Eight

Chaeri groans as she blinks, her eyes adjust to the brightness of the sun. She sits up holding her head in her hand. Her head is aching terribly and she can't seem to recall why. The sound of her phone ringing deepens her irritation as she sees Minsoo's name flashing on her screen.

"What is it now?" She mutters to herself but leaves the phone to ring. She picks herself up from the bed and heads to the kitchen. She opens the fridge oblivious to the other person standing in the kitchen.

She takes a bottle of water out of the fridge and fills her mouth with it.

"You are awake?"

Chaeri's eyes go wide hearing an unexpected voice and she spits out the water. She turns around and sees Minju.

"What are you doing inside my house? Are you a stalker?" She asks.

Minju reaches for a bowl on the dining table and uncovers it.

"I made you hangover soup," he says.

She scoffs.

"Producer Kang? Are you saying you don't remember what happened last night?" Minju asks with all seriousness.

Chaeri looks at him skeptically before assessing her own self. "Which is it? I am still dressed up so I know nothing happened between us last night," she says dryly.

Minju's ears go pink. "Why was your ex here last night?" He asks.

"My ex?" Chaeri takes a seat at the dining and grabs a spoon in the tray. She dips the spoon into the soup and takes a sip.

"Bang Chunhoo," Minju says.

Chaeri snorts. "Did he call himself that? It was merely a fling, how dare he?"

Minju's brows furrow but he doesn't question her about it.

"This is a crime scene. I thought I told you to stay more often at the villa."

Chaeri stares into thin air thoughtfully, her spoon pointing to a random direction.

She stays quiet and resumes eating.

"I think you've overstayed your welcome. Can you please let me be?"

Minju notices the sudden change in her mood. "About last night," he says, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to -"

He stops when he sees that she's not paying him any attention.

He grabs his car keys on the table and his coat on the sofa. "I'll be on my way."

*****

Chaeri sighs as she retrieves her phone from her bag. She has just alighted a taxi and is few steps away from the villa.

"Speak up," she says as the call connects.

"Producer Kang, you need to hurry. Where are you?" Minsoo says over the phone.

Chaeri has a frown on her face. She is now very close to the gate and she observes there is a commotion inside.

There is a strange car in the compound. A security guard is continuously knocking on the driver's window but is not getting any response. A lot of people have gathered around including both the crew and cast.

Chaeri hurries inside. "What's going on?" She asks. As soon as the guard turns to face her the door of the passenger's side opens. A figure comes out of the car and Chaeri gives him a condescending look.

"There's no cause for alarm," she says waving the guard off. She starts walking away.

Minsoo gives him a bow to thank him and rushes to join Chaeri.

"Kang Chaeri!" Chaeri ignores the all too familiar voice of Bang Chunhoo and keeps walking.

"Miss producer?"

Chaeri halts hearing an unfamiliar voice. She turns around and so does Minsoo.

The door to the driver's seat is finally opened and a lady is standing right outside the car. She has a pair of sunglasses on her face.

Chaeri is a little surprised as she doesn't seem to recognise the person.

"Who are you?" She asks without leaving her position.

The lady walks up to her and then removes her shades.

"My name is Sarah. Um Sarah."

Writer Han hurries to Chaeri and whispers something in her ears. Chaeri gives Sarah a once over.

"It's obvious you don't know me," Sarah says fiddling with her glasses. "It's a relief though - seeing someone who doesn't know me."

"What makes you think I don't know you?" Chaeri asks with a bored face. "You are that international model, right?"

Sarah freezes as she looks at Chaeri properly.

"Do you still scratch your wound?" Chaeri asks nudging to a scar that ran from the bridge of Sarah's nose to her left cheek.

"What?" Sarah says wordlessly in astonishment.

Chaeri moves closer to her and grabs her shoulders. "A lot of people think you are suffering from abuse. Should I tell them the truth?" Her voice is low and calculated.

Sarah stiffens and clenches her fists.

Chaeri steps back and dusts an imaginary speck of dirt from Sarah's shoulder.

"Welcome to my show. Um. Do. hee." She addresses Sarah by her birth name.

*****

"Are you okay?" Chunhoo asks Sarah as he hands her a bottle of water.

They are in an apartment that has been allocated to them in the villa.

She doesn't collect the bottle. "Is that her?" She asks.

Chunhoo is a little lost.

"Is that woman the reason you can't accept me?" She screams grabbing the bottle from him and throwing it against the wall.

Chunhoo sighs as he rubs his forehead silently.

"That woman! She has no heart; no feeling whatsoever." She groans and buries her face in her hands and goes to the bathroom.

Chaeri puts another jelly in her mouth as she watches the little scene play out. She is in the viewing room and she's listening in on their conversation.

She stops chewing and gazes intently at the screen.