“!”

The word falls from Tiffany’s lips when she realizes the time. It is five in the morning and she is supposed to be up and ready to leave her apartment by now, not still lying in bed. With little time left to spare, she drags her fingers through her blessedly straight hair and shakes it out as she pulls a random t-shirt over her head. With the room still draped in darkness, she grabs the jeans from her laundry basket. Yesterday’s jeans will have to do. Besides, it doesn’t really matter what she wears. She’s not the one getting her photograph taken anyway.

Thank goodness her camera bag is always ready to up and go to wherever she has to go. But this lesson didn’t come easy. She had to suffer the pain of opening the memory card slot of her camera only to discover it was empty after taking a thousand photographs at a movie premier. The way her heart froze over at that moment is unforgettable and she never wants to experience it again.

The last item left is her pair of sneakers. This is a no brainer. Her trusty Converse Chuck Taylor All Star in Salsa Red is the only pair of shoes she ever wears when she’s out on a mission like this. The laces are tied loosely enough to allow her feet to slip straight in and she’s out of the house the moment her toes hit the front.

Breaking into a run, she dashes to the little pink box on wheels that she owns. It is a city car. A five-door hatchback and she is completely in love with it because it is pink and cute. There is a half a bottle of water on the seat, left over from yesterday or the day before. Maybe from last week. She doesn’t remember exactly when but it doesn’t matter to her. Taking in a mouthful of water, she gargles and swallows. She empties the bottle in this fashion and tosses it over her shoulder to the back of her car.

Okay. Go.

[o_]

After putting her life on her wheels, Tiffany finally pulls into a parking lot. She takes a quick look at the mirror. Her eyes are still puffy and not fully open yet but that’s the least of her problems. Top priority at the moment would be finding a good spot to set up at. But this priority is challenged when she arrives at the departure entrance of the airport. There are already hordes of fans, each armed with a DSLR that could very well turn into a murder weapon if used correctly. “Damn.” She would have to settle for a less favourable position and she’s not happy about it at all. But it is the price to pay for oversleeping.

As soon as she finds a spot that would have to do, out comes her foldable stool and a simple tug opens it, turning it into stool she can either sit or stand on, depending on the circumstances. Right now, she has some time left so she opts to sit and fix up her DSLR. She is a dexterous camera lens affixer and within seconds, her camera lens is attached to its body and ready to go.

[o_]

The screams are the signal for her to stand and take photos. Cursing her inferior vertical growth, she tries to hold her DSLR as high as possible. Instinct is her only guide and she presses the shutter button whenever she thinks she has a shot at Ho Un Dung, the tall, talented man who is crossing the road to get to the departure hall behind her. The screams are so loud that she is at risk of going deaf but she barely even notices them as she snaps as many photos as she can.

Then, he disappears into the building and it is sprinting time. She grabs her stool as her legs kick off and holds her DSLR to her chest with the other hand to prevent it from swinging onto her stomach like it did two weeks ago. The horde of fans makes it difficult to advance quickly and she is stuck behind several tall boys who are probably there for the female idols who are taking the same flight as Ho Un Dung—those lucky es.

She gets a few glimpses at her beloved Ho Un Dung between the sea of bodies and she attempts to get a few more shots of him. Moments later, he enters the transit zone and that’s it. No more Ho Un Dung. Her heart sinks but floats again at the thought of reviewing her photos. Seeing him on her DSLR screen is but a consolation for the real man but a well-taken shot never fails to fill her heart with utter satisfaction.

That expectation is totally smashed, however. Because every single freaking shot of Ho Un Dung is ruined by the appearance of a platinum blonde female idol called Kim Taeyeon. How is this even possible? First, she appears in front of him, wrecking her shot by blocking half of Ho Un Dung’s fantastic body. Then, she’s right next to him, her long blonde hair glowing under the light. Tiffany wrinkles her nose in distaste. Who does this idol think she is? How can she appear with Ho Un Dung at the airport like this and ruin every single shot she took?

Firstly, she’s much too fair. She’s so fair that she looks like she’s about to collapse at any moment and it’s offensive compared to Ho Un Dung’s healthy tan. And her hobo dress sense. Grey pullover, black sweats and white sneakers. What? Meanwhile, Ho Un Dung is looking handsome in his designer t-shirt and ripped jeans. Damn it. How did this female idol manage to appear in every single shot she took?

Dejected, Tiffany packs up and makes her way back to her car. This has been a thoroughly dissatisfactory trip to the airport. The only way to make up for this is to take better pictures when he returns.

[o_]

Fast forward a couple of weeks and Tiffany is convinced she has been cursed by someone jealous of her photo taking skills. Because how else can she explain why every single shot she has taken of Ho Un Dung ever since that day at the airport captures the platinum blonde female idol singer too?

• The airport (arrival)
• The radio station
• The flagship store opening

There she is, present at all of the above locations, hovering her stinky around Ho Un Dung. Argh. And to make matters worse, rumours are beginning to fly around her handsome Ho Un Dung and hobo Kim Taeyeon. Nooo!

Tiffany is determined to prove the rumours wrong. She is going to find proof that Kim-shorty-yeon is not with Ho Un Dung and is hardly worthy of such a flawless hunk of a man. She is going to stuff the rumours once and for all.

[o_]

NOT THE END. THIS IS PART ONE.