Outwitted by a Kid
Outwitted by a Kid
"You're a hit kid!" Jaewan remarked. "They're more interested in you than in me!"
"I'm a kid, "Jina stated. "I get by with my cute looks."
Just then a middle aged man approached the stage in a formal suit and hat. Jina immediately recognized the guy as the owner of a famous agency.
"Kim Seungyeom?" Jaewan frowned. Kim Seungyeom was the CEO of B-Entertainment which was known for housing many famous idols and actors. He was known to recruit only the best of the best celebrities and also had a knack for spotting future stars. The man tried to recruit Jaewan many times but the guy refused, citing that their cafeteria used cheap spray cleaners to wipe their windows.
"Ahn Jaewan!" Seungyeom roared. "It is so good to see you here!"
He went over to hug Jaewan who squirmed. He could not outright refuse the CEO of a famous company in front of so many people so he had to endure the hug. Making a point to go and jump in his fully disinfected pool back home later on, he asked aloud, "What brings you here?"
"I was here to try and convince you to change your mind but who knew I'd run into a future star here?" Seungyeom laughed and to everyone's surprise, he bent over to talk to Jina.
"This girl would make a big star someday," he said. Jina frowned when he held her cheeks and examined her face, making her feel very uncomfortable. "She has the looks too," he added.
"Mister, do you touch every kid like this?" she mumbled in annoyance when the man was not letting go of her. "Someone should call the cops on you."
Jaewan snickered while Seungyeom, too, laughed. "Ahh a cheeky one too!" he exclaimed heartily, letting go of Jina. "Kid, would you like to join the entertainment industry-"
"No," Jina said flatly.
Seungyeom blinked. Which kid did not want to join the entertainment industry and be around celebrities?
"Why don't you think-"
"No."
"You'll get to meet celebrities-"
"I meet them a lot on a daily basis," Jina shrugged. "I even have Choi Kanna on my social media list."
Who is this girl? Seungyeom wondered while Jaewan could only laugh, inwardly wishing luck to the man who was trying to recruit Jeon Gayoon's daughter into the entertainment industry. He had seen Gayoon refusing many such offers whenever she stopped by at his studio when they were teens. She called it a waste of time and that she could not starve herself to fit into an unhealthy notion of body image.
"But why?" Seungyeom asked. "You'd get to perform on stage, earn money and-"
"I don't wanna starve myself and fit into an unhealthy body image," Jina said in an angry tone.
Jeon Gaayoon's daughter through and through.
"Besides, I'm dedicated to something else," Jina declared.
"And what's that?"
"My country and to my oppa," Jina simply said. Seungyeom could only gape at her while Jaewan was about to burst out in laughter. Some of the fans who were also there, could not help but chuckle at the old man who was dumbfounded by the little girl's straight forward attitude.
"Give it up, Seungyeom," Jaewan advised. "This little girl is too much for you to handle."
Seungyeom only nodded and got up on his feet. "I'll wait for you at your makeup room," he said to Jaewan.
"Why don't we just meet at your office after my shooting is over?" Jaewann suggested. The man looked very pitiful after being exposed to the raging machine named Jina and probably needed to be kept away from her for a while.
"O-okay," Seunyeom agreed. He was turning away to leave.
"Bye mister!" Jina waved at him. Seungyeom could only nod in acknowledgement after being outsmarted by a kid. Even Jaewan could not help but pity the old man while Jina happily slurped on the juice she was given by Jaewan's staff, unaware that she just outwitted a fully grown man.
"Kid, become my PR manager," Jaewan joked.
"Sure, but I won't charge a penny less than two million per day," Jina replied. "These looks don't come for free ya know!"
Jaewan could only shake his head in amusement and he resumed signing photos for the fans.
...
By the time they were done signing photos, it was already afternoon. Jaewan led Jina to his dressing room where his staff and Mina were waiting.
"Aunt!" Jina happily leapt to her aunt's arms. Mina carried her up and smiled.
"Did you have fun?" she asked.
"Yeah, loads!"
Mina turned to Jaewan, who was sitting on a chair while Woobin handed him a cup of coffee. "Sorry if she bothered you up there," Mina added.
