You can’t tell anyone else

Even if we get a little drunk

And start saying whatever

That’ll only be our memory

Even if we say weird things

It’s our memory

It’s our secret

Promise not to tell

Sunmi - Secret Tape (WARNING, 2018)

Young, talented, pretty, bright, and well respected. The pressure of being a 20 year old in the Korean entertainment industry is energy-draining, but Minjeong managed to still hold on. She’s trained for years, singing, dancing, acting, modeling, you name it, her company created a perfect doll by the age of 18, making her debut as Winter. 

Winter Kim.

It’s such a  foreign name, but it's a part of her now. The name that all of Korea, the majority of Asia, and a fraction of the 7.6 billion of the world knows her by. But only a small number of people knew Kim Minjeong, the person who beared the burden and responsibility of having that stage name.

Her best friend Ning Yizhou, a Chinese model based in Korea, has stuck by her side since diapers.

Her manager Yeri, only older than her by 2 years but will be more experienced in every aspect of life than she will ever be.

Her family, who are supporting her daring dreams behind the stage despite being a little reluctant at first.

Her few celebrity friends, Liu YangYang, Shin Yuna, Son Hyeju, and a few more she can’t disclose. 

And Minjeong, though her grip on herself was slowly slipping. Slowly slipping, but would never let go of because not being in front of cameras was the only time she can ever be herself, the girl full of flaws that always stared back at her from the mirror.

Minjeong walks around her complex with a messy bun and nothing else but an oversized shirt. Winter wears the latest designer clothes, casual or formal.

Minjeong sings in the shower, not always hitting the right notes. Winter sings in front of her nameless fans, songs that were produced and written for her which nevertheless topped charts.

Minjeong eats a tub of ice cream, crying over a k-drama when she isn’t preparing for promotions. Winter eats diligently at the after parties of movie premiers she’s starred in or her friends are starred in, keeping in check the amount of food she eats. 

Don’t get her wrong, Winter wasn’t a boring person, no, far from that. The general public also loves her smart, witty, and goofy personality, she’s shown a few of Minjeong on screen too. She just controls the amount, afraid that her vulnerability and unfiltered self will be an excuse for netizens to judge her. It’s like she’s teasing them in a way, showing, but not too much.

Minjeong grabs her ringing phone from her vanity after finishing up the touch-ups on her face, answering the call, she hears the nagging voice of her dear manager.

“Hey Winter, hurry up, we don’t want to be late to this important conference meeting” she pulls her ears from the phone after recognizing Yeri’s sudden crescendo in her voice. 

She huffs, grabs her purse, and checks herself once more through the mirror. Her blonde hair falling gracefully past her shoulders, clean white tennis skirt, collared rugby sweater, and white air forces. A casual look, since apparently the meeting wasn’t anything formal. “Yes unnie, I’m on my way to the elevator. See you in 5 minutes”

Just a floor under Winter’s was a condo complex of another celebrity very similar to her, in profession and popularity. Yu Jimin, more widely known as Karina, the IT girl of the 4th generation. But being known as an IT girl meant numerous things, positive and negative.

You had everyone’s undivided attention on everything you did, past, present, and future. They knit pick everything you do, true or false. Rumors or confirmed, it didn’t matter because everyone talked. This could be up for interpretation in the positive and negative light because yes, the more popular means the more hate, but the love one receives just feels so overwhelmingly good. Good publicity or bad publicity was still publicity.

But Karina felt numb to it all because she’s learned from the countless bullying accusations, dating rumors, scandals, and misogyny in the industry, that it was better to not give a . No matter the amount of public confirmations, sweet smiles, and melodic laughs that she’s perfected, there will always be someone complaining. And she’s okay with that now.

People may think that 21 is such a young age to be thinking that way, but it’s a trait that Karina was proud to have because she’s had to watch so many other celebrities’ downfall from the reality of fame. She’s proud of the effort she put in, the numbers she’s racked, and her fans, that’s always stayed by her side. 

At some point, she had to trust others to believe that she was actually a sweet person. It was a way for her to convince herself that too. 

Jimin opens her phone to see an article about her long-time best friend, Uchinaga Aeri’s fansite having a fistfight outside of her entertainment company, making her laugh. She took a look out of her window, waiting for her manager to text her so that it was clear to make her way to the car. Jimin sees a masked girl make her way from the building to a tinted car, probably one of the many other idols that lived in this skyrise. 

Karina pats