25
“Stupid banana peel. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!”
She yelled furiously while sitting on the ground, using her high-heeled shoe to kick the banana peel aside.
When she finally stopped her outburst and tried to lift herself up,
“Ouch!”
Her brows furrowed.
I could already guess Pearl was having some trouble.
“You.”
“Why are you still here!”
The moment I stepped closer, the actress, who undeniably had a beautiful face, snapped at me.
Her sharp tone was nothing like her on-screen persona, but perhaps it was just because she did not like me.
“I was about to leave, but are you okay? Can you get up on your own?”
She folded her arms, her chin held high.
She seemed a bit spoiled and temperamental.
“Of course, I can.”
She tried to prop herself up on her arms, but her face twisted in pain again.
“Ow!”
Her eyes brimmed with tears as blood seeped from a scrape on her palm, likely from the fall.
“Wha– what are you doing? Don’t come near me. Are you planning to hit me because of the thing with P’Toop!”
I sighed.
“Why would I do that?”
“Well-”
She trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.
So, I knelt and extended my hand toward her where she sat.
“I know you don’t like me—that’s fine. But right now, you’re struggling to stand. Pretend I’m not the person you dislike, just for a moment. Here, take my hand, Miss Pearl.”
Her striking eyes visibly wavered, and her lips, painted a perfect shade of lipstick, pressed together as though she were deliberating.
Eventually, she placed her slightly trembling hand in mine.
I offered her a reassuring smile.
“Pardon me,”
I said softly, sliding my other arm around her back to help support her.
She nodded hesitantly but did not resist.
Just as I managed to get her halfway upright:
“Ahh!”
“Miss Pearl—!”
Her ankle had to have been injured because her attempt to stand faltered.
She nearly fell again, but I tightened my hold on her waist, and she managed to grab onto my arm just in time.
Neither of us hit the ground.
“Can you stand?”
“I-I…”
Her voice stammered as she looked up at me, her expression markedly different from before.
Was she in more pain than I had initially thought or was it something else?
Her gaze seemed unsteady, and a faint blush colored her cheeks, contrasting against her otherwise flawless complexion.
“Mr. An!”
Before she could answer, two of Toop’s staff, who had been keeping their distance, came running over, visibly alarmed.
“Sorry for the delay. Are you okay, Mr. An? And this lady—”
“Miss Pearl.”
I said her name as I steadied her.
Her face paled in surprise as the two men reached us.
“I’m fine. But the lady here has an injury. Could you grab the first aid kit from the tent? I’ll help her sit and wait over there.”
I gestured toward a chair under the large tree.
“Ouch. It stings!”
“It’ll stop stinging soon.”
“But—”
I smiled at the woman in front of me, who begrudgingly sat still as I treated her wound using the first-aid kit brought by Toop’s staff.
They had since retreated to a respectful distance, though their guilty expressions hinted at regret.
It was not like I had fallen or injured myself, but rather, I had simply stepped in to help Pearl, who, just moments ago, had started to protest.
However, her complaints faded as I bent to blow softly on the wound a couple of times.
“Feeling better?”
She bit her lip before nodding.
“Why are you treating my wound?”
“Because you’re hurt.”
“But earlier, I lashed out at you.”
“That’s true,” I replied without denying it, though I showed no trace of anger.
“I’m about to apply a bandage. Is that alright?”
“Well, you’ve gone this far already. What else can I say?”
She frowned, her lips pursing in clear dissatisfaction.
Despite her demeanor, I found myself shaking my head with a smile.
This was the third time we had encountered each other, and I did not find her particularly malicious—more spoiled and headstrong.
While those traits were not a good thing, in addition to her fixation on Toop.
Still, I was not entirely indifferent; after all, he was my husband.
Yet, Pearl did not know the full extent of our relationship.
“There, all done.”
“Is that a cat design?”
I nodded.
“You’re smiling now. Does that mean it hurts less?”
She immediately wiped the smile off her face when I pointed it out. The source of this chapter is g.com.
