“I HATE COLLEGE,” I moaned as I banged on my alarm clock for the billionth time. It was 6:30 am and I had to get to my first class by 8. Since I live off campus a little ways, I had to get up early because it took 10 minutes to walk to the subway station and 15 to get to campus and then 5 to walk from the subway station to class. I cursed my decision to go to this school. If I was still living with my parents it’d be a longer trip, though, I reminded myself. I dragged my feet through the whole process of getting ready, grabbed my coffee and was out the door by 7:10 to hopefully make the 7:30 train. Such was a typical morning in the life of me, Teagan Yoonhi Tate.

             As an American living in Korea,   I was prejudiced against and treated unfairly at times (and was always the subject of many a curious glance and question), but I made it through the Korean public school system and graduated, and got into my university of choice, where I chose to study music. It was a fairly new program and, although it was recommended that I go to America to study to experience my own culture (because except for the occasional visits to my grandparents, I had never lived in America) and to get a music degree there, I wanted to stay.

                Maybe I should’ve gone to America I thought briefly as I almost tripped over a person walking their dog while powerwalking to the subway station. Cursing, I hopped around before regaining my balance. “I can’t be late I can’t be late,” I repeated to myself like a mantra. Fate, however, likes to screw with me, and wasn’t done after the dog, apparently.

  I was barely two blocks away from the subway station when I saw a huge group of girls clogging the sidewalk with signs. They were screaming and shouting “I LOVE YOU!” to some pop star or something, I guess.  Is this some event I don’t know about? Or is it a few crazy stalking fangirls?  I sighed as I tried to figure out from a distance what was going on and if it was worth risking my life to go around the limo that waited in front of the building. Wait, I thought, doing a double take, LIMO??

                The screams augmented in volume and cameras began flashing. I groaned. I can’t be late for class again!  I thought. No, I thought, literally stomping my foot. I’m not going to let some movie star or whatever make me late today. With my newfound determination, I boldly marched towards the throng and started trying to push myself through. Once I (eventually) pushed to the front, a bodyguard stopped me.

                “No.” he said firmly in English.

                “Ahjussi! I’m late for class! Please let me through! My train leaves at 7:30!” I pleaded with him in Korean. Momentarily stunned (yeah, I’m used to that), he looked at me before saying,

                “No one gets through. If I let you through, then these girls would be after our blood. And I’ve heard that story too many times to know you’re lying.”

                “Seriously? SERIOUSLY? FOR THE LOVE OF GOD I’M LATE FOR CLASS LET ME THROUGH!” I pleaded.

                “You can’t!” he said again.

                “LET ME THROUGH!” I pushed and pushed. “I NEED TO GET TO CLASS!”

                Suddenly I heard a male voice, smooth as silk say, “Ahjussi, let this girl through. She’s not a fangirl.”

                I looked up to the source of the noise. About my height with permed, light brown hair and sunglasses and dressed in stylish clothing, the man flashed me a smile before flashing  the crazy fangirls a smile. The screams seemed to get louder (if it was even possible) and I was practically getting pushed into the poor bodyguard as fangirls freaked out.

                “KYUHYUN I LOVE YOU!” one girl cried.

                Kyuhyun…like Super Junior’s Kyuhyun? I thought to myself. Freaking fantastic. I should’ve taken my chances on the street.

                The bodyguard reluctantly let me go and Kyuhyun literally pulled me out of the crowd with a strong tug.

                “You’re welcome,” he smiled with this Frank Sinatra smile as he did this. It was disgustingly sweet and disgustingly charming. Ew.

                “I never said thank you,” I bit back, yanking my hand from his grip and continuing on. I didn’t have time to stop and let this hallyu star attempt to charm me.

                “What a ,” he mumbled under his breath, but I was running too late to care. I was practically running to the station by now.

                I made it to class late, and having to explain that I was delayed by Kyuhyun and his fangirls was embarrassing not to mention an unacceptable excuse to the professor that the guys scoffed at and over which the girls sighed with jealousy. I was bombarded with questions after class.

                “Was he cute?”

                “Ugly.”

                “Did you get a picture?”

