YB Fanfic, Ch. 3
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, I don't own.
Technical Notes: Stylist Wang doesn't seem to have a first name in canon, so I took the liberty of giving her one.
Author's Notes: Thank you to akaironoyoru and lilivanilla1 for reviewing!
Chapter Three - Temperamental (Mr. Big)
"We should go into this store! They have a lot of things that would be super-cute on you."
"But Su-jiiiiin," Ha-neul whined as she dragged her feet down a sidewalk in Seoul's Myeongdong District, where the girls were shopping that afternoon, "I'm tired and I'm running out of money... and I have an appointment this afternoon, remember?"
The other girl pouted, but there was no way she could argue. "OK, but we should definitely go there next time. And you promised you'd get your hair cut," she added, making sure Ha-neul wasn't going to back out of that after a lunch break spent convincing her to get a new look.
"I know," Ha-neul said, and smiled at her friend. "Thanks for helping me shop."
"Hey, if I can't wear it, I might as well see it on someone I actually like so I don't feel so bad," Su-jin joked, and then she smiled back. "You're welcome. This was a lot of fun, and at least I get to see you and hear all the latest idol gossip. But I guess I should let you go now," she added with a dramatic sigh. "And I should head back to the office. Are you sure you're not hiring a personal stylist?"
She laughed. "Not now, but maybe when I'm rich and famous, OK?"
The two friends bade each other goodbye and Ha-neul started towards where she had parked her car, swinging her numerous shopping bags as she walked. Clothes shopping with a friend was always helpful because you had someone who would honestly tell you whether or not you looked good (at least, Su-jin never hesitated to tell you if you looked bad). She still relied a lot on her friend's opinion, but Ha-neul liked to think she was learning to find things on her own, too.
She was about to cross a street when she became aware of someone calling her name. Turning, she frowned thoughtfully at the person coming towards her, smiling only when she recognized him as Shin-woo. "Hi!" Ha-neul greeted him as he drew near. "I almost didn't recognize you with your disguise." He was wearing a baseball cap and glasses, ostensibly to hide himself from fans.
"I almost didn't recognize you, either," Shin-woo replied, nodding at the lacy gray skirt and violet sweater she was wearing. "Are you in disguise, too?"
She made a face at his joking tone of voice. "No, I have a photo shoot this afternoon and I wanted to look nice."
He smiled. "Well, you do look nice," he told her, sounding sincere this time.
Ha-neul blushed self-consciously at the compliment. "Thank you. I'll have to tell Su-jin that; she helped me pick this out. You remember Su-jin, don't you? The friend I brought with me to the concert?" By now, she was aware that she was babbling and decided this was a very good time to change the subject. "Anyway, what are you doing here? Are you shopping, too?"
"No, I was just hanging around and people-watching. It relaxes me... but I should get going myself. We have rehearsals this afternoon."
"Do you need a ride?" she offered. "I'm going to the Gangnam District and my car is parked not far from here."
"That's where I'm headed. Can you take me to the AN Entertainment offices?" Shin-woo had parked his car there and taken the subway to Myeongdong, the commute being another great opportunity to people-watch and experience the city like an ordinary citizen.
Ha-neul nodded. "Sure." Her GPS would make it easy to find the way there.
"Maybe you can drop by and say hello to President Ahn if he's in."
"I wish I could," she said ruefully, "but I probably can't." Visiting her father's old friend sounded like a good idea, but she just didn't have the time. Besides, there were more important people that she needed to impress, namely those that she would be working with that afternoon. "I want to make sure I get to the photo shoot before my call time."
He shrugged good-naturedly. "Maybe next time, then. Now, we should probably get going so you aren't late for your session." Reaching over, Shin-woo took her shopping bags.
Ha-neul started at the funny tingle that raced up her arm as his fingers brushed hers, but decided to pretend that nothing happened when he didn't seem to be affected by it. "Thanks. Shall we go?" she asked with a bright smile before turning on her heel and starting again towards where she had parked her car.
It was purely accidental contact, she told herself. And it's not like boys haven't touched your hand before! Now stop acting like you're still in middle school!
Nevertheless, she didn't regain her composure until after they were already in the car, on their way to the Gangnam District, and Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" was blaring on the stereo, courtesy of her MP3 player. "I didn't know you were a fan of rock music," Shin-woo remarked.
"I love it," Ha-neul replied, her eyes on the road. "Is that weird?"
