Days dragged on after the interview. It was killing me inside knowing that I might have not made it. And the fact that they hadn't gave me a definite day of when the results would be released killed me even more.

"Mi Young, would you mind helping us solve this equation?" My mathematics teacher called from the front.

I peeled myself from my desk and dragged myself to the front. Symbols and letters stared at me as I touched the tip of the chalk to the board and held it  there. Oh bother.

"Curse this," I muttered. How I wish I had actually been listening.

After a few seconds, the right formula came to me and I managed to come up with somewhat an answer which allowed me to return to my seat.

Once i was seated, I looked up to see that my teacher had put a big tick next to my answer. Surprisingly. Math wasn't really my thing. In fact, it was my next worse subject after Korean language. After ten more agonizing minutes, the bell finally rang, signaling the start of lunch break.

***

"You seriously need to-" Hye Sung leaned over and poked her two indexes into my cheek and pulled them up, "-cheer up."

I pouted, pulling her slender fingers from my face.

"I wish I could," I mumbled as I picked up another piece of my pickled radish and tossed it in my mouth.

It was lunch time and we had taken our lunch out onto our school yard. Loads of other students did the same because the cafeteria was simply too small. Bad school layout planning -  couldn't get any worse. The weather was chilly today and with winter approaching, it was sure to get worse. I never really liked the cold, even when I was back in the States. Unfortunately, from what I heard, it gets super cold here in Korea during winter. Oh, the joy.

Hye Sung chewed happily on her kimchi before replying, "What are you even so down about?"

Keeping mum, I shrugged. I wanted to tell Hye Sung about my audition. I really did. But strangely enough, every time I tried to open my mouth to tell her, I ended up getting cold feet and saying something else instead. Honestly, I didn't even know if I was going to tell her. That's why I made a deal with myself. If I made it onto the show, I'd definitely tell Hye Sung beforehand.

"Okay then, just let it out once in awhile. Keeping in all your stress can be unhealthy," she picked up another piece of cabbage from her bowl of kimchi and extended it out to me.

My face contorted with disgust as I back leaned away from her hand.

"You know I hate that stuff!" I cried.

Hye Sung laughed and ate it. "You're so weird. Every Korean loves kimchi!"

"It just smells so...ugh." Wrinkling my nose, I polished off my rice and put away my food box.

She shrugged and finished her food too; putting away her lunch box once she was done as well.

"Hye Sung-ah," she turned to look at me when I called her.

She was my good friend, I could trust her.

"I have something to tell you," I paused. "But I can only tell you later on."

She slapped my shoulder playfully. "Yah! If you can't tell me now, you shouldn't even have told me! Now I can't stop being curious!" 

Smiling slightly, I wrapped my arms around her. "You'll just have to wait then, sweetheart." 

At that moment, my phone started to buzz in my blazer's pocket. My heart stopped in my chest, as it continued to buzz.

Every time my phone rang the last few days, my heart would literally stop with nervousness. Was it the PDs? Had I made it? When would I start? My mind seemed to fire endless questions at myself with the single buzz of my phone.

"Aren't you going to answer?" Hye Sung snapped me out of my daze.

"Huh, oh. Yeah!" I quickly took my phone out from my pocket and answered the call without glancing at the caller ID first.

"Hello?" I asked hesitantly, the hem of my skirt.

"Sundae Girl? It's me," ahjusshi spoke over the phone.

My heart immediately quickened it's pace by five times. If that was even possible.

"I've got news," he said slowly.

"I didn't make it, did I...." Cutting him off, I said sadly. 

Hye Sung placed a hand on my shoulder and her eyes asked who it was. I gave her a weak smile  but turned away.

"...well I don't know how to say this..." He paused for a moment," ...but all of them absolutely loved you and they have chosen you to star on the show starting

next week." 

Silence filled the air for a moment before I finally processed his words.

"OH MY GOD. ME?!" I screamed in English, causing other students to turn and look at me, sending me dirty glares.

I immediately covered my mouth but couldn't help laughing.

"I mean, me? Are you serious?" repeating my statement in Korean, I asked ahjusshi who was waiting patiently on the other end of the line.

He chuckled and I could imagine him rolling his eyes wherever he was.

