[2017.01.10 Present Day]

Tucked in between the bustling metropolitan city of Seoul was a tall, apartment block that stood proudly in the centre. Mostly, this was a residence meant for the rich, and powerful. Of course, commoners wouldn't dare to live in such an area, heavily guarded and rumoured to be a paradise. This is also the home to one of the country's most popular and well-known solo singer, Jung Eunji.

At the age of 26, she's achieved a lot in life. From her gound-breaking debut to her stardom success, anyone could tell that she was talented, beautiful and warm-hearted at the same time. Well-loved by the public and holding grand tours, concerts worldwide, everyone thought that she had the whole world. Everyone thought that she was the happiest girl. But that wasn't the case.

On a cold evening, the girl sat comfortably in her usual seat, big enough to snuggle her knees in between as she looked out at the wide, glass window, showcasing the ever-busy city life as cars get stuck in traffic and people crowd the streets, heading back from work or school. She loved spending evenings like this, just staring out at the window in complete silence with a cup of hot coffee by her side.

Preferring to just consume into her own thoughts, the girl thought about her again. It was always the same thing, over and over again.

She had so many regrets in her life, but this was her biggest and she could never lift it from her heart.

Her first and her last love.

The girl that changed her, the girl that made her realise her dreams, but it was all too late. It had been so many years then, and she wondered if it was really better if she didn't meet her. Perhaps, her life would've been better that way, so that she didn't have to carry such a burden for her entire life.

Looking back again, she remembered the times.

That's right.

It all started in the spring of 2013, her freshman days as a university student at the tender age of 21,

That's where it all began.

[2013.03.15 Spring]

A deep sigh left my mouth as I found myself washing the dishes again. It was yet, another busy day at this cafe, I call it my part-time job or rather I desperately need money. Trust me, I'm just your average college student who needs to survive. Money has always been tight, ain't I right? Especially when you're living away from home, that's even tougher. Sometimes I wonder, people must really be so crazy to fall in love with a celebrity to the point that they set up a special cafe, dedicated just for them.

There was no choice, I just happened to work at this cafe, seeing these pictures of this celebrity plastered all over the wall and having these cringy-named food and drink items on the menu, creativity sure on point. There's even a small display where customers can choose to buy themed-accessories and whatnot stuff of that celebrity. Seeing it everyday, makes me feel so sick. I don't really care who this "celebrity" is or how "popular" she may be.

After all, celebrities are all the same. They're rude and think they're standing on the greatest platform of the entire world, treating their fans like slaves. I hate people like that. Whoever this, "Son Naeun" is, I'll never be her fan. A Busan girl like me, will never strike up to such nonsense. No, Jung Eunji, there's no way you're going to be that crazy for someone. Heck, I can't even get myself into a relationship.

I sighed again, thinking about my pathetic life. Staring at the clock, it's almost closing time meaning, I'll have to start cleaning and prepare to close the cafe. It was always at this hour, loneliness seemed to consume my heart. The packed cafe that would have super, long queues in the afternoon were no longer there. It's already past evening, dark skies painted the windows and everyone else went home already. As I walked, grabbed a wet cloth at the sink and started wiping the tables, I heard the bell ring, signalling that a customer had arrived. Who would come at such an hour? Well, it's 6:45 so there's still 15 minutes before the closing time. Alright Jung Eunji, just one last customer and you're done for the day. I took a deep breath, got ready my usual fake smile, turned around and bowed.

"Welcome!" I said with the utmost gentle and bright voice ever. I swear, I should really try acting one day. No one would ever notice that I'm actually super tired and dead in the inside. But as I looked at the customer, she seemed rather different. Much taller, skinnier, well-proportioned, had a white mask over her face and wore a cap. Don't tell me.....she's who I think it is? I continued to stare at her as she sat down at a far-corner and looked quietly at the menu. Honestly, there is a slight possibility that Son Naeun would come and visit her own cafe especially at this late hour, where no one is around. I stared at her for a long time, questioning myself.

"Oh sorry, I must've kept you waiting. I'll just have an Ice Americano." smiled the girl as she gave me back the menu.

"Alright. One Ice Americano." I replied normally just like what any other waiteress would as I proceeded to the counter and started my barista work. Brewing the coffee, I can't help to place my eyes on that girl. She seems to have that kind of aura, that makes people want to stare at her. No. I can't fall for the trap! I shook my head and decided to focus on my work.

"It's a nice cafe here." said the girl all of the sudden.

"Yep. It's a cafe specially themed for the famous celebrity Son Naeun. Lots of people come here everyday. It's smart of you to come at hours when there's no one around." I replied casually, somehow initiating a conversation. I don't usually talk to customers but somehow, it just seemed to flow naturally like that. Strange. Anyways, the coffee was prepared as I carefully served it back at the table, gently placing the cup down.

"Would you like to pay now or later?" I asked.

