AMBER's POV

 

Solid white backdrop. Cameras were everywhere. Production staffs. Today’s a usual work day. I have a schedule for a popular magazine company.

Make up’s been done already. My stylist made finishing touches to my outfit. I’m wearing a dark gray Harrington jacket, plain white shirt, well-ironed black straight semi-cropped trousers with black Louis Vuitton belt, a pair of black double monk strap casual shoes and a silver Rolex Submariner on my left wrist. Picture perfect.

 

“Cameras, ready?” Camera men responded with an ‘OK’ sign.

The production head asked me, “Amber Liu, you ready?”

I smirked then nodded.

 

In

 

3…

 

2…

 

1…

 

Action! *claps the slate*

*cameras starts rolling*

 

 

“Hey, Vanity Fair. I’m Amber J. Liu and this is Everything I Do in a Day.”

 

I stared at the camera in front of me. “I wake up at 5 o’ clock in the morning. And then, I go back to sleep right after.” I chuckled. “Ten minutes past 5 o’ clock, my alarm clock will go off. That officially marks the start of my day.”

[5:10AM] “My alarm clock isn’t the typical kind of alarm clock with the usual Kriiing! sound. Mine is wired to my home stereo system, so when it’s the time I should wake up, my morning playlist will play.” I crossed my arms while narrating my morning routine.

“I shoot off of my bed, and go straight to my bathroom. I have a king size bed and it’s almost perpendicular to my bathroom. Once I’m in, I will brush my teeth, wash up and apply moisturizer and lip balm. While I’m doing this, my home stereo will be playing some soft R&B music in the background.”

“After washing up, I will go back to my bed and rearrange everything. Make sure it’s nice and neat. By 5:30, I’ll start showering. It’ll take me a good 25 minutes to get ready for the entire day. I only wear my bathrobe after my bath.”

[6:10AM] “Refreshed and energized, I’ll walk inside my room with my stereo’s still playing songs in the background. I’ll start drying my hair with a blow-dryer. After my hair’s been dried up, I’ll proceed to my kitchen to brew coffee and be caffeinated. Nothing beats a good coffee.”

“20 minutes past 6 o’ clock, you’ll find me inside my large walk-in closet. Choosing my outfit for the entire work day. My usual go-to fit would be an inner plain shirt, which is either black or white, an ed long-sleeves button-down polo that’s folded up to my elbows, a pair of dark blue jeans, and a pair of Nike Jordans.” I winked at my stylist of 8 years. Of course, she knew all of this the best. 

[6:30AM] “I’ll prepare the stuff I usually bring with me. My MacBook Pro, my noise-cancelling Beats Studio 3 Wireless headphones, AirPods Pro, my iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, my moisturizer and other skincare products. All of that because I’m not fond of forgetting things behind.”

“By 7 o’ clock, all ready to go, I’ll go to my garage and pick out the car I deem best for the itinerary of that day. I have four up to date; I have a red 2019 Range Rover Evoque, a silver Lexus ES, a black 1967 Ford Mustang GT500, and a blue 2019 Jeep Wrangler. After deciding which one, I’ll drive away from my house in Hollywood Hills and off to my label. It depends, on some days I drop off at AJOL Records first, to check out some affairs I have to deal with. All good, since it’s near Steel Wool anyway.”

[7:35AM] “Marks my arrival at Steel Wool Entertainment. By the time I get there, I’ll go straight to the lounge area of the building’s recording studio. My Manager and my team will be there waiting for me and we’ll get down to business. Including the signing of albums and posters for the fans. Hundreds and thousands of headshots and albums to be signed.”

“After signing all of those, I’ll take a break. This break consists of eating mid-to-heavy breakfast of greens and proteins. I’m not that fond of rice so I eat fruits for carbohydrates. By the time I finish my break, plus attending to some other stuff, usually around 10 o’ clock in the morning, I’ll go back inside the recording studio and work there for hours. Writing songs, recording endless versions of demos, mixing and editing the entire thing over and over again.” I looked at the camera with a Yes, this is true; this is how my day goes smile.

That’s the thing, these are the processes that only few people get to see. The rigor, hardships, challenges, frustrations— everything happens behind closed doors.  

