20. The Bad Rumour About Them

There was something Olivia didn't like after the rumors of her and Axel's closeness spread. Being among humans. If it wasn't for necessity, Olivia wouldn't have come to the cafe near Katness' house. Olivia had to buy prepared food so she wouldn't have to bother Katness all the time. Moreover, the meat and food in Katness's fridge was stocked to prepare Katness's daily meals. Although she wasn't told and Katness didn't think it was a problem, Olivia of course knew. It didn't feel good for her to let Katness give so much to her. Olivia deliberately wore a black hooded jacket and mask. She needed to cover herself from other people's line of sight. And unluckily, the cafe Olivia went to today was crowded with school children. Olivia's steps were almost heavy for fear of them knowing who she was. But even so, Olivia still walked to the cashier's desk. Her head was mostly down, reluctant to see who was in front of her-only occasionally looking up, and only really lifting up once she was in the queue in front of the cashier's desk. Standing behind Olivia now were four high school students. Olivia peeked to the side briefly, hoping that the two people in front of her could quickly finish ordering. "Hey, do you know the rumors about Axel?" Olivia's whole body stiffened instantly upon hearing someone's name. Axel. Olivia already felt her heart beating fast as she was overcome with nervousness. The question provoked silence from the other three women. They seemed to think for a while, then giggled sarcastically. "Ah, about that, I know and read the news. How could such a woman be reported as being close to Axel?" One of the women said. Her answer made Olivia's heart throb with pain. Olivia unconsciously tapped one of her feet against the tiles. Luckily, the sound of her foot tapping was soft. "Why do I feel that the news is a lie?" another woman said, and Olivia frowned at the question. One of the women chuckled in annoyance. "What's a lie? That picture clearly shows Axel's closeness to that woman," she grumbled, the annoyance in her tone clear. The second woman laughed sarcastically. "Maybe it's just a fanatical fan hoping to get close to Axel." A sad smile curved Olivia's face. She was indeed an Axel fan, but not really a 'fanatic' one. Olivia could even refrain from asking for a selfie with Axel when they met at the fashion week. Olivia simply folded her arms across her chest and bowed her head. Seeing that one person in front of the two people in the queue in front of Olivia is now still in the payment process. She even seemed to be adding to her order because her other friend suddenly arrived. Ouch, why can't it be accelerated? Olivia said in her mind. She grimaced behind her mask, really feeling her heart beating wildly. How could Olivia escape from here? "But there's no way you're that desperate to look like you're dating," the other woman retorted. "Hey, these days a lot of fans force themselves to get close to idols." Then there was a short pause for the woman in the middle of nowhere to exhale harshly. "Aish, that news really bothered me." "Yes, it bothered me too. Even if it really is Axel's girlfriend, well... gosh, I want to see her face in person." "Gosh, are you going to run her over just because she's Axel's girlfriend?" For this opinion, Olivia was relieved. At least there was a defender among the three other women who were hurling insults. "Of course. How could you let Axel be with a woman of unknown nature? After all, she's not a celebrity." "I'm just curious as to how beautiful she is to be able to capture Axel's attention." "In fact, I'm sure that she's not very pretty. It's possible that their relationship only lasted for a few months, not long after they broke up." Olivia felt her heart stop beating. She raised her face, almost looking back. But Olivia tried to restrain herself from throwing her frustration at the person who said that sentence. No, Olivia didn't want her relationship with Axel to stop so soon. Especially just because of a problem like this. For Olivia, the relationship is very important, not to be cracked just because of talk or rumors. "Maybe it can be said, ugly women who are too hopeful," mocked one of the women who provoked laughter from the other three women. Olivia's chest felt tight. Although it was expected that there would be more opposition if Axel's fans found out about the relationship, still. It was distressing to hear this in person. Reading through the post comments was already suffocating, now Olivia had to hear it firsthand. Because she was afraid of being caught, Olivia automatically raised her mask and pulled up the hood of her jacket. One step forward when the customer at the front of the counter finally finished. "Axel must be looking for someone like Patricia. You know, right? That beautiful and talented idol." "Ah... yes, I know. It might be suitable, although I'm not sure either. But at least it's not with that woman in the rumor mill." "Agreed," the other woman replied. "It's too impossible anyway. An ordinary person with an idol? How is that possible? Do we live in a fictional world?" "Only fools would expect something like that to happen." Olivia secretly smiled sadly. As she heard their words, her heart throbbed with pain. Sentence after sentence, which she tried not to let enter her mind, gradually seeped in. Olivia's mind was already wandering. As the tightness hit her chest, Hyun-a began to have bad thoughts. What if what they said was true? Axel would only risk experiencing unpleasant things if he was with her. Axel's career would be jeopardized. Besides, is Olivia really right for Axel? *** "Hey, what's wrong with you? Her face is so gloomy." Katness' words came out as Olivia sat down. Olivia went to the pedicure shop where Katness worked. Since it was quiet and it was lunchtime, Hyun-a decided to eat here. "Did you eat?" asked Olivia, completely ignoring Katness' words. Katness immediately frowned deeper. She pulled out a medium-sized food cup. "Hey, what did I ask, what did you answer," Katness retorted, shaking her head in surprise. Although she had already guessed what was going on. "Tell me. Did you experience something unpleasant?" Olivia seemed to be poking around in her meat dish. It was deliberately wrapped from the cafe earlier. Her eyes looked listlessly at her own food. Sighing heavily, Katness gently smacked the back of Olivia's hand. Katness' aluminum chopsticks hitting her finger bones made Olivia flinch. "Didn't you hear? So lethargic when you've only been out once during the day," Katness grumbled. "It's okay, Katness. It's just..." Hyun-a's sentence hung for a few moments. With languid eyes, Olivia looked at Woo-ra. "Do you think I'm the right woman for Axel?" Katness was taken aback by Olivia's question. Because she couldn't believe it, Katness even looked at Olivia for a few seconds. Making sure that Olivia was really asking such a question. But when she saw that Olivia looked serious, Katness exhaled harshly. Annoyance was on Katness' face. "Tell me, did Axel say anything to you?"