24K Magic for a Perfect Illusion

Ch 27: What's That Sound

Ves left for Tokyo in the afternoon and Hestia drove straight to Elvis residence for a visit.

“That scoundrel!” Elvis scoffed. “I’ve been expecting him to come here since last night but he didn’t even show up. He hasn’t met my eldest yet and now my twins. Does he still think of me as his brother?” he raised his voice out of frustration that earned a glare from his wife. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it.”

“Well he’s pretty occupied with his job but I know that he’ll make it up to you once his contract expired and he’s done with his military service.” Hestia explained.

“Although, it’s unfair that he only meets you when he’s back in the country. I really appreciate that you give me news about my brother.” Elvis smiled faintly. “Anyway, aren’t you going to stay for dinner? Hearthof will be coming over. Might as well meet here.”

“Nah, our plan is for tomorrow. I just came here to visit.” Hestia played the car key in her hand. “I’ll take my leave first. Merry Christmas Elvis!” she also gestured to Wolfganger before she turned around to leave.

“Take care! Merry Christmas, Hestia!” Elvis greeted her back as he watched Hestia leave with her Porsche.

Since Hestia was already in Seogyo-dong, she drove towards the Hongdae Street instead of going straight to Cheongdam-dong and rest at her room.

“Why don’t we go shopping ladies?” Hestia said to her attendants.

And the rest of Hestia’s afternoon was spent shopping with her ladies since she got nothing else to do at home.

“Mrs. Seo, Mrs. Joo, Mrs. Hyun, these are all for you.” Hestia handed the shopping bags to her elder attendants who are stationed at home since Hestia graduated from college. “Merry Christmas! You should go now and spend the rest of the holidays with your families. We’ll be fine here until y’all come back next year.” she permitted the three to take a week leave altogether.

“But Miss Hestia if you allowed us three to go, who will do the household chores for you?” Mrs. Seo refuted.

“It’s fine. I can manage besides I’m not a kid anymore. I can do things on my own, anyway it’s just for a week. Don’t worry about me, you three should go home to your families and spend a week with your husbands and children.” Hestia handed red packets to three missuses. “I should’ve done this before and let y’all go on Christmas until New Year but I’m not a considerate boss, sorry.”

“Oh, Miss Hestia.” Mrs. Joo shook his head. “You’ve done so much for us and we’re happy to serve you. Don’t make it sound like you’ve maltreated us or something because you’re the best employer ever! Better than serving other spoiled rich kids who think lowly of us because we’re getting paid.”

“That’s right.” Mrs. Hyun agreed. “We’re not just sweet talking here because we’re actually stating the facts. Although we signed the contract that stated that we should also guard you aside from doing household chores. You made some adjustment for us since we’re the weakest link among the eight and we couldn’t help much when there’s a sudden fight, we’ll just get beaten and be a liability to everyone.”

“You’re not just good in action but you three can fight though.”

All the people that work in the Nevaeh residences went to a military training aside from learning household chores and other necessary matters to be able to serve a noble family before deployment thus even a cleaner can beat someone up.

Hestia didn’t only let the married women go but also Baby, Roro, and Edith, thus only Irene and Sharon remained to her side.

The next day, since Hestia’s parents went abroad and be back on New Year’s Eve, and they also dismissed all the people that serves them to be back at their own homes, only the three left at the huge mansion thus it felt so empty.

“Where did you buy breakfast, Sharon?” Hestia asked as she sits on her usual chair in the dining room.

“From the restaurant nearby. I thought you’ll be praising me for cooking breakfast and I could’ve trick you.” Sharon smiled sheepishly.

“Irene can burn down the kitchen so she’s off limits there since the beginning as for you, although you can cook …” Hestia trailed off as she doesn’t want to insult Sharon’s cooking skills.

“Your food tastes like trash.” Irene completed the sentence savagely. “You’re only good in decorating but your food isn’t edible at all. You also know it yourself.”

“Well, at least I’m allowed in the kitchen unlike you.” Sharon retorted. “Anyway, Miss Hestia, I already made a list of restaurants we can order food for our meals until everyone returns. We’ll be fine for a few days.”

“I already considered that specially it’s you two who chose to remain by my side. Let’s eat first. Come and join me don’t make me eat alone.” Hestia gestured the two to sit down.

In the afternoon, Hearthof came at the South Mansion and thought that nobody’s home since no one walking around the house.

“Where’s everybody?” Hearthof asked when Irene opened the door for him.

“Vacation. Master and Madam dismisses everyone from work when they’re both out of the country during holiday seasons.” Irene replied. “Miss Hestia also adapted the same, thus she dismissed the rest, only me and Sharon left.”

“I see. Did she left you two purposely or you two chose to stay with her since you know that she’ll be home alone for a few days?”

“It’s our choice. We’ve got nowhere to go anyway and have no families or friends to meet.” Irene said flatly.

“Oh.” Hearthof nodded in understanding as he knows Irene eccentric behavior and Sharon’s temper.

“You’re here early.” Hestia walked towards Hearthof. “I thought we’ll meet at dinner.”

“Nah, I’ve got nothing to do at home so I decided to come here. I brought presents for Uncle and Auntie but I missed the chance to give it to them personally. They’re out abroad?” Hearthof wanted to inquire more.

“Puerto Rico.” Hestia answered. “They want a sunny Christmas with a salsa beat and a side dish of spit-roasted pig.”

“How about you? Don’t you have any plans to go abroad too? New York is actually a good place to spend Christmas.” Hearthof said.

