!

:::

I jerk up, drenching in sweats. Quickly, I grab my water bottle and drink as much as I can. The feeling of choking is real, I even run towards the mirror to check my neck, if there are any bruises.

Lately, the nightmare seems quite vague. I almost feel the whole environment around me. The man, those eyes. His face is a blur. But, his eyes...

My phone beeps. A call perhaps. I tend to put my phone in vibrate mode whenever I sleep because I'm a light sleeper. One ping and I might end up sleepless all night. I picked up the call, not bothering to check who was calling me.

"Hello..."

"Did you hurt your knee?" a deep voice makes me choke my water.

"Who is this?"

"It's Jun..."

"Aish, what's with the deep voice, your motherfather-"

"Just curse if you want. I'm not a kid. Besides, you drag my eomma appa into our convo. That's what I called childish," he chuckles a bit.

"You're younger. I need to set a good example,"

"Very funny, Noona..."

"I bet you can even call me Ahjumma..."

"That's too much!" I giggle. 10 years is quite a remarkable age gap. But to call someone older with that age gap an Ahjumma, that's too much for Jun I guess.

"Are you in the studio?"

"Yes. Wait, how did you know?"

"Your voice sounds clear. Like when you activate noise suppression mode," I grabbed my frying pan and started making my breakfast while talking to Jun.

"So, if I confess my love for you, will it reach your heart faster?" I almost dropped the egg. What's with this act at this hour?

"Seriously, you're cheesy. Overloaded!" I heard hard laughter from the other side.

"Jun, tell me you're alone now..."

"Morning, Noona!" I can hear Yunta's voice, loud and clear. Just as I thought! This must be another Truth or Dare challenge!

"Noona, we purposely stopped recording because Jun can't focus-"

"Yarh, why are you taking my phone, Fun?!"

Yep, I bet Jun got bullied again by his group member!

"He said, you got bullied by a man yesterday. Should we gather people and beat him up?" asks Yunta. The background hush indicates that those boys were currently gathered around, leaving Jun alone, throwing his cat fist to grab his phone back.

"So, you guys wanna change the profession? From a Boy Band to Thug Life?" my voice drips a bit deeper, falling by one octave.

"Chill, Noona. I mean, if it's for your safety, we're willing to do anything. Because your safety is important to Jun's mental health-"

"Yunta, Imma gonna give you the hardest part of the song!" I can hear Jun's blackmailing him.

"Feel free to do so, Mr. Producer, for I'm the best student in the vocal class..." he replies Jun with the highest level of confidence.

Then I hear a thud and a loud childish scream. They must wrestle again. I laugh sheepishly while still preparing my breakfast. Right now, I'm making myself a nice Ice Americano.

"Ignore them, Noona. But, is it true? Is the man hurting you?" another member continues the conversation. He must be taking the phone from Fun and Yunta before the wrestle begins.

"He's not. But, I don't know, Wei... I'm scared of him for no reason. Like, I knew him from my past, but... Seriously, I don't know him..."

My hands stop moving. I held the flask for a moment. Gather my thoughts after those words.

"Noona, I think you should meet my Imo. She's a good psychic,"

"Wei, you know I don't trust those fakers-"

"Nayeon Imo might sound ridiculous sometimes, but she never missed, not even once. You've seen how we made some changes in concept during our second album, and it was a success. It's because of her advice..."

"I made the changes because the company says so!" Jun can still correct Wei from the background even though he is pinning two men on the sofa.

"The company met Nayeon Imo before. Jun doesn't know..."

I shake my head in disbelief.

"Noona, please reconsider it. For the sake of Jun, please do so," I frowned. What does this have to do with Jun? Does he worry about me that much?

"What do you mean?"

"Noona, seriously? You didn't get it? After all this time?"

I shut myself. Unable to reply to the question.

I knew Jun even before his debut year. He used to come to the cafe when he was a trainee. At first, he was just a kid who was too hungry for food but couldn't even afford it. I gave him a bowl of mushroom soup with garlic bread, and he devoured the food like a vacuum cleaner. That's how hungry he was!

After that, he kept coming, sometimes peeking through the glass window. So, I decided to catch him one day. I made him sit down and we talked for hours. I happened to know that he's from an island called Jeju, and he's here in this big city, working hard to be a rapper. An Idol. But, being a trainee is not easy. He often lacked money, and sometimes he didn't have a proper meal for days.

Since then, he always welcomed me to the cafe. Sometimes, as a part-timer, especially when he had no money. I paid for his wages and cooked him proper meals so he could eat and share with his friends. At the same time, I encouraged him until he managed to debut alongside Yunta, Fun, and Wei. 5 years had passed and now he is a part of a boy band called Hope Boys along with them. From a 20-year-old young adult to a 25-year-old young man, I saw how much he grew up and became a man.

Yes, I am aware of his caring gesture. But, I think it's just between a noona and a dongsaeng. Nothing more, nothing less.

"There's nothing to worry about, Wei. I think I'm gonna be just fine," I reply to him with bitter laughter. I can hear a huge sigh from the other line.

"Please consider my suggestion, Noona. If you can see how worried Jun is... I bet you might change your mind," says Wei. With his almost inaudible voice, I knew he wanted to keep the conversation to ourselves. Away from Jun's acknowledgment.

"Okay, break time's over! Let's continue!"

Again, I heard hustle and bustle in the background. Then, the phone must've been passed back to Jun, because I can't hear Wei's voice anymore.

"Should I pick you up again tonight?"

"No need to. You need to rest. When will you finish recording?"

"Hmm.. I'm not sure. I can just take a break before your closing time and pick you up. Then, I'll shoot back to the studio..."

"Jun, you need a rest. Recording is not easy. It's tiring and you need to eat too! Don't worry about me. I have Sweet and Hera,"

"What if the man comes back?'

"He won't. He has no reason. Dont worry... Please?" I know with that word 'please', he will immediately surrender.

"Fine. But, call me as soon as you reach the cafe and home!"

"You can't pick up the call, pabo..."

"Leave a text. With a picture as a proof,"

"Fine... I will," I hope the answer can ease his mind a bit. I don't wanna be a burden to anyone. If that makes Jun calm down, then it is what it is.

I left the house 30 minutes after the call ended. As usual, I push my bicycle out from the gate. I put my bento in a small front basket along with my coffee flask. As I was about to go, a black sedan car stopped right in front of me. Luckily, I pulled my brake sooner. Or it must be a heavy collision. The car stops out of the blue!

Who could be the owner of this rude car?!

The driver's door opens. A man, with a tall and well-built body comes out and quickly opens the back seat of the car. A man, with a white shirt and black suit pants, comes out. He turns around and looks at me.

It's him! The Black Card man!

"Follow me. We need to talk."