Painted Heart 3: My Little Aurora

Chapter 3

Where am I? How could I get to this place? Maybe I'm in 2020! As I slowly opened my eyes, I found myself in the Vinasun Taxi and realized that my wish to travel back in time finally came true. And this time, I could see that the alternate universe of Vietnam didn't have COVID-19. My jellypop phone was still in my pocketbook, and it wouldn't be lost. I came closer to the taxi driver and asked him in Vietnamese, "Anh tài xế ơi, anh có thể chở tôi đến quán The Bunny được không ạ. Tôi cần tìm gặp một người rất đặc biệt." The taxi driver nodded and also responded back in Vietnamese, "Được thôi, cô chủ." After all, I finally got to meet my idol who's still alive. After I reached to the final destination, I paid for the taxi service and entered The Bunny.

I could see Việt Quang, a man with an undercut, sitting on the chair and taking a sip of coffee. My heart was fluttering and I tried to took a deep breath first before I came to him. I began the conversation with a soft tone, "Oppa, if you can't recognize me, you'll get a tip of the blade." Việt Quang turned to me and said, "Ah, Soomin. It's definitely my fangirl." I chuckled because he finally recognized me, "That's me. Besides first meeting you 7 years ago, I also used to be in your music video for Cơn Mơ Tan. I guess you were waiting long, right?"

        Việt Quang giggled and said, "I wasn't waiting for you that long, little girl. Ever since I first met you, I always felt like you were my only fangirl." He also invited me to have a drink with him and I also asked while I took a sip of the oolong milk tea he offered me, "Anh Quang, do you have any plans for this summer? I heard that you just finished recording a new song called Họa Tâm."  Việt Quang scratched his head a little bit and said, "How do you know my new song? It was composed by Dickson Nguyễn. Besides, I do have lots of them, especially filming the music video for this song."
I felt amused by that, saying, "Ah, that sounds attractive even if I just heard the name. By the way, what concept will be for your upcoming music video?"
"It was initially the historical concept, revolving around Trọng Thủy and Mỵ Châu. However, I thought again that there were too much historical music videos so I changed my mind. This time, I will film the music video with a modern Cinderella concept. How's that sound?"
"Great idea! Speaking of this, I used to watched the Disney film adaptation of Cinderella. Cinderella looks pure and elegant, even though she was mistreated by her stepmother. It's so loved to have one music video of my own. If you don't mind, I'd like to take the role of Cinderella and you will be the Prince Charming."

        Looking at my new hairstyle with bangs and my kindness, Việt Quang couldn't even talk about that. He nodded and said, "Absolutely. I heard you like screenwriting, right? If so, then will you transition the stepmother and stepsisters to be more kind as Cinderella's real mother and sisters?" I widened my eyes and said, "Wow, that will be better than the original one. Because this is the internet era, so we can also exclude the Fairy Godmother." We continued our conversation about the upcoming MV until 11am. I also ended the conversation politely by saying, "Oh, I guess I have to go to the hotel for a rest and I hope you have a great weekend. Another thing I wanted to mention before I go is that I got a jellypop retro phone."
Việt Quang couldn't help praising, "Oh, so you got a jellypop phone. Wish we could talk more, but you can leave because it seems like you're a little tired."
"That's because I just flew here and I am still feeling strange. It was nice talking to you, anh Quang. Tạm biệt."

        Việt Quang also waved me back goodbye and I went back to the Vinasun Taxi. The taxi driver asked me in Vietnamese, "Cô gì ơi, bây giờ cô muốn đi đâu để tôi chở đi luôn?" I also responded back in Vietnamese fluently even though it was my first time, "Anh có thể chở tôi về khách sạn Xuân Lộc nha. Đây là ngày đầu tiên tôi đến Việt Nam nên có lẽ hơi bỡ ngỡ một tí ạ." At the Xuân Lộc hotel, it was nothing strange for me. There were respectable employees, also known as customer service. I checked in the hotel and entered my hotel room. While taking a rest, I kept thinking about the conversation between me and Việt Quang. It might be a dream, but sometimes I couldn't sleep until I was awake. Aha, I figured it out. I decided to get the notebook and write the plot about the alternate Cinderella for the music video.

        The plot was actually like this: In the modern technological era, a 21-year-old Cinderella lived with a stepmother and two stepsisters. Her stepmother is always nice to Cinderella and treats her more like her real daughter. Cinderella also completely focuses on studying more than going out like two stepsisters. Two stepsisters are not even jealous of Cinderella despite their backgrounds, but they treat her as their real sister. One day, the Prince Charming announced the grand ball at the palace. At first, Cinderella refuses to go because she has to work on assignments for school although her stepsisters kept begging her to go. Then, her stepmother helps a tired Cinderella make a new princess gown for the ball. At the ball, the prince is delighted to see Cinderella and gives her the first dance, giving the attention to other princesses and princes. But when the bond doesn't last long, the clock chimes midnight and she leaves the palace, losing the glass slipper. The Prince picks up the glass slipper and is determined to try the shoe on every girl until he finds the woman that fits. He knocks on every single door until he comes to Cinderella's house. Finally, Ella appears and asks if she can try the slipper on. This makes her stepmother even more proud and emotional. She accepts Ella to be with the prince, leading to a happy ending.