"I'll pay now. How much is it?"

"3,000 won."

"Here you go." she said as she handed me the exact cash. I simply bowed in thanks and returned back to my counter. After all, I'm just a waitress. I'm not here to chit-chat with anyone. Looking at the clock, it had struck 7pm and it's closing time but yet, she was still here, sipping her coffee slowly. I remember how my boss, Huh Gak told me not to get pissed at the customers and treat them like royalties. It kinda but I waited. I waited for a long time until she finally got up from her seat at 7:30pm. She was about to leave but suddenly, she turned around and looked at me.

"Sorry, I didn't notice that it was past the closing time already. I'm sure you wanted to go home right?"

"Ah, no, it's nothing really. As long as you had a good time, that is fine."

"I see. I'll come back again."

"Thank you for coming!" I said with a bow. With her, finally out, I got ready to close the cafe. But there was something about her, that kept me thinking about. What was most prominent was her slim figure, her waist was really small almost comparable to an ant's size and she had a really, pretty silver ring on her finger. I wonder if she's married or something? I can't believe I kept thinking about her. Gosh, I must be crazy. As I double-checked to see if the cafe was locked up properly, I headed back to my dormitory after an absolutely, much, longer working day on the weekend. Now, I'll have to worry about tommorow. I still have a thesis to complete. I'm totally screwed.

After getting a nice, warm shower, I simply tossed myself onto my bed with another sigh.

"Looks like you had a really tiring day Eunji-ya" said my roommate, Bomi with a laugh. Bomi isn't just a roommate, she has been childhood friends with me and we go quite a long way back. She's the one I trust a lot even though, she can be really stupid at times.

"A customer decided to show up 15 minutes before closing time and decided to take her time, sip her damn coffee for like 30 minutes before leaving." I mumbled while wrapping myself in my favourite rainbow blanket that was twice my size.

"Wow, what kind of customer is that?"

"She's kinda pretty.....tall.......skinny too....heck I wonder whether she was a celebrity....."

"DON'T TELL ME SON NAEUN VISITED THE CAFE AND YOU DIDN'T KNOW?!" shouted Bomi to which I quickly covered .

"Quiet you idiot! You'll wake everyone up!" I scolded, afraid that the landlady would come after us again for the hundreth time.

"Right. But don't you think it's possible. It might really be her you know?" Bomi said with much excitement.

"How sure can you be?"

"Well Eunji-ya, don't you notice anything out of ordinary? Something that maybe celebrites only wear?"

"She was wearing a silver ring...."

"That's the clue Eunji-ya!" said Bomi as she suddenly got excited, took her laptop and sat on my bed right next to me. There, she was already on the internet browsing photos of Son Naeun. There, she took a photo and zoomed it right into her hand. It had a silver ring on it.

"So it's her, huh?" I mumbled, obviously not fascinated at all while on the meanwhile, Bomi was jumping around and started boasting, complaining why I didn't take a picture with her. I'll never understand what it means to love a celebrity to the point of ruining your own image. Never.

"I can't believe it. Oh god, Eunji-ya you're so lucky! Heck, if I was there, I'd totally go over the top!"

"Looks like I'll have to be Son Naeun's bodyguard and protect her from fans like you." I joked as I decided to go to sleep.

"Hey- you're sleeping already?! What about Son Naeun visiting the cafe today?"

"I don't care! I've got classes at 8am tommorow!" I said, covering my pillow over my ears.

"Fine Jung Eunji. I'll wait for the day where you'll suddenly run up to me and ask me things about Son Naeun. It won't take long before you become her fan too!" she sneered.

Hearing Bomi's words, I slowly fell deep into the dreamland as fatigue consumed me. As I continued to think about Son Naeun, I wondered what kind of celebrity is she? All I know is, she made her debut as a child-model and later, climbed her fame upwards due to her beauty. She's basically everywhere now, endorsing for many advertisements and sometimes acting in small drama skits. I remember she also gained attention for her interest in the art field.

Well, why am I thinking about this? I've got no time to think about some celebrity that I just met.

I've got other things to worry about, like my music thesis for example.

Is life supposed to be that way? To suffer and drown in endless of assignments as we try to work our way towards the dreams we had always wanted? Yawning as I buried my head in between my textbooks, I was clearly not ready for another 2 hour lecture class again. It would've been more fun if Bomi was around but she didn't take the same course as me. She's in the sports department, more specifically the taekwondo classes. Heck, I didn't even know there was such a class like that. 

"Eunji-ssi, mind telling us a recap of Chapter 4?" 

I groaned. Why am I so unlucky again? This isn't the first time my professor called me out.

"Ah, yes. Sure." I cleared my throat while standing up. Good thing I was paying attention.

While I successfully saved myself from trouble, I sat down and buried my head in the textbooks again. Life seems to be so dull and boring. Why can't something eventful happen? Something that can change everything?

I wish someone could make my life more interesting.

