Areum POV

I walk down the street with my two best friends, Kelly and Ashley. They were spewing nonsense about some celebrity that I've never heard the name of, but he was apparently having an affair on his wife. I pretend to be interested and give small comments to act like I cared about the topic.

"Hey look over there, isn't that a paparazzi van?" Ashley suddenly stops and points down the street.

I feel a jolt of panic go through my body as I hear the word paparazzi.

"We should get out of here before they see me." I say, tugging on Kelly's arm.

"What? No way! I'm sure they won't notice us and if they do then it'll be a great opportunity for a photo." Kelly says.

I make a face at her and she laughs, starting to walk toward the paparazzi van by herself.

"You have to learn to love things like this, Yemmy. You are famous now, after all, so you have to love the fame that comes after the fortune." Ashley says.

"Fame that comes after the fortune? Isn't it the other way around?" I ask her.

She ignores my question, opening her purse and touching up her make up instead before smiling in the small mirror. She proceeds to snap it shut and put it back in her purse.

"Hey! Yeum Areum Eun is out here!" Kelly bangs on the side of the van.

The black door flies open and a man looks wildly around for the voice, his camera swinging just as wildly around his neck.

"Areum Eun? Where?" He asks her.

Kelly points in my direction and I just stare at her, not believing that she would actually do such a thing to me. The man turns behind him and yells at more people to get ready before jumping out of the car and running toward me. I made a move to run away from them but Ashley hooked her arm around mine to keep me in place.

"You aren't going anywhere." She says sweetly.

Who does she think she is? I've known her since the 3rd grade and she should know that I hate having my picture taken. She even told people not to take pictures of me all throughout grade school and even in high school she was overprotective. But now?

"Areum! Over here!" A camera man yells at me.

I put on a smile and turn towards him. He takes a few shots of me as other flashes blinded my peripheral vision.

"Areum, who are they?" A woman asks.

"This is Ashley and Kelly, my best friends." I turn to them to give them a genuine smile.

"Are they famous as well? We've never seen them before." The same woman asks.

"No. I've known them since forever." I say.

"Forever? Can you tell us more?" She presses.

I was getting slightly uncomfortable with how deep they were digging and I looked to Kelly for help.

"Areum and I have been friends since we were newborns and Ashley came along in 3rd grade, completing the friend group. We've been together since forever." Kelly speaks up for me.

I mouth a thank you before turning to the group of cameras.

"How sweet. And what were you doing out here today?" The same persistent woman asks.

"We were getting a bite to eat. Over at Harleys Pizza Place down the road there." I point behind me where we came from.

"And what did you have?" A man asks.

Did they seriously just ask me what I ate at a pizza place?

"Pizza." I say plainly.

They take down notes while some others take more pictures of me and my friends.

"I think that's enough questions for now, I would like to go back to my agency. I have a meeting pretty soon." I begin to wave goodbye to the photographers.

I expected them to calmly leave me alone but they kept asking more and more questions, flashes going off every second as I try to move away. I turn to Ashley and Kelly who were enjoying every second in the spot light.

You guys are asses. Not even helping me.

I look across the street like I had seen something interesting and thought of someone more famous than me.

"Is that Tom Holland?" I say loudly, pointing a little ways away to some random guy walking with his back to us.

The paparazzi runs toward the guy and I sigh in relief.

"What did you do that for?" Kelly asks.

"Yeah, we were having fun!" Ashley whines.

I take in a deep breath and turn to them.

"No, you were having fun. I wasn't. I hate cameras and the only reason I put up with the paparazzi is for you guys. But for some reason, as soon as I made it onto tv, you two have been using me to get your chance at fame. And I'm sorry but I really don't appreciate any of it. You're supposed to be my best friends and it's like I don't even know you anymore. Ashley, you would protect me from cameras and now you're shoving my face in them. Kelly, you're usually so quiet and understanding and now you disregard my feelings entirely. I don't like what this is." I say, gesturing between us.

They stare at me with sad faces, not really knowing what to do next.

"I'm sorry, but I can't be friends with people who use me for their own gain." I say.

