I pulled aside my window curtain to check if the reporters were still on my lawn. Unfortunately, they looked like they were lounging around comfortably albeit a bit boredly. They didn't seem like they were going away anytime soon.

My sister stomped into my room with a frustrated sigh. “Okay, they need to go now,” she demanded.

“I thought you liked being on TV,” I shot back, remembering how my dad had to pull her away from the paparazzi earlier.

“Yeah, but I need to buy a dress for the dance, and they’re blocking my car.” Hyunjin whined and pouted.

Letting go of the curtain, I turned back to my sister, recalling, “Baekhyun said this would happen. He said it would get crazy.” I stopped for a moment, an idea formulating in my head. “Celebrities might have to put up with this, but I don’t,” I decided decisively.

Consumed with anger and hatred toward the obnoxious, nosy paparazzi, I headed downstairs and opened the door to confront them. Immediately, just as I expected, the reporters and cameramen rushed towards me, crying, “Eunsung! Eunsung!”

At the head of the pack was that lady who ruined everything, the queen of gossip and lies, Lee Yagi. How she came all the way from Busan to Incheon within a few hours was a mystery beyond me. With a glint in her eyes, she said, “Tell us about your weekend with Byun Baekhyun. We only want the truth.” She stuck out her microphone in my face.

I stared at her in furious disbelief. “You don’t want the truth. You want a story,” I said viciously. “You take a good, normal person and turn him into your own little reality show. You build him up into a big celebrity just so you can tear him down in public. Just so you can sell magazines and TV shows?”

Without my permission, tears began to form in my eyes at the thought of a nice guy like Baekhyun being ruined and exploited on a daily basis by the people standing in front of me. “That’s really sick,” I stressed each word.

Lee Yagi looked a little uncomfortable but remained determined to hear the rest of what I had to say. “And Byun Baekhyun’s just one example. He’s talented and successful. He has all the stuff lots of kids dream of having.” I drew in a shaky breath. “But thanks to you, he’s had to give up some of the best things in life. Freedom. Privacy. Honesty.”