Hanging around the corridor after class, as usual I waited for Bomi so that we can eat lunch together. I guess you can say, we stuck to each other like glue, we couldn't leave each other alone because that's just a complete nightmare. As I wandered around, I heard some of the students gossiping over something. Of course, the me would never let this go to waste. Sneaking up behind a wall, I pulled my ear closer to catch a hint of what's going on.

"Are you serious? She's coming to study here?!"

"Didn't you check the news? Son Naeun's going to enroll into university while doing her activities! And the college she's going to, is our college! Seoul National University!"

"Oh my gosh, you think we should pray and hope we'll be in the same class as her?"

"I don't think she'll take the same courses, pretty sure she'll take something art-related."

"Man, I'll freak out if I see in her real life. She's already so damn pretty in pictures!"

"Hey, if she's your classmate, you'd better make friends with her!"

"Same with you too!"

Hearing their conversation, I rolled my eyes. What could I expect? I thought it would be something interesting, but it just had to be her again. Why is this Son Naeun constantly appearing in my life, everywhere? I'm so sick of it!

"Sorry Eunji-ya, did you wait long?" A familiar voice from behind, it's definitely my good, dear companion, Yoon Bo-meng. "You don't seem very good. Is something wrong?" she asked, noticing my little frown.

"She's appearing again. I'm tired of this." I sighed.

"What? What's wrong my friend?" Bomi immediately turned her attention towards me, holding my shoulders together and tilting her head with a pout. Whenever she does that, it's my weakest point because she just looks so adorable like that.

"Son Naeun's coming to study at our university."

"SHE WHAT-" With instinct, I had to cover Bomi's mouth again for the hundredth time. As usual, people stared at us for a moment before walking away. The life I have to deal with such an embarassing friend.

"Dude, that's great news! I can't believe we're this lucky to have the great Son Naeun in our university!" whispered Bomi to which I frowned my eyes to. I never understood her love. I never will understand how people obsess over a pretty person. Never.

"Either way, she's a normal person to me. I ain't going to treat her like she's some queen or something like that." I mumbled walking away.

"You're totally going to regret saying that Eunji-ya! Hey, stop walking so fast!"

"I waited so long for you, I'm starving!"

A start of a new week, a new semester. Great. The same thing over again, except with more assignments and load to suffer on. With a sigh, I headed into the lecture hall, ready to attend the first briefing of one of the courses I applied for, "Mastering The Concept of Performing Arts". It's an elective and I'd rather choose this than any of the choices that were clearly, uninteresting and boring. Sitting at the far top of the hall, tucked comfortably in the corner, I got ready my notepad, pens and waited for the lecturer to arrive. Slowly, the hall began to fill up, crowded with old faces and new faces as well. 

Looking on my right, it appeared to be the only empty seat around. Well, it's normal. People don't really sit next to me, because I'm well known in this school to not mess around with. Do I look that scary at first glance? Bomi tells me otherwise.

It was then, I heard a large crowd gasping outside the hallway that later turning into exciting screams. Don't tell me, it's what I think it is. But I told myself to ignore it, because I shouldn't fall victim to that. If I did, it means that I lose. The moment the door opened, everyone in the hall gasped as well before submitting into silence. I didn't want to lift my head up, looking down at my notepad, I hear the footsteps of someone coming up. 

Oh no, please. Don't do this. Please.

It was at that moment, I could feel as if, the whole hall was staring at me in complete silence.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" I hear a faint, soft yet gentle voice beside me. It was a voice that belonged to a girl for sure.

"No. Feel free to sit." I responded coldly, still refusing to look at whoever it was.

Hearing the sound of the chair pulling back and the sudden warmth of a human being filling the space, indeed I was honestly tempted to glance. Just one glance to see who it was. Maybe I was mistaken. Maybe it wasn't her. Maybe it's just someone else.

Yeah, one glance won't hurt. Perhaps, if I did, people would stop staring at me.

Sneakily and quietly, I lifted my head up and moved my head a little, peeking through the corner of my eye to see a girl sitting beside me. I couldn't really see her face clearly because she was looking at the other way.

But all it took was a mere coincidence, a coincidence of her turning around to look at me, straight into my eyes. I regretted everything. I shouldn't have even looked at her.

It's game over.

I lost.

One second and I saw everything the girl had. Her beauty itself was overflowing, her gentle lips, cute nose and deer-like eyes, she really was on another level. Celebrities were definitely different and I can't believe, I've been fated to meet her again. No matter how much I tried to run away from, avoid from, it still came back to me.

If only I could rewind time back and tell my former self, to never meet her,

Perhaps, I would've live a better life without regrets.

A life without that girl,

Son Naeun.

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A/N: I've never really tried working on a 2eun fanfic before, so this story is purely quite experimental but I hope that you're enjoying it! Do share your thoughts about it so that I can improve further! I will update soon~~~~