AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’re very welcome.” She smiled back, relief shining on her face.
They ate in companionable silence, June piping up to make random, funny comments here and there. The sushi surprisingly wasn’t dry and flavorless, like all the other food she’d attempted to eat. She could actually taste the fresh fish and the perfect texture of the rice, and it was delicious. A thin string of warmth penetrated her icy wall, and an impossible thought occurred to Jihae.
Maybe, just maybe, she would come out of this okay. Not whole and strong, but at least, as a living person. She had lost so much of herself from her father’s betrayal and from Colin’s... She’d lost Colin. She’d begun to think that she would never be herself again. That the real Jihae would never emerge from behind the wall of Princess Jihae.
But this could be the first step. The first real smile. The first enjoyable meal. The first time she enjoyed someone else’s company since her world had collapsed. Maybe from this point on, she could take little steps to find herself again. To find satisfaction in her work, and to find whatever happiness she could find in her life.
“Thank you, June,” she said with affection.
June’s eyes widened in surprise and she smiled warmly at Jihae. “My absolute pleasure.”
“We should do this again soon.”
“Lunch? Nah. The next step to rehabilitation is getting you drunk.”
“I like that idea. We could get plastered and go kill it at a karaoke.”
“Now you’re talking.” June paused and looked straight into Jihae’s eyes. “Welcome back, friend. I missed you so much.”
The wrap party was one occasion when Jihae couldn’t avoid Colin. They’d done the film together. He had as much right to be there as she did. She chose a loose, draping column dress to hide her weight loss and wore her hair down in thick, shiny waves. Possibly the only good thing that came out of the whole mess was that she didn’t give a damn about what her father thought anymore.
He continued to threaten to fire her from her position for disobeying him, but he wasn’t going to risk the financial success he stood to gain from Best Placed Bets. Her guess was he would push her out of Rotelle Entertainment as soon as the project was over. Jihae huffed a humorless laugh. Too bad she was leaving before he could have the satisfaction of firing her. She’d stuck with Rotelle Entertainment to see this film through, but she had plans to start her own production company.
The moment she entered the party, she was surrounded by people, so she didn’t get a chance to see if Colin was there. It was for the best since she didn’t want to spend the whole evening wondering if and when she would bump in to him.
Everyone in the grand hall was in high spirits. From the direction to the acting, everything had been superbly done in the film. They were filled with confidence that it would really be something to behold once the editing was finished. In her years in the industry, Jihae had never quite seen anything like it.
While she held herself to rigid standards, working on Best Placed Bets had been an absolute pleasure. They’d all worked together as a team through the rare minor hitches, but most of the production process had fallen into place like well-carved puzzle pieces. It was an uncommon but satisfying experience. And being part of it all had truly been an honor.
“Jihae,” Ethan said, coming up to her with Kimberly beside him. “Congratulations. It has been an absolute pleasure to work with you.”
“Ditto.” Kimberly leaned in to hug her, and Jihae embraced her warmly.
“You guys did such wonderful jobs,” Jihae said. “I can’t tell you how proud I am, and how grateful I am that I had a chance to work with you both.”
“Thank you, Jihae,” Kimberly said with a watery smile. Then she cleared her throat. “Colin said he had a meeting, but he should be here any minute now.”
“Oh?” Jihae couldn’t think of anything to say beyond that.
The three of them weren’t able to continue their conversation much longer as Jihae got pulled this way and that. When she was able to disentangle herself from the throngs of happy, celebrating colleagues, she made for the bar like a woman on a mission. Despite her mental preparations and determination, she was a nervous wreck at the prospect of seeing Colin.
“Dirty martini. Extra olives, please,” she said to the bartender as she took an empty seat.
The others sitting at the bar seemed like the introverts of their group, seeking some alone time, which was perfect for her. She wanted to be alone with her beautiful martini for a few minutes. She took a sip of the bitter, briny cocktail and bit into the flesh of a salty olive. Her eyes closed shut. It was heavenly.
“Hennessy straight,” said a voice she recognized from her dreams.
Why had he approached her? She’d expected an awkward hello, but she hadn’t prepared herself to actually talk to Colin. She wasn’t ready, so she kept her eyes closed and silently chewed her olive.
“Jihae.”
Oh, God. She hated his beautiful voice. She hated the reflexive shiver that ran down her spine. She hated the thump of her broken heart. Get a grip, Princess. You can do this. She opened her eyes and slowly turned around. Colin was standing a few feet away, leaning against the bar.
“Congratulations on the wrap.” She forced her words through stiff lips. He had worked hard and deserved the compliment.
“Thank you. Congratulations to you, too.”
“Sure.” She took a significant gulp of her martini.