"No. It's just that I don't know many girls who like music like that."
"Is it because most of the girls you know are your fans?"
"Maybe," he admitted with a chuckle. "So how did you get interested in it?"
"My parents played it all the time. I guess my dad heard some American music when he was younger and really liked it, so I grew up listening to bands like Queen and Aerosmith. It was also a pretty good way to learn English," she added.
Shin-woo chuckled when a rap song came on over the speakers. "Did your parents like this song, too?"
"Of course not," Ha-neul laughed. "They started me on that path, but I discovered the rest myself. Some of the newer music I picked up from my teammates; we like to listen to that kind of thing before games, to get us in a fighting mood."
"That sounds cool. Hey, you know what?" he asked as an idea came to him. "A.N.JELL is going to film a music video soon. We don't know what the concept will be yet, but you should audition for a role in it."
She was quiet for a while as she considered it. "It's not going to be too sexy or anything, is it?"
"Of course not," he assured her. "We have a very clean image. It'll be just like a very long TV commercial. You've done those before, right?"
She had, for the facial wash and health drink, but she hadn't done much acting in either case. If she did the video, she would be working with Shin-woo and his bandmates, who were professionals at this sort of thing. "Yes, but I don't really know..."
"Come on," Shin-woo cajoled, "it'll be good for your career. And it will be good for us, too, because we already know you. We won't have to waste time getting comfortable with each other and just get straight to work."
"Knowing each other and working together are two different things," Ha-neul pointed out.
"Well, I think I know you well enough to be sure that you're a good worker. Don't you want to save us from having to work with someone like He-yi again?"
"Wasn't she a good worker?"
"She was a professional," he acknowledged, "but did not get along well with the team."
"How do you know I'll get along well with you?"
He rolled his eyes. Now she was just being difficult. "You get along well with me, Jeremy and Mi-nam, don't you? And Tae-kyung doesn't seem to have a problem with you - which is saying a lot!" Shin-woo chuckled as they pulled up outside AN Entertainment. "Promise me you'll think about it, at least?"
He was glad to see that Ha-neul nodded. "I'll discuss it with my father."
As it turned out, she didn't have to mention anything to her father. "I got a call from your Uncle Sung-chan this afternoon," Mr. So said when Ha-neul, home from her photo shoot, entered the kitchen of their home. "He mentioned something about your possibly auditioning for the new A.N.JELL music video."
Both her bag and her jaw dropped. "Why, that sneaky son of a...!"
"Ha-neul!" he admonished. "Is that the way you refer to an elder?"
"I wasn't talking about him, Appa. I was talking about Shin-woo! I can't believe he could be so high-handed!" She told her father about running into Shin-woo and his suggestion that she audition for a role in A.N.JELL's new music video. "I told him I would discuss it with you, which was exactly what I was about to do, but now I don't have to do that because he went ahead and told Uncle so he could talk to you about it!"
"Now, now, let's calm down. How do you know Sung-chan didn't come up with the idea on his own? And it's not as if you got the role outright," Mr. So added. "You're not getting any preferential treatment; you still have to audition."
"That's true," Ha-neul grumbled.
"But if Kang Shin-woo did make a suggestion to him, then you should be glad you have a friend who wants to help you further your career."
She sighed. "That's true, too." Even if she still thought it was inappropriate of him to push this on her, without even giving her time to consider the idea. "What did you tell Uncle?"
"I told him I would make sure you were interested before submitting any application." He arched an inquiring eyebrow at her. "Are you going to audition?"
A pause. "I guess so," Ha-neul said, turning towards the refrigerator to get herself a drink and avoid her father's gaze in the process. She knew she was being childish about this forced audition, but the way Shin-woo went over her head about it really rankled.
Ha-neul was still grumbling as she walked towards AN Entertainment's main entrance a few weeks later. She knew she was supposed to be happy, because she had auditioned just like everyone else and was cast based on her own merits, but she was still a little put out over essentially being railroaded into entering the whole thing. She would have inconvenienced a lot of people if she had decided not to go through with it, and that would have been rude. With a sigh, she admitted that it would also have been foolish; regardless of how she came to audition, doing the video would ultimately benefit her career, especially if it became popular.
Suddenly, a khaki-clad security guard stepped into her path. "I'm sorry, miss, but I can't let you through."
"But I have an appointment with President Ahn," she protested.
"We didn't receive any instructions regarding special guests today," he told her.
