18 A handsome drunkard: An unexpected meeting

"Lucia?? Can you hear me??? Listen to me...Lucia...?" Liam lightly shook Lucia who was looking at him in a daze. "Damn it, answer me." Liam was about to lose his temper looking at the girl who was being silly at the moment.

Her vision finally cleared up and her hand that had lost their strength finally felt alive. She took out her tongue and slowly licked the corner of her lips. She widened her eyes in surprise.

"T-Thisss...." She stuttered unable to process her finding. The thing tasted almost salty like blood but that was hidden by the strong flavor of sugar and....Lucia tried tasting it again to be sure. There was no doubt about it.

"Ahh this....." Liam looked at her and chuckled mischievously. "What did you think it was??" He looked at her questioningly but even she could hear his sarcasm at the end of his sentence.

Wiping her forehead and eye she glared at the man who stood in front of her with a stupid grin pasted on his face.

She was stupid to think that something might have happened and even more stupid for thinking the man would even do something as risking his life for her; a complete stranger and at that a debtor.

Curious as to what just happened?

Hmmmm.....let us turn back the wheel of times to a few minutes ago, shall we?

Liam wanted to go away from the park as soon as possible and drag the girl away from the poster which if he did not, he was sure like any other fan girl she might start licking it on the spot. And he absolutely did not want to see that.

He noticed a drunk man coming towards them from behind her and wanted to prank her but who knew this silly girl would actually butt her head with that man, making him spill his wine on her head and falling down with her.

And who in the world would drink red wine so early in the morning and even get drunk on that.

He wanted to face palm and he did. 'Guess, I gave her too much of a shock.' Liam looked at the lost in thought and frozen stiff Lucia. He eyed the man who was on the ground sprawling with Lucia with a deep contempt.

He had this sudden urge to kick him away but the girl who was staring at him was the priority.

"Get up." Liam controlled his laughter and extended his hands to help her up but was mercilessly swatted away by Lucia who gave him heart piercing kind of death glare.

"Just go away stupid." Lucia did not even care this man was a cold blooded loan shark and on top of that older than her.

Lucia tried lifting her leg and while doing so kicked the person who was lying on her leg. "Get the hell off of me you drunken stupid." T

he man who was almost, yes almost lying on top her was not only killing her legs but also pulling her towel and almost suffocating her to death. She really thought she was done for when she could not feel her breathe.

"Humph...." The man just slid sideways and continued sleeping while hugging her legs. Even more he seemed to be sniffling and rubbing his snot on her trousers .A vein or two popped on her head. He was even insolent enough to pull her towel to use as a pillow.

"Heh...you serious?" Lucia gave the man a fist on his head which acted as the perfect hang over soup. Nah nah, it worked even better since the man immediately sat up rubbing the sore looking bump on his head.

Pulling her leg free she rubbed her sore legs. She glared at the drunkard....wait he was not that old and seemed only some years older than her.

"Booo hoo.... Tiffany.....HO-w could you do that to me? Boo hooo...." The man wailed like a baby completely discarding his dignity as a grown up man. "Tiffany, we were so close to being successful."

After wailing and crying for a while the man became silent again as he bowed down looking on the ground.

Silence..

..

Lucia decided to sneak a peek at his face. Following her, Liam too bowed down to look at him.

He was snoring right there....on the street.....blowing bubbles from his nose.

"What is wrong with this man?!" Liam was the one who broke the silence startling the poor man, bursting his bubble.

"What....Tiffany.." The man woke up with a start and looked with confused expression at the two strangers before him.

"Ti-Tiffany?" He exclaimed in surprise with a hint of confusion and happiness evident in his eyes. In other words...the emotions in his eyes were complicated.

He rubbed his eyes twice focusing his gaze on Lucia who was getting weirded out every second the moment his eyes landed on her.

"What are you looking at dude?" Liam directly went to stand between them cutting off his vision. He had a bad premonition since coming to the park and he was hundred percent sure this was the thing he had been sensing.

"No you are not her..." The man looked sad and seemed to have lost all his hope in this world. In Lucia's eye he looked like a lost puppy on verge of tears.

'Tsk..tsk..too pitiful.....crying and getting drunk over a heartbreak...' Lucia felt that man was way too pitiful although she too was once like that.

'I correct that...I did not become like that.' Lucia corrected herself in her head. She was not that pitiful.

"Yo..." Lucia stood up and threw a tissue paper at him.

"Hmmm??" He looked up at her his eyes full of fresh tears. Liam also watched the ongoing drama from the sidelines.

"Go home, take a nice bath and take a good sleep." Lucia turned around ready to walk away. "Heartbreaks like this come and go...just man up. " She sighed as if gathering courage for whatever she was going to say.

"Everything's gonna be alright." Although she was saying that to console the man, she knew in her heart she was trying to reason with her own stupid heart.

With confused look the man looked up at the kind girl. "What heartbreak are you talking about??"

'Tch...he even don't want to accept the fact he has been dumped...ufffff.' Lucia sighed in her heart.

She walked towards him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Listen boy, there are many fishes in the sea out there, you should go and try to fish the best one for you."

'That's the least I can do for this poor boy.' Lucia felt she has accomplished a great feat by coaxing the poor and heartbroken guy.

"Heartbreak? Sea? fishes?" The man had already retuned back to his senses but the words this strange girl was saying were going in from one of his ear and out the other.

"Yes, yes you did not get heartbreak...now stop embarrassing yourself and us and go back home Romeo." Lucia waved her hand in the air secretly glancing at the few passerby who gave the trio a weird look.

'Things are getting bad for my image.' Lucia was going to attend an audition soon and that is why she was grinding and polishing herself to present her utmost this time. She did not want to be center of attention and get the title of 'Sensation Queen' for some unreasonable reasons.

She cried imaginary tears as she looked at her companions, a dangerous looking loan shark: a gangster and at a drunkard heartbroken poor fella. Her image was already down the drain.

"I will just go back home." Lucia felt done for the day. With her back hunched she walked dejected, towards her house Liam following her behind shamelessly. The creepy lady who smiled at her....well she was in far corner of her mind forgotten.

"Wait young lady." A cheeky voice called her from behind.

"Huh?" Lucia turned around to see who was calling her, her posture the same as before. '

'Holy moly freaking god.' Lucia cried in her head. 'Who was the hottie right before her?'

The man who was lying on the ground just a second before stood sparkling and charismatic as he showed a professional smile. He walked towards her holding some card looking thingy in his hand.

"Hello young miss, good day to you." He reached her extending his hand. For some reason he looked like those pyramid business schemer judging from how he changed his nature.

'The day had been bad since I met you people.' Lucia cried in her heart taking the card without expecting anything at all.

"Ehhhh??"

"Ehhhhhhhhh???"

Lucia could not believe her eyes.

Was God of prosperity finally smiling upon her?

Looking at her reaction the man felt confident in whatever he was going to say. Liam became interested and tried sneaking a peek at the card.

"ST company? The bigshot company?" He looked at the man whose character and looks had taken a 360 degree turn.

His transition from a total nobody, a drunkard to a handsome young man was godlike.

The man smiled and nodded his head at Liam and turned back to Lucia.

"Hi, I am Ash. A scout and manager at ST entertainment. Would you be willing to sign as a trainee with us?"