Shooting Stars

Twenty-Five: A New Beginning

Anna sat quietly at a corner table eating her lunch absently. Namjoon's offer was too good to resist. She had called him on Monday as promised, and he had sent her a short video explaining what the agency could do for her and a few of the contract details. The agency would start her with small jobs and hopefully work toward some bigger assignments once she was comfortable.

She put her fork down. It would mean giving up her teaching career, though. Namjoon said she might be able to keep teaching for the first few months, but once her career took off, it would be impossible to do both.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

She looked up to see Jung Hoseok pulling out a chair. He sat down with his lunch.

"Nothing's wrong," she replied.

He grinned. "Don't act as if I don't know you. Something's going on." He took out his sandwich from his lunch bag. "Don't tell me it's Mr. Kim Sucky Jin again. I thought he moved out on Sunday."

"He did," she said. "And don't be mean. He's still my friend."

"Hm. Some friend he turned out to be. You put up with him for almost a year after his famous girlfriend threw him out and what? He just goes back to her as if nothing happened."

Anna shrugged. "So? What's the big deal?"

Hoseok frowned. "The big deal is that I saw how you looked at him."

"I...I..." she sputtered.

"Don't deny it," he continued. "He may be an old friend, but living in close proximity with him brought hearts to your eyes. And he was also definitely hoping for more."

"Oh, stop it!" she exclaimed. "We are just friends."

"He certainly wasn't looking at you like a friend," Hoseok said. "More like a snack he couldn't wait to sink his teeth into. And don't forget he kissed you. I'm glad he moved out. You should be, too. If he'd stayed, who knows what would've happened. I do know that he would've broken your heart in the end."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Jin and I will always be just friends." She cleared her throat. "What would you say if I told you that I am considering a career change?"

"You mean you want to leave this luxurious, high-paying post?" he asked sarcastically. "What ever would you do?"

She decided to tell him about the offer from Exemplar Talent and Modeling Agency. The more she explained, the rounder his eyes got until at last he laughed out loud.

"Anna! That's incredible!" he shrieked. "I say go for it! Go! For! It! I knew you were too beautiful for a reason. Now you'll become rich and famous."

She raised her hand to try and quiet him down. "Shhh! Keep it down. We don't even know if I will be successful. After all, there are so many beautiful models out there."

"Oh, you'll be successful," Hoseok said with a big smile. "You have something special that those other models don't have. What does the award-winning Mr. Kim have to say about it? Can he handle the competition for the most beautiful face?"

Anna shook her head with a laugh. "I didn't get to tell him before he moved out. If it works out, I guess he'll find out. If it doesn't, I hope he never hears of it."

Hoseok tilted his head to the side. "You're going to be a star. Not only that, Seokjin will end up leaving that old crone and come running back to you in no time."

"That's not why I'm doing this," she said, bristling. "This is just a new beginning. And there's nothing between us. I already told you."

"Nothing yet," he amended. "And I already told you. That pretty boy would never have moved out if you'd given him the tiniest bit of encouragement. Don't believe me, but I'm a guy, and I know what I'm talking about. Now let's get back to class. You might have a cushy job lined up, but I don't."