“At 1 o’ clock in the afternoon, I’ll take a breather outside and call my family. I’ll send one message each to Jackie, Mom or Dad to check if they’re busy or something. Then, I’ll FaceTime them asking how they’ve been. The call will go on for 30 minutes to an hour and a half max. After speaking with my family, I’ll feel encouraged and inspired to go back inside the studio and go on with the routine.”

“By 5:30PM, I’ll be doing some work outs in the lounge area. Push-ups, crunches, lifts and so on. Remember it’s very important to remain fit and healthy—emotionally, physically and mentally. If I’m not yet satisfied, I will play around with the instruments in the studio, fusing various rhythms and melodies.”

[6:00PM] “I will start eating my dinner at this time around, and I usually stay close to my diet. But if I’m allowed to have free days, a.k.a Cheat Days, I indulge myself with the heavy ones. Burgers, Burritos, Tacos. Oh, God I love Tacos. Plus extra packs of hot sauce. Top it all off with Boba Milk Tea. Come to think of it, here’s my go-to Boba recipe: 1) honey lemon black tea, 2) 30% sugar, 3) 25% ice, 4) double boba and last but not the least, herbal jelly. Next time you go to Bubble Tea place, I recommend this one.” I winked and grinned at the camera.  

“After dinner, I’ll resume work stuff. During off-tour days, this entirely comprise my day. Staying inside the studio, specifically the recording booth. I have my team with me, always. Once in a while, I’ll ask for their insights on things to better help me decide with work. Now on my eighth year in the music industry, I am more in touch with my creative freedom. Steel Wool and Manager Kim has allowed me to go on with my own process, so basically I have the final say on what should or should not make the cut.”

“I’m a perfectionist myself, I make sure that I only put out the best out there. Because once you released your craft, you can no longer recreate the album. It’s out there for all the world to see. So it’s practically once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do each album.”

“My days inside the recording studio usually end late-night in the evening, and the latest would be 2 o’ clock in the morning. It’s mostly because of me, an ‘Okay’ isn’t enough. As much as possible, I need it to be perfect.”

[2:30AM] “If we happen to reach this time, we’ll call it a night and resume unfinished things the next day. Take note, ‘Next day’ technically means that same day as well but with fresh clothes and rest. I will drive to my house in Hollywood Hills with my security team on convoy behind my car. Once they’ve escorted me, they’ll be on their way back to the label.”

“The moment I arrive home, I won’t plop on to my bed like you guys would’ve imagined. Even with the tiredness from the day’s work, I will still go straight to my bedroom’s bathroom, wash my face up with facial wash and thoroughly brush my teeth. After that, I will put on my sleeping clothes: a plain white tank top and a pair of light gray sweatpants. My phone rests on the bedside table. Whereas, I will sleep on the right side of my bed. In the next few hours, I’ll wake up again.”

 

I flashed a half-crooked smile at the camera. “And the cycle goes on.”

 

Cut! *cameras stops rolling*

“Thank you so much, Ms. Amber J. Liu!” I smiled once again after the production head said that.

“Thanks for having me.” I bowed to everyone. “Thank you, Vanity Fair!”

I shook hands with the production staffs and said, “My team has prepared coffee and snacks for everybody. There’s plenty of food, so please help yourself.”

All of the Vanity Fair staffs responded with a booming “Thank you!”

 

“Ready to go, AJ?” Manager Kim asked me.

I glanced back at the production team, checking if they’re all eating well. “Yeah, let’s go.”

 

After getting inside my executive van, we drove away from the VF Studios. I am seated at the left-most area of the van beside the window, with my manager at my right, and my team behind the two of us.

I put on my headphones and played an album by Yiruma, a Korean contemporary pianist. Scrolling down the album, I tapped a particular song I always listen to: Reminiscent.

The piece started playing, I closed my eyes. Soon my surroundings didn’t matter anymore.

 

 

 

Reflecting on my answers earlier, behind all of the fame, glitz and glamour, my life does seem monotonous at times. With the same old routine and similar set of faces.  

My family and fans are my inspiration. Which is why, I always make sure to share the best of the best to them. Together with them, we make this journey worthwhile.

 

 

But interests and preferences can change, right? It’s a fact of life. Some fans could discover new artist to support. It’s only natural. I knew it all along.

 

It gets me thinking at times….

 

 

 

 

 

What does it feel like to have someone share all of this life with?

