"When I was told that I was going to do an interview with Lee Jaeyeong, I was skeptical about it. To me, she was just a dancer. I couldn’t really appreciate dance as a form of art so I don’t pay attention to any dance competitions or whatnot. I arrived in time at the location of the photo shoot for the pictorial of the month, and waited for our VIP to arrive. She arrived promptly and greeted everyone that was present with a warm and friendly smile, including me; the writer who was sitting in a dark corner and sipping on her coffee, just looking forward to finishing the interview and be done with it. 

Jaeyeong was sent to the dressing room to do her hair and make-up while I waited by the sidelines, getting restless and bored. I took out my tape recorder to make sure that it was still in good working condition and went through the questions my boss wanted to ask her.  They were typical questions that gossip magazines will ask, but according to my boss  were questions that “the people of Korea want answered”, not cheap gossip questions. “This is the first time her company and SM Entertainment have allowed us to ask questions regarding the relationship since the news broke out six months ago,” my boss told me.

And so Jaeyeong emerged after an hour or so from the dressing room. At that particular moment I understood why there were so many young teenagers and even adults who were fascinated and dazzled by her beauty. She didn’t have the pouty lips of Angelina Jolie or the sensual eyes of Megan Fox. She was your everyday girl with clear, fair skin and beautiful, sharp features; yet she wouldn’t cause anybody to be intimidated by her looks.

I watched as she posed for our photographer. The concept of this shoot was “The Girl in the Attic”. The set was in the form of an attic, with a pitched roof with a bed, study table and a wardrobe, with CDS lining the shelves and stuff toys by the bedside. Jaeyeong was dressed in a simple man-sized button down light beige shirt along with a pair of khaki shorts that ended midway at her thighs. Even with such a simple get-up, she made it look like a perfect designer set. 

Throughout the shoot, Jaeyeong changed into multiple sets of comfortable clothing (or what I call pajamas) and when she was finally done, she came over to my corner, greeted me with a warm smile and and said, “Sorry for making you wait so long.” It wasn’t said out of social obligation, and that surprised me.

I asked her how was her day so far and like a regular college student, she talked about the stress of projects, lack of sleep and no time to hang out with friends. It was casual conversation for the first ten minutes (my tactic for making my interviewee relax), and then we went deep into the questions that I had to ask.

“Could you tell me how it was like for you when the news of your relationship with SHINee’s Key was discovered?” Jaeyeong didn’t show any sign of surprise, nor did she roll her eyes at me. It seemed that she was prepared to be ask such a question, and she answered me earnestly. “To be very frank, it was torture. I had never felt so vulnerable and scared in my 20 years of life.” Her eyes glistened with ghosts of the past as she began to tell me her story. Each and every single word that came out of gave me deeper insight into the plight that she was in six months ago, it was hard for me not to want to hear more about her story.

“What I cried about the most during that period was not the issue of his (indirectly SHINee’s Key) fans hating me. Ever since I was a kid, I would have ‘best friends’ (she did the colon sign with her fingers) for about a year. When school reopened they would somehow have moved on and we would no longer be friends. I never understood why they just left and I still can’t comprehend till this day. Over the years I found out through others that certain classmates and other acquaintances disliked me. As I grew older I began to realize that I had been hurting others without knowing it, and I wanted to change that about me. I wanted to stop offending others without meaning to, so I paid more attention to my behavior and attitude. So when the news broke out and a lot of hate started to come, I felt terrible about myself. I wouldn’t stop cursing myself for being so stupid and ignorant. ‘Why do you keep hurting other people?’ That was the question that would pop up in my mind every minute.”

There were no signs of tears that were threatening to fall and Jaeyeong kept a straight face the whole time. I couldn’t help but ask if she had gotten over the issue. “No, I still scold myself from time to time. The pain was too unbearable for a long period of time that now my heart has become numb to it.”

