Sanctuary

This one was written for my friend who is celebrating her birthday today, the 23rd of May. This is for you, Maizey. :)

Sanctuary

The minute she sees the black Range Rover skirts through the parking lot, Shin Hye’s pulse starts to race. She laughs at herself, as she smooths her skirt, licking her suddenly parched lips and smile radiantly at the direction of the car. He does really make her heart race without much effort, doesn’t he? So effortlessly that just the sight of his car awakens the butterflies in her stomach this late at night. Two successive honks let her know that he already spotted her from where she sits on a bench in the park where Shin Hye and her co-stars have been filming since early that afternoon. The shoot had wrapped up half an hour ago and all that has been left at the park are a few filming crew, her manager who is dozing off in the van and her stylist who is busily scouring online sites for fashion finds. Shin Hye just bargained to wait for Keun Suk and meet him even for awhile before she heads home. Manager Jun just couldn’t say no to her.

It is a warm spring night. And the eternal summer of her life is just a few feet away, walking towards her as he eases out of his new toy - his Khan.

“Hey you,” he calls out, his smile bright, belying the tired knots on his temples and the fatigue on his eyes. She knows that he didn’t have a decent sleep for days.

“Oppa,” she softly calls out, stretching out her hands for him to hold. “Is the party over?”

“Not yet,” he says, squeezing her hands tight as he pulls her close to him, enveloping her tiny frame in a warm, tight embrace. “I missed you, today,” he mumbles through her hair.

She feels the goosebumps attacking her with a vengeance. “I missed you, too, Oppa.”

She peers over his shoulder at the Range Rover parked a few feet away and asks, “Did you drive here by yourself?”

He lets go of her and ushers her to sit on the bench. “I did. The party’s a success but I needed to get out of there quick before I lose my wits over some people’s utter disregard for privacy.”

Shin Hye stares at him, her brows furrowing in curiosity. “Why? What happened?”

He shakes his head dismissively. “Nothing. Some people just couldn’t help themselves to take pictures even when I repeatedly begged them not to. But that’s fine. I can let go of that on better days, I suppose. But not today. I’m just tired and my patience is wearing thin.”

She purses her lips, perfectly understanding his sentiment. Between the two of them, Keun Suk has always been the more outgoing, giving and accommodating to his fans. While she shuns public attention behind the cameras, Keun Suk does not. She values her privacy the most and she retreats to her secluded private life whenever she gets the chance. Keun Suk, on the other hand, thrives in the public eye. He shares his life, public or private, to his fans and yes, unknowingly, even to the anti-fans. So seeing him exasperated like this over a trespass on his privacy is something new to her, albeit not uncommon.

“Did they take pictures of you at the party? At the Lounge?”

He nods, absently playing with her hand, tracing circles on her palm. “It’s not a showbiz event, Shin Hye. It’s a school event. It’s within Hanyang premises, for god’s sake. And in there, I am not Jang Geun Suk the actor-slash-celebrity. In there, I am just plain Jang Keun Suk the Theater and Film student. Why can’t some people respect that? Is that asking too much? To not film the private me? That is my sacred ground.” He speaks calmly but she detects the edginess in his voice.

“Oppa,” she speaks to him tenderly, caressing his face with her palm, smoothing his hair away from his face. “Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who don’t know the thin line that separates our public selves from our private personas. And sadly, these are also the very same people who love us as fans, who buy tickets to our shows, line up for our autographs, shout our names from the crowd…I know how you feel. I understand your frustration. But this is all part of the package of being a celebrity, right?”

Keun Suk heaves a sigh. “I know. But sometimes I also get fed up. I just don’t want to have everything I do to be broadcasted online, documented with photos and video clips. Actually, I am a little disappointed that no photos of us sitting so close together like this ever circulated yet. This could have been the icing on any paparazzo’s cake. Jang Keun Suk sitting with Park Shin Hye in the dark – what a scoop, right?” he jokes, his words lace with sarcasm.

Shin Hye’s hand automatically covers his mouth, shutting him up. “Oppa! That’s not a nice joke. We’ve just been especially discreet, that’s all. There’s no need to alert the moles and scare the fans!”

Keun Suk laughs. “Who’s scared? My fans? Ah, you think so little of my fans, Shin Hye-ssi. I am deeply offended,” he mockingly clutches his heart.

Shin Hye scoffs. “So you think they will like me if they know you are seeing me like this during ungodly hours?”

He casually drapes his arm around her shoulders. “First, I am meeting you at this hour because it’s the only free time our crazy schedule permits us to have. Second, I am not an idol, Shin Hye. I am an actor. My fans love me for the characters I breathe to life in the movies and dramas. My career is not and will never be gauged by a single song or performance alone. Even if I will just play the smallest part in the script, I will still be called an actor. So, no, I am not worried that I will be out of job if and when my fans learn that I am dating someone. To think otherwise will be like insulting them, actually.”

“So will it be alright if we just go public about our relationship, then?” Shin Hye asks, daring him.

Keun Suk looks at her with steady gaze, his eyes probing. “You know I can call off your bluff in a heart beat, Shin Hye,” he quips. “But you perfectly know too that when it comes to you, to us, I value my privacy above everything else.”

She bows her head, feeling chastised. “What I feel towards you will never ever be gossip fodder. I promised you that. And that promise still stands. I can give them a teaser of what is really happening but that will be all. I will never cross the line. I can give them all the fan service they want from me. But to subject you and this relationship to public scrutiny, that I will never do.”

He strokes her hair gently, pulling her close. “Because like Hanyang, like home, you are my sacred ground. No one steps here without my permission,” he recites solemnly, like a pledge, like a prayer.

“Ahrasso?” he asks, planting a soft kiss on her forehead.

The chilly, spring breeze nips as the clock strikes midnight, seeping through the light cardigan she wears. But Shin Hye can only feel the warmth of the sun that is yet to rise from the horizon hours from now.

Summer has just paid her an early, surprise visit and she feels blessed.