"Can't you call his office and check the names of the people who are supposed to see him today?" Ha-neul asked.
The guard scowled at her. "Miss," he snapped, "I don't care if you're the President of South Korea; you're not getting through!"
Huffing in frustration, Ha-neul turned away, reaching for her cell phone, and became aware that large crowds were lining the walkway. A girl sitting nearby on a folding stool gave her a sympathetic look. "We've all tried that excuse before," she said. "It's never worked for us."
"But I really do have an appointment," Ha-neul said, typing out a text message for the AN Entertainment president. "I'm going to be late if they don't let me in, and I hate being late."
"Are you a singer?" the girl asked with interest.
That made her laugh. "No, I'm a model. At least," she added, not wanting to sound like she was bragging, "that's my job."
"Oh. I thought you were a singer." The girl didn't sound impressed. Ha-neul guessed from the angel-wing hairband she wore that she was an A.N.JELL fan and didn't care too much for models, especially ones that weren't famous.
Suddenly, a plump girl came charging up to them. "I'm so sorry I'm late," she gasped to the girl on the folding stool. "Have our oppas arrived yet?"
"Fortunately for you, not yet," the first girl answered with a scowl. "How would it have looked if A.N.JELL arrived and one of their fan club's officers wasn't there to greet them? As President, I would have been humiliated!"
"I said I was sorry, Sayuri! The bus I was riding broke down and I had to wait for another."
The latecomer was spared from further browbeating because all of a sudden, shrieking erupted all around them. The excitement was centered around a white van that had pulled up at the end of the walkway. The van's doors opened and, sure enough, the four members of A.N.JELL emerged. A phalanx of security guards moved out to keep the crowd at bay, but even with that deterrent the boys still had smiles and waves for their fans.
As the group neared the office's main entrance, Shin-woo spied a girl standing head and shoulders above the crowd and recognized Ha-neul. "Hey, Ha-neul!" he called out to her. "What are you doing out here?"
She shot him an irritated look. "I have an appointment with President Ahn," she answered, "but the security guards wouldn't let me in."
"You have an appointment with President Ahn?" Jeremy asked. "We have one with him, too! Is this about the music video?"
A broad grin spread over Shin-woo's face when the girl nodded. "You got the part! That's great!"
"But you can't attend the meeting if you're out here!" Jeremy said. Reaching out, he grabbed her arm and towed her out of the crowd, past the security guards and into the inner circle. "Come on, let's go. We don't want to be late!"
Ha-neul's mood was not improved any by her experiences that morning, but at least one good thing happened: she managed to give the dumbstruck security guards a Presidential wave before she was swept in a tide of band members, entourage and security inside the AN Entertainment offices.
President Ahn was all smiles as the group entered his office. "You're all here together! Marvelous, marvelous!" He gestured towards the sitting area that occupied the middle of the room. "Everyone have a seat and let's get down to business."
Ha-neul found herself seated beside a tall, thin woman wearing a violently patterned jumpsuit and ropes of chunky bead necklaces. A small hat with a net veil perched on her long, rather frizzy hair. Ha-neul didn't realize she had been staring until the woman smiled at her. "I'm Wang Sang-mee," she said, "style coordinator for A.N.JELL."
"I'm So Ha-neul," she replied.
"I know. I helped screen the auditions." Stylist Wang smiled at her. "I'm so glad you're in the video! Girls are so much more fun to dress than boys."
"Noona!" protested Jeremy, who had overheard and was now looking hurt.
"But I have more fun dressing you most of all," the stylist assured him, pinching his cheek fondly. Tae-kyung rolled his eyes as Jeremy beamed. It didn't take much to make the blond boy happy.
Ha-neul laughed. "My friend Su-jin will tell you that it's only fun when the girl doesn't insist on dressing like a boy," she said to Stylist Wang.
The stylist's eyes widened. "Was she talking about you? No matter," she said with a queenly wave of her well-manicured hand. "Once I'm through with you, no one will recognize you."
"Please don't overdo it, noona," Shin-woo told her, and shot Ha-neul a smile. "We like her just the way she is."
President Ahn chose that moment to call the meeting to order, so Ha-neul did not get the opportunity to interrogate Shin-woo about his part in all of this until after the meeting was over and they were on their way to lunch. She tried to give him the benefit of the doubt and remain open to the possibility that President Ahn had come up with the idea of having her audition on his own, but Shin-woo seemed much too pleased with himself to be completely innocent. "Everything worked out perfectly, didn't it?" he asked her cheerfully as the group made its way down the corridor.
