In which Yerin is Eunbi's favourite fansite master.

Two years. It’s been two years since Yerin picked up a professional DSLR, a fancy set of lenses, started a twitter account and organized god knows how many events and group orders. All for one person: Hwang Eunbi.

The said girl had made her debut as a solo artist for about four years now but Yerin had only come to know about her two and a half years ago from one of her best friends. It took Yerin only half a year to decide that she wanted to become an official fansite because she had fallen hopelessly for the artist’s charms. Did she sound crazy? Definitely. Dedicating almost all her spare time outside her own life and actual money to someone who probably won’t know she exists? Insane. But there she was, purchasing her own camera and a telephoto lens to start on her new part-time job.

If someone had told her two years ago that Hwang Eunbi would actually remember her, she would have laughed in that person’s face. But right now? She’s pretty sure this was all that her 22-year-old self asked for.

“Yerin! You’re here!” Eunbi looked up at her with a smile so bright it gave the sun a run for its money. 

“Ah yeah, can’t miss an event can I?” Yerin smiled nervously as she watched Eunbi flip the photobook open.

“How have you been? It’s been a while since I had a comeback right?”

“I’ve been alright I guess. Just… working like usual while waiting.”

“I hope you haven’t been waiting too long,” Eunbi said while looking straight into Yerin’s eyes, all while dragging the tip of her marker across the glossy page for an autograph.

“It’s okay, you’re back now so it’s fine,” Yerin smiled and bowed as she took her album with her, nodding at the manager behind who was about to signal for her to move.

“See you!” Eunbi called out and Yerin gave a small wave.

 

Turns out the next time they met wasn’t that long after the fan sign. Eunbi had an overseas schedule and of course, Yerin found herself at the airport an hour early. It was an ungodly hour and so there were barely any fans around. Around ten if you include Yerin, and so she trod over to an empty spot to set up her camera and calm her nerves. It was strange. Even after two years and multiple occasions of seeing Eunbi up close and even talking to the girl, she still felt like she was on the verge of a heart attack of some sorts. She sees the girl almost every day - or every other day if she was on hiatus - to the point where she could probably draw Eunbi with her eyes closed and yet the artist still had such a profound effect on her.

“That’s why she’s an idol,” Sojung had once told her. “She’s supposed to have that effect on people.”

When Yerin snapped out of her daydream, she realized that it was about time that Eunbi reached. Slinging her bag across her shoulders, she strolled up to the automatic glass doors and switched her camera on to adjust the settings. Just as she finished, the very familiar black van pulled up and Eunbi emerged from the dark interior. Even though it was three in the morning, she still looked perfect; given that half her face was covered by a surgical mask but there wasn’t a strand of hair that was out of place and she managed to make the hoodie and sweatpants look like a fashion piece.

She raised her camera and snapped pictures as Eunbi waved to her fans and to Yerin’s camera as well.

“Thanks for coming even at this hour,” she heard Eunbi say to what she assumed was the handful of people following her. Some scattered responses waved the artist off, saying that it was no problem. Then, Eunbi turned to Yerin.

“No work?” she asked the girl who lowered her camera slightly.

“I do, but duty calls,” Yerin joked and raised her camera slightly. Eunbi gently laughed in understanding and nodded.

“Thank you for your hard work,” the girl said and dipped her head slightly. Yerin blushed slightly with a grin and nodded before getting back to her duties. The short walk to the departure gates came to an end and Eunbi gave one last wave to all who came before heading past security. After the girl cleared the immigrations and walked out of sight, the fans dispersed and Yerin made her way slowly back to her car while looking through the pictures. 

She stood by her car for a moment to tweet the previews before heading home to catch some rest before work.

Eunbi walked onto the stage and smiled when she heard the barrage of shutters go off. It was an oddly satisfying sound but there was another reason why she liked it. She picked the microphone up from the table and greeted her fans, eyes scanning the rows for a particular fansite master. When it became clear the person she was looking for wasn’t there, she resisted the urge to frown because that was by no means professional.