I had a very sensitive question to ask next which I felt that she would reject, but I asked anyway. “Do you hope his fans will stop hating and scolding you after reading this interview? Or sympathize?” Surprisingly, she broke into a toothy grin and laughed a little. “I don’t think they would want to read this interview. Nevertheless, I’m not expecting any reaction. I’m just answering according to the questions asked, no motives involved.”

This girl sure was straight to the point. The interview then shifted to how her family and friends had reacted to the news. “My parents knew about it (the relationship) a month after it started, and they did warn me that I would not have an easy time if it were to be revealed. So, when the news broke out, they were very worried for me. Same thing for my friends. I felt really guilty for making the people I love and care about frown a few hours a day because of me. But in the end, if it were not for the never-ending encouragement and support my friends and family had shown me, it would have been extremely difficult for me to pull through the situation.”

My impression of Jaeyeong had changed dramatically. She wasn’t your typical 20 year old. She spoke with maturity well beyond her age, and through her answers, she had definitely handled the situation in a manner vastly different than what her fans and the people in Korea would have expected from her. I looked down at my notes and hesitated to ask the next question. She must have noticed because she gave me a quizzical look and asked, “Is anything wrong? It’s okay, you can ask me anything that’s not ually related.” And she laughed light-heartedly. I have to say, her smile really does warm up the place.

Seeing that Jaeyeong was open to all questions (expect...that.), I picked up the courage and asked her what it was like to be the girlfriend of a SHINee member. Her eyes looked to the right as she tapped her chin, thinking hard. “In what way?” she raised an eyebrow. I frowned, not knowing what kind of answer my boss wanted for the magazine. “I guess, in general?” 

“I have a little advice for all girls out there: It’s not easy to date a celebrity, especially when they are a member of one of Korea’s most popular idol groups. He (note: she never referred to Key by name during the entire interview) was not entirely busy during the first two months (of our relationship). In order not to be seen in public, I would either visit him at his company or drop by the dormitory. If not, we would meet at a park at 2a.m in the morning, to avoid being seen. It was physically draining for me as I was busy with school and having to stay up late at night and to sneak around was not easy. We kept in touch via phone calls and text messages. Even though we were not able to see each other everyday, even for weeks when he was busy promoting their (SHINee) new album, those calls and text messages kept us connected to each other. Like any other girl in a relationship I wanted to go out on a date openly, but I couldn’t. I could not go running to my classmates and telling them how happy I was to be in a relationship also. So it’s definitely not easy to date a celebrity.”

“Do you feel jealous at all when you see girls screaming his name and going crazy over any cute or y action that he does?”

“On the contrary, not at all!” she laughed out loud. “I actually feel really happy, because I know those screams show how much his fans love him, and I love to see the faces of the fans lit up when they see him right before their very eyes. It shows that he has a great influence over a huge group of people and it makes me proud of him.”

I couldn’t help but feel like it was a mother praising her son. Nevertheless, the love that Jaeyeong had for Key could be clearly seen and one could tell that it wasn’t just a crush. And that led on to my next question: how did the both of them deal with the news?

“We had many long talks with one another and with our managers. The first thing we wanted to do was to find out who was the one that managed to take those screenshots of my phone. Our companies intended to take legal action against the culprit, but the both of us decided that it was best to handle it out of court. So all we did was ask the culprit why he did such a thing. He told us truthfully why he did it and though it wasn’t a very legitimate reason, we decided to forgive him. Because if we didn’t, it would have only made our hearts a lot more bitter.”

I asked Jaeyeong if she could tell me the reason the culprit gave, but she said it was confidential and was kept between the four walls of the meeting room where the questioning was held. I felt that it wasn’t right of me to probe any further and asked, “How did the both of you deal with it emotionally then?”

