P R O L O G U E

“Aish, I can’t believe this,” Kyungmi said aloud to herself.  She threw the magazine she’d been reading on the makeup table in front of her.  She crossed her arms over her chest and glared down at the cover in disgust.

She felt a light tug of her hair and, remembering where she was, Jang Kyungmi looked back up at the mirror to see the hairdresser curl another strand of her chocolate brown locks.

“Karina-ssi, are you ready?”  Kyungmi’s manager walked into the dressing room a few minutes later, busily looking at his smart phone as he scheduled another photo shoot for the teen model later that week.

The brunette hopped off her chair, giving a nod of her head when her manager glanced up at her.  He headed back out of the room and down the hallway with Kyungmi on his tail.

She followed him into the main room of the glamorous new teen club, Lucifer.  The club’s lights were flashing different colors and someone was setting music up at the DJ stand above the empty dance floor.  Kyungmi glanced at the few cameras that were set up around her to take her pictures.  The crew was still assembling another one, so she knew that she had a couple of minutes to spare before it was time for the photo shoot to begin.

Out of the corner of her dark brown eyes, she saw a man approach her.  Kyungmi recognized him as the photographer and gave him a big and glamorous smile.

“Let’s see how our young ‘star jewel’ is,” he said, crossing his arms and holding his chin in the fingers as he analyzed her attire.  Kyungmi tried not to fidget under his gaze, wanting to portray confidence and professionalism in front of the man who’d be taking her pictures tonight.

“Beautiful, as always,” he complimented her, causing a light blush to appear on the apples of the model’s cheeks, adding color to her naturally pale face.  “Just wait here for a few minutes as we finish setting up the last camera.”  He went back to his crew, leaving Kyungmi standing alone as her manager had walked away some time ago.

“Rina-yah, I see we meet again.”         

Kyungmi closed her eyes, dreading to see the man which the sultry voice belonged to.  But there was nothing she could do—she couldn’t wish for him to go away and he’d be gone; she was working with him for this shoot after all.

She opened her eyes and turned around to face him.  She gave a curt but polite bow, careful to not mess up her perfectly styled hair.

“Jonghyun-ssi,” she acknowledged.

He was at least half a foot taller her, and she had to raise her head to meet his eyes.  Looking at his handsome face reminded her of the article she had read earlier, causing Kyungmi to scrunch her nose as if she smelt a horrible odor, even though all she could smell was Kim Jonghyun’s expensive cologne.

“So, did you read this week’s edition of A-Yo Magazine?” he asked, although his tone of voice suggested that he already knew the answer.

“Yes, I did,” Kyungmi answered back without hesitation.  She was going to say more—and she could tell that he expected her too—but she was interrupted by the photographer.

“Jonghyun-ssi, Karina-ssi,” he said, a goofy smile on his face as he got to work with South Korea’s hottest teen models, “please get into place.”  And the music started.

Kim Jonghyun, although he originally wanted to be a singer, got noticed for his good looks and amazing charm, and so was hired as a model.  Girls drool as they watch him flip his three-toned blonde fringe and die looking at his arm muscles.  His smile highlights his handsome facial features while his smirk just makes him even ier.  Although on the shorter side for a model, he’s still pretty tall and has a swagger that catches any girl’s eye.

He knows exactly how hot he is and how much the girls want him.

On the other hand, Karina Song is more modest.  While she has the soft pale looks and curvy body any girl would be jealous of, she is really Jang Kyungmi, one of the many students attending the prestigious Jishin Academy.  Creating Karina was Kyungmi’s way of rebelling against her parents; it’s her way of being who she always wanted to be.

No one knows of Kyungmi’s double life except for her manager (who schedules photo shoots and interviews for times when she’s not in school), her driver (who’s the one to take her wherever she needs to be), and her live-in housekeeper (who helps keep the secret from her parents).

If Kyungmi’s parents were to ever find out, well, it would ruin the perfectly controlled life they created for their only child.  Not to mention the future they so carefully planned.

“So, Rina-yah,” Jonghyun said once the two of them were alone outside the club, waiting for their rides as the photo shoot was over.  “Do you wanna have lunch tomorrow—oh wait, tomorrow’s Monday and you have school, right?”

Kyungmi glared up at him, her dark brown eyes seeming almost black.

Kim Jonghyun had discovered her secret.  That’s why the most discussed gossip amongst the teenaged generation was:

South Korea’s Teen Models “Bling-Bling Kim Jonghyun” and “Star Jewel Karina Song” Dating?!

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[posted: 06.23.13]