PAPARAZZI

Seventeen

𝑰𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒍, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒇𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒅.

That was on your thoughts as you saw Jay instruct his manager to seat you in the VIP area. You are not a sponsor or ambassador for his fan signing event, yet Jay still manages to seat you in the most comfortable position.

You suddenly wish it were true... that Jay really wants you on his side, but you know it's impossible. 𝑯𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒃𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒚𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒎, 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈. It was merely a work.

"Let's go, Ms."  One of the staff members assists you to a seat at the front, as Jay told. The crew guided you to the front row of the VIP section, which included the event's sponsors and ambassadors.  You assumed they would condemn you since you were sitting in a place where you did not belong, but when you sat with them, they just smiled.

The location was packed with reporters, but it was not broadcast live. Jay had previously stated that this was not on his original schedule, therefore it was most likely a private event.

The event had not yet begun, but Jay fans screamed his name as soon as his face appeared on the large screen. It was from yesterday's shoot. He was so attractive that his supporters couldn't stop praising him.

Your smile widened as you realized you were once just like that, a fan of his waiting for the right moment to approach him. A fan who is willing to wait a long time for an announcement on when and where he will hold fan gatherings. However, you no longer need to do so because you are constantly with him wherever he goes.

"Oh, you came with your Mr. Park?" the woman in her forties asked.

"Yes, Ma'am," you said.

"That's great, for sure, Mr. Park will have a pleasant day now that his gorgeous girlfriend is here."

You instantly feel shy because of the complement you got, something you rarely hear. The man next her also smiles at you, which is most likely her husband.

"It's great to see young couples supporting each other." her husband says.

"You know what? If I were in your situation, I would be jealous," the woman said with a charming chuckle.

Her husband takes a quick peek at you before turning to his wife.

"Honey, it's a job, good thing Mr. Park and his girlfriend are professional about this," her husband says.

You're not sure how to react to their statement because they had no idea that your relationship with Jay was fake. So, to prevent you from telling lies, you just remained silent and focused your attention on the event venue, but phone beeped for a few seconds, causing you to look at it. It was a message from Jay.

["Are you okay there?"]

It was only a short message, but it made you smile. Actually, this is one of the reasons you think Jay is perfect. Because he never forgets to check you out if you're not comfy. Even if you didn't tell him, it appears that he already sensed it.

You are ready to compose a response when your attention is drawn to the fans' screams. Because of your business, you were unaware that Jay had already showed up.

Jay was now dressed in a white polo with a white sando inside and black plants. His hair is done in a brush up manner. In that expression, he appears quite gorgeous.

"But why does he appear so annoyed?" you mumbled as Jay's forehead creased slightly as he looked at the crowd in front of him.

Good thing he normally does that look, which is why his fans don't think adversely of him, but not for you, since after you accept to the work with him, you'll see how Jay's attitude changes from time to time.

His manager urged him to take a seat, but Jay halted for a second to use his phone.

Your phone beeps.

["I cannot see you."]

You hastily type an answer before glancing at where he is.

["I'm in the first row, VIP center, you can't see me well since the lighting isn't good here, but I see you."]

You see that his eyes are glazed in your direction. He tilts his head, exposing his forehead creased. In the way of finding you.

When he met your eyes, you gracefully lifted your hand for him.

Your phone beeped again.

["Why are you there? I said seat in the first row in front, not in the middle."]

You'll see that Jay's manager asks him to hide his phone as the event's M.C speaks, but Jay appears to be paying no attention.

["It's only a seat, focus on your fan sign for now and we'll meet later."] you sent in text.

Jay placed down his phone and concealed it in his pocket.

When the woman next you taps your shoulder, you give a little glance to your side.

"Look at Mr. Park, he appears to be unable to pull his eyes away from here, he was undoubtedly staring in your direction," the woman said, making your cheeks blush.

You laughed awkwardly.

"You think so, ma'am," you said.

"He is, for sure."

You were hoping internally that the woman next to you would stop talking to you because you are not the type of person who enjoys chatting, especially with strangers, not because you dislike it, but because you are not good at handling conversations with people older than you, well, Jay is an exception because you are a fan of his.

Thank God, since as the event began, the woman and her husband left because they received a call, most likely linked to work.

So you focus on Jay as he does his fan sign. To be honest, when you watched him, you didn't feel jealous considering the majority of his fans are girls from other countries, and they're all beautiful.

You somewhat chuckle as you recall being one of them at his first fan signing event while wearing your school uniform since you skip classes.

That was the first time you met with him up close, but Jay didn't realize you were wearing a school uniform since he assumed it was just a school costume because you were wearing full makeup at the time.

"Hilarious," you say, chuckling, before turning your focus to the line of fans eager to communicate with Jay.

Your gaze is drawn to the two girls dressed in red and white tube dresses, and because they are not far from your seat and speak so loudly, you can hear their discussion.

The girl in red asks the girl wearing white tube dress on what her plans if her turns begin, and the girl responds that he will ask Jay for a holding hands while taking till the time runs out, well that's not a huge concern for you because most fans are like that, And since you and Jay aren't in a true relationship, making it a big deal will be strange.

It's been one and a half hours since the fan sign began, and you're not sure if it's because you didn't get enough sleep or what, but you're feeling a little dizzy.

You try to calm yourself by taking a deep breath, but it doesn't seem to help, so you ask for help when you notice a tall man standing behind the barricade not far from you. Maybe he is a guard.

"Excuse me, I'm feeling dizzy. Could you help me out for a moment?" The guy looked at you before looking behind him, and when he didn't see anyone, he looked back at you before pointing to himself.

"Are you speaking to me,?" He said, still confused.

"Yes,"

The person was confused, yet he approached close you to help as he noticed your paleness.

"Is there a clinic here?" you ask.

The guy looks over to his phone. Checking the map.

"I'm not sure, but there's a medical team at the parking lot, I can help you get there."

"Thank you."