Annyeong, Soojin! [Ateez Fanfiction] ✓

19

The Wise Monkey's POV:

"Yo, I'm famous!" the words come out from the phone in English, the first thing Joshua says as Soojin picks up the call.

"Oh my Gad! Whot!" Soojin tries to keep up the enthusiasm in her voice. A laugh is what she receives from the other line at her attempt at English.

"Heyy, don't laugh et me mayhn," she says but the laugh doesn't stop until she audibly huffs into the phone.

"Sorry, sorry," Joshua switches back to Korean. "I did not realize that I wasn't speaking in Korean but you took me off-guard with your reply." He chuckles. 

"Stop laughing at my English, I know I have an accent but that's how everyone here speaks, it's not so new," Soojin sourly says.

"I know that, but you sounded so cute. Your grammar sounds fine, you probably are good at the language, I think now I have someone to talk to before I forget my English. What do you say, Ms Soojin Ahn?"

"Why did you call? You sounded very excited."

"Oh yeah! How did you not know this? We're famous now!"

"What?"

"Fans of your friends posted photos of you and me with your friends; when they visited my restaurant and we ate with them, remember? So we are publicly 'friends' of Ateez amongst the fans now, I'm more famous because somehow they found out I'm the restauranteur and weirdly, I'm ashamed to say, these girls are what we call in English 'simping' over me."

Soojin lets out a muffled chortle. It's a bit of a situation and it's scary but the last part sure did get her. "This is not good. Our photos and identity has been publicized, I hate to receive unwanted attention, but at least for now, they're putting you more in the limelight because of your status and looks, this is how fandoms are like, welcome to this world, oppa."

"I find the simping weird but the whole situation is nothing I can't handle. And who knows, maybe I can expect more people to visit my restaurant because of this."

"Ahh, you're a slave of capitalism."

"I'm more worried for you. I mean, I don't know fandoms and stuff like you do but I know that these fans wouldn't mind seeing a guy friend of their idol as much as a female friend. If I wasn't there and you were seen meeting them alone I don't know how different the type of attention would have been. You gotta watch out."

"I know," Soojin sighs. "I'll be careful. Now lemme go check this on the internet. I wanna see it myself."

"Okay, but don't waste too much on it, go do preparations. And if you want moral support call me anytime before you reach there. Do well on the programme! Fighting!"

"Oppa, you spent the last night giving all the moral support you could. And I'm fine, I didn't need it anyway. I'll only come back winning, don't worry."

"That's the spirit!" he says. "But your confidence is intimidating, I'd be sweating if I was your opponent."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Bye." She hangs up and spends the next half an hour frowning as she scrolls through the phone and stressing out both because of the fiasco on the internet and the nagging in her brain that tells her she should be worrying about her programme instead.

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The 'programme' is something that's important and special for Soojin. It was last week when she received a call from one of the biggest broadcasting channels in the nation that kept her, and the rest of the family, jumping and screaming in excitement. Ahn's Restaurant had been selected for the cooking competition amongst the chefs of restaurants in the nation that applied; Three benefits would come out of it, a promotion opportunity, a chance to show your face on the television and, lastly, prize money if you win. Of course, this was big. But it's even bigger for Soojin, she gets to compete doing what she's passionate about, she gets to show it off, she isn't like the other competitors who are probably just doing their jobs as the chefs for the restauranteurs. She's going because she desperately wants to cook on television; the kind, old cook of her restaurant was happy to have her represent them in it.