The day didn't start out too bad for Hyun Joong, considering that it was a Monday. Then again, what were Monday's to celebrities when they worked practically every day of the week. 

 

He woke up at seven, which was fairly late for him. His manager, Lee Beom Soo, met him in his apartment thirty minutes later and immediately rambled on about his schedule while he got ready. 

 

Despite filming a CF during the weekend, he managed to get five hours of sleep. Not quite a full eight hours, but good enough to keep the dark circles around his eyes to a minimum.

 

"Are you looking at your dark circles again?"

 

He looked at his manager from the bathroom mirror, then turned his head from side to side. "They're not as bad today. The puffiness still hasn't gone away though."

 

"You look good, don't worry." his manager mumbled, not looking up from his notes "The office called earlier. They just confirmed that the producer for your next album has time to meet up this week. We might have to phone in one of your magazine interviews."

 

"That's good" he answered, turning off his electric shaver. He ran his hand through his chin before leaning in for a closer inspection.

 

The dark circles might not have gotten bigger, but dammit, they were getting darker.

 

"Do you think I should get plastic surgery for this, Hyung?"

 

"I don't think they've invented a procedure for dark circles yet" Beom Soo told him "It's not like you have the time to get them done, anway. You're schedule's packed until next year."

 

"That it is." Hyun Joong sighed.

 

"I'm sure the make-up artist will be able to do something." he said "Besides, it's just School of Rock. If anything, those teenage girls will just feel sorry for you...and hate me for filling your schedule. Like it's my fault."

 

"Well, somebody has to take the blame." Hyun Joong snickered, before disappearing into his bedroom to change. 

 

********

 

Indeed, someone always had to take the blame. It was just how the world worked. And if you looked at it in a certain way, some people got more blame than others. 

 

In fact, for people like Beom Soo, taking up the blame was part of the job. 

 

And it was the same for Jung So Min who, unlike the handsome star, was not having a very good Monday. 

 

"Are you late again?" 

 

It was six am. Park Ji Young, a second year medical student and So Min's roommate, was watching her run around the apartment like a frenzied jack rabbit.

 

"I'm not sure" she answered, drinking some barley milk for breakfast while shoving papers in a folder. 

 

"You're not sure?" she asked, looking at the clock, still half-asleep "I thought work started at eight."

 

"That's for regular people and not slaves like me. Heaven knows if something s up he'll blame me again." she answered "We're gearing up for an installation  with a new artist, which means, I have to get in before El Diablo does so I can help plan his day."

 

Ji Young yawned. "Well, what time does he get in?" 

 

"I don't know; that's the problem." So Min told her "He keeps changing the time. Sometimes he's late, other times he's early. Yesterday he was in at six thirty, which means, I.am.late."

 

With one final gulp, So Min set cup down the sink, muttering "See you later." before hurrying out the door.

 

Ji Young zipped up her sweater as she watched So Min from their window, hair flying and boots clacking as she ran to the bus stop.

 

"Poor kid. What a way to start the week." she sighed "At least she wore her lucky boots. Maybe that'll do trick."

 

*******

 

As luck would have it, So Min's boots did work, though not in the way that she thought. 

 

After all, it wasn't every day that a high school was chosen to appear on School of Rock. Nor was it everyday that said high school's auditorium just happened to have been struck with a freakish case of termites, so much so that they had to rent the nearby universities auditorium--her schools auditorium--for fear that cancelling the event would cause a student revolt. 

 

If that wasn't enough, Kim Hyun Joong, Hallyu's newest megastar, was that day's guest. Who just happened to have had a tad bit too much green tea that morning to perk him up.

 

Though it didn't seem all that fortunate to So Min, her boss decided to come in at 8:30. 

 

While that left her much time to catch up on school work and perhaps imagine his death, it bumped up the whole day's schedule. 

 

That meant So Min had to do her office coffee run much later than usual, around the time that the auditorium was beginning to set-up for the day's event. 

 

And since the univeristy museum, where she worked, was just a few buildings away, her usual route was now blocked by a bevy of news vans, production trucks, various crews, and an amazing line-up of rabid young fangirls. 

 

So she had to take the rather cramped, but secluded shortcut behind the auditorium. The one no one used because students always threw their cigarette butts out there, hidden by an alcove where they could satisfy their addiction while defying the campus' strict smoking ban. 

 

So lucky So Min, who wasn't too fond of cigarette smoke nor highly enclosed spaces, decided that she'd rather brave the mess than face the wrath of her co-workers, who all turned into ogres when they missed their coffee.

 

And perhaps, lucky Hyun Joong, whose perfectly placid morning had soon eroded when he realized that he badly needed to pee, but found all the auditoriums bathrooms occupied. His only other choice was the bathroom outside the entrance which, by now, would be swarmed by schoolgirls. 

 

The last thing he wanted was to do was pose for pictures and sign autographs  while his bladder felt like it was about to explode. 

 

Thus, two people who never would have met, accidentally got together. 

 

A rather timid and acerbic Art History graduate student, who's social life had taken a hit due to her ridiculous schedule. 

 

And a Hallyu star who, despite his fame, may have found the one person who was stubborn enough to get through his 4D-ness and love him. 

 

Thank goodness for So Min's lucky boots...and Kim Hyun Joongs mineral water bottle.