“I knew you would ask that,” she gave me a knowing smile, and I smiled sheepishly back. “It’s part of my job,” and we both broke out in laughter. “Umm, our relationship has strengthened. It’s gotten stronger. I guess that ordeal was a test for us, to see if the other party would back out and give up. We didn’t blame each other for our circumstance. Instead, we would send encouraging messages to one another throughout the day, even the simple sentence that is made up of three words and eight letters (note: she means ‘I love you’) was a form of encouragement. I saw his weakest moments and he saw mine. Now, I don’t see the need to put up my best front when I’m with him because I know that even if I am not perfect, he would not give me up.”

I felt goosebumps crawling up my entire body as I saw the loving look in Jaeyeong’s eyes as she talked about her boyfriend. If I remember clearly, her eyes were a slight bit watery when she was talking about him. No, her eyes were not showing sadness. It was pure bliss. It was getting late and it was time for my last question of the night. “How do you feel you have changed as person over the last six months?”

Jaeyeong shifted in her seat and took a deep breath before answering. It was rather obvious that she was tired. Her eye bags were starting to show more clearly, yet she still answered my last question with the vigor of a youthful teenager. “I think I’ve become more rational in my thinking and more clear headed when it comes to problems that seem impossible to solve. Before all this happened, I knew that I knew that I can’t please everybody, yet I hoped to do so. During these six months, it hit me straight on the head that I really can’t please everybody. So right now, the most important thing for me is to live my life according to the values and morals I have set for myself since Day One. I want to be like a tree with roots firmly planted to the ground, without forgetting my origins. At the same time, I want to be a blessing to the people around me, and to be able to touch other people’s lives, as seeing those smile of gratitude and knowing that you are the reason why they are smiling is the greatest feeling ever.”

And that was a wrap. I found myself doing tons of self reflection in the car, in the shower, even before I managed to finally fall asleep. Jaeyeong may only be 20 years of age, but her words were filled with much wisdom and maturity. I felt much like a young 10 year old in front of her as she answered my questions. Before this interview, I thought Lee Jaeyeong was just another girl. But after this interview, I’ve found out that there is so much more to her than meets the eye. SO MUCH MORE.

The girl in the attic is a wonderful girl."

Jaeyeong finished reading the article and heaved a contented sigh. She had finally addressed the issue and her thoughts and true feelings were finally revealed in the latest issue of Elle Girl magazine. She looked into the mirror and gazed at her own reflection. She’d never thought the day would come where she would be able to step out of her security zone and talk about her relationship with Key. She felt like a heavy burden had finally been lifted off her very worn out shoulders.

“Okay, we are all set! You are ready for the party,” the hairstylist smiled at her.

Jaeyeong looked once more into the mirror. Her hair was tied up in a bun, with many loose ends flowing down, her long thin strands of fringe framing her small face. She had on smoky eyeshadow, long false eyelashes and lipstick. 

“Jaeyeong it’s time to go! The car is here!” shouted her assistant from across the dressing room.

“Coming!”

She turned towards the three-way mirror at the far corner of the room and straightened her posture. She was wearing a mini party dress with colored rectangular studs sewn all around. The top part of her dress was a pure glittery black. Her black heels made her toned legs look much longer. Yes, she was definitely ready for the party. Jaeyeong hurried out the exit from her managing company and into the car. 

“It’s going to be a long ride,” said her manager from the driver’s seat, “you can catch a nap.”

“Will we be meeting them straight at the event or what..?” 

“No, we have to gather at some studio away from the club. A limo will be driving you to the party.”

“A limo...? Does it need to be that high profile?” Jaeyeong scrunched her face up in disgust. She hated all these unnecessary extravagances.

“It’s for showmanship, and it is a party.” Her manager replied helplessly.

“I guess there’s nothing I can do about it,” she sighed and slouched down on the car seat.

It seemed like only five minutes had passed when Jaeyeong opened her eyes to find that her manager had parked the car outside what looked like a factory. A frown formed on her face as she opened the door. The cold winter breeze slapped her across the skin as she stepped out of the car and she immediately grabbed her coat and wrapped it tight around her body.