The smile that crept to her face as she glanced down at the cute pattern on the bandage was cheerful—none of the malice or obstinacy from earlier showed.
“M-maybe,” she muttered.
Her previously combative attitude had softened significantly.
“Can you walk? Would you like me to call someone you know or ask those two to escort you-”
“Thank you.”
“What?”
I had been rambling, so I did not catch her words at first—or perhaps she had blurted them out without realizing it herself.
“I-I said thank you for helping me up and treating my wound. But as for P’Toop, I’m not giving up. I don’t know what kind of relationship you have with him, but I’ve liked him for a long time—even before entering the industry. So, I’ll keep coming to see him as usual.”
If she were a younger sibling, I might have playfully pinched her cheeks to teach her a lesson.
But since she was not, and clearly saw me as her romantic rival, I could not help but smile—different from how I had reacted during our earlier encounters.
“Thank you for liking Mr. Toop.”
“You—”
“But if it’s not work-related, forgive me for being impolite, but I suggest you avoid being too touchy with him—or any man, for that matter—like before. Take better care of yourself, Miss Pearl.”
I thought back to when I had desperately wanted Toop to love me, to the point of feeling like I was losing my self-worth.
Even though we were married, I had done so much that I now felt embarrassed looking back.
If he had not been the one to suggest starting over, giving me the encouragement to see things differently, I might still be cringing at the memory of being the one to kiss him first.
“In that case, can I get close to you instead?”
“Huh?”
Suddenly, her words took me by surprise as she shuffled closer.
Her eyes sparkled brightly, leaving me unsure of her intentions.
Before I could respond, however…
“What are you two doing?”
“Mr. Toop.”
My husband appeared, looking as if he had hurried over.
His tone was sharp, matching the displeasure reflected in his eyes.
“Mr. Toop,” I called softly to his tall figure, who was now walking ahead of me toward the usual riverside tent.
The area remained tranquil, devoid of others, as his staff were stationed to ensure privacy.
Before I followed him, Toop, with his tense expression and refusal to glance my way, had already instructed one of his staff to escort Pearl back to the nearby filming set.
Pearl said nothing as she left, though before departing, she turned to look at me.
Her beautiful eyes did not carry the same animosity they had before.
“Mr. Toop,”
I called again, grabbing his wrist.
He stopped walking just short of the tent but still did not look at me.
“What’s wrong?”
I asked, hoping he would meet my gaze.
When he did not, I moved to stand in front of him.
“Mr. Toop.”
“Why were you so close to Pearl?”
“I—”
Was he angry because I had been near Pearl?
Could it be that he was upset because they were…
“You’re making that face again, Anshan.”
“But you—”
He turned his face away, not meeting my eyes even as I held onto his wrist.
Was he angry again?
But I did not do anything to Pearl.
Did he not once tell me he did not care about her, then why…
“Honestly, I didn’t do anything to Miss Pearl. She slipped on a banana peel and fell. I was there, so I helped her up. She had a wound, so I treated it. I—”
I trailed off, unsure of what else to say.
His words made me feel like I was wrong, my hand, which had been holding his wrist firmly, began to let go.
I turned to leave.
“Anshan,” he called, this time grabbing my wrist to stop me.
“Don’t you hate seeing my face?”
I asked, still facing away from him.
“Do you want me to look at you and start crying here?”
At his words, I whipped around to look at him.
“Y-your eyes are red.”
“Of course they are. And look at the expression you’re making. This is all your fault, Anshan. Haven’t I told you before? I don’t like it when my wife gets too close to others, whether it’s a woman or a man. And there you’re sitting close to Pearl, holding her arm?”
“Weren’t you upset that I was close to her, because you like her?”
“What?!”
His voice boomed, and I instinctively shrank, lowering my head.
“Anshan, you’re so—!”
The grip on my wrist tightened slightly.
I’ve been trying to keep my distance from her-!”
“So you came here for me?”