"Of course, dummy. They said you were funny and relatable yet very different from the rest who auditioned." He gave a brief pause, "Maybe it was because of your hair?"

The both of us laughed. "Definitely my hair," I agreed.

We hung up after that and he promised to email me all the details of my casting. My heart was still buzzing with excitement when I slid my phone back into my blazer's pocket.

Oh good Lord! I was going to be on national television in no more than two weeks time! And 'married' to an idol, no less! My heart warmed at the last thought. Someone to be there for me.

"Nice," I said in a sing-song voice dreamily.

Suddenly I was pushed down from my sitting position onto the grass.

"Ya!" I cried in surprise when Hye Sung straddled my tummy and crossed her arms proudly with a smug smile plastered on her face.

"Until you tell me what's going on, I'm not getting off." 

I narrowed my eyes at her, "You scheming little... Come on, get off me! For a little girl, you sure weigh a ton!" I huffed and tried to wriggle from under her.

She simply shrugged and raise one hand to her face and started to inspect her nails. Little brat! My stomach was seriously starting to hurt from her weight.

"Okay, I promise I'll tell you! Just get off, please." I finally succumbed to Hye Sung who happily slid off my stomach.

When I had gotten back up and dusted myself off, I turned to Hye Sung who was staring at me like I was Santa on Christmas and had her presents.

I took a deep breath and let it go before starting.

"You know how I asked you about that show 'We Got Married' a few days ago..." 

Good bye normality.

***

"YOU GOT IT?!"

My mum was just as animated as I thought she'd be when I told her I had gotten casted. It had been a week since I was informed and Mum was following me to the SBS building. She had specially called in one of her childhood friends to run the shop while we were gone. Apparently the producers wanted me to bring along my mother for our first official meeting.

"Hello," my mother bowed and greeted the producers politely. The producers returned the act and ahjusshi even asked if she remembered him.

"Of course I do! You come to my parlour often, dont' you!" She smiled.

When all five adults and I had sat down, they took out a folder with a few papers inside.

My mum and I read it together under the watch of the producers. Some of the regulations were pretty self-explanatory, like "No disclosing of any personal information of the idol". 

But some were really confusing, like "No contact after the show ends, unless idol permits".

"What...does this actually mean?" Mum had read this particular regulation to me (since I had no idea how to read) and it really puzzled me too.

I thought absolutely no contact was allowed? The Korean entertainment industry was crazily strict after all. Some idols weren't even permitted to have cellphones!

"Well," Ms Eagle face who I have came to know as Ms Jung started. "It's entirely up to the idol if he wants to stay in contact with Mi Young actually. If he feels like he wants to remain friends after the show ends, as producers, we can't just go against it."

Mum turned to me and gave me a sly smile. Lord only knows what she was thinking. Probably somewhere along the lines of potentially having an idol for a son-in-law in the future, for real.

"But then again, he would also have to seek permission from his company to continue seeing Mi Young if this virtual relationship actually has some...side effects." Ms Jung added and immediately, mum's smile dropped.

I gave her a stern look, mentally telling her to behave herself. Sometimes, my mum could be a total teenager.

"Well, I think everything on this list is reasonable enough."I say at last, picking up the pen ahjusshi had placed on the table in front of me.

"There shouldn't be any problems. Just make sure my daughter doesn't get hurt or anything." Mother says briskly, proceeding to sign on the contract after me.

"We'll make sure of that," the other woman producer, Mrs Wi said. She was the overall in-charge. That meant that the entire show would be depending on her.

Ahjusshi was the script writer. Well, he doesn't really write any scripts because of how honest this show is. So...he's more of the one who guides the show along.Ms Jung was in charge of the idol, me and basically everyone that would potentially star on the show. She'd be the one managing who comes on the show and for how many episodes.  And lastly, the other male producer, Mr Park, was in charge of filming. Basically, he was the director. He decided which parts would be cut, edited and saved.

For the next one year or so, I would be entirely under their care. Whether I would come out of this different, I would just have to wait and see.

A/N: Hello everyone!

So this chapter is dedicated to 

Tae_Lover

for being the first person to comment! I hope you like this update!

I hope this story gets more reads or I'll feel unmotivated to continue ;_;

Comment. Suscribe. Whatever you want to do.

xo