Eun-Mi paced across her bedroom floor. Her heart raced with excitement. The call had been from one of her best friends who had heard from another friend that knew a girl whose aunt worked at the airport that Jae-Wook himself was inbound on a flight from Singapore and due to land at Incheon airport in less in two hours.

Her head was dizzy with the rush of fan-girl euphoria. It was a perfect opportunity to see him in person, to maybe, just maybe, be close enough to take a real picture, to see his actual face with her own eyes and to touch him – to show Jae-Wook that she, above every other girl, was his biggest fan.

She swooned onto her bed.

But, what would she do about Haenyeo? Seung-Bae had made her promise not to take his girlfriend out of the apartment. He even bribed her with cash to stay put – cash that could be used to take a taxi straight to the airport.

Eun-Mi thought about it.

Surely he would understand. It was, after all, her MOST favorite idol, and wasn’t this the divine intervention of unforeseen circumstances?

She nodded to herself. Of course Seung-Bae would understand. And what was it he had said? Make sure to keep Haenyeo away from cats? Well, she was fairly certain there wouldn’t be any cats wandering around the airport.

It would be fine.

In fact, it would be amazing.

She squealed at her inspired logic and bunny hopped to her closet to dig out a clean pair of shorts and her new t-shirt that had, plastered across its front, a fabulous print of y Jae-Wook his lips. Then she carefully styled her hair and applied her make-up.

By the time she made it back into the living room, the sofa was empty.

“Halmeoni? Haenyeo?”

A faint splashing came from the hall bathroom. Curious, Eun-Mi cocked her head and shuffled her way towards it.

Her grandmother stood hunched over the bathtub. The old woman’s tongue protruded in fierce concentration as she kneaded sloshing shampoo suds into Haenyeo’s mass of curls.

The red-headed girl sat, serenely, on her knees in the bathtub. Water trickled down her flesh, but she didn’t seem to mind the exposure. When she caught sight of Eun-Mi staring from the doorway, she gave her an indulgent smile.

“Halmeoni!” Eun-Mi cried in horror. “What are you doing?”

“I’ve had enough,” her grandmother grumbled. “What is that stench in her hair anyways? It smells like rotten fruit, but, aigoo, I think I got it all out now.” Satisfied, she poured a pitcher of clear water over Haenyeo’s head.