Should she wear a sweater, or something not quite so heavy? There was still snow on the ground, and she could hear a haunting howl coming from the outside as the morning's breeze started picking up into a full blast of wind. Taking into consideration the day's weather, it would make sense to wear a sweater so that she didn't freeze to death. It wasn't as though the event was going to take place outdoors, though. They were going to be inside the book store, and Hei-Ryung was pretty sure it was safe to assume a well-to-do place like Kyobo Book Centre would have their heat on.

     And if they had their heat on, then she would be absolutely roasting inside of her sweater. The fans- it was still rather strange thinking of anyone being a fan of her writing- definitely wouldn't want to see Hei-Ryung all sweaty and lethargic.

     Groaning, Hei-Ryung eased forward until gravity reached up and tugged her down onto the bed, which engulfed her in the soft sheets and blankets tangled there. Curling up, she snuggled into the fabric- still warm from when she had been sleeping there not too long ago- and closed her eyes. Maybe if she fell back asleep the book signing event would pass and she wouldn't have to deal with worrying about clothes.

     "Hei-Ryung? Are you ready yet?"

     Her eyes snapped open as Seulki's voice drifted through the bedroom door. "What time is it?" Her heart began pounding as a burst of adrenaline shot through her veins, launching Hei-Ryung onto her feet. Rushing to the door, she hurriedly slammed it shut to keep Seulki from seeing that she was still in pajama pants and a sports bra. Seulki had said that she would be by the apartment at noon to pick Hei-Ryung up for the event, so Hei-Ryung had set her alarm for ten to make sure that there was plenty of time for her to be ready. That meant she had just wasted two hours snoozing.

     "Hei-Ryung?! You absolutely must come to the book signing! The whole event is about you, and if you don't show up then I have no idea what we're going to-"

     "I just need to get dressed. Give me a second!" Hei-Ryung assured her distraught editor, cutting the woman off before she either suffered a heart attack or broke down the bedroom door. She was going to need a lot more than 'just a second' to get dressed, though. Running her fingers through her hair to try and tame the bedhead she had developed over the night, Hei-Ryung nudged open her closet door with her foot and stared blankly at the clothing inside. She had practically a million shirts, sweaters, skirts, pants, and shoes, yet she didn't feel like there was a single thing to wear.

     Sighing, she closed her eyes and pulled out the first thing she touched. Without looking, she tossed the fuzzy thing onto her bed- or at least she hoped it landed on her bed- and reached in again to find a bottom. After a few misses she finally caught hold of a skirt, which was sent flying through the air to join her mysterious top. With her outfit now picked, Hei-Ryung her heels and opened her eyes to see what she had picked.

     "Not bad," she thought, cupping her chin in one hand and admiring the striped, long-sleeved cotton shirt and black, plaid wool skirt. Outside, a particularly strong gust of  wind roared past her window, leaving behind a flurry of snowflakes that began slowly drifting downward once it had escaped the wind's clutches. A skirt probably wasn't the most practical bottom for this kind of weather, but she could wear leggings underneath it. Turning back to her closet, Hei-Ryung threw open the small plastic drawers she had tucked into a corner and began rummaging around for a nice pair of black leggings- preferably the wool ones that had finally been delivered.

     Ten minutes later she was dressed and ready to go. Turning the door knob, Hei-Ryung gently pushed the bedroom door open and poked her head out. It was best to make sure Seulki wasn't angry before Hei-Ryung exposed herself enough to give the woman a good chance at ripping her head off. The assistant editor appeared relatively calm, though, from her perch on the arm rest of Hei-Ryung's sofa, where she peacefully examined every visible inch of the apartment.

     She was behaving very suspiciously.

     Nervously, Hei-Ryung inched her way out of her bedroom and down the hall, eventually freezing in the doorway to the living room. Clearing to catch Seulki's attention, Hei-Ryung tensed her muscles in preparation of fleeing to the bathroom- it was the only interior door in the apartment that locked- and watched as Seulki slowly turned to look at her.

     "You really were getting dressed," Seulki marveled, looking the usual source of her stress up and down. In addition to the shirt and skirt, Hei-Ryung was wearing an elastic belt with a black bow on it, a round neck black tweed jacket, shiny black dress shoes with the laces half done, and the leggings that she had been in pursuit of earlier. She looked like a doll.

     Except for one very undoll-like thing that was nagging at Seulki. "Why are you wearing a medical mask?" It was the kind you bought in bulk at pharmacies, just a simple rectangle of fabric with two elastic ear loops, so in that way it wasn't entirely out of the ordinary. However, when combined with the fact that she was off to greet dozens of fans it wasn't entirely appropriate.