And so the fan sign started and Eunbi went through the motion, as usual, greeting her fans and making small talk. Seeing her fans and talking to them always made her happy. She was a humble idol and she knows that she owes her success to all these people who believed in and supported her through the years. There were ups and downs but it made her heart warm to know that they will always stand by each other at the end of the day.

The event was over in the blink of an eye and she was making her ending comments with a strangely heavy heart.

“I didn’t see you at the fan sign last week,” was the first thing Eunbi said when Yerin slid into the seat in front of her.

“Ah yeah, sorry. Stuff cropped up at work and I tried to fix it but yeah… Didn’t work out and I got stuck,” Yerin scratched her head. Did she lack sleep or was it disappointment that flashed in Eunbi’s eyes?

“It’s okay, your actual job comes first. Don’t overwork though, remember to take care of yourself. Health is more important,” Eunbi said and Yerin nodded earnestly.

“Yes ma’am,” the fansite master joked with a salute, making Eunbi laugh and wave her photobook back at her. 

“See you, Yerin,” Eunbi waved with a smile, eyes twinkling. Yerin bowed with the usual grin stuck on her face before leaving the stage.

A deep sigh escaped from Yerin’s lips as she skimmed through the email from her higher-ups. Their proposal was rejected and some changes were necessary. Apparently, the given budget was also cut and now she had to go through the whole paperwork. Again. For the tenth time. She rubbed her temples and sighed. This was supposed to be a simple project, why was it so hard to get this cursed approval?

She grabbed her phone and wallet and left her desk. She needed some fresh air.

Opening the blue bird app, she scrolled through her timeline to check what she had missed as she walked to the little coffee shop down the road. It seemed like Eunbi was having a meet and greet in the vicinity today.

“Of all days,” Yerin grumbled. She locked her phone and slid it into her pocket as she arrived at her destination. She wouldn’t call it her favourite cafe since it’s the only cafe around and she usually only comes if she’s facing one of these unfavourable situations at work but nonetheless, the coffee was great and so was the vibe. Who was she to complain when it was the perfect temporary getaway she needs?

Ordering an iced latte, she took a seat by the window and resumed scrolling through her timeline. She heard the door open and naturally looked up to see who the new presence was only to--

“Eunbi?” the name slipped through Yerin’s lips without any thought and the girl turned to respond.

“Yerin?” her eyebrows raised in surprise. Then there it was, the charming smile. “What a surprise! I didn’t expect to bump into you here!”

“Well… Neither did I,” Yerin chuckled nervously. She could already feel her pulse speeding up. Just then, the barista called for her and she hastily stood up to collect her drink.

“Are you leaving?” Eunbi asked as Yerin poked the straw through the lid.

“Uh… I don’t know? I mean, I could stay?” Yerin blinked, not sure why Eunbi asked.

“I was going to sit for a while. It’ll be nice if you could join me. Unless you have to go that is?”

“No! I mean, no. I can stay for a bit,” Yerin said, sheepish at her sudden exclamation. She then realized that Eunbi was alone. She sat back down and waited while Eunbi placed her order.

“You’re alone?” Yerin asked when the girl sat down across from her.

“Yeah I’m alone, I pestered my managers to give me some free space to roam until the little fan meeting. Speaking of which, are you coming?” Eunbi asked but got up to get her order.

“Unfortunately not… I’m stuck in the office,” Yerin sighed when the artist returned. She felt a headache set in when she remembered the sticky issue at hand.

“That …” Eunbi said, stirring her drink. There it was again, the flash of disappointment. It disappeared as quickly as it came through. Eunbi had a small smile on her face after Yerin blinked. “Hope whatever it is gets settled quickly!”

“I hope so too,” Yerin chuckled.

“What do you work as? If you don’t mind me asking?” Eunbi asked, tilting her head slightly. Yerin was once again, shocked. Hwang Eunbi? Her idol of over two years with millions of fans was asking her these questions as if they were friends?