"It's almost too good to be true," Ha-neul agreed.
"The restaurant that President Ahn chose today is a very good one. It's one of his favorites and he only takes us there on special occasions."
Since her pointed remark had failed to realize its intended effect, she decided that a more direct approach was in order. "Did you have anything to do with that choice as well?"
Shin-woo had just begun to realize that the girl was not in a very good mood when heavy arms draped across their shoulders, startling them both. Jeremy had slung his arms around them and now stuck his head between theirs. "Ha-neul, since we're going to be working together," he told her, "you'll have to call me 'boss.' Or 'oppa.' How about 'oppa' instead?" he added hastily when a strange expression crossed her face. "I'll accept 'oppa' if you say it in a really cute voice."
It seemed that it took some effort, but she managed to smile at him. "I'll think about it."
"Shin-woo, why don't you ride with Ha-neul to the restaurant?" Tae-kyung suggested suddenly.
He blinked, surprised at the suggestion. "What?"
"You should ride with Ha-neul to the restaurant," his bandmate repeated. "She might not know the way." To the average onlooker, his expression was perfectly neutral, but Shin-woo knew that Tae-kyung had something up his sleeve; otherwise, he wouldn't have troubled himself with something as mundane as making sure a virtual stranger did not get lost.
"Good idea!" their manager agreed before anyone could say anything. "We can't take just one car to the restaurant, and besides, you boys have to be good oppas to Ha-neul. As you know, her dad is an old friend of mine and she's never done this sort of thing before. That was very considerate of you, Tae-kyung."
"Thank you, President Ahn." Tae-kyung smiled angelically at the compliment and, once the older man had moved on, yanked a protesting Jeremy away from the pair. "See you at the restaurant," he told them over his shoulder.
Shin-woo glanced at Ha-neul and noted that she didn't look happy at the prospect of giving him a ride. Still, it seemed that she was going to leave him to his own devices because she looked at him and jerked her head towards the retreating backs of their companions. "Let's go."
Neither of them spoke again until after they were on their way and an angry-girl rock band was blasting on the stereo. "Are you all right?" he asked.
Ha-neul was silent for a moment before asking a question of her own. "Did you... say anything to President Ahn about getting me to audition for the video?" That was good, she thought. She supposed that she still sounded a bit snippy, but at least her words didn't accuse him of anything.
Shin-woo frowned thoughtfully. "I think I mentioned to him that I told you to think about auditioning," he answered.
"I see."
"Did I do something wrong?" Was this what had been bothering her? he wondered. All he had done was idly talk about it with someone. It wasn't supposed to be a major secret, not if she had been meaning to talk to her father about it; and if it was, she should have told him to keep it a secret - he was quite good at that. Girls, Shin-woo decided, were weird. Go Mi-nyeo had not behaved this strangely, but then she had been pretending to be a guy for most of the time they had been together.
"No," Ha-neul said, sounding calmer now. "It's just that President Ahn called my father before I even had a chance to talk to him."
"Oh." He looked away, flushing guiltily. "I'm sorry. I suppose I should have also said that you wanted to discuss it with your father first."
"It's all right." She sounded as though she meant it. "He didn't just give me the role, nothing like that, but... well, I felt as though he was expecting me to apply and I had no choice but to go through with it. I suppose I overreacted," she offered. "I'm sure President Ahn wouldn't think that way."
"No, he's very easygoing," Shin-woo said. "And when it comes to business, he won't expect anything unless he has a signed contract in front of him."
"I'll remember that." He heard her turn the music down, hopefully another sign that she wasn't angry anymore. "But ultimately," Ha-neul added, "this is still your fault."
He turned sharply, but his protestations of innocence died at the teasing grin that had spread across her face.
"You're evil," he told her, and they both laughed, the ice broken. "Who is this singing?" he asked as another song began to play.
"The singer's name is Melissa Etheridge," Ha-neul answered. "She's been around for a while, but I really like her music."
Shin-woo listened for a moment before nodding approvingly. "She sounds good."
"I like it because it speaks for me," she went on. "I'm not really good at expressing myself, so I have to use the words of others. You're lucky you can make your own music to express yourself."
"Yes, I am, aren't I?" he replied with a small smile.