 

 

KRYSTAL's POV

 

“Ma’am, is this the right position for you?” He asked while carefully holding both frames.

Still not satisfied with the placement, “Not yet. Could you move it slightly to your right?” He obediently moved the piece. 

Hold on...

Wait a minute, isn’t it a bit slanted? “Sir, could you tilt it a bit more downward?” Yup, there we go.

“How about that, Ma’am?” I nodded at him. “Yes. There, it looks better now.”

After that, he politely dismissed himself and proceeded to assist the other staffs rearranging the portraits.

 

Walking back to my assistant, “I think that’s all for today. Kindly inform the staffs and workers that they can go home earlier than usual. Everybody worked hard, they deserved it.” She nodded.

Before I forget, “Ms. Cho, do I still have any appointments for today?” She answered, “You have none, Ms. Jung. You’re now a free elf.” We both chuckled.

“Thank you, Ms. Cho. I’ll head out now. You, take care. Alright?” She bowed, I giggled. “No need to bow, Ms. Cho. A smile’s enough. See you next week, Ms. Cho!”

 

 

It has been two months since I graduated from SNU. Right now, I’m the one supervising the over-all affairs of our annual month-long art exhibition. Usually held on my birth month, I found it a good opportunity to be hands-on with the general preparations and supervision.

Mom agreed that it could teach me a thing or two about handling an entire art exhibit, some of the things SNU wasn’t able to teach within the confines of our classroom.

By far, it’s fun. I’ve been working with all walks of life and training from the ground up. It’s always nice to learn new things.

 

 

I hurriedly walked to the elevator, it was empty. A little peace and quiet, just like what I wanted. Pressing the basement parking button, my phone beeped. Ooh, a notification from unnie… hehe, I’ll be a little late again.

 

From Unnie <3:

“Yah! Soojungie, I thought you said you’ll try to be more punctual this time? We agreed at 5pm today, remember? In case you don’t have a working watch or clock with you, it’s almost 5:30pm already! Come here quick! Stay safe, love you!”

[Sent at 5:23pm, Friday]

 

Alright fine, I’m very late. Hehe. I began texting her back.

To Unnie <3:

“Hehe, you still love me anyway. I’m on my way though, I’ll be driving so please don’t flood me with messages. Mwa! PS. I expect some of my favorite breads and chocolates once I get there, oki?”

 

 

Ding!

The elevator reached the basement parking.

Fishing my keys out, the alarm bleeped. I entered the driver’s seat of my Audi A5. This baby is one of the fruits of my hard work. A one sleek black Audi sedan with an all-black leather interior.

Want to hear its engine? Let me rev it up. Sounds great, right? It’s one sweet ride!

Starting to drive away, I input the location address on my GPS. Wait, let me just put on something good on the stereo. This one’s “Coming Down” by The Weeknd.

Yes, I listen to some music while driving. You should try it sometime.

 

 

Blanc’s not too far away from the company, after a 15-minute drive I reached the building premises. For sure, I will get an earful later on for being almost 40 minutes late from our original meet-up time.

Hehe, if you ever get caught in the middle of something similar to this, just remember the golden rule: “In one ear, out the other.” In my case, I add a couple of “Yes, unnie. I’ll take that into mind.” here and there. Then, you’re good to go.

After parking my car, I stepped into the elevator and pressed 42, the highest floor. I was giggling because I knew she was fuming mad already.

 

 

Ding!

Worry not, my charms will do the rest.

Outside the grand wooden two-door of her office, I saw unnie’s secretary. I slightly bowed and smiled at her.

“Good evening, Ms. Ahn. Is unnie waiting inside her office?” She answered, “Yes, Ms. Jung.” Hmm… “By any chance, is she angry?” Ms. Ahn shook her head sideways. I sighed in relief. “Thank you, Ms. Ahn. I’ll get inside now.” She smiled at me.

 

 

 

“Oh, how thoughtful of you to even come here my favorite rascal, Ddudeongie.” The atmosphere suddenly became chilly.

 

…Maybe because it’s Autumn season already?

I totally ignored her frightening remark, and plastered my by brightest smile instead. “Hello, unnie! I miss you too! How are you?”