                “Nope.”

                “How is he up close?”

                “Annoying.”

                “Did he talk to you?”

                “Yeah.”

                “What did he say?”

                “You’re welcome.”

                “And what did you say?”

                “‘I never said thank you’.”

                There was silence. “How can you say that?” one girl said. “I would have DIED to say just one word to him.”

                “Look I was running late, ok? I didn’t have time for conversation!”

                “But you didn’t have to be rude!”

                “Don’t you guys have somewhere else to be?”

                “*Sigh* Fine…” they grumbled as they turned away. “So lucky…and she was so mean! She didn’t even get a photo…”

                During lunch I relayed the story to my best friend since the 4^th grade named Hyemi. Her reaction was pretty similar. “Yah, are you stupid? This is KYUHYUN we’re talking about! You should’ve asked for his autograph!”

                “What’s the big deal?” I shrugged as I stuffed some meat from my lunch in my mouth.

                “He’s only one of the biggest stars in Korea and in the world!” she exclaimed.

                “Yeah, so?”

                “So? You know, Teagan-ah, I wonder if you really are a foreigner…” she tapped her nose with her chopsticks, a mock-thoughtful expression on her face and a teasing look in her eye.

                “So I’m not into Super Junior. Sue me,” I rolled my eyes as I said this.

                “So he’s still famous and if you got an autograph girls would pay anything to have it.”

                She did have a point. “Darn it! Gah…I could’ve made money on that! I’m running so low…”

                “What, the school scholarship isn’t enough?” she scoffed.

                “I have to live on my own, silly,” I popped her forehead with my finger. “My parents help with the rent but with everything else I’m on my own!”

                “That’s not too bad,” she grumbled. “Have you been looking for a job?”

                “Well yeah, but I’ve also been so busy that I don’t even know if I’ll have time to have a job beyond accompanying a few vocalists,” I stuck out my tongue, pouting for a moment.

                “You could come and work with me at the restaurant, you know,” Hyemi suggested.

                “I have a feeling that we would get fired for talking too much and not working,” I joked. We both shared a laugh because, well, it was true.

                “Yeah, you’re right…”

                “How are you and Jaehyun doing?” I changed the subject to Hyemi’s latest boyfriend (and her longest lasting one) of 5 whole months.

                “We’re doing really well actually! Teagan…I think he might be the one!” she covered her face instantly to smother the blush that came up at the thought.

                “Slow down, Hyemi-ah! You’ve only been dating him for five months!” my rational side took over. But not for long. There was a momentary pause and then I said, “Do you really think he’s the one?” and we both began silently “fangirling”, if you will, like those girls earlier.

                “Oh Teagan-ah, one day it’ll be your turn!”

                “Ha! Are you kidding me Hyemi? I don’t think any guy could handle all this,” I gestured to my whole body.

                Hyemi was laughing, “Only because you won’t let them, you prude!”

                “YAH! Don’t make fun of me just because I’m a …and have never had a boyfriend…or been kissed…man, I hate being a foreigner sometimes.”

                “If it doesn’t work out here then just go to America. I’m sure tons of gorgeous men will fall at your feet!” Hyemi sighed.

                “Yeah, right. You think someone like Taylor Lautner would fall in love with me? Not likely. I’m not beautiful by anyone’s standards.”

                “That’s not your fault, though,” Hyemi placed her arm around my shoulders. “It’s genetics. Sure, you’re in Korea, but you can’t help it that you’re 168 cm and taller than most boys around here. And you’re healthy for an American, you know?”

                “Ha. Yeah. Well…doesn’t change much. Do you remember when I confessed to Jaesun in the 9^th grade?”

                “Yeah, I remember you hiding in the bathroom afterwards, crying. The teacher made me come get you.”

                “You know what he said to me, then, right? He said, ‘No guy would want you. You’re fat and your hair is frizzy.’”

                “Teagan, that was in 9^th grade, and Jaesun was a jerk.”

                “I know, but it affected me a lot, you know? I haven’t even tried to confess to anyone since that day,” I sighed, playing with the rim of my cup absentmindedly.