Previously:
Chapter 1: Hello I Love You
Chapter 2: My Brave Face
Technical Notes: Stylist Wang doesn't seem to have a first name in canon, so I took the liberty of giving her one.
Author's Notes: Thank you to akaironoyoru and lilivanilla1 for reviewing!
Chapter Three - Temperamental (Mr. Big)
"We should go into this store! They have a lot of things that would be super-cute on you."
"But Su-jiiiiin," Ha-neul whined as she dragged her feet down a sidewalk in Seoul's Myeongdong District, where the girls were shopping that afternoon, "I'm tired and I'm running out of money... and I have an appointment this afternoon, remember?"
The other girl pouted, but there was no way she could argue. "OK, but we should definitely go there next time. And you promised you'd get your hair cut," she added, making sure Ha-neul wasn't going to back out of that after a lunch break spent convincing her to get a new look.
"I know," Ha-neul said, and smiled at her friend. "Thanks for helping me shop."
"Hey, if I can't wear it, I might as well see it on someone I actually like so I don't feel so bad," Su-jin joked, and then she smiled back. "You're welcome. This was a lot of fun, and at least I get to see you and hear all the latest idol gossip. But I guess I should let you go now," she added with a dramatic sigh. "And I should head back to the office. Are you sure you're not hiring a personal stylist?"
She laughed. "Not now, but maybe when I'm rich and famous, OK?"
The two friends bade each other goodbye and Ha-neul started towards where she had parked her car, swinging her numerous shopping bags as she walked. Clothes shopping with a friend was always helpful because you had someone who would honestly tell you whether or not you looked good (at least, Su-jin never hesitated to tell you if you looked bad). She still relied a lot on her friend's opinion, but Ha-neul liked to think she was learning to find things on her own, too.
She was about to cross a street when she became aware of someone calling her name. Turning, she frowned thoughtfully at the person coming towards her, smiling only when she recognized him as Shin-woo. "Hi!" Ha-neul greeted him as he drew near. "I almost didn't recognize you with your disguise." He was wearing a baseball cap and glasses, ostensibly to hide himself from fans.
"I almost didn't recognize you, either," Shin-woo replied, nodding at the lacy gray skirt and violet sweater she was wearing. "Are you in disguise, too?"
She made a face at his joking tone of voice. "No, I have a photo shoot this afternoon and I wanted to look nice."
He smiled. "Well, you do look nice," he told her, sounding sincere this time.
Ha-neul blushed self-consciously at the compliment. "Thank you. I'll have to tell Su-jin that; she helped me pick this out. You remember Su-jin, don't you? The friend I brought with me to the concert?" By now, she was aware that she was babbling and decided this was a very good time to change the subject. "Anyway, what are you doing here? Are you shopping, too?"
"No, I was just hanging around and people-watching. It relaxes me... but I should get going myself. We have rehearsals this afternoon."
"Do you need a ride?" she offered. "I'm going to the Gangnam District and my car is parked not far from here."
"That's where I'm headed. Can you take me to the AN Entertainment offices?" Shin-woo had parked his car there and taken the subway to Myeongdong, the commute being another great opportunity to people-watch and experience the city like an ordinary citizen.
Ha-neul nodded. "Sure." Her GPS would make it easy to find the way there.
"Maybe you can drop by and say hello to President Ahn if he's in."
"I wish I could," she said ruefully, "but I probably can't." Visiting her father's old friend sounded like a good idea, but she just didn't have the time. Besides, there were more important people that she needed to impress, namely those that she would be working with that afternoon. "I want to make sure I get to the photo shoot before my call time."
He shrugged good-naturedly. "Maybe next time, then. Now, we should probably get going so you aren't late for your session." Reaching over, Shin-woo took her shopping bags.
Ha-neul started at the funny tingle that raced up her arm as his fingers brushed hers, but decided to pretend that nothing happened when he didn't seem to be affected by it. "Thanks. Shall we go?" she asked with a bright smile before turning on her heel and starting again towards where she had parked her car.
It was purely accidental contact, she told herself. And it's not like boys haven't touched your hand before! Now stop acting like you're still in middle school!
Nevertheless, she didn't regain her composure until after they were already in the car, on their way to the Gangnam District, and Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" was blaring on the stereo, courtesy of her MP3 player. "I didn't know you were a fan of rock music," Shin-woo remarked.
"I love it," Ha-neul replied, her eyes on the road. "Is that weird?"
"No. It's just that I don't know many girls who like music like that."