     "Just because I'm showing up in person doesn't mean I want to suddenly be open about my identity. There's a reason I use a fake name and never let them print my picture," Hei-Ryung calmly explained, unhooking one end of the mask so that it dangled from her ear and didn't muffle her voice. "I don't want the public to know who I am."

     "I understand that, but you want to be mysterious, not diseased!" Seulki complained, but that was as far as she planned on taking this debate. Rather than nitpicking about the little details- though to Seulki this was hardly a 'little' detail- she should just be happy that Hei-Ryung was agreeing to go at all. She was at least going to be able to present an author to the fans, even if that author had half her face obscured, and it was with this in mind that Seulki left Hei-Ryung's apartment and drove the two of them to the Kyobo Book Centre of Yongsan-gu.

     It wasn't just because she appreciated Hei-Ryung showing up at all that Seulki chose to not fight this particular battle, though this was certainly part of it. The major reason she needed to save her energy was because there was a much bigger fight Seulki would have to take care of, and that fight was standing at the back door, ready to greet her and Hei-Ryung, as they pulled up to the curb in front of Kyobo Book Centre. Frowning, Seulki yanked the drive shaft into park and ripped the keys out of the ignition. It was one thing to force Seulki to accept Youngjae as a 'partner' when it came to taking care of Hei-Ryung, but it was another one entirely for Mr. Kang to force Seulki into letting Youngjae make an appearance at the book signing.

     "Mr. Goo will be attending this event and I want to make sure he sees Youngjae there as well. Make sure that absolutely nothing goes wrong, alright? The last thing we need is for the starting gun to fire and we stumble at the very first step." What was she supposed to say in response to something like that? Beyond Mr. Kang being in charge of the company she worked for, he seemed to be genuinely concerned for his nephew to do well. This was Youngjae's first chance to prove himself, and there was no way for him to do that if Seulki banned him from even showing up.

     "Still," Seulki thought as she watched Youngjae hurry over and open the car door for Hei-Ryung, "I absolutely hate having him here."

      "Nervous?" Youngjae asked as he helped Hei-Ryung out of the company car and took notice of the mask she was wearing.

     "A little," Hei-Ryung sighed, making Youngjae strain to hear her already soft voice through the mask's fabric. "I feel prepared, though. It makes this a little more bearable," she added, her eyes squeezing into two half-moons as she glanced over at Youngjae. Smiling back, Youngjae pointed to the book store's back door and sent Hei-Ryung on her way before bustling around to the other side of the car to help Seulki out.

     "Did you have any trouble getting here, Ms. Lee?" He asked, stepping back as Seulki unfolded out of the car and brushed off his attempt at conversation. Unlike the writer she was in charge of, Seulki was dressed in a simple white blouse and loose fitting denim jeans, along with a pair of black high heels. Her face, too, had minimal makeup. Obviously, Seulki planned on staying behind the scenes during the day's event. Glancing down at his own outfit, Youngjae felt self-conscious about having dressed up for the occasion. Like Seulki, he was going to be watching from the shadows and so really hadn't needed to put so much thought into his appearance.

     And speaking of appearances: "Did Ms. Cha get sick?" He asked Seulki, worried for Hei-Ryung's health. She had seemed fine when he saw her yesterday, but perhaps her health had suddenly taken a turn for the worse overnight.

     "No, Hei-Ryung's health is fine. She's just trying to hide her face," Seulki sighed, pulling out her cell phone to check for missed calls and make herself look busy, which would hopefully squelch any further attempts at conversation. Unfortunately, neither of these things occurred.

     "A medical mask is a bit... I mean it's practical for just walking down the street, but for an official event like this it's..." Youngjae couldn't seem to find the right word to describe how out-of-place Hei-Ryung was. Frowning, he slipped his hands into the pockets of his slacks and followed Seulki into the book store, keeping at a respectful distance behind her. As they walked inside, Youngjae had to hurry and catch the door before it closed on him, courtesy of Seulki. He still had no idea what he had done to upset her so much, but whatever it was Seulki had apparently not forgiven him for it yet.

     Being on Seulki's good side was kind of important, though. Out of everyone in the company- and, Youngjae suspected, the world- Seulki was the person closest to Hei-Ryung. She was both editor and, in a way, mother to Hei-Ryung, and the hermit author didn't appear to trust anyone more than she did Seulki. If Seulki was against him it would be near impossible to earn Hei-Ryung's full trust, and that was something he really needed to do if he wanted to worm his way into the board's favor.