“An architect,” Yerin replied quickly when she processed that Eunbi was still waiting for an answer.

“Oh, that’s cool. So you design buildings and all? Well, obviously,” the girl laughed at her own question.

“Pretty much yeah,” the architect smiled at her idol’s rambling. There was a pause but Yerin carried on. “My proposal for a design was rejected and they’re cutting the budget so I got to look through it again when I’m back and I’m really sick and tired of looking at it and I also really don’t want to, which is why I’m here taking a break.”

Eunbi blinked at Yerin who suddenly felt really embarrassed.

“I’m so sorry, I don’t know what came over me. You didn’t even ask but I just offloaded my problems onto you an-”

“It’s fine.” Eunbi let out an amused chuckle. “Really, don’t worry about it Yerin.”

Yerin looked over at Eunbi who seemed completely relaxed and was currently looking out of the window. This all felt like a dream. Is this really Hwang Eunbi sitting in front of her drinking coffee together? Did she really have a conversation about her job with Hwang Eunbi? She wasn’t dreaming, was she?

“Is there something wrong?” Eunbi’s voice brought her back to her senses.

“No… Yes… I don’t know. It’s just… This is happening, right? I’m not just hallucinating from stress?” Yerin frowned slightly and Eunbi let out another laugh that truly was music to Yerin’s ears.

“No, you’re not. I really am sitting here having coffee and a conversation with you.”

“But why?”

“Why what?”

“Why… this? Don’t get me wrong, I love every second of this but I’m just… confused? Like… Why would you sit here with me, someone you barely know and talk about… life?”

“I wouldn’t consider you someone I barely know. I mean… Yes, I only just found out what you do for an actual living but I’ve seen you for the past two years. I’m sure that’s not something people who barely know do.” Eunbi smiled.

“But… You’re… You. Hwang Eunbi. I’m just… a fansite master.” Yerin tried to explain.

“But we’re still humans aren’t we? Just in different professions. I’m sure you’ve got many people admiring your building designs. Who knows, maybe even inspiring people to do better or get into architecture.” Eunbi reasoned and Yerin was stumped. “I know, it feels like a dream to have your idol sit with you for coffee. Almost like a cliche fanfic but in all honesty, I’d really just like to be your friend. Genuinely.”

Yerin was gobsmacked. Is she high on caffeine? Is this a dream she’s having after passing out from work stress?

“Yerin?”

Nope. This was real life.

“Y...Yeah?” her voice nearly cracked. “Yeah,” she repeated, sounding surer. Having followed Eunbi for so long, she knew the industry could get quite lonely. Eunbi was offering her a friendship; an offer she cannot refuse.

“Should we exchange numbers? So we can keep in contact outside of fan signs and events and all that,” Eunbi asked, looking slightly hesitant as the words left .

“I’d love that. And my lips are sealed, your number stays with me and me only. Heck, I’ll even keep this whole thing a secret,” Yerin said as she sat up straight, adrenaline buzzing through her body. 

“I know, I trust you,” Eunbi giggled as she handed Yerin her phone. The architect tried to control the slight tremor in her hands as she punched her number into Eunbi’s phone. She handed it back and the girl pressed a couple more things before declaring that her number was saved. A chime went off and Eunbi checked the notification only to frown slightly.

“Looks like I got to go. My manager needs me back. I’ll text you?”

“Yeah… Sure,” Yerin said as they both stood up.

“I’ll see you around then. Good luck at work, Yerin,” Eunbi said and patted Yerin on the shoulder before leaving.

“Thanks…” Yerin whispered to herself as she watched Eunbi hurry off. 

She never knew how much she loved the way her name rolled off Eunbi’s tongue till now. 

And she never knew that just like that, her productivity for the day could be boosted to such an extent.

Leaving the office, she checked her phone for missed messages and felt her heart skip a beat when she saw one from an unknown number.

010 098 0603

Hey Yerin, it’s Eunbi. How was work?

Now that, was definitely the most rewarding day in her fansite career.