I turn on my heel and walk away from them, a lump in my throat as I walk all the way to my agency building. I walk into the elevator and I lose it once the doors close, sobbing as I go up the first 2 floors. I regain my composure and fix myself as I get up to the fourth floor, the doors opening up to reveal at least 20 people just standing outside the doorway.

"Happy birthday Areum!" They yell.

I step out of the elevator with a smile on my face as they bring out a cake topped with strawberries and chocolate.

"Awe, you guys, thank you so much!" I say excitedly.

"Well, you have about 3 days until the contract is up and we wanted to make you feel special before you leave to go to Korea." One of the women, I'm pretty sure her name is Helen, says to me with a warm smile.

"Well I'll never forget you or what you did for me. I really appreciate everything you guys do for me. Thank you." I say while scanning every head in the room.

"Yeum Areum Eun, please step into my office." My boss calls to me from down the hall.

I nod and make my way to the room at the end of the hall to find her sitting in her huge office chair behind her desk. The back was facing me and I got a sinking feeling in my gut that this meeting wasn't going to be good.

"Areum, do you know why I hired you in the first place?" She asks.

"N-No ma'am." I stutter.

"Its because i knew that you would go far in this company. You had real talent and spirit in you. I thought the fame was going to change you into something wicked." She says while her back is still turned to me.

"But..?" I ask, sensing that she wanted to go on.

Her chair squeaked a but as she swiveled around to face me and I saw tears rolling down her cheeks.

"But then I got to know you and you became my little star. You're nothing like any of the other celebrities, you are the most kind-hearted human being I know. Are you sure you want to leave?" I can hear the desperateness in her voice.

"Ah, Julle, I don't know what to say except I'm sorry. I've wanted to go to Korea for as long as I can remember." I say.

"I know, I know. I just don't want you to leave me." She smiles at me.

"Well, we will always be in touch." I smile back.

"Well, I've got a little present for you." She says.

"Oh? What is it?" I ask, getting excited.

"Some company in Korea contacted me directly and it seems to me that you are now starring as a love interest in a movie they are shooting in a few weeks. You already have a job there! Aren't you excited? Please tell me you are because if you aren't then I would feel terrible." She looks at me with an expectant look.

"Are you kidding? This is fantastic! Thank you so much, Julle!" I jump up and down, trying my best not to hug her.

"So here is all the contact information. You need to call this guy as soon as possible to secure your role and..." I stopped listening after that.

She wrote down everything I needed to do on a piece of paper and gave it to me, so what was the point of listening? She gave me the stack of papers and gave me a hug once I had everything in my grasp. I bit my lip in order to contain my emotions. She pulls away and gives me a small smile that I smile back at.

"Alright. Just please do what I've told you to do and I hope you find happiness in Korea. If you ever come back, just know that you have a place here." She squeezes my arm.

I nod and let her guide me out of her office, walking through the party to the elevator. She hands me the balloons and the cake, singing happy birthday again when the elevator doors open. The song keeps going as I enter the small room and ends right when the doors seal me closed. I take a deep breath and sigh, wondering if this was really the best idea. The elevator moves slowly to the lobby and the doors open to reveal my manager, Dee. She was talking on the phone when she caught sight of me walking out of the elevator. She waves me over and she continues talking as we exit through the back of the building. A black van was waiting for me outside with the sliding door open and I saw at least 3 suitcases in the back. I scrunch my eyebrows and turn to Dee who was ending her phone call.

"We got permission to let you leave the agency 3 days early. I've got the plane tickets and I just got off the phone with a CEO at a large company in Korea. They say they were the ones who hired you to do that movie. We leave in a few hours. Are you hungry?" She explains while she types something into her phone.

"Yeah. Can we stop at a fast food place?" I ask her.

She finally looks up at me and stares at me in shock.

"Fast food? No! You have any idea what that does to your body? You have to look good for the press and telling the paparazzi that you eat pizza? That was a bad move on your part. You should have said you had a salad, like you were supposed to have eaten. We're going to Jimmy John's to get you a small sandwich. Please don't reject this, I'm only doing what's best for you." She says.

She packed me into the car and gets into the passenger seat, talking all the while. I roll my eyes and sigh, looking out the window to watch as buildings fly passed.

