Chapter 01 – The Job

Mina

I was thumbing through a magazine when I heard footsteps behind me. I quickly closed the magazine and faced around.

“Hey.” I smiled up at Alice. “How was last night?”

“ as always.” She shrugged and I almost smacked myself for my ignorance. I knew what she did at nights and while trying to get her attention away from what I have been doing, I inadvertently brought that up.

“Sorry, I wasn’t thinking straight.” I apologized.

“Clearly.” She said nodding to the magazine on the table over my shoulder.

“What do you mean?” I asked turning around playing dumb because surely she couldn’t have seen the page I was looking at before I closed it?

I looked down at the table trying to play it off and realized he was on the cover as well. Of course, so much for keeping things under wraps.

“You are still not over him?” She asked with a sigh and I knew she was pitying me. I hated it.

“Girl, we were never together.” I brushed it off and ignored the pang in my chest. It’s been almost seven years since I last saw him.

No, that was a lie. It’s only been two months since I last saw him because I worked my off for two months to be able to afford a ticked to go see him.

Sometimes I look back and think about how we were all those years ago and feel like it was all just a dream.

It felt surreal to think that this was the same guy who sang me to sleep on his lap when I cried like a baby when I lost one of my dogs.

But even then I knew this would happen, I knew he just needed one shot to show himself and the media was going to love him and I was right. He was everywhere these days, his whole group was.

At first I worried about him to bit’s after we lost contact but then the more I saw him on screen the more I realized he was coming out of his shell and showing everyone the guy I knew him to be. It was a big relief to see the other older guys around him be so supportive of him. I was proud of him and I wished him the best but it still hurt a little to think back to the days we were friends.

“Anyway’s, how are things at home?” Alice asked me cutting into my thoughts.

“Where to start.” I sighed. Not too long after Jungkook made it big, things in my life took a damn big unexpected turn.

“That bad huh?” Alice gave my shoulder a squeeze before taking a seat next to me. “Tell me about it.”

I knew she was just being sarcastic because we were pretty much on the same boat.

“How is you’re situation?” I asked her back. Money has been even tighter in her family than mine because she was looking after her younger brother and sister with the pay that she got from her part time jobs. Her ‘part time’ jobs as she calls them weren’t exactly the regular kind though. That was the only way she could show enough money to keep her siblings out of social services. I knew, I felt bad but there was nothing I could do about it. Specially considering what I’m about to ask her next.

“You’re jobs.” I bring it up with a hesitant look. “Are they hard to – I mean, Are they doable?” I fumbled my way through that one.

“Abso-ing-lutely not! You are not getting yourself into this life.” She glared at me.

“Mum was looking exhausted last night Alice.” I admitted close to tears. “She didn’t wake up this morning to go to work and I didn’t have the heart to wake her up.”

We both knew that when living from pay check to pay check, just missing one day will put everything off the rails. I knew mum was falling into exhaustion and I was the one who had to pick up the slack. She was too unwell to continue like this. I did work three part-time jobs but they didn’t even make the slightest dent in the amount needed for us to keep a roof over our heads much less food on the table. I can’t even remember the last time I ate.

Alice looked to be deep in thought before she glanced up at me. She clenched her eyes shut as if she was bracing herself and reached out to hold my hand.

“I wanted to ask you something.”

“What did you want to ask?” I gave her a questioning look.

“Why haven’t you contacted Jungkook?” She asked me unexpectedly. “From what you have told me, you helped him when he didn’t have much right? So I’m sure he would want to know if you’re suffering this much.”

“No!” That was the last thing I wanted right now. I don’t know how I could ever face him if he came to know what has become of me. I wanted to remain a good memory to him, if he can still even remember me.

“What would you do if you ever came face to face with him?” She asked and I wasn’t exactly sure where she was going with this.

Thinking about it though I wasn’t sure what I would actually do if it ever came to that. But I decided to play it off. “Probably run away.” I laugh. “Like really run away, like in cartoons, with my arms up and all that.” She couldn’t hold in her laugh at the comical picture I was painting. “I’m glad we could both still laugh like this.” I admit with a rueful smile.

“I agree.” She smiled back.

