Chương 42: The Request (3): Jinjen

Jinhyun was lost in thoughts. He was in his vanity room, still thinking about his recent dreams. The once hazy visions were now clear. It was as if he was watching the events occurring in front of him.

Furthermore, the man in his dreams. Seyoung. The others were calling him the Crown Prince. He looked exactly like Jinhyun. The resemblance was uncanny as if they were identical twins.

And Cherry. She was in it too. But her outfit and manner of talking were similar to those of the historical dramas. The whole setting of his dreams seemed like a periodic drama set. Everything looked so real. He was astounded at the details.

These dreams started around two years ago. At first they were mere images, mixed with random things. They were meaningless and abstract.

But now these were real and coherent. He remembered bits and pieces of them. Only the last dream did he remember in full detail. Cherry's tears, his bloody hands and the corpse on the floor. What did all those things mean?

A loud knock interrupted his thoughts.

"Come in," he said. Cherry entered the room. She did not greet him but merely nodded. But unlike the other times, there was less hostility in her eyes. Instead, she was studying him as if he was a new specimen.

"W-why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, feeling a little self-conscious. Was there something on his face?

"Your dark circles look terrible," she said bluntly. "Your sleeping pattern must be a mess."

Jinhyun blinked at her. Was she insulting him or worried about him? Her thoughts were unreadable as she maintained a poker face.

"At least I don't have to work much on your face," she went on. "All I'll have to do is hide those hideous dark circles and you'll be good to go."

"Are you saying that I'm so good looking that my face doesn't need makeup?" he asked slyly.

"No, I just don't have enough foundation today," she replied.

"Would it kill you to admit that I am quite dashing?" he grumbled.

"Yes," she answered without hesitation. He groaned.

She started to mix the concealers. As soon as she touched his skin, she felt that it was burning.

"What happened?" he asked. She peered at him. His skin was paler than usual and his eyes looked tired.

"Nothing," she shrugged as she applied the concealer around his eyes.

….

Jinhyun and Jenna were on the stage with Sedong. The paparazzi went wild as they clicked pictures of the ethereal fan favorite couple. These two were the ideal fictional couple of all the fans. Their fandom, Jinjem, had over five million members and there were even merchandise sold under their name. There were racy fanfics about them on the internet which greatly embarrassed Jinhyun while Jenna only laughed.

The cameramen were taking pictures from all the angles. Jenna had her hand around Jinhyun's arm, smiling brightly. This little gesture was enough to drive many fans crazy. The audience roared so loudly that Sedong's introductory message was lost under their cheers.

"Looks like our celebrity judge for tonight is getting all the limelight!" he joked.

Jenna smiled and replied, "We just make the best pair."

She threw a wink at the crowd. The episode was already garnering eyeballs for the beautiful pair and had broken the record as the most viewed reality show segment of the year.

Jinhyun shook his head and snickered. Jenna really knew how to do fanservice. It was a specialty of hers. She knew how to manipulate the crowd.

"Which criteria will you judge the contestants upon?" Sedong asked her.

"Well, sunbae," she said. "I'll focus on their technique and how they infuse their individuality to their performances. Vocals may not be my strongest arena but I will be strict on the dancers."

"Do you want to say something to the participants?" Sedong questioned.

"Yes," she replied. "If you really want to be an idol, then remember. Never take on an image you can't keep. Make an image which reflects your true personality. Otherwise, your lies will crumble someday and you'll find yourself all alone."

"Wise words!" Jinhyun yelled and clapped loudly. The audience followed his suit and cheered for Jenna.

"Let's take our seats, partner," she said with a smile. Jinhyun laughed and they walked over to the judge panel. He drew out a chair for her and took the seat next to hers.

"This will be so exciting!" Jenna exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "I can't wait to see what the performers will present!"

"Me too," Jinhyun said.

Yoona was watching it all on the screen from the backstage. Her eyes were burning in rage as she saw Jenna lean over to whisper something into Jinhyun's ears. He laughed and chattes with her freely.

She never saw such a playful and carefree expression on his face during their interactions. He was always professional and courteous towards the trainees. His smile and open personality were reserved for the people close to him. It enraged her to think that she got to see only his strict side. She wanted him to depend on her. His smile, his laughter, his warmth. Every of it belonged to her and her only.

Yets, he dared to mingle with the likes of Jenna! Her attention shifted to the spiteful woman sitting next to him. She was looking at him lovingly. Jenna extended her hand to fix Jinhyun's hair.

Yoona's hand was clenched into a fist. Her nails dug into her wound, reopening it. Blood gushed out but she did not care. The object of her hatred was sitting next to her lover. All she wanted to do was to destroy her.