“They are over there, this way,” her manager gestured towards the studio.

There was nobody else in sight as Jaeyeong and her manager made their way into the factory. The doors opened automatically upon their entrance and behold, there stood the man, along with his company’s staff, who would be her for the evening.

“Have I told you how beautiful you are?” he grabbed her waist when she reached him.

“Many times,” she winked, and gave him a small peck on the lips.

“Uhh, hello?? Single people here!” one of his stylists cried.

“Sorry, noona!”

“Jaeyeong, please remind your boyfriend to not get his clothes dirty later, that blazer costs a lot of money.”

Jaeyeong stepped away from Key and checked him out. She had to prevent herself from drooling at the masterpiece standing in front of her. He was wearing a white printed tee with vibrant colors, not to mention it was a V-neck and showed his y collar bone. Along with that he had a black blazer that was  folded up to his elbows. He had on his legs, slim cut dark blue jeans and a pair of black formal shoes. He completed the look with his signature black rimmed glasses with no lenses.

“Have I told you how handsome you are?” she breathed.

“Many times,” he winked at her and chuckled.

“Oh man, will you two stop flirting in front of me!” the stylist cried out once more.

“Sorry, unnie!” Jaeyeong bowed in apology.

“Enough with the formalities. You two need to get briefed for the event.”

Key’s manager, along with Jaeyeong’s manager gathered around a table that Jaeyeong hadn’t notice was there.

“Sit.” Key’s manager gestured to the couple.

They took their places and silence filled the very empty studio. It was bitterly cold inside there, Jaeyeong had to rub her two hands together to keep herself warm. It was evident that the others were freezing too as they shivered from time to time. Key held her hands tight, his body temperature warming her up. He gave her a warm smile before turning his head to face his manager who was seated at the top of the table.

“As we all know, this is Key and Jaeyeong’s first public appearance together since the news, and it is also their first appearance as a couple since they started dating. I want everybody to take note of a few things here. There are going to be many reporters at the red carpet tonight. Whatever you do, do not answer any of their questions that are not related to the event. If there are fans present, make sure there is no physical contact with these two. Most importantly, do not reveal what Jaeyeong is up to now. This is a deal that has been made between Mr. Soo Man and GAME’s CEO, Mr. Jung Ho. Is that clear?”

Everybody nodded their heads curtly.

“Key and Jaeyeong?”

“Yes?” the couple chorused, nervous about lectures they knew they were going to get.

“Be safe,” the manager gave them a small smile.

Both Key and Jaeyeong heaved a soft sigh of relief at the same time.

“We will, hyung.” Key nodded.

“Okay, that’s enough jibber jabber. The limo is here, let’s roll.”

Jaeyeong snickered at the manager’s sudden use of slang and hid her face behind Key’s back so nobody would noticed.

“What’s wrong with you??” Key whispered loudly.

“S-sorry, I can’t help it!” Jaeyeong tried really hard to stifle her laughter.

“Aiiiish. Come on.”

Key pulled her by the waist to his side and held on tight to her as they made their way to the limo.

“Cold?” he rubbed her arms.

“I’m fine,” she shivered against the cold winter wind that had come to greet her again as they stepped outside. They hurried to the limo, mainly because Jaeyeong wanted to get warm again.

“Remember. DO NOT, I repeat, do not dirty your blazer,” the stylist emphasized as the couple stepped into the car, her facial expression reading ‘serious’.

“Yes yes yes,” Key waved her off in a very annoyed tone.

“Are we ready to go?” the chauffeur provided by the organizers of the event asked from the driver’s seat.”

“Yes.” Jaeyeong answered as Key closed the door.

And off they went. They held their hands tight together, and Jaeyeong, feeling exhausted due to her lack of sleep the night before, leaned on Key’s shoulder.

“Excited?” he softly asked.

“Nervous.”

