章 10: An opportunity falls into her lap

Ji-ho was in the kitchen preparing a bowl of bibimbap for dinner. Her doorbell went off and she dropped her spatula, scattering red sauce all over her apron.

"Who on earth?" She muttered while grabbing some tissues to wipe at the thick sauce.

Her doorbell kept going off incessantly as if the visitor was impatient to meet her. So Ji-ho ran to the door, wiping her apron and chewing on a carrot stick that was poking out of her mouth.

The young girl looked through the peephole and narrowed her eyes at the tall man standing outside the door. He had on a hat, mask, and glasses so she couldn't see who it was. Her cheap apartment didn't even have a reliable security guard so Ji-ho was reluctant to open the door.

The man pressed her doorbell again and she dithered there trying to decide what to do. A white identity card suddenly appeared at the peephole and Ji-ho read it slowly.

She realised who it was on the other side of the door and panicked. Was he here to sue her for stealing his song?! Ji-ho hastily swallowed the carrot and opened the door when the doorbell rang again.

"Mister Lee.." Ji-ho greeted him with an awkward smile. "Am I in trouble?"

Lee Tae-Hyun had on a white shirt and a long tan coat. She could only make out his eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses.

"Trouble? No. Can I come in?" He asked her. "Or would you like to talk in my car?"

Ji-ho stepped aside and held the door open for this great hitmaker and industry titan. There could only be one reason why he was here.

"Sun Young-mi, would you be willing to sign under my record label?" He asked as soon as she closed the door. "I know it's very sudden but I wanted to steal you away before anyone else has the chance to."

Ji-ho blinked in surprise. She was still holding the tissues stained with gochujang sauce. "Why?" She asked, dumbfounded that the maestro would want to be associated with her in any way.

Lee Tae-Hyun took off his hat and mask, and Ji-ho could finally appreciate his handsome face. He had the perfect V line chin that all the celebrities coveted. She was a big fan of his music and could hardly contain her excitement at this moment.

"Because you've won me over completely, Sun Young-mi," he declared. "Your rendition of wildflowers has captured my imagination and I find myself wanting to hear you sing more songs written by me."

Ji-ho squeezed the ball of tissues as she stared at Lee Tae-Hyun. "Mister Lee, that's-" she felt like such a giant fraud.

"Please think about it before refusing me, miss Sun. I will be very upset if you turn me down."

This was a great opportunity for Sun Young-mi. How could she turn it down? To assuage her guilt for stealing his song, Park Ji-ho told herself she was doing it for Lee Tae-Hyun's satisfaction.

"I'm currently a free artist. It would be an honour to work under your care, Lee Tae-Hyun shi."

The handsome man nodded, happy that he had gotten what he wanted. "Here's my card, miss Sun. I'll be expecting you at the studio tomorrow. Will morning nine be a good time for you?"

"Yes," she replied, taking his card. The day was turning out to be very surreal for her.

"Great. I'll see you tomorrow then. Goodnight, Sun Young-mi."

_____

'PRODUCER LEE TAE-HYUN'S CAR SPOTTED OUTSIDE SUN YOUNG-MI'S APARTMENT!'

'WILDFLOWER, MANY SURPRISES IN ONE PACKAGE.'

'JESSICA HOT AND WANTED!'

'IS JESSICA DATING A CERTAIN HOTTIE MUSIC MOGUL?'

'SUN YOUNG-MI, THE DANCER WHO SINGS.'

Ji-ho scrolled past several headlines about her. It was 7:15 am and she was wearing a towel around her freshly washed hair. Her phone started ringing suddenly and the caller id showed her a string of numbers.

"Yes?" She answered.

"Young-mi," a male voice hesitantly spoke. "I know you said you'd never forgive me-"

"Chung-hee?!" She responded. Ji-ho couldn't believe he had the guts to call her after what he had done to Jessica.

"I'm so sorry, Young-mi," he told her.

"Wrong number," Ji-ho said and pressed end call. In hindsight, she should have done that before taking his name.

When the number called again, she added it to her blocked numbers. Not even a minute later, she got a call again and it was from another phone number.

"Young-mi-"

Ji-ho cut the call and blocked that one as well. It seemed that Blue had given up for now. The young woman looked outside her window and was blinded by the camera flashes that immediately began going off.

"Sun Young-mi, what were you doing with Lee Tae-Hyun last night?" One of the paparazzi shouted from outside the gate.

"What do you think?" She shouted back. "He was here to borrow some soy sauce!"

Ji-ho slammed her windows shut and pulled the screens over the glass. Everything in her room was arranged tidily and in neat rows because that's how she liked her room to be.

"Today, I'll wear the white lace top with the brown skirt."

Twenty minutes later, Ji-ho opened the window and saw the paparazzi still standing there.

"Ya!" she yelled at them. "Make yourselves useful and stop a taxi for me."

____

Lee Tae-Hyun was an independent song writer/producer, his own boss, and the owner of S.S. the record company that Ji-ho would be signed under.

"What the hell is she doing here?" A shocked voice loudly declared when Ji-ho entered the lobby of the company building.

Ji-ho turned her head and saw a pink-haired starlet staring daggers at her. It was Blue's girlfriend, Iris. She was holding a tall coffee cup in one hand and had a purse in her other.

"Jessica, who allowed you inside here?" She said in a scathing tone that left no questions about how she felt at seeing Ji-ho.

"The same person who let you in here," Ji-ho replied.

There were many people in the lobby and they were all gawking at the confrontation between them.

"Security!" Iris called to the uniformed guard who had come to see what the fuss was about. "Throw this shameless person out!"