chapter eleven | been two weeks

I woke up to my body aching after hiking yesterday at Bukhansan. I barely can move any part of my body so I just laid in bed for some time.  And hey, I made a friend yesterday, your girl knew how to socialize with others. Yay.

When I got home yesterday, there was a box of Krispy Kreme at my front porch and a bouquet of flowers. Maybe I got it right yesterday. I found the writings on the rock made by that ghost when it was still alive.

My phone buzzed and it was a notification. A text notification.

As I grabbed my phone to check the text from my nightstand, I winced in pain as my arm got stretched out. God, this will give me a hard time for a few days.

I unlocked my phone and noticed that it was already 12 in the afternoon. Due to exhaustion, I passed out after changing into my pajamas last night. Days passed by and I slowly began to be a heavy sleeper.

I tapped the text message. It was from my wonderful manager.

From: Managernim Eomma Alyssa

"Yah, Tari! I'm going to be on a vacation so the both of us have a week off. You deserve it. I bet your body hurts now after climbing a mountain. Pabo. Anyways, that's it. Enjoy the rest of the week :)

Great, another week off from work. I was kinda expecting the next notification to be an email one but it was instead a text message from Brennon. But, I texted my manager first before opening his message.

To: Managernim Eomma Alyssa

"Ottoke? Daebak, eomma. Take care, okiedokie? Enjoy your vacation."

After sending that to my manager, I tapped Brennon's text message.

From: Brennon West from Bukhansan

"Good morning! I'll be recording Love Scenario with the boys later. Just wanted to update ya! Oh and drink meds unnie, arasso? Mountain climbing can be exhausting as hell and can stress the hell out of your body. :)"

I don't wanna assume that he just wanted to text me and make 'update' as an excuse. But, Brennon's a good guy.

To: Brennon West from Bukhansan

"Goodluck on that one, Brennon. Hwaiting! It will be a success, I'm telling you. :)" And I pressed send.

I waited for a couple of minutes staring blankly at my phone, in hopes for an email notification. When I was about to fall asleep once again, I decided to just wait later and to charge my phone for now.

Gathering all of my strength, I placed my hair into a bun and did my morning routine. I stood up and walked weakly towards the bathroom. This body pain really gave me a hard time upon doing my things that I do on a daily basis.

Walking downstairs, I heard someone cooking. Oh no, not again. I leaned on the wall as I tried to observe the person.

"Oh, you're awake now, Tari." That person said while she turned off the stove and faced me.

"Eomma? I mean, managernim Alyssa?" I said in surprise and she smiled. "I thought you're going on a vacation?"

She nodded. "This is where I'm going to be spending my week off. With you, in this house."

I covered my mouth in shock as I sat down on one of the chairs of the dining table. "Jinjja?!"

She gave me a poker face and shook her head, sitting on the seat next to me. "Andwae, I'm going to Jeju tomorrow. I just wanted to visit you here and point out the consequence of your stupidity." She pointed at my body.

"Eat your breakfast and drink this pain reliever I bought." She handed me the medicine from the bag but it was liquor. "Oops, wrong package. Here you go."

"Kamsa, managernim!" I said and gave her a side hug.

"Yuck so clingy, Tari!" She said in disgust but she hugged me back anyways.

"Yah," She said as I sat up straight and looked at her. "That asshole photographer lost his job at Chanel. I heard he was practically begging to make his work done properly the next time but nothing happened. He just lost his job."

"Oh my God. I don't know what to feel." I replied and Alyssa tapped my cheek.

"Don't mind him. Next week, we're going to be a lot busier because we're going to repeat the photoshoot with Chanel with a new photographer." I nodded.

I felt sorry for the guy but it was not his role to talk something so personal like that. That's his karma. Mianhae ahjussi, but you kinda deserved that.

We spent the whole morning together until she went home already to fix her things for Jeju. I spent the whole day binge-watching Riverdale and movies until I finished the whole box of Krispy Kreme that I fell asleep on the couch.

----

It's been days since I've received the last email from the ghost. Sometimes, I miss it that I forget that it's a ghost.

Brennon and I have been consistently talking to each other, blabbering about his band's succcessful comeback with their album, Return, and with their lead single, Love Scenario.

Alyssa's been sending me pictures from her vacation to the point that I was already getting sick of it. Just kidding.

Days turned into weeks, I really miss the ghost. It's been two weeks.

I tried to make myself busy to that empty days, watched movies, jogged outside despite the body pain, worked out to the gym, took private yoga lessons and some sort of stuff after some work done.

During Brennon's dayoff at some point in weekoff, he invited me to hangout and we ended up going to the karaoke hub alongside his band, K-Team. They all have different personalities but it was so fun to be around them. Noah and June were the most drunk that Sam, Drake, Chuck, Liam, had to drag them out of the karaoke hub since they were basically out of this world while Hanbin drove me home.

It felt like I don't have any responsibilities for each day. I wanted my days to be new adventures, thanks to that ghost, that came true. But, it's been awhile and I missed reading 'greetings for the nth time.'

I decided to just shop the stress away. That's one way of me being happy, buying new things. Since, I was not given my email objectives.

After taking the cab to go to the mall, I entered the mall. I went shop by shop but I was not really in the mood for things. I ate different types of food along my shopping galore.

While shopping for clothes and stuff at a certain store, I bumped into someone. "Mianhae--Leader Alice?!"

----

We're here now at Starbucks in the mall. The café looked liked it has many people inside but all of the members of Boots and Skirts, me, and their bodyguards were only the ones inside.

We were seated to different chairs of the café which was kind of funny because it felt like we were stangers and we do not know each other.

Charlotte and Olivia on one place, Ellie and Ava too. At one side of the café, Emma was seated next to Monica and Sophia and Bella were missing. I sat along with Alice, with iced coffees on our table.

I saw something at the corner of my eye, Sophia and Bella was talking to someone. But, I just let it be because it's not my business to know.

"How are you, God Alice?" I teased her she playfully hit me as we laughed together.

"I'm good, we're doing good," She said and smiled. "It's our dayoff today before rehearsals again tomorrow. I was surprised that they wanted to spend it together even if we're always stuck with each other all the time."

"That's true love, leader." I said and sipped on my drink. "Speaking of love, do you have someone around Alice~?"

"Shh, lower down your voice!" Her voice became lower and I noticed the pink tint on her cheeks. "I do have a crush but dating ban's still up. Plus, there's Boots and Skirts for me to date."

I laughed at her as she looked at her bandmates. Bella and Sophia finally entered the café and sat across Monica and Emma. "9th wheel. Hm, you sure do have Boots and Skirts though."

"So, how are you doing, Tari-unnie?" Alice said sweetly. "How's modelling lately?"

I smiled at her. "I'm kinda good, as well as work. Balenciaga were impressed at my skills, and I had a weird encounter with the photographer from Chanel."

"What did he do?" Alice asked and sipped at her iced coffee. "I mean, if you don't mind me asking, though."

I sighed as I remember everything that has happened. "He said personal things about me and that infuriated everyone in the room. But, he lost his job after Chanel hearing about the incident."

She clapped her hands in a slow pace. "Justice is served, Tari. Justice is served."

I smiled at her as I dumbfoundedly played with my straw as my smiled slowly faded away.

"Aww, Nefertari." She said and went to my side, giving me a side hug in the process. "Don't mind the immature people around us. They know nothing about our lives. So, don't be sad now, I have something for you."

"Since you've been nice to my members and to me," Alice opened her bag and she gave me an envelope. "I hope you'll have time and come around."

I opened the envelope and there was a one ticket and a backstage pass for their tour in Seoul next month. This is gonna be fun.