Love dust... 22

    She smiled confidently, getting ready to go back to Mariana, but her feet became numb and refused to walk again. If that damn cell phone wouldn't betrayed her by falling on the ground, maybe she would've been able to run back, but she couldn't. As soon as they heard the phone turning into 3 different pieces, they all turned around to face her. The man hurried and hugged her with the brightest smile on his face.

    "Honey!" he kissed her frozen face "I told you I have a surprise for you" he smiled holding her hand.

    She knew she had to say something... anything but she was certain that if she'd try to speak, only tears would come out, so she just faked a smile.

    "Oh, your phone..." he said bending over to gather all of its parts just in time because Seunghyun already reached them and simply passed by without even looking at Liana who rolled in place a little so she could meet his eyes. She couldn't do it; her eyes got stuck on the broken phone he was squishing in one of his hands and she quickly said "Mianhaeyo..." making him stop for just a second.

    "Huh? What's that?" the man asked putting the phone back on.

    "Nothing" Liana answered quickly glimpsing at Daesung who was trying to catch up on Seunghyun.

   "Hyung!" Daesung grabbed his arm. "Calm down..." he mumbled and almost stumble when Seunghyun suddenly turned to face him.

    "Stop following me!" he shot fire through his eyes then kept on walking, not even acknowledging Jiyong.

    "Oh, hyung..." Ji approached them, but Seunghyun wouldn't stop. "What's wrong?" Ji looked for Daesung's eyes, who simply pointed to the glass wall - Liana and that tall, handsome man were holding hands and smiling… well mostly he was smiling, she looked more like she was about to cry.

    "No way!" Ji asked for a denial.

    "Yes..." Daesung looked around for his friend.

    "Aish!" Ji kicked the air in anger staring at Liana's fake smile. he felt his phone buzzing inside the pocket and rushed to answer it. it wasn't who he'd hope so he turned it down, ready to place it back inside the pants when he suddenly thought about it. He instantly dialed no. 2 in his quick calls' log. "Yah! Yeo...  Yeoboseyo*!" he tried making sure he'd hear a human voice through all of those buzzing and wheezing.

    "Oh..." he clearly heard Seunghyun unpleased voice.

    "Where the hell are you? Come here and let's have a talk..." Ji spoke loudly.

    "Shireo*" Seunghyun answered in the same voice.

    "Yah... Hyung... Where are you?..." Ji soften up.

    "Ji-ah, I’m just having a smoke and I’ll be right back, ok?" Seunghyun spoke a little drowsy

    “I need one too. I…”

    “No” Seunghyun cut him off. “I want to be alone!” he said before pressing the red telephone icon on the screen.

    “Hyung…hyun…” Ji said but the long beep let him know he was talking on his own. He dialed again – no answer. He tried again – still no answer. He cursed out laud and grabbed Daesung by the sleeve to make him walk.

    Liana was really lifeless, being too afraid to even blink her eyes because otherwise the tears gathered all the way up would fall and she’d have to find an excuse for that too. She kept that fake smile on, pretending to care what Mariana was explaining when she suddenly took a soft step backwards. He husband squeezed her arm better.

    “What? What’s wrong?” he whispered but never got his answer because Jiyong’s voice interfered.

    “Good evening!” Ji said in excellent English and Daesung bowed again without knowing how to react.

    “Good evening!!” Mariana quickly answered a little louder than she planned too.

    Everybody looked at her with big eyes and she smiled brightly. She didn’t really know who Ji was but being Asian and being in Seunghyun’s environment earlier, she just assumed it had to do with him. She may have seemed a little cold and bicker but she was actually really fond of Liana and she just felt something wasn’t right, so she needed to cut in. She grabbed Ji’s hand and began shaking it like crazy, bowing and congratulating him with a big smile on her face:

    “Oh my God! It’s a pleasure to meet you!!” she said over enthusiastic. “Congratulations on this wonderful exposition!...” she said doubling Daesung’s eyes.

