mystery girl

Byulyi would have channeled her inner banshee if not for the fact that it’s close to midnight and she has no aspiration to be chased by livid neighbours with pitchforks and torches. The slumbering figure on her couch has effortlessly stressed her out to the extent that she now looks ten years older. But that’s not what’s making her lose her sanity. Out of all the crazy situations she’s been in, this, by far, takes the cake.

Snoring before her in all her glory, is Kim Yongsun, more popularly known as Solar; her imaginary girlfriend, the love of her life, the reason for her existence, her source of income, and the sole reason why she bought an incredibly expensive camera. Solar is basically Byulyi’s life. She lives and breathes for the girl who probably doesn’t know of her existence. But who cares, right? Byulyi sure does not.

Photography hasn’t always been her passion. Before her life as a fansite master, she could barely take a decent photo. That changed during the summer of 2014 when a rookie singer debuted in a music show her older brother was tuning to. It was an accident, really, because all she did was pass by the living room and a voice which sounded like music from the heavens filled her ears. She was sold. It was a done deal. As ridiculous as her brother thinks, she dedicated her life to Solar.

Learning photography was not easy, but she had to. She felt the need to do something relevant for the fandom, for Solar, and setting up a fansite was something she knew she could do. Thus, Mon Soleil was born. The downside was, a lot of money was needed. A whole lot, and all she had was her savings all throughout the years.

She did not quit her day job just like she promised her parents, but she is considering freelancing in order to freely adjust her schedule that would fit Solar’s. While she’s on her second year as a master, she still isn’t one of the top seeds as she started a little later than the pioneers. Even so, she firmly believes she’ll get to that status someday, and when that happens, her passion might finally be enough to support herself without having to have a day job.

“This can’t be happening.” she mutters to herself, eyes still focused on the sleeping celebrity. “But it has already happened. And I don’t know what to do.”

Usually, Byulyi is really ecstatic to see Solar in person, but seeing her in her drunken state looking vulnerable feels different. Looking at the singer, really looking at her, she could tell that Solar is not the type to drown herself in alcohol just for the heck of it. And the tears slowly streaming down Solar’s cheeks are proving her point.

Byulyi blinks. “Oh snap, she’s crying.”

She may seem really useless but in her defense, she has only admired Solar from afar and seeing her at an arm’s length - closer if she’s brave enough - has still got her shocked. But she does get over the slight panic and toughens up, walking to the kitchen when she finally figures out what to do. While waiting for the water to heat up, she grabs a basin and a clean towel.

Never in her life has she thought of getting a chance to touch her idol more than the high five she experienced during one event, but here she is giving her a sponge bath. Running the damp towel along her arm, Byulyi couldn’t help but think of how smooth and soft Solar’s skin is. The last thing she gently wipes clean is her face, staring at it for a good minute because she could not get over at how beautiful she is, and how she looks like a baby without make up on. After ogling the woman she adores the most, she decides to call it a night - a crazy one at that - and let her sleep. Solar had a jam packed schedule the other day so she’s pretty sure she’s plenty tired.

But then again, the fansite master in her couldn’t let the opportunity pass. Hastily grabbing her camera, she snaps photos of the sleeping angel for her personal collection. She vows to never release it even if someone pays her a millions. She might regret not taking the money, but Solar’s privacy is important more than anything. Now that may sound very hypocritical, but she wants something other fans cannot have, even only in photograph form. With those thoughts in mind, she lets her selfish side take over.

That night, she isn’t able to sleep.





For someone who didn’t get a wink of sleep, she has so much energy, and that’s most likely because of the fact that her favourite person in the world who isn’t her family is sleeping in her living room. No, Solar has not run away yet. She checked before dragging herself to the kitchen to make some breakfast. In the middle of carrying a pot full of water to the stove, a blaring sound which sounds suspiciously like a cellphone echoes throughout the household. She jumps in utter shock, causing half of the contents of the pot to slosh on the floor. She hisses in frustration, until she realises that the call has been picked up. It cannot be for her because she has a different ringtone. It has to be none other than Solar’s and that only means she’s already awake.

Her frustration quickly turns into panic, yet again. She quickly turns on the stove, but freezes when she hears Solar’s rather y bedroom voice. But then, a biased opinion is to be expected. Thankful that she only has to wait for the soup to boil, she tries to listen to the conversation as much as she could. If there’s one thing she notices, it’s Solar’s calmness. Frankly, she's been expecting an ear-piercing scream, but clearly there’s none.

As it turns out, Solar thought she was within the confines of her own home and was clearly not aware of Byulyi’s presence. That soon changes when Byulyi walks in the living room with a tray in hand. Solar lets out the ear-piercing scream Byulyi was anticipating. The latter grips on to the tray tightly while the scream assaults her ear drums. When the celebrity calms down with a hand clutching her chest, she says, “I thought I was in my house.”

“That much is obvious.” Byulyi retorts without thinking. Somehow, the response is automatic and weirdly, she does not feel bad for the sarcasm. Solar doesn’t seem to mind it either, if the soft smile on her face is any indication.

“The cleaning lady was at home yesterday and I genuinely thought she just moved things around. Our houses have a similiar layout, in fairness.” If Byulyi finds it weird, she doesn’t say anything.

To Byulyi’s satisfaction, Solar eats her breakfast like she has not eaten for days. The hangover soup is not forgotten as she gulps it down like it’s water. “Slow down.” Byulyi squeaks, worried that she might choke on her food.

“I’m fine.” Solar waves a hand. “I eat like this all the time when no one’s looking. Just between us two,” she continues, then leans a little closer to the flustered Byulyi. “I don’t get a hangover. No headache no matter how wasted I am. It’s a skill, I think, since I only know a few people who has the same deal as I do. But don’t get me wrong! This is like my third time getting drunk or something.”

Byulyi’s happiness meter is going up by the second. Solar is talking to her like they’ve been friends since diapers and it makes her wonder if she’s this comfortable to everyone she meets. She wants to ask, but does not know if it’s appropriate, so she saves it for another opportunity.

At one point, she isn’t able to stop herself from admitting that she’s a fansite master. She hasn’t thought of Solar’s possible reactions so imagine the horror on her face when she thoughtlessly informs the star about the existence of Mon Soleil. Thankfully, all the revelation does is pique Solar’s interest.

“I haven’t seen you as much as the others. Are you new? You must be, but your face is quite familiar. I’m sure you’ve been to a few of my events since you photograph me and all.” Byulyi stares. She stares a lot because Solar is so bubbly as opposed to her usual persona when in public. Knowing that it’s a dangerous territory, she keeps the question to herself. But surprisingly, Solar sees through her and answers, “I know you’re wondering why I’m different when on stage. Hmm, it’s to protect myself, I guess. The entertainment industry is so harsh that if I don’t protect myself, who would?”

“Then why did you choose to be a singer?”

This time, Solar just smiles and Byulyi gets the message. She stops pressing further and lets Solar change the topic.

“So… I heard that we kissed.” Byulyi gapes.

x

ahh, i was late. i'm sorry ;; this isn't proofread, but i'll do it this weekend so don't be surprised if there are tons of edits. i'll keep it to a minimum though :) how was it? i hope i did good. i suppose there's some sort of progress now although not much. we'll get to the romance part later haha

anyway, next update is next week. i hope my updating schedule is fine. if you want me to update earlier than friday, you can tell me. thanks for reading! i appreciate all the comments, really :D

p.s. if you notice errors or anything, don't hesitate to point it out. thank you!