"Is it because most of the girls you know are your fans?"
"Maybe," he admitted with a chuckle. "So how did you get interested in it?"
"My parents played it all the time. I guess my dad heard some American music when he was younger and really liked it, so I grew up listening to bands like Queen and Aerosmith. It was also a pretty good way to learn English," she added.
Shin-woo chuckled when a rap song came on over the speakers. "Did your parents like this song, too?"
"Of course not," Ha-neul laughed. "They started me on that path, but I discovered the rest myself. Some of the newer music I picked up from my teammates; we like to listen to that kind of thing before games, to get us in a fighting mood."
"That sounds cool. Hey, you know what?" he asked as an idea came to him. "A.N.JELL is going to film a music video soon. We don't know what the concept will be yet, but you should audition for a role in it."
She was quiet for a while as she considered it. "It's not going to be too sexy or anything, is it?"
"Of course not," he assured her. "We have a very clean image. It'll be just like a very long TV commercial. You've done those before, right?"
She had, for the facial wash and health drink, but she hadn't done much acting in either case. If she did the video, she would be working with Shin-woo and his bandmates, who were professionals at this sort of thing. "Yes, but I don't really know..."
"Come on," Shin-woo cajoled, "it'll be good for your career. And it will be good for us, too, because we already know you. We won't have to waste time getting comfortable with each other and just get straight to work."
"Knowing each other and working together are two different things," Ha-neul pointed out.
"Well, I think I know you well enough to be sure that you're a good worker. Don't you want to save us from having to work with someone like He-yi again?"
"Wasn't she a good worker?"
"She was a professional," he acknowledged, "but did not get along well with the team."
"How do you know I'll get along well with you?"
He rolled his eyes. Now she was just being difficult. "You get along well with me, Jeremy and Mi-nam, don't you? And Tae-kyung doesn't seem to have a problem with you - which is saying a lot!" Shin-woo chuckled as they pulled up outside AN Entertainment. "Promise me you'll think about it, at least?"
He was glad to see that Ha-neul nodded. "I'll discuss it with my father."
As it turned out, she didn't have to mention anything to her father. "I got a call from your Uncle Sung-chan this afternoon," Mr. So said when Ha-neul, home from her photo shoot, entered the kitchen of their home. "He mentioned something about your possibly auditioning for the new A.N.JELL music video."
Both her bag and her jaw dropped. "Why, that sneaky son of a...!"
"Ha-neul!" he admonished. "Is that the way you refer to an elder?"
"I wasn't talking about him, Appa. I was talking about Shin-woo! I can't believe he could be so high-handed!" She told her father about running into Shin-woo and his suggestion that she audition for a role in A.N.JELL's new music video. "I told him I would discuss it with you, which was exactly what I was about to do, but now I don't have to do that because he went ahead and told Uncle so he could talk to you about it!"
"Now, now, let's calm down. How do you know Sung-chan didn't come up with the idea on his own? And it's not as if you got the role outright," Mr. So added. "You're not getting any preferential treatment; you still have to audition."
"That's true," Ha-neul grumbled.
"But if Kang Shin-woo did make a suggestion to him, then you should be glad you have a friend who wants to help you further your career."
She sighed. "That's true, too." Even if she still thought it was inappropriate of him to push this on her, without even giving her time to consider the idea. "What did you tell Uncle?"
"I told him I would make sure you were interested before submitting any application." He arched an inquiring eyebrow at her. "Are you going to audition?"
A pause. "I guess so," Ha-neul said, turning towards the refrigerator to get herself a drink and avoid her father's gaze in the process. She knew she was being childish about this forced audition, but the way Shin-woo went over her head about it really rankled.
Ha-neul was still grumbling as she walked towards AN Entertainment's main entrance a few weeks later. She knew she was supposed to be happy, because she had auditioned just like everyone else and was cast based on her own merits, but she was still a little put out over essentially being railroaded into entering the whole thing. She would have inconvenienced a lot of people if she had decided not to go through with it, and that would have been rude. With a sigh, she admitted that it would also have been foolish; regardless of how she came to audition, doing the video would ultimately benefit her career, especially if it became popular.
Suddenly, a khaki-clad security guard stepped into her path. "I'm sorry, miss, but I can't let you through."
"But I have an appointment with President Ahn," she protested.
"We didn't receive any instructions regarding special guests today," he told her.