She stood up from her office chair and went up to me. “Don’t go ‘Hello, unnie!’ on me, Soojung. You’re late.” Still with my best Ddudeongie smile. “I miss you too, y’know? Come on, unnie. Even without you saying it, I know you missed me, too.”

She side-eyed me. “Fine. Of course, I missed you too, Soojung.” She enveloped me with a warm hug. “But seriously, be punctual on matters like this. At this rate, I could grow silver hair in my late 20s… and you’ll be the one at fault.” After her short rant, I finally hugged her back.

 

“Now we’re on the subject, what’s the thing you wanted to speak with me?” I asked unnie. She led me to her office table, at the foot of the table, I saw there were lots of design sketches.

What are those? I observed her, she had this strange grin. 

She stared at me, as if waiting for me to have it all figured out. “What’s all this, unnie?” She remained quiet.

Scanning the sketches, they were all gowns. So, now what? “You see, Soojung… our fashion business has been going really great lately. B&E is expanding ever since the grand opening of the headquarters in New York City occurred.”

 

 

 

B&E. New York City.

 

B&E.

 

I am one hundred percent sure you have heard this three-syllable acronym before. And, you are right.

 

It is the Blanc & Eclare by the Blanc Group Ltd. A fashion company founded by the one and only Jessica Jung. She is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Main Creative Director of Blanc & Eclare. It is one of the most successful celebrity businesses in Korea and across the globe.

Celebrity businesses. Celebrity. Yes. My unnie, Jessica Jung, is a Music Artist too, based here in South Korea, China, and USA.

 

Real impressive, right? All of that success for a 27 year old bachelorette. I am really proud of my unnie. She’s my paternal cousin, which is why we share the same surname. She’s the only daughter as well. Jessica unnie is the sister I never had, and she thinks of me in the similar way.

Since we were young, we’ve always been this close. Our tastes and preferences are alike, so we get along very much. After a tiresome week full of course works, she would invite me here at Blanc to take my mind off of things. Or sometimes, we would even go shopping together. I tell her things I do not feel like sharing to Mom; like my worries, career path, art inspirations and so on. I love my Jessica unnie.

 

 

 

She was trying to get my attention, by snapping her fingers off at my face. She thought I zoned out. “Ah, yes Jessica unnie? “Where are you going with this?” “Why are there so many drafted sketches?” She sighed.

“I told you already, we are expanding. By that, I meant locations and collections.”

Wait a minute.

 

 

“Collections?!” I held a finger at her and began rummaging the drafted sketches, “B&E is now designing gowns and custom-fitted clothing? Basically the haute couture fashion we see during Fashion Weeks?!”

“Earth to Soojung. Finally, we’re now on the same page!” Jessica unnie grinned at me. “Oh my god, unnie! Congratulations! I’m so happy for you!” This calls for a wine celebration!

“Let me get a fresh bottle of wine for you, unnie!” I started walking to her built-in wine cellar inside the office, but she held my wrist and stopped me in my tracks.

 

 

“Not only that, I still have something to say. Listen carefully, Soojung.” I nodded at her. “You know you’re my favorite baby sis, right?” Rolling my eyes, “Duh. I’m your only baby sis. A great one at that.” Jessica unnie sneered and sarcastically said, “You’re a Jung alright.”

 

“It is only the first week of October and your birthday is in three weeks…” As if she was intentionally prolonging my agony by slowing down her words, “I have something for you.”

 

She continued, “An advance birthday gift.”

“What is it, unnie? Are we going to travel? Where is it this time?!” I squinted my eyes at her, waiting for her next set of words.

 

 

“Yes, Soojung. We are.” Hmm…

“Quit playing games, just tell it already!” It was no use, she just smirked at me. What?

 

 

Jessica unnie slowly walked towards the drafted gowns, picked up two designs and then showed it to me. “Choose between the two, baby sis.”

 

I stared at the two designs and looked back at Jessica unnie. “I like the design more of this right one here. So, I pick that one.” She smirked again! What the hell is going on?

She started speaking, “I knew you’d pick that.” I stared confusedly at her.

“I made you decide between the two sketches because of something relevant.” Oh…kay?

 

 

She inhaled a considerable amount of air and exhaled. “Advance happy 23rd birthday, baby sis. You will wear that B&E gown because you’re coming to the Met Gala 2021 with me!” She beamed with a smile.

