New Morning | A Kpop Idol Life Story

16. Nothing Lasts Forever

Warning!!!

This chapter deals with mentions of sexual harassment and might not be suitable for all readers!!! The part between the stars (***) includes sensitive content. Otherwise the chapter is safe.

Note: My experience on Korean BBQ are equivalent to zero. MC orders meat, but if you are vegetarian/vegan/etc., you can imagine it's something else! Also, I haven't watched kdramas but I imagine this might be something similar... I tried figuring out a plausible way to describe the train network so I played around with street view for quite a while. Not that I still know where all the dorms are actually located.

~ May 10, Wednesday ~

I brushed my hand through my hair, messing up the curls I spent two hours on. The blonde color had started to fade and I hadn't yet decided what to do with them now that we had entered the period between two promotion eras. Maybe I should let it grow and concentrate on healing the texture, my hair wasn't as healthy as it used to be before the dying and redying started.

The weather became warmer in May, and just like nature, people started to wake up to the life around them. The trees were covered in tiny green leaves and occasional flowers started pushing up the grass.

I was walking on a busy street, a black mask covering the lower half of my face, while a baseball cap hid most of the remaining skin. Spring had reached my body as well, making me more energized and oddly happy, but I couldn't wear the newest fashion trends like tulle or shiny striped shirts, and dressed up in plain leggings and a hoodie instead. A staff member acting as my bodyguard was walking right on my heels, making sure no one would harm me in case they recognized me. He never said anything, but I couldn't relax in his presence.

After a few minutes I arrived at the corner of a small park, the small city trees fenced neatly around the wooden benches. The crowd was less dense here, and the light breeze of wind between the tower blocks felt a little cold.

– He'll be here soon, I said to the guard, who simply nodded and went back to surveying the surroundings like a protective dog.

I picked up my phone, checking if there were any new messages. None. With a sigh, and looked up. The park was in the middle of a peaceful neighborhood, similar to the one I lived in. Only difference was that it was more well-kept, the grass clean and trimmed, and the walls of the buildings were pure white with glass balconies.

The clouds shifted, and the sun shone brightly down on me, and I turned around, hoping I had taken my sunglasses with me. Soon it became hot, my back warm with the sunlight, and I grew agitated and anxious, it was five minutes past midday. My feet started to pace in place and I hang my arms lazily, swinging them around my body.

Maybe I shouldn't have come, maybe this wasn't a good idea. Yes, it definitely was a bad idea, and I would get into trouble for adventuring around strange parts of the city. I was about to tell the guard we should get back, when he tensed up, staring up the path on my left.

– (First Name)! I heard someone shout.

– It's okay, that's him, I assured the bodyguard, who still stood close to me.

There he was, running towards me, footsteps echoing between the houses. Hyeonwoo slowed down and stopped in front of me, hands resting on his knees as he took a moment to catch his breath.

– Sorry I kept you waiting, it isn't exactly a gentlemanly thing to do, he apologized.

When he looked up, his eyes sparkled as his wide grin lifted his already prominent cheekbones. I kept my eyes fixed on him, forgetting about everything else, even the sun, for a few seconds. It was his puzzled expression that shook me out of my trance.