     Sighing, Youngjae leaned against one of the shop's many book shelves and watched the employees bustle around while finished up the final touches. A large, open space had been cleared in the middle of the store, where a long table had been placed. That was apparently where Hei-Ryung would be signing the books, and was currently the focal point of the work. Nearby, Hei-Ryung was hovering uncertainly and watching the work, looking very much like a lost child in the middle of a busy crowd. Face drawn taught by nervousness, Hei-Ryung's wide eyes slowly scanned the book store, searching for at least one familiar face amongst the dozens of others.

     Taking pity on the obviously distraught writer, Youngjae crossed the floor to join her, being careful not to bump any of the employees as they transported books, flowers, and banners for the table's display. By the time he reached her, Hei-Ryung had spotted Youngjae approaching and had unhooked her mask, revealing an extremely relieved smile. Smiling back, Youngjae gently took Hei-Ryung's arm and guided her to a cafe that occupied a corner of the book store, where they would be out of the way.

     "I'm guessing that there is absolutely no way I'll be able to convince you to not wear that mask during the book signing?" He asked, pulling out a chair for Hei-Ryung when they reached the nearest table. Nodding, she carefully took a seat and crossed her ankles. After uneasily taking a seat across from Hei-Ryung- Youngjae didn't entirely trust these chairs, with their spindly metal legs- he began rummaging through the backpack he had brought along with him.

     Youngjae, too, had been extremely nervous this morning, but unlike Hei-Ryung he had woken up at five o'clock and been unable to go back to sleep. With nothing better to do, he had made himself breakfast and then begun packing everything he might possibly need into a gray backpack. After spending hours cramming things inside, Youngjae had successfully prepared himself for everything from a paper cut to a zombie apocalypse. Which meant that it took him three long minutes to track down what he was looking for.

     Eventually, though, he extracted a black half face mask. In a way it was similar to what Hei-Ryung was already wearing; it was a black rectangle of fabric, studded with small silver rhinestones, that was kept on the face by two elastic ear loops. In a much bigger way it was absolutely nothing like Hei-Ryung's mask, though, because nothing about it said 'medical'. This was a fashion statement, not an attempt to prevent germs from spreading.

     "Then, can I convince you to wear this instead?" he tried, holding out the mask to Hei-Ryung. Biting down on her bottom lip, Hei-Ryung contemplated Youngjae's offer for a moment before carefully taking it from him. Satisfied, Youngjae sat back and watched Hei-Ryung replace her medical mask with his- well, not entirely his. As he watched Hei-Ryung pull out her cell phone to check herself out in the reflection, Youngjae felt a small tug on his heart as the mask's original owner came to mind.

     Just before Youngjae stepped onto memory lane, he became aware of Hei-Ryung watching him as he spaced out. "Much better. We don't want your fans worrying for your health, or getting scared that you're contagious," Youngjae told her, showing two thumbs up in approval for Hei-Ryung's new look.

     "Where did you get this?" He could hear her voice, but couldn't quite make out what she was saying. As an already soft-spoken person, Hei-Ryung was near impossible to understand when was covered.

     "Pardon?" Youngjae asked, leaning forward.

     "I said: Where did you get this?" Hei-Ryung repeated, pulling down the mask so that she could be heard. "It seems like it's kind of important to you," she added a little hesitantly, apparently worried about asking something so personal.

     Personal stories were exactly the kind of thing that would get Hei-Ryung to trust him, though, so Youngjae was more than happy to tell them. "It was a birthday present from a friend of mine. He gave it to me right before I came to Seoul," he wasn't sure what else to say. It wasn't as though there was some grand story behind how he got the mask. It had literally been 'here, happy birthday!' as they sung the night away at the local noraebong, then stumbling back to their respective apartments at three in the morning after one of them- Youngjae's fuzzy, drunken memories couldn't quite recall- got them kicked out for hitting on the the waitress.

     Good times.

     "What kind of friend?" Hei-Ryung probed before letting go of the mask so it would snap back to .

     What kind of friend? That was a difficult question to answer. "Let's see... he likes wearing masks- thinks it gives him a 'charmingly mysterious aura'- but, ironically, he is extremely noisy. I always got the feeling that his affinity for masks, which I always thought were like a muzzle for him, was God's way of trying to make up for creating a guy who never shuts up. He loves eating but never seems to gain weight, and he practically lives for singing. He actually dropped out of high school to pursue a career in music," Youngjae explained, listing off the various qualities that stood out the most in his memory.

     "What was- what was his name?"

     Hei-Ryung was certainly being curious today. Raising one eyebrow, Youngjae glanced up at her expression and noticed that she seemed kind of longing. He supposed that made sense, though. From what he had heard, the girl had never really had a good friend before. Or, if she had, it had been a very long time since. It was expected that she would be curious about the friends of others.