I asked, my earlier fears melting away as I looked up at him, feeling somewhat reassured.
While his expression remained stern, his eyes no longer looked like they were on the verge of tears.
“Mr. Toop.”
“If not for you, then who else?”
Though this was not exactly the time for smiling, considering the scolding and stern look he was giving me, I found myself smiling anyway.
“Don’t do things like that again, Anshan. What if you’d fallen while trying to help Pearl?”
“I know my limits, Mr. Toop, but if it worries you, I’ll be more careful from now on.”
He remained silent, but I did not feel as disheartened as before and decided to explain further.
“Also, there’s truly nothing going on between me and Pearl. She likes you—you know that.”
Toop stayed as still as ever, prompting me to take him by the arm and lead him toward the side of the path.
“What are you doing?”
“Just come with me,”
I said, half-commanding him as I guided him to stand behind a large tree.
Standing before him, I held his hand firmly.
“Anshan, what are you trying to do, bringing me here?”
“Well, you wouldn’t talk to me properly.”
“And what exactly are you planning to do?”
I quickly took his other hand and held it, then bent down to press a light kiss on the back of his hand.
“Anshan…”
When I looked up to meet his gaze, he seemed slightly stunned.
Not that I did not feel anything, but we agreed to start fresh, did we not?
I was not the only one chasing after him anymore.
So, even if it felt a bit awkward, I had my own way of addressing our issues—this was it.
“I’ve apologized to you now, so stop sulking and frowning. We’re outside, and it’s not morning, so I can’t give you a Morning Kiss. But I’ve kissed the back of your hand instead.”
“You’re just—”
“Mr. Toop,”
I cut in, interrupting as he pointed a finger at me.
Bracing myself for a lengthy scolding, I closed my eyes, only to feel his hands grip my shoulders firmly.
When I opened my eyes, my back was now pressed against the large tree where he had been.
“Mr. Toop,”
I called, trapped with no way to escape with no other choice but to call his name.
“Starting over is nice, Anshan.”
Still confused, I nodded in agreement.
“You’ve learned how to apologize to your husband now.”
“Well—”
“But I want more than just this.”
“I already said we’re—mmph,”
I was about to reason with him when he suddenly leaned closer, closing the distance between us.
His breath was warm, and before I could react, I instinctively shut my eyes tightly.
Starting over was a wonderful idea, no doubt.
We had not been able to have conversations like this before.
But he was so greedy.
If he wanted more than a kiss on the back of the hand, could he not wait until we were in the car or back home?
Still… why was anything not happening?
I had been holding my breath with my lips pursed tightly, but nothing seemed to be occurring.
“You…”
Smooch.
I was about to open my eyes and ask him when my eyes flew open just in time to catch him smiling after pressing a kiss to my forehead.
I did not know what he planned to do when I shut my eyes.
“What’s with that disappointed look?”
“I’m not disappointed!” I denied, though my voice betrayed me, and I tried to push him away.
If I had had the strength, I would have shoved him already.
Instead, he grasped my wrist tightly.
“You’re not, but I am. Too bad we’re outside. I’ll make up for it when we get home.”
“Why make up for it with me?”
“Because you’re the one apologizing to me.”
“And I already have.”
“I’ve told you—I want more than this.”
“Mr. Toop!”
He grinned.
“Yes, that’s me. Toop Pasutha, your husband and the father of our baby. Now, let’s pack up and get to the car, Anshan. We still have a doctor’s appointment to make.”
Left with my mouth agape, unable to compose a sentence to respond to his quick speech, he pulled me away from the tree.
We packed up the riverside tent.
On the way back to the car, we did not touch again, despite our efforts to start anew.
Yet, even with the ups and downs of our emotions, just walking beside him, seeing him help carry the belongings as he always did, made me happy.
I did not care to let anyone know what we were to each other.
His small gestures of care were enough to fill me with joy.
But I could not help wondering—what more did he want beyond just a kiss on the back of his hand?