“I thought your family are staying in California during winter season?” Hestia plopped down on the sofa and turned on the TV.

“Yeah, but I actually prefer spending Christmas in NYC. Ice skating below the Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Center and watching some musicals in the Broadway.” Hearthof also sits comfortably on the sofa at the left.

“Hmm … that sounds tempting.” Hestia switching channels until it stopped on a channel that features a documentary on Japan.

“I’ve never been to other country before. Aside from US and here, I haven’t explored the world yet.” Hearthof also focused on the program. “That’s spectacularly over-the-top decorations and lights for a country that doesn’t recognize Christmas as a holiday.”

“Traditionally, celebrating the New Year is more important in Japan than Christmas, although Christmas Eve is a big deal as it resembles Valentine’s Day for them. A night for couples and romance that’s how they celebrate it.” Hestia explained. “Our family spent Christmas in Tokyo before and we had fried chicken and sponge cake topped with cream and strawberries as that’s the Japanese style of feasting on Christmas eve.”

“Is Japanese-style fried chicken better than Korean?” Hearthof asked. “Though American is the best for me, specially the Kentucky fried chicken.”

“Oh, that’s a hard question. I actually don’t know how to answer that as I don’t usually eat fried chicken.” Hestia thought for a while and laughed. “You should ask Toto that question as he’s favorite foods are fried chicken and roast duck; he can actually eat those two every day.”

“Of course, you only like healthy foods and fried chicken is obviously not or below on your list.” Hearthof chuckled.

Hestia keep her eyes on the show until a realization dawned upon her and remember that Ves is in Japan thus she blurted out, “Shall we go abroad then?”

“Where do you wanna go?” Hearthof looked at Hestia and thought of the answer. “Tokyo??”

“You said, you’ve never been to other countries, right?” Hestia sat up immediately with a lit-up smile.

“Alright, I’m in.” Hearthof nodded. “When are we going to leave?”

“Tonight! Let’s have dinner at the airport. It’s just two and a half flight from here to Tokyo and there’s no time difference.”

“Sure.” Hearthof also stood up. “I’m gonna go home and pack up my luggage for our sudden trip.”

“Yeah, me too! Come on ladies, let’s pack up!” Hestia said to Irene and Sharon who exchanged glances with each other.

They know exactly why Hestia suddenly wants to go to Tokyo.

A few hours later, Hestia meets Hearthof at the airport.

“I need to be home on the night of 30 because my parents will be back the next morning. I told them that I’ll be staying home and won’t go anywhere so I have to go back before them.” Hestia said.

“So, it’s a four nights and three days’ vacation then.” Hearthof nodded. “I guess, I’ll just buy some clothes there as I only prepared for two days and three nights. Where are we going to have our dinner? I’m actually starving, right now.”

“Oh, then let’s eat first.” Hestia hold onto Hearthof’s arm and led the way as they talk about trivial matters.

Hestia chose a random restaurant in the airport and had dinner with Hearthof as they wait for Hestia’s plane to be prepared for their flight to Tokyo.

During the flight, a shocking sound pierced the ears of the two.

“What’s that sound?” Hestia asked the flight attendant immediately. “It’s not the plane, right?”

“I’ll go and asked the pilots Miss Hestia.” the flight attendant responded politely as she’s also unsure of the sound.

A turbulence followed, thus Hestia and Hearthof fastened their seatbelts hurriedly as well as Sharon and Irene at the back.

The pilot announced that the plane caught up in the cumulonimbus clouds also known as thunderclouds, thus they’ll be experiencing turbulence until they passed through the clouds.

Although Hestia is already used to flying, it’s her first time to see a thunder that fascinates and scares her at the same time because she’s in a plane and if they’ll be struck by lightning then they’ll be crushing into the ocean.

“Are you alright?” Hearthof noticed Hestia’s pale face. “Hold my hand, we’ll be fine. Don’t be afraid.”

Hestia hold Hearthof’s hand tightly. “It’s funny that you’re the one calming me down when I’m supposed to have the clear mind between us. It’s embarrassing.”

“It’s from the years of my experience in the business world.” Hearthof tried to distract Hestia with his humor although he himself was also afraid of what’s happening.

After three hours flight, the plane landed successfully at the airport, safe and sound.

“I thought we’re not gonna make it.” Hestia looking up at the night sky. “We’re almost a goner up there.”

“We’re alive, so we made it.” Hearthof patted Hestia’s back gently.

“Right. Let’s go and take a rest.” Hestia walked towards the limousine that has a N-shaped dragon crest on its hood.

When they arrived at the Nevaeh residence in Shibuya, Hearthof was amazed with the landscape as well as the traditional Japanese house that looks exactly what he has seen in the pictures and TV.

“I’ve seen a name ‘Doi’ at the post on the gate, just above the ‘Nevaeh’ sign. What does it mean?” Hearthof asked.

“Oh, that’s my paternal grandmother’s last name when her family moved here in Japan on 1907. She lived with the name Doi Chi Chi until she turned 14, that’s when they migrated to France and had the last name Tehra, which became her maiden name.” Hestia explained. “This house was built at the same year and developed recently to accommodate the growing numbers in our family. It used to be a simple house with ten rooms but now it has 42 rooms in it. If we’ll add more rooms then we have to expand but I don’t think that will be an option since as you see we’re not the only family living in this residential area.”

“I think 42 rooms is already too much for average family but for yours maybe … it’s enough. I mean how frequent does all of you go here for a vacation at the same time?” Hearthof reasoned out.