Untitled, 2018

Chapter 18: Wrong Date

PD's are very busy people. As in, we(Really, just Kang) waited around, talked to assistants, and got to talk to the PD and follow him around for only a half hour before 5 pm. Mateo and I sat around and ate some snacks, chatted up employees, and I fangirled to him when I saw any celebrities I knew and liked (there were a few for a variety show filming during the day). We learned that the most exciting of the shows was the Music show airing live at 6 pm. Kang finally sat down with us, exhausted, and told us that he was going to stay for the show, and that we were free to leave if we wanted.

"Are you kidding me? I'm in a studio and there's stars everywhere. No way I'm leaving. Mateo won't you stay too?" I grabbed his arm and fluttered my eyes exaggeratedly.
Mateo sighed, "I'd love to stay with you, but I really need to be back to do" He cringed, "homework."
I flicked his nasty, betraying arm away and rolled my eyes. "Okay then. I'll just stay here alone." Mateo just gave a wry smile and left.

"Hey Dr. Kang, can I go explore?" He gave me a long hard suspicious stare(completely undeserved, by the way). "I don't know... you'll be alone with your antics..." I gasped with fake-hurt. "Dr. Kang— how could you? This is me we're talking about."
"Exactly, I know."
"Dr. Kang!"
"Okay fine, just don't get into any trouble."
I skipped away happily, turning around to give a quick salute and a "Thanks gramps, will do." to which Kang protested with a gasp.

First stop, backstage! If I could ever find it. I just followed the trail of frantic managers, manager assistants, and bodyguards. Man, was it crowded. I probably stood out as a non-Korean but I just walked like I knew what I was doing and nobody bothered me. I peeked into a green room, and then found myself in a hallway of dressing rooms. Idols were slowly pouring in, and I kind of got lost in a row of clothing racks being dragged down the hallway. If the live show started at 6 pm, they were coming in pretty late!

I saw a junior group of boys I wasn't too familiar with walk into a dressing room and greet- oh my gosh, that's EXID. I squealed a little as I caught a glimpse of Hani as the door closed, and continued down the hall. To my left, another dressing room door opened but I couldn't really see the artist. All I could tell was that they were being fussy with their clothing. Just past them, I saw a closed door with a stylized "Got7" taped on the front and smiled wide.

As I went down the hall, an idol I didn't know with short grey hair spiked up made eye contact with me and narrowed his eyes. I didn't know who he was, but I gulped and walked faster so he wouldn't call his bodyguard on me or something. The last room was unoccupied, and so I quickly rounded in there, and was glad I did, because the PD was standing at the next turn. See, I don't think I would've been in trouble, per se... but I had a feeling I wasn't supposed to be there. Or even close to there. I smiled to myself. Well good thing I snuck in then. I looked around the spacious dressing room, and went to inspect the racks of clothing in the back. Nothing spectacular, until I saw a row of similar looking outfits— similar hot pink miniskirts and full-sleeved black tops. Everything in leather. 

Oh hey! This reminds me of—

"No, I'm serious. It's supposed to be literally one of a kind and I saw a picture, it's– who are you?" I turned around and froze like a deer in headlights. 

—4Ever. It reminds me of 4Ever's new comeback. 

Of course it's them. I took a quick second to run my eyes over the few girls who were looking around - all very pretty, tall and skinny. Classic; I'm jealous. I brushed past the group of girls and their makeup artists who had obliviously started setting up the dressers. I felt myself being pulled back by my hand and glanced back to see who it was. 

Baek Hee was tugging on me before I could get out of the door. Of ALL the people in this room it had to be the one I was probably going to be the most awkward around... 

I could see bodyguards and managers halfway across the hallway, and needed to get out fast before I was caught or got into trouble or something. Baek Hee sounded angry, "Hey! Did you do something to this room?"

I stopped, turned around and smiled. "Oh, no, miss. I work here. I wanted to look at your outfits because I'm a bit of a fan. Sorry!" Her grip on my wrist loosened, "Oh," but then she suddenly froze and looked me up and down, craning her neck quickly.

"Where did you buy that dress?" I was halfway out the door, but looked over my shoulder quickly and said, "Clearance rack at a department store!" Whoa, she looked angrier than before, and I scurried away to find Kang again, dodging past crowds of people. No sooner had I turned out of the dressing room hallway did I have to stop myself from running head-first into a taller guy who looked just as surprised.

Not again. "J-"

— A couple of  hours ago, Jimin's POV —

"Why is the dry-cleaner's so far away?"
I glared at the kid. "No. It's really not. You took your sweet time getting ready there, didn't you?"
Kook look exasperated. "It's not even my problem but you dragged me along. I could have accomplished a lot more in this time, you know."
I laughed at that. "Like what? Playing more video games? God you're such a kid."
A sneaky smile crept up on our faces.
I stretched my arms as much as I could in the car. "And now I have to deal with another kid, who keeps making more of a mess each time I see her."

Kook's smile faded a little.
"Why do you guys seem to know each other so well?"
I sneered, "We don't? I told you about how she saw me and..." I whispered out of earshot of the driver, "Baekie."
"...About that. Is she cheating on you?"
I moved away from him, looking betrayed. "You too?" I sighed when Kook continued looking at me suspiciously. "It's what she says, but it's not true. It's all a plot for attention."
"Well her story sounds plausible though. I don't trust Baek-Hee enough to not believe it."
"You don't even know her." I muttered.
Kook said, exasperated, "You barely know her, man!"

I turned and resolved not to talk to him for the rest of the car ride to the dry-cleaners. The store was right next to the mall, though, so I remarked, "Kook. Kook. Our relationship means a lot to Baekie and me. You have to help me. I really need to buy her some one of a kind dress by the 11th. I even sent her a photo of a different one... ugh she's going to kill me." I pouted and started mentally brainstorming where all I could get a dress that could pass off as super limited edition. We walked to the door of the dry cleaners. 

Jungkook thought for a second and then frowned at me. "Jimin, what's on the 11th?"
"The anniversary of when I first laid eyes on her." I said, smiling.
"And what did you plan for the 11th?"
"Nothing much. I just said I'd get her that present and meet her in the place where we first met- that music show last year, remember?"
Jungkook stopped and stared at me. "Jimin. Today's Thursday."
"Yeah... I know."
"Thursday the 11th."
My smile faded and my eye twitched.
Within the next 30 seconds, I forgot all about giving the dress to dry cleaning and flew to the car with Jungkook on my heels. The driver set off for the music show studio, and I stopped halfway to pick up a big box of chocolates.

When we got there, the place was already packed because of the music show. Kook and I barely snuck in through the back entrance because the guard recognized us as celebrities. Otherwise technically we didn't have access to the building either. I maneuvered through the hallways quickly so nobody would question what we were doing there. Kook stopped me as we got to a staircase.

"Jimin it's too dangerous. There's people everywhere. Even if celebrities won't start rumors, stylists and other employees will."
I stomped my foot. I guess he was right. He could tell I was distraught.
"Listen, instead let's sneak in..."
He told me his plan of how we would avoid getting caught, and I thought it was a good one, so we got on the stairs and got off at different floors, to spread out. 

I saw a lot of people bustling around. Was this the dressing room hall? I turned around and thought I saw the PD there and panicked. We were on good terms but who knows whether or not he'd be angry that I'm disrupting his show. 

I walked down the hallway with urgency and rounded the corner quickly, only to bump into someone I was not expecting. "R-"