track 01 - I Wish

yuqi was silent along the way. so was soyeon. she stopped her car when they arrived the block.

"what is it?" soyeon asked as she saw yuqi's confused face.

"i completely forgot i left my bag in the office, with the keys in it." she pouted.

"well, you know our apartment is not far, like ten minutes away."

"uh..."

"don't worry, i'll bring your bag after work and drop you home." said soyeon and started the car. after a few seconds of silence, she turned up the radio to relieve the tension.

yuqi leaned back against her seat and stared out the window. she had a vacant look on her face.

***

"i'm off, are you coming?"

minnie looked at the watch, it was 5 pm. today was a busy day so she was planning to transcribe the interview at home, but changed her mind because of her impatient heart.

"i'll come late, still have some work to do. you go and don't forget yuqi's bag."

"right! see you later then."

"see ya."

soyeon walked away after giving her a flying kiss. minnie, then, put on her headphones and started to listen.

###

so, shall we start?

yes, please.

okay ms cho-

just miyeon

ah okay, miyeon. you are known for being one of the most beautiful fashion models in korea. a lot of articles talked about you as miss korea. but aside from that, you've been using sns for various things like communicating with your fans, evaluating the products you used. and sometimes you even lead trends. lately, you have highlighted serious issues, especially gender inequality. we caught some fans say that you are not afraid to express your opinion anymore. so i want to ask what has changed.

nothing changed actually, i am the same as i've always been, who has always been trying her best to educate herself everday about the major problems in today's world. so one day i thought why i don't share my knowledge and show a different perspective to create awareness and be a voice. i mean, i am a model and also an influencer, so i thought people might take me as an example and do their own researches and share them with others too.

and you really created this awareness.  many women used your last hashtag, shared their stories and became voices of others. can you tell me if there is a personal reason behind this hashtag?

i realized that there was never enough awareness of gender inequality. so i'm just doing what i have to do; empower women and encourage others to do so.

speaking of women, you recently got caught on camera at a restaurant with your mother. you were trending back then. it seems that both having a great company and being able to keep the family together happily draw your fans' attention. what do you say about this?

ah... yes...

.
.
.

...okay finally-

minnie! fashion closet!

...

miyeon, if you have time...

no problem.

###

minnie thought the rest is not important because they had ended the conversation there. she was about to close, but when she heard the phone ringing, kept on listening.

###

what do you want?

...

how did you- ...

are you spying on me now?

...

for god sake you won't bankrupt just because i'm doing an interview with some magazine, father.

...

i don't care, i'll tell whatever i want. you can't interfere in my business like this.

...

please... how is this even relevant right now?

...

seriously, why can't you just forget about it?

...

no, i only agreed to take over your company. i am not marrying him. and if i weren't your only child, i wouldn't do that either.

...

yes, i'm serious. anyway, if you'll excuse me, i have an interview to finish.

...

what?

...

what the hell are you talking about? a sibling?

...

why... why didn't you tell me before?

...

where is she?

...

tell me now!

...

you really...

if you're lying to me  i swear-

...

i'll hang up now...

i know you're lying dad. but whatever makes you lie like this must be something important.

###

minnie didn't know for a moment what to think or feel. she'd sensed something was wrong with her happy story, but she didn't expect a father to force his grown-up daughter to marry, in the 21st century. she listened again that part to understand what exactly was the situation. obviously their relationship was not good despite what she said in the interview. and she promised to be the ceo of her father's company but her father still wanted her to marry with some guy. minnie thought again. he couldn't be an ordinary man, he was probably useful to miyeon's father. and she wondered what was that sibling thing. then minnie stopped suddenly when she realized she was sticking her nose in something that doesn't concern her.

"it doesn't concern you minnie. it's not about you. just write what she said, don't think too much. yes she is so beautiful, and she is ethereal. and she shouldn't be forced such awful things. and if she doesn't want to get married then she will not! no, i'm not letting this go. i can't write this!"

"who are you yelling at minnie?"

minnie jumped from her seat with fear. someone sneaked up on her again. that was the second time today.

"f... sunbaenim!"

"sorry, but what were you talking about before?

"nothing, i'm just practising my lyrics. working on a new song."

"really?!" she exclaimed, "are you gonna make special cds for us again?"

"uh... yes why not, hehe."

"cool, i can't wait. but don't stay too late, okay? go home and rest. i need you to be fresh tomorrow night."

"tomorrow night?"

"yes, i as the head of dot-com and you as the head of the social media department were invited for an elite party. yay!" she leaned over and whispered, "and they say lia will come and perform for us."

"all right, i'll be fresh." minnie whispered back calmly.

"wait aren't you excited? she's your crush, isn't she?"

they kept whispering.

"i said i like her, you know, as an idol. it doesn't mean i'm in love with her or something."

"well, okay then... why are we whispering by the way?"

"sunbaenim... you started it."

she turned back to her normal volume, "you're calling hwasa by her name and still can't call me by my name? why?"

"sorry, moonbyul... sunbaenim. i just can't. don't know why."

"maybe it's because you're in love with me." moonbyul was being greasy again.

"no, i don't think so. but maybe it's because i envy your position. thus, i'm being very polite so that you may use your initiative to promote me in your position when it's time for you to go. which means i am using you in hopes of getting my promotion easily. bye."

"god!" her eyebrows rose in surprise, "what's with kids these days?" she huffed, rolled her eyes and went.

minnie's phone rang as she sat back her seat. she answered at once.

"hello?"

"minnie?"

"yes it's me."

"it's miyeon. i'm calling to tell you that i can't tell more about my story. if it's a problem, i'll talk with-"

"it's okay, miyeon. i can handle it. but..." minnie was about to talk about the record, but suddenly realized it'd be so rude. but even more than that , it could even be counted as an invasion of privacy.

"but?"

"but you... you owe me one."

"all right, remind me later. now i gotta go."

"okay"

"save my number"

after hanging up, miyeon took a deep breath, closing her eyes. she was sitting on the hood of her car. the scent of the river did her good. then, she looked at the messages soojin sent.