 

 

My heart momentarily stopped beating.

 

 

 

What? WAIT, WHAT?

 

 

“What? ARE YOU FREAKING SERIOUS?” I screamed at Jessica unnie. “MET GALA? AS IN THE MET GALA FROM THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART IN NEW YORK CITY?!” Asking her again just in case I might’ve been hearing things incorrectly.

Squinting my eyes, “I swear, don’t even try to pull a prank on me. You’ll regret it!”

 

 

Come on, it’s Met Gala! The Met Gala. It is the most exclusive fashion and cultural event in the whole world.

 

 

 

She had this knowing smile, “Yah! This will be the only time I will let you speak informally to me. BUT YES SOOJUNGIE, WE WILL REPRESENT BLANC & ECLARE AT THE MET GALA NEXT YEAR!” The ruckus continued, we were screaming and jumping up and down like little school girls.

 

AMBER's POV

 

*blasting loud music at maxed volume*

Sunday morning, rain is falling

Steal some covers, share some skin

Clouds are shrouding us in moments unforgettable

You twist to fit the mold that I am in

 

 

Closing my eyes while leaning further back, I let the soft pop music drown the entire recording studio of AJOL Records. I dropped here first, because later on I’ll head off to Steel Wool. The flavorful sound led by the bass guitar was setting the mood right, ah~ that’s more like it.

 

 

 

Blag!

As I were to sip my second cup of newly brewed coffee, few droplets fell on my chin. !

I looked at the culprit. It was Cass, he’s part of my team—the dream team—and one of my closest friends. He was holding the doorknob, “Amber! Could you please tone down the volu—what are you doing?” What?

I was wiping my chin with the towel next to me. “Hey, don’t wipe your face with that! It’s dirty, that towel is used for the equipment.” My face scrunched up at that. Damn! “Hold on, here’s a tissue. Here you go.”

Glancing at him, “Hey Cass, there’s this thing called ‘knocking’ ever heard of it before?” He crossed his arms while standing beside the doorframe.

“I did that already but obviously, you didn’t notice.” He barked at me. “You forgot to completely close this door right here. The entire floor can hear Adam Levine’s booming voice. On an early Friday morning.”

Oh…

I grinned at Cass, “Come on. It’s Maroon 5, hello?” He was just staring at me. “Fine, alright. Tell them I’ll triple-check next time.”

He nodded and left almost immediately.

Walking forward, I checked the door if it was really closed this time. Good to go.

 

Checking my calendar of activities, it read Friday, 2^nd of October 2020. Whoa, time flew so fast.

It’s been three weeks since I finished “X” World Tour. I’ve been trying to get some rest lately, but it seems like my mind wanders around a lot these days. Simply said, I couldn’t stay put.

So, here I am, doing what I do best. Composing lyrics, recording music demos, and experimenting with rhythms and melodies.

 

 

 

Knock knock.

 

The door opened, “Amber, hey. Is this a good time?” It was Manager Kim.

“Hi there, yeah sure. Please come in.” He brought some folders with him. Okay, this seems business.

He took a good look at me with concerned eyes. “Have you been resting well lately?” I just smiled at him. “No, I haven’t. But it’s all good, I’ve gotten used to working a lot to the point that my mind’s been craving for work haha.” It’s true though.

He nodded in understanding. “Amber, here’s the schedule you have for this month.” He showed me a detailed list of appointments, interviews and agendas for the month of October.

One by one, he gave me a brief run-down regarding my schedule.

 

 

 

One scheduled appointment piqued my interest: Suit fitting. Oh, right. It’s that time of the year again.

 

 

Of course, like usual, everyone’s going to expect my attendance.

Let’s see… who will I be wearing for this year’s upcoming Gala? I have worn Jain Song in 2017, Tommy Hilfiger back in 2018, Dolce & Gabbana in 2019, and Louis Vuitton last May. 

 

 

As I was thinking of name brands, Manager Kim suddenly spoke again which disrupted my train of thought.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“You have a Suit Fitting appointment with Yves Saint Laurent tomorrow, Amber.”

 

Perfect.

 

---

 

The first chapter's up. *grins* 

Now, the right question to be asked is: Are YOU ready? Let me know what you think.


By the way, thanks for the 23 subscribers and an upvote, guys. I appreciate it very much!