    “Mwo?” Ji smiled looking a little shocked, forgetting his reason there. “But… it’s not my…” he said trying to make Mariana stop from shaking his hand.

    “What? Really?”  she said looking at the dumbfounded Daesung. “Oh…. I thought that…” she began explaining while getting a flayer out of her purse “I thought that’s why you were on the paper…” she blushed unwrapping it.

    Ji looked at her with big, surprised eyes but then Daesung understood Mariana’s play and joined in.

   “Aaaaaa!” Daesung began laughing “You thought we were the …the artists? The painters?” he took the piece of paper from Mariana to make it more visible to Liana’s husband who took a little bow so he could take a better look at it.

    Ji felt he just entered one reeling typhoon; he was staring at Daesung then at Mariana who blinked twice. At first he couldn’t understand her, but when she grabbed his arm to pull him near Liana, pretending she only switched places with him so she could laugh together with Daesung, he finally understood. Liana did too, so she quickly met his eyes.

    “My friend just disappeared and won’t take my calls” Ji quickly muttered before Liana could get a chance to speak.         “You’d better do something about it…” he concluded then exchanged his scary face to a really amused one and joined the laughing crowd as if nothing ever happened.

    “Um… Mike…” Liana slowly freed her arm from her husband’s grip “I need to take Luisa to the bathroom…” she whispered to his ear.

     “What? Who’s Luisa?” he whispered back.

     “She is…” Liana pointed to the little girl running around.

    “She really does look like she’ll let go anytime” Mike laughed. “Go ahead and don’t stay long” he kissed her briefly returning to the ever smiling teacher Mariana and the ‘Asian artists’.

     Liana almost made poor Luisa fly and exited the gallery room. When she thought they were far enough to be seen anymore, she took out her phone and begun writing something.

      Little Luisa remained silent until Liana finished her emotional text, judging by the looks of it then she quietly followed her teacher all the way to the bathroom.

      “Ok, go!” Liana said opening the door.

      “But…” Luisa looked at her with big, watery eyes “…I don’t have to go…” she almost begun crying.

      “Then… why did you say so?” Liana frowned at her.

      “But… I didn’t…” the little girl mumbled.

      “Aish, Luisa, you trouble maker!” Liana pulled her sleeve again.

***

    About ten cigarettes butts piled next to the white shoe that stepped on the 11th just now. Seunghyun was resting against the cold wall, one hand holding the silent phone, the other one holding his own head. It had been more than 50 minutes since he’d fled the gallery and about 40 since his phone stopped buzzing from Jiyong’s calls. A new message lighted the screen again.  He rolled his eyes getting ready to curse at Jiyong and turn off his phone when his eyes widened. ‘I am really sorry! They told me they can’t reach you. Where are you? Please let’s meet tomorrow evening, around 7 at the bowling ball we went last time. Please answer your phone… Jeongmal mianhaeyo*…”  he read after the ID announced ‘Noona’ instead of ‘Ji-ah’.  He chewed on the info for a short while and he froze. ‘Did they…’ he suddenly though. ‘I hope they didn’t do it…’ he just realized that his friends might’ve gone after her and maybe they already gave her away and she’ll end up being in trouble. He got up and walked back to the gallery room. He didn’t even smile to a bunch of really well dressed people who waved, ready to start a conversation with him, but he just ignored them, hasting towards his band mates that he just targeted.

    “Where’s Ji?” he asked grabbing Seungri’s arm.

    “Huh? What?” Seungri rolled around totally unaware of what was going on. “Oh, he’s over there!” he said spotting him through the glass wall.

   “What the Hell is he doing there??” Seunghyun said rushing towards them making and remaking thousands of scenarios on how to react or what to say if it was indeed too late… or not. He tried locating Liana while walking along the wall, but she was nowhere to be found. His heart and mind really started to physically hurt him so he rushed a little more.   

  _____________________

*Yeoboseyo - Hello (telephone)

*Shireo - Don't want

*Jeongmal Mianhaeyo – really sorry