"Can't you call his office and check the names of the people who are supposed to see him today?" Ha-neul asked.
The guard scowled at her. "Miss," he snapped, "I don't care if you're the President of South Korea; you're not getting through!"
Huffing in frustration, Ha-neul turned away, reaching for her cell phone, and became aware that large crowds were lining the walkway. A girl sitting nearby on a folding stool gave her a sympathetic look. "We've all tried that excuse before," she said. "It's never worked for us."
"But I really do have an appointment," Ha-neul said, typing out a text message for the AN Entertainment president. "I'm going to be late if they don't let me in, and I hate being late."
"Are you a singer?" the girl asked with interest.
That made her laugh. "No, I'm a model. At least," she added, not wanting to sound like she was bragging, "that's my job."
"Oh. I thought you were a singer." The girl didn't sound impressed. Ha-neul guessed from the angel-wing hairband she wore that she was an A.N.JELL fan and didn't care too much for models, especially ones that weren't famous.
Suddenly, a plump girl came charging up to them. "I'm so sorry I'm late," she gasped to the girl on the folding stool. "Have our oppas arrived yet?"
"Fortunately for you, not yet," the first girl answered with a scowl. "How would it have looked if A.N.JELL arrived and one of their fan club's officers wasn't there to greet them? As President, I would have been humiliated!"
"I said I was sorry, Sayuri! The bus I was riding broke down and I had to wait for another."
The latecomer was spared from further browbeating because all of a sudden, shrieking erupted all around them. The excitement was centered around a white van that had pulled up at the end of the walkway. The van's doors opened and, sure enough, the four members of A.N.JELL emerged. A phalanx of security guards moved out to keep the crowd at bay, but even with that deterrent the boys still had smiles and waves for their fans.
As the group neared the office's main entrance, Shin-woo spied a girl standing head and shoulders above the crowd and recognized Ha-neul. "Hey, Ha-neul!" he called out to her. "What are you doing out here?"
She shot him an irritated look. "I have an appointment with President Ahn," she answered, "but the security guards wouldn't let me in."
"You have an appointment with President Ahn?" Jeremy asked. "We have one with him, too! Is this about the music video?"
A broad grin spread over Shin-woo's face when the girl nodded. "You got the part! That's great!"
"But you can't attend the meeting if you're out here!" Jeremy said. Reaching out, he grabbed her arm and towed her out of the crowd, past the security guards and into the inner circle. "Come on, let's go. We don't want to be late!"
Ha-neul's mood was not improved any by her experiences that morning, but at least one good thing happened: she managed to give the dumbstruck security guards a Presidential wave before she was swept in a tide of band members, entourage and security inside the AN Entertainment offices.
President Ahn was all smiles as the group entered his office. "You're all here together! Marvelous, marvelous!" He gestured towards the sitting area that occupied the middle of the room. "Everyone have a seat and let's get down to business."
Ha-neul found herself seated beside a tall, thin woman wearing a violently patterned jumpsuit and ropes of chunky bead necklaces. A small hat with a net veil perched on her long, rather frizzy hair. Ha-neul didn't realize she had been staring until the woman smiled at her. "I'm Wang Sang-mee," she said, "style coordinator for A.N.JELL."
"I'm So Ha-neul," she replied.
"I know. I helped screen the auditions." Stylist Wang smiled at her. "I'm so glad you're in the video! Girls are so much more fun to dress than boys."
"Noona!" protested Jeremy, who had overheard and was now looking hurt.
"But I have more fun dressing you most of all," the stylist assured him, pinching his cheek fondly. Tae-kyung rolled his eyes as Jeremy beamed. It didn't take much to make the blond boy happy.
Ha-neul laughed. "My friend Su-jin will tell you that it's only fun when the girl doesn't insist on dressing like a boy," she said to Stylist Wang.
The stylist's eyes widened. "Was she talking about you? No matter," she said with a queenly wave of her well-manicured hand. "Once I'm through with you, no one will recognize you."
"Please don't overdo it, noona," Shin-woo told her, and shot Ha-neul a smile. "We like her just the way she is."
President Ahn chose that moment to call the meeting to order, so Ha-neul did not get the opportunity to interrogate Shin-woo about his part in all of this until after the meeting was over and they were on their way to lunch. She tried to give him the benefit of the doubt and remain open to the possibility that President Ahn had come up with the idea of having her audition on his own, but Shin-woo seemed much too pleased with himself to be completely innocent. "Everything worked out perfectly, didn't it?" he asked her cheerfully as the group made its way down the corridor.
