The Rogues (5): Thinning the Lines

Jinhyun was relieved when he entered his apartment. He was tired because of the past few days. The preparations for the first episode was very stressful. From the set designing to sequencing and numerous interviews, he was involved in almost everything. He had not slept a wink nor did he eat properly. 

I'm gonna prepare myself a feast first, he decided. Even though his limbs were screaming at him to fall asleep, his love for food was greater. 

He had received fresh king sized prawns from Sekjong's wife and he was waiting for the right time to cook them. He took out the box of prawns from the fridge. Taking out the fresh prawns, he kept them on the kitchen counter to let them defrost. As he took out the spices, a sudden idea hit his head. 

Smiling slightly, he was whistling as he marinated the crabs. He poured some oil and chilli powder into a pan and stirred it before adding garlic, onions, soy sauce and vinegar into it. He dusted the prawns into a mixture of cornstarch and eggs before pouring it into a hot pan of vegetable oil. 

Once the prawns were fried, he tossed it all into the chilli sauce and mixed it properly. He then cooked soft rice in a rice cooker. Once it was prepared, he heated a large bowl of kimchi in the microwave. He took out a large sized lunch box and packed the food in it. 

…. 

Cherry was about to slurp on ramen when the doorbell rang. Who could it be at this hour? She wondered. She never had visitors at her apartment. All of her relatives and friends were dead anyway. 

She opened the door to find the annoying person smiling at her. 

"What do you want?" she demanded. 

"Are you done with dinner?" Jinhyun asked. 

"Yes," Cherry lied but the loud growling from her stomach gave her away. 

"Guess not," he said, pushing the door open and barging in. 

"Hey!" she protested. "You can't just barge into other people's houses!" 

"Oh yeah where are my manners?" Jinhyun snickered. "I'm entering your house, Miss Wang." 

Without waiting for her response, he walked in, unabashed. Cherry wanted to blast him out but too bad she was forbidden from using her powers on an innocent person. 

"What are you doing here?" she asked furiously. 

"Wanna have dinner?" he asked cheerfully, putting the box on her dining table. "It's better than the crap you were about to eat anyway." 

He pointed at the ramen on the table. He started to unpack the box. 

"I will not have your filthy-" 

But the delicious smell stopped her. The scent of the prawns hit her nose, making her mouth water. 

"Are those prawns?" she asked, forgetting her urge to throw him out of the house. 

"King size ones," Jinhyun replied as he opened the spicy prawns to give her a better view. "Sekjong's wife gave me some and I thought that-" 

But Cherry did not let him finish and immediately pounced on the food. She picked up a prawn and peeled off the skin to reveal the juicy meat. She took a bite off it. 

Immediately, she was swooped into heaven. Jinhyun watched in wonder as her expression changed from an angry lioness to a peaceful kitty. She was so engrossed in her food that she did not even notice when Jinhyun handed her a spoon to scoop the rice. 

"Leave some for me as well," he reminded her. Cherry threw him an angry look before begrudgingly pushing the box towards him. Jinhyun shook his head and brought out two plates. He pushed one towards her while he kept the other one in front of him. He picked out a prawn and put some rice on his plate. Picking up a radish, he put it on Cherry's plate. 

She was a sloppy eater. The sauce was smeared all over her lips as she chewed on the tender prawns. 

"Liking it?" he asked. 

Cherry did not reply but picked up another prawn. 

"I'll take that as an yes," he said, biting into his prawn. He looked around her apartment. It was not as artistic as his one but she adorned it with red and purple wallpapers. There were no pictures on her wall but glass displays of various antiques. 

"Are those from the Joseon era?" he asked curiously, pointing at a vase on display. 

"Mmhmmm," she replied, oblivious to everything else except her food. Jinhyun sighed and got up. He took a closer look at the vase. 

It was a golden vase with inscriptions from the Joseon era language. There were drawings of farmers and fishermen on it, depicting their everyday life. The date on it said 1522 but there was no artist name on it. 

"No one knows who drew it." 

He turned around to find Cherry staring at him from her seat, still chewing on prawn with both her hands. 

"He didn't leave a name?" Jinhyun asked. 

"Nope," she replied. "I've tried to find him but the artist was elusive. He had a signature style of painting so I was able to salvage his works but he never left his name on any of his works." 

"Why are you so fascinated by him?" Jinhyun asked. 

"He once left me a drawing," she recalled. "He drew a portrait of mine. I was sitting under a cherry tree, playing my flute when someone drew the scene and left it there. I picked up the painting and ever since then, I've been looking for him. Of course, he's dead by now but I still want to know who he was." 

"Wait…if he drew a painting of yours then you must be…" 

"Over five hundred years old," she finished for him. She had expected him to be surprised. Shocked even. But he was neither. 

Instead Jinhyun nodded in understanding, simply accepting it as if it was normal. 

"Aren't you even a little bit shocked?" she frowned. "Knowing that I am that old?" 

"Well you turned a person into a chameleon in front of me," he shrugged. "Compared to that, this is nothing. Honestly, I'm not even surprised." 

Cherry blinked in astonishment. Was this guy normal? Or was he hit in the head by something? 

He noticed her intense gaze. "What are you thinking?" he asked, suddenly feeling cautious. 

"You accept people too easily," she stated. "You want to see the good in them." 

"You're saying as if that's a bad thing," Jinhyun laughed. 

"It's a stupid thing," she replied, scooping rice into her mouth. "Being nice all the time doesn't pay off." 

"Being mean all the time doesn't pay off either," he pointed out. 

Cherry rolled her eyes. There was no point in talking to him. She concentrated on her food. Jinhyun sat next to her. 

"What happened to you?" he asked. "Why were you cursed?" 

"I told you," she stated. "I killed someone." 

"I don't believe it," he said firmly. "I don't think you can kill-" 

"I turned a guy into a chameleon in front of you," she sneered. "Blasted a woman to hell. I can kill people too."

She paused before adding, "I have killed someone." 

Jinhyun could not counter her words. 

"I'm not the pure and innocent woman you think I am," she went on, getting off her seat. She picked up her plate and discarded the prawn skins into the bin.

"So from now on, don't-" 

She turned around to find Jinhyun standing close to her. He was gazing at her lovingly with a soft look in his eyes. Cherry was defensive but he merely chuckled and wiped the sauce off her lips with a tissue. 

"You're evil," he said bluntly. "You claim you had murdered someone. I'll believe you. I'll believe that you murdered someone." 

He stepped back. "But someday, you'll tell me why you did it," he stated. It was not a challenge. It was a vow. "And when that day will come, you'll realize you're not the monster you claim to be." 

Cherry watched him back away. Once again, he left her speechless, unable to counter him. He was the only person who was able to break in through her defenses. Why was he able to do that? She wanted to hate him. Really despise him for being the reincarnation of the man she loathed the most. 

But this person…he was proving her wrong. He may be a reincarnation of Seyoung but Shin Jinhyun was a man of his own. Unlike Seyoung who was molded into obedience by the people around him, Jinhyun did not care about other people's opinion. He was trusting but not obedient. He did what he thought was right and followed his heart. The differences between Seyoung and Jinhyun were becoming painfully evident. 

As she watched his retreating back, she was beginning to see Seyoung fade away as Jinhyun became clearer. 

Suddenly, she was afraid. How was she going to take him to his fated one if he was no longer Seyoung in her eyes? 

Don't fall weak, Shina! She told herself. You must make him fall for Yoona. You must!