"...One strange summer night, there I met you..."

 

A soft melody creates a hum in the busy classroom. Jinny drowns away the noise around her and concentrate on the smoky tone, burying her head into her arms and closing her eyes.

 

“… Glowing under the moonlight. You leave me wondering…”

 

Ikon. The single most popular group in Korea. That ‘devastatingly y’ (as the girls in her class would describe it) voice belonged to Jinhwan, the heart-throb vocal of Ikon. Jinny grudgingly had to admit they had talent alright. Young, hot, and insanely talented, they were the focus of all attention and jealous-admiration all over the country.

 

”Isn’t he so hot?!”

“Did you see Inkigayo last night??”

“Bobby’s got the best body ever, I swear!!”

 

Blaring squeals came from the group of girls huddled near the back of the classroom. Even though Jinny was sitting at a table close to them, none of the girls made a move to invite her into their gathering.

 

Not that she even wanted to join them - even if she wasn’t boring nerdy Jinah Yu, she had no time to be wasted on obsessing over idols. She was already pushing herself over the limit trying to balance studying, earning money and sleeping… Speaking of which, she really needed to start looking for a full time summer job.

 

“… Don’t you cry, sweet baby. I’m not sure which myth you fell from, but…”

 

The bell rang to mark the end of lunch, and the music hurriedly got paused as Mr.Yang, their maths teacher famous for confiscating the most phones a year, stormed inside the classroom.

 

As the bustling class made their way back to their seats with Mr.Yang slamming his textbook against the table for silence, Jinny found herself wishing that the soft music didn’t turn off. She frowned at this and straightened her back, willing the thought away. I have no time for stuff like idols, music and dancing. She thought to herself firmly, pushing back that familiar ebb of wistfulness a lot easier than a couple of years earlier. I need to be realistic.

 

And with that determined thought, she started to scrawl down the notes Mr.Yang was almost shouting out to the class.

 

 

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After what seemed like hours, Jinny shook some feeling into her numb hand as she finished off the last note she copied from the board. The class was buzzing with anticipation as Mr. Yang closed his text book with a soft thump. She didn’t share the excitement. She warily prepared herself for the rush that was shortly going to follow.

 

“That’s it for now” Said Mr. Yang. “I’ll see you lot again in two months’ time.”

 

And with that, he left the classroom, and Jinny cringed as the entire school roared in time with the last ring of the school bell this term. Everyone rushed out of the classroom, and she waited until the uproar died down a little before she packed her things in her shabby bag and left for home.

 

She passed through the park, and was just about to take the short cut to her flat when she suddenly changed her mind and went the long route around to the metro station. She grabbed the local paper from the stand next of the metro entrance and flicked through to the last page. While skimming through the job page, one small panel caught her eye - she couldn’t help but laugh at the irony.

 

YG recruiting full-time cleaners for the summer!

 

”You have got to be kidding me.” She murmured to herself.

 

It was as if even the heavens were mocking her failure of a life.Her dream, being a part of YG, was sarcastically in front of her in the form of being a cleaner. Jinny bit her lip and corrected herself.

 

Her old dream.

 

Who cares if it’s in YG? The pay was good and the hours were long enough for her to cover her rent over the summer. Cleaning wasn’t as hard as other work, and being employed by a big company was always the best thing.

 

Convincing herself that this was what she really thought, she took out her outdated flip-phone and carefully dialled in the number on the panel.

 

She didn’t even realise that her heart was hammering against her chest.

 

“This is YG’s department of recruiting, how can I help you?”

 

Her breath caught at the official tone of the voice. “Uhhh… I saw you were recruiting full-time cleaners for the summer break…?”

 

“Ah yes, we are. Could you attend a very short interview tomorrow… At 9AM?”

 

So soon! “Erm, yes, I can.”

 

“That’s great. Please bring a copy of your CV and proof of identity with you. May I take your name?”

 

“It’s Jinn- I mean… Jinah Yu.”

 

“Perfect. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow, Miss. Yu. Good day.”

 

The YG staff hung up, and Jinny stood frozen for a couple of seconds before she burst out laughing. A couple of passerbys gave her a strange look, but she honestly couldn’t care less.

 

Her ancient phone started beeping. Jinny quickly checked the time and broke into a sprint as she realised she was going to be late for her part time job. She couldn’t help but feeling a little giddy at the situation, and after a bit of consideration, decided to let herself enjoy the sensation a little bit longer. Who cares if it's a cleaning role?! She was in YG! 

 

Just a little bit. She thought with bitter-sweet happiness. Just a little bit until I sink back to reality.