Doing what's best for me? I swear, I'm starving. I haven't had an actual meal in months.

"Oh, and that cake needs to go. Too many carbs can do bad things to your body. You want to look good right?" She asks me.

I don't answer because she's spewing bullshit right now and I'm really not in the mood for it.

"Areum? Answer me please." She says.

You're fired.

"Yes. I want to look good." I sigh.

She smiles at me and nods, turning to face the front. We get to the Jimmy John's and she hops out, coming back a few minutes later with a small sandwich that's barely big enough to fit in her hand. She hands it to me and takes a call, not even telling me what kind of sandwich it is. I sigh and look down at the sandwich, simultaneously looking at the manilla folder on the seat with the piece of paper with phone numbers on it. I suddenly remembered that Julle had told me to call the top number as soon as possible. I put the sandwich in my lap and take out my phone, dialing the number before putting up next to my ear.

"Big Hit Studios, how can we help you?" A woman answers in Korean.

I wrack my brain for the Korean that I've learned and begin talking slowly.

"Hello my name is Yeum Areum Eun and I'm looking for-" I start.

"Oh! I know exactly who you are miss Yeum! I will transfer you to who you need to speak to, please hold." She says excitedly.

"Okay." I say as hold music starts.

I ignore the curious looks Dee was giving me and just stay on hold for about 2 minutes before someone answered.

"Mrs. Yeum! You have called to secure your role in the movie, right?" A male voice asks.

"Yes, that's right. Am I too late?" I ask.

"No, no, you were chosen for this role by the producer herself so no one would take your place even if you were late. So, what we do need though is a meeting to set up your living accommodations within the agency. When do you think you will be coming? I know that your contract with your current agency expires in 3 days so sometime this week maybe?" He asks.

"Actually I'm flying in tonight. Would you like me to give you a call once I land so we can get right to business?" I ask.

"That's...actually perfect! I will use this number to text you information right now okay? Just to let you know, I will be your new boss and I would like to ask you if you would like a new manager?" He asks.

I look over to Dee who was looking at herself in the drop down mirror and was picking at her teeth, trying to get something out from between them. I turn my nose up in disgust when she pulls out a long strand of something yellow.

"Yeah, that would be great. Thank you." I say.

"Its really no problem, if you need anything else, please let me know. Like I said, I will text you some information immediately after this phone call and please remember to call me when you land. It's going to be a pleasure working with you. Have a good day now!" He says cheerfully.

"Yes. Thank you for this opportunity!" I smile and end the call.

"Areum, we're at the airport." Dee says.

I hurry and get out my suitcases before Dee can stop me.

"Hey, Dee, can I see my ticket really quick? I want to see what seat I'm in." I hold out my hand.

She hands it to me and I block her car door.

"Dee, do you think you actually want to come with me?" I ask.

"If its to be with you and your good looks, then yes." She looks in the mirror once more.

"Am I just a photo op for you?" I ask.

"No, a photo op? You must be kidding. Areum, you're my money maker. Are you ready to go?" She asks.

"Dee, I really don't like how you treat me. And I'm seriously-" I start.

"Can this wait? We're going to miss the plane." She huffs.

"Dee, you're fired." I say.

All the color drains from her face and she finally looks up at me. I take her plane ticket from her hand and rip it up, stuffing it in my pocket.

"Don't follow me, if you do then there will be consequences." I glare at her.

"You can't do that." She says.

"Funny, I just did. Good bye Dee." I turn on my heel and walk away from her with my suitcases in hand.

I go through security and get to my gate without having anyone recognize me until I sit down for a while. But as soon as they were about to say something to other people, the plane started to board. I thanked my stars that I was this lucky and I go into the first class cabin, putting my luggage in the correct compartments before sitting in my seat. It takes a while but the plane soon began to taxi the blacktop and onto the runway. I take a deep breath in as the the engines rev up and let it out as we race down the race way, my heart leaping as we get up in the air. I smile and close my eyes, once I wake up I'll finally be on my own. I'll finally be able to do what I want and I won't be stuck with people who use me for their own gain, something I haven't had in a while.