     "His name? Jung-"

     "Hei-Ryung! Hurry, the events about to start!" Seulki called out, waving frantically for Hei-Ryung to join her at the table. Startled, Hei-Ryung nearly fell out of her chair as she jumped up to obey Seulki's command. "Come on! The doors open in five minutes!" Seulki continued squeaking, her eyes flickering down to the watch on her wrist. After bowing apologetically to Youngjae, Hei-Ryung sprinted across the book store floor to join Seulki.

     "We'll spend the first two hours signing books, and then you can answer questions for the half hour after that. Then, if you wouldn't mind, we'd appreciate if you could sign a few extra copies of Questionably Perfect, one for us to display and the others for us to sell specially," the event's coordinator, this particular branch's manager, explained as he gestured for Hei-Ryung to take a seat in the wicker chair they had set up behind the table. Nodding, she slowly eased herself into the chair and listened as he continued explaining how the event was going to run.

     "What kind of wood is this?" She asked when the man had gone to open the doors, running her fingers over the table's smooth surface. It was extremely pretty, whatever it was.

     "Plastic," Seulki replied before leaving Hei-Ryung on her own.

     "Really? But it looks like wood!" Hei-Ryung exclaimed in fascination as she turned around in her seat to watch Seulki leave. "Is it really plastic? I thought they had just coated it in something..." as Seulki grew further away, Hei-Ryung's voice began to diminish until she was silent again. Drooping her shoulders in disappointment, Hei-Ryung slowly turned to face the front of the store, where people were beginning to file in from outside. As the surging crowd began rapidly filling up the book store, Hei-Ryung's mind quickly stopped worrying about how fascinating the plastic table was and started being concerned by how many people were here. Swallowing hard to try and keep the butterflies in her stomach from escaping, Hei-Ryung sat up as straight as she possibly could and slowly scanned the crowd.

     She had felt prepared this morning, but now that Hei-Ryung was faced with reality she wanted to run away and hide. In order to keep herself from doing this, Hei-Ryung grabbed onto the edges of her seat and dug her fingers into the spaces between the woven strands. She couldn't necessarily sign books like this, but right now she wasn't doing much of that anyway. Everyone had to listen to a long monologue about Hei-Ryung- Kang Kae Yeon's- latest book and how privileged Kyoto Book Centre was to be the first location Ms. Kang had ever held a book signing, not to mention a detailed description of how the next two-and-a-half hours were going to proceed.

     It wasn't until ten minutes later that the first person approached Hei-Ryung's table. Squirming in her seat, Hei-Ryung nervously waited as the girl slowly opened the book she held tightly clutched and passed it to her. "I'm a huge fan of your writing, Ms. Kang!" The girl suddenly burst out, startling Hei-Ryung so badly that she dropped her pen onto the floor, where it rolled away to fulfill it's owners wish of hiding. "I'm sorry!" The girl squeaked, her hands flying to as she watched Seulki hurry over and hand Hei-Ryung another pen.

     Taking in a deep breath, Hei-Ryung pushed down how scared she was and forced herself to smile warmly at the distraught girl standing across from her- momentarily forgetting that the mask hid most of her smile. "It's alright. No harm no foul, right?" She assured the girl, making sure to speak up so she could be heard through the mask.

     Smiling with relief, the girl rested her hands on the table and leaned forward. "Do you base your characters off the people you meet in real life? Because I'd really like to know where you're finding all these amazing boys!" She joked, bouncing up and down a little as her self-control gradually began giving way to excitement.

     "Hm... not usually-" I don't know enough people for that to work out- "at least not people I know personally. Usually I just see a particularly interesting stranger and use them as my inspiration," Hei-Ryung explained, finishing off her signature with a little flourish. "Though if it's boys you're looking for, I suggest you try finding places your type would hang out." When the girl didn't seem to understand, Hei-Ryung tried thinking of an example. "Um... if you like boys who sing, then go to Noraebong's and keep your ears peeled. If you like sporty guys then go to a park or sports field. Understand?" She tried clarifying as she passed the book back to the girl.

     "So you mean that there isn't a factory that I can visit?" The girl pouted, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

     "Unfortunately not," Hei-Ryung giggled, reaching across the table to shake the girl's hand before she left.

     "Thank goodness," Seulki thought, watching as Hei-Ryung successfully sent her first fan on their way. Now if they could just make it through the rest of the day just as smoothly.

Author's Note

So this ended up getting kind of long and, since I woke up at noon today, I didn't really have enough time to write it out all the way. So... this will be part one of the book signing event! I'll hopefully be able to update part 2 tomorrow, since technically speaking this was supposed to be one whole chapter and it wouldn't really be fair to make you guys wait a whole week for the second half...