We were interrupted by out lecturer coming into the room and for a while I got lost in the content of today’s session but I couldn’t help but notice that Alice looked really distracted. I wondered whether her nights are getting unbearable. From what she has told me, she was just an , she accompanied people, like dates but I could easily see any of her nights taking a turn for the worse.

Three hours later, it was the end of the lecture and I was starting to pack up when she stopped me with a hand on wrist.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a few days now actually, whether I give this to you or not.” She stated looking serious again. “You know how my job is, it’s not exactly pretty so there’s no way I’m getting you into that but I was contacted by my agency for a harmless little prank and it seemed easy enough.” She still looked hesitant but I jumped on the opportunity. There was a time even when I was dirt poor that I would have said hell no but I only had to look at the way my mom was working herself to the ground to motivate me to do pretty much anything. I was beyond being choosy now and I knew this was the in I needed to get into the agency Alice worked. It was high-end and not just anyone could join in, unless you came with a recommendation.

“You will recommend me?” I asked feeling hopeful but my stomach was churning at the though. This must be what they meant by bitter sweet. It’s a sweet deal but it’s sure to leave me bitter.

“Only for this one job, because I think you will be safe.” She admitted. She muttered something like ‘at least I hope so’ and I knew the risk if it all went bad but like I said the option to say no wasn’t in my vocabulary anymore. “But that’s’ it. It will help you cover for this week’s expenses and then your mum will be better.” She gave me a stern look and I nodded. I’ll take it for now. “This couldn’t have come at a better time.” She muttered to herself and I gave her a grateful hug. “I just hope things work out for you.”

“For us both.” I shot back at her. “So when is this?” I asked eager to get the details. If Alice said it was going to be safe, well kind of, then I believed her. So I had nothing to worry and everything to look forward to earning some extra money. That’s what I forced my mind to focus on.

“Tomorrow actually.” She sighed. “You will have to miss your lecture’s for a day or two because you will be flying to Japan.”

“What?!” I asked shocked.

“Like I said someone is paying an insane amount for a childish prank.” She shrugged.

“What do I have to do?” I asked giving her a doubtful look. Surely not?

“Lie in a bed and scare the crap out of a guy.” She said so casually that I thought she was joking.

I laughed but my laughter died when I saw the look on her face. “You are serious.”

“Dead serious.” She nodded.

“Oh.” What the hell? “?” My mind was stuck on the ‘bed’ part. “Am I like breaking up a couple or something?” If so I wanted no part in it.

“No, nothing like that. It’s a birthday prank. All you have to do is lie on the bed and just scream when he comes into the room. Pretend that he walked into the wrong room, give him a scare so his friends can have a good laugh and on his birthday.” Her expression was a cross between a grin and a grimace and I knew mine couldn’t be any different. I couldn’t decide whether to be shocked or amused at the things some privileged people do with their money. “As for the clothes, I’d say they would probably want him to think you are lying for greater effect but you don’t actually have to be.” She shrugged casually.

I gave a relieved sign thinking this doesn’t sound so bad after all but then I though about the date. “His birthday? On the 1^st of September?” She nodded but kept her gaze on the ground looking guilty. It seems significant that I would be stepping my foot into the more depraved side of society on exactly his birthday. Fate can be cruel like that sometimes.

“That’s it though? Like he won’ t touch me or anything?” I clarified because I wasn’t sure whether I was ready to fall that far. Yet.

“No I made sure to get that cleared before I brought it up to you.” The fact that it wouldn’t have mattered if it was her accepting the job went unsaid and I felt my heart break for the struggle she was going through but I wasn’t exactly at a much better place either and I knew in my gut it was only a matter of time now for me.

“What a prank, huh!” I chocked out a laugh though I could feel the dread creeping up my nerves.

“It’s just a case of privacy for these guys.” She shrugged. “You know how the rich can be, they like to keep their deeds a secret. So all you have to do is sign a non-disclosure agreement and the job’s yours.”

When she pulled out the forms, I had a quick browse through and signed it. I didn’t want to ponder on anything because I knew I will panic if I start overthinking any of this.

That’s how I found myself on a flight to Japan, quaking in my seat while dreading what’s to come but it was too late to back out now, not to mention that I needed to do this.