He squeezed her hands in an effort to ease her nervous jitters. “It’s going to be fine. I’m pretty sure your interview with Elle Girl answered many burning questions the paparazzi had for the both of us. Just concentrate on having fun tonight.”

“But what if something bad happens and I slip on a banana skin and I have some wardrobe malfunction??” Jaeyeong shivered at the thought of all the bad things that could happen.

“You think too much, and why would there be banana skin at such an exclusive event??” he pinched her cheeks and laughed when she pouted at him.

“I just hope nothing goes wrong.”

“Nothing will go wrong if you think everything is going to be okay. Stop worrying so much.” Key turned his head towards her and attempted to give her a kiss when Jaeyeong put up a finger to stop him, the only barrier that stood between them.

“We are not alone,” she whispered, turning her eyes to look at the chauffeur. But, there was no chauffeur to be seen.

“Why did he put up that black board?” she stared at it quizzically.

“To give us more privacy of course,” and Key leaned in again.

“Stop!” Jaeyeong put up her hand in front of his face.

“Why?!” he whined like a three year old and put her hand down, giving her his signature puppy look.

“You’re going to ruin my make-up!”

Key smirked. “That’s the only reason you can come up with?”

“N-no...and Jonghyun w-will...will get jealous.” With each word, his body pressed in closer and closer to Jaeyeong’s as she backed away simultaneously, her breath getting caught in . She was yearning for Key’s lips to meet hers, she wanted to feel his hands roaming up and down her body, and the exhilaration she felt as she sensed him wanting her so badly.  Yet at the same time she knew that the moment his lips met hers, she would not want to stop kissing him for a very long time. 

“I don’t care.”

And with that, Jaeyeong could not come up with any more reasons to stop Key. His lips met hers and sparks flew through her body like how they always would when they came into contact. She pushed herself forward and straddled herself on his lap as his hands caressed her neck. With her lips already slightly parted, his tongue s its way into as his hands moved down to her waist and brought her closer to his body. She knew that they were going to reach the destination soon, but she did not want it to end. Her hands moved up from his chest to his hair, her fingers moving through the strands. The kiss started get more steamy as she felt his hands move down to her thighs that were exposed due to the short length of her dress. Her skin tingled with his touch as he caressed her toned legs. He moved from her lips to her cheek and down to her neck, laying soft kisses as he did so. His lips found their way to her ear and she let out a gasp when she felt a bite. 

Jaeyeong hit Key on the chest and frowned in annoyance. “We are in the car...” she breathed.

“Like I said earlier on. I don’t care,” he retorted in a , husky tone.

It was an eargasm. Key was about to capture again when the limo came to a stop. They had reach their destination. 

“Time to go,” she breathed nervously.

Key gave her a small kiss and stared lovingly into her eyes. “It’s going to be okay.”

Jaeyeong sat back down on the car seat and straightened her dress, making sure she looked presentable. She took out a mirror from her pouch and wiped away the smudges of her lipstick before finally checking that she was all prepared.

“Ready?”

“Yes.”

The door opened and Key stepped out of the car and held his hand out towards her. She took his hand and before she could even lay her feet on the red carpet in front of her, flashes from cameras started to blind her eyes and she could hear screams from fans who were probably kept a few feet away from the scene. Jaeyeong finally emerged out of the car and the reporters went into a frenzy as she and Key held hands as they walked down the red carpet.

Jaeyeong smiled to the cameras as the reporters snapped away, trying to get the best picture that would be used many times in the future.

“Key and Jaeyeong!” shouted a reporter, and the couple looked towards the sound of the voice.

“How does it feel like to be invited to Elle Girl Magazine’s 50th Anniversary Party?” the reporter asked as he pushed himself to the front and held out a microphone.

“We are very honored to be here,” Key answered.

“And how do you feel making your first official public appearance as a couple?”

Key and Jaeyeong looked towards each other and she knew what he was going to say. They gave each other a knowing smile.

“It’s awesome.”