"It's almost too good to be true," Ha-neul agreed.
"The restaurant that President Ahn chose today is a very good one. It's one of his favorites and he only takes us there on special occasions."
Since her pointed remark had failed to realize its intended effect, she decided that a more direct approach was in order. "Did you have anything to do with that choice as well?"
Shin-woo had just begun to realize that the girl was not in a very good mood when heavy arms draped across their shoulders, startling them both. Jeremy had slung his arms around them and now stuck his head between theirs. "Ha-neul, since we're going to be working together," he told her, "you'll have to call me 'boss.' Or 'oppa.' How about 'oppa' instead?" he added hastily when a strange expression crossed her face. "I'll accept 'oppa' if you say it in a really cute voice."
It seemed that it took some effort, but she managed to smile at him. "I'll think about it."
"Shin-woo, why don't you ride with Ha-neul to the restaurant?" Tae-kyung suggested suddenly.
He blinked, surprised at the suggestion. "What?"
"You should ride with Ha-neul to the restaurant," his bandmate repeated. "She might not know the way." To the average onlooker, his expression was perfectly neutral, but Shin-woo knew that Tae-kyung had something up his sleeve; otherwise, he wouldn't have troubled himself with something as mundane as making sure a virtual stranger did not get lost.
"Good idea!" their manager agreed before anyone could say anything. "We can't take just one car to the restaurant, and besides, you boys have to be good oppas to Ha-neul. As you know, her dad is an old friend of mine and she's never done this sort of thing before. That was very considerate of you, Tae-kyung."
"Thank you, President Ahn." Tae-kyung smiled angelically at the compliment and, once the older man had moved on, yanked a protesting Jeremy away from the pair. "See you at the restaurant," he told them over his shoulder.
Shin-woo glanced at Ha-neul and noted that she didn't look happy at the prospect of giving him a ride. Still, it seemed that she was going to leave him to his own devices because she looked at him and jerked her head towards the retreating backs of their companions. "Let's go."
Neither of them spoke again until after they were on their way and an angry-girl rock band was blasting on the stereo. "Are you all right?" he asked.
Ha-neul was silent for a moment before asking a question of her own. "Did you... say anything to President Ahn about getting me to audition for the video?" That was good, she thought. She supposed that she still sounded a bit snippy, but at least her words didn't accuse him of anything.
Shin-woo frowned thoughtfully. "I think I mentioned to him that I told you to think about auditioning," he answered.
"I see."
"Did I do something wrong?" Was this what had been bothering her? he wondered. All he had done was idly talk about it with someone. It wasn't supposed to be a major secret, not if she had been meaning to talk to her father about it; and if it was, she should have told him to keep it a secret - he was quite good at that. Girls, Shin-woo decided, were weird. Go Mi-nyeo had not behaved this strangely, but then she had been pretending to be a guy for most of the time they had been together.
"No," Ha-neul said, sounding calmer now. "It's just that President Ahn called my father before I even had a chance to talk to him."
"Oh." He looked away, flushing guiltily. "I'm sorry. I suppose I should have also said that you wanted to discuss it with your father first."
"It's all right." She sounded as though she meant it. "He didn't just give me the role, nothing like that, but... well, I felt as though he was expecting me to apply and I had no choice but to go through with it. I suppose I overreacted," she offered. "I'm sure President Ahn wouldn't think that way."
"No, he's very easygoing," Shin-woo said. "And when it comes to business, he won't expect anything unless he has a signed contract in front of him."
"I'll remember that." He heard her turn the music down, hopefully another sign that she wasn't angry anymore. "But ultimately," Ha-neul added, "this is still your fault."
He turned sharply, but his protestations of innocence died at the teasing grin that had spread across her face.
"You're evil," he told her, and they both laughed, the ice broken. "Who is this singing?" he asked as another song began to play.
"The singer's name is Melissa Etheridge," Ha-neul answered. "She's been around for a while, but I really like her music."
Shin-woo listened for a moment before nodding approvingly. "She sounds good."
"I like it because it speaks for me," she went on. "I'm not really good at expressing myself, so I have to use the words of others. You're lucky you can make your own music to express yourself."
"Yes, I am, aren't I?" he replied with a small smile.
Previously:
Chapter 1: Hello I Love You
Chapter 2: My Brave Face