"She was fine," Jaewan said, putting on a pair of gloves before taking the coffee from Woobin's hand. He motioned his staff to leave the room while he talked with Mina. They obeyed and left the three of them alone.
"When she called you aunt…" Jaewan began. "Are you two related?"
"Ahh, yes," Mina admitted.
"She's my aunt!" Jina said. "My dad's sister."
Jaewan leaned back against his chair, noting the slight resemblance. "Are you a money lover like him as well?"
"A credit card lover," Mina corrected him. "And also into bargain shopping."
"So you're probably involved in fashion," Jaewan guessed. "Can I call you by your name...Miss…"
"Mina," Mina replied. "Hwang Mina."
"She's a doctor," Jina informed him. Jaewan was surprised by that but then again, the Hwang's were a crazy family in his eyes.
"Where are her parents?" Jaewan asked suspiciously. "Why aren't they here?"
Mina peered at him. If she was not wrong, this guy was also into Gayoon. A wicked smile etched on her lips.
"They're out on an overnight trip," she said. "They should be back home by now to rest."
Jaewan's face turned into all shades of green at that news. Mina could see that he was trying to control himself. Jaewan felt like there was a dirty spot in front of him which he was unable to clean no matter how many times he wiped it.
"Are you okay?" Jina asked, feeling concerned for her beloved idol.
"I'm...fine," he gritted. There was little he could do since Gayoon already had a child with that money lover and she never liked Jaewan more than a friend. But the thought of them being together was driving his heart insane.
It's time for me to be more proactive, he decided. Then an idea came into his head.
"Can you tell Gayoon that our high school reunion is in three days?" he requested. "I think they sent her an e-invitation in her mail."
"High school reunion?" Mina echoed.
"Yeah," he shrugged. "I figured that she will feel better after seeing some old friends."
"What friends?" Mina frowned. "Didn't the people at her school label her as a curse and turned her life into hell?"
"There were still some teachers who liked her," Jaewan pointed out. "Professors who would be delighted to see her there. Besides, I'm sure she would be glad to see that the people who used to torment her turned out to be nothing more than losers in their lives. Maybe she can have a laugh at them."
Mina very much doubted Gayoon would have a laugh over that but she simply shrugged and said, "Alright. I'll pass the message."
"Oppa, will you be there as well?" Jina asked.
"Of course! I'm the guest of honor!"
"I wanna go as well!" Jina insisted.
"Ask your parents," Mina said sharply. Just then, there was a knock on the door. To Mina's surprise, it was Kanji.
"Can we talk?" he asked. "Alone?"
"Jaewan, can you look after Jina for a while?" Mina asked, her eyes not moving from Kanji. "I gotta talk to my friend here."
"Sure," Jaewan agreed, confused by the looks Mina and the other guy were sharing. Mina followed Kanji out of the room. For some reason, he looked very serious.
He stopped at a corridor where there were no people around.
"What do you want?" Mina asked. "I'm busy discussing bargain shopping with Ahn Jaewan!"
Kanji held up the credit card she had dropped at the set. Mina simply stared at it with a poker face.
"Were you at the palatial set a while ago?" he asked.
"Probably," she shrugged. "I was talking to a doctor from the hospital so I might have dropped it somewhere."
"Did you see anything else?" he asked, hoping that she did not overhear him.
Mina feigned to think for a while before replying, "Other than you feeling up that blondie? Nope. Not a thing."
Kanji sighed. How was he going to explain to her about his real work? She was a doctor who saved lives while he was a mafia who took the lives she saved. He had to play along and goad her misconceptions more so that she would not get involved in his darkness.
"Aww are you jealous, hun?" he teased her, faking a smile. "Don't worry. You're still my number one girl!"
"Yeah," Mina said. "It's not like you and I are together. Besides, I'm more into our credit cards."
She snatched his card from his hand and added, "Now if you'd excuse me, I'm off to shop more!" she announced, turning her back on him.
Kanji watched her leave, relieved that she thought of him as nothing more than a teasing friend. His heart might ache seeing her slipping away from him but it was for the best. Nothing good will come out of this relationship and she would only be put in even more danger. She had already suffered enough in the hands of CCK and she should not be in more pain because of him.
Even if his own heart ended up being ripped to shreds.