Surprise was an understatement of how I felt when I received a phone call this morning from a woman who was saying that she’s a staff from Night Star. The woman said that I’d have to go and meet with them tonight because my letter got picked and they’re going to make my wish come true. I couldn’t help the scream that came out of my lips when I heard that. Thankfully, I was inside the female’s restroom in our school at that time and I was the only one inside when that call happened.

                Now I’m on my way to the location and meet with the staff. I had to lie to my sister that I’m going to a classmate’s house for a group project that’s why I’m going to be home late. I hope that this little white lie would be worth it. My heart is pounding so hard in my chest as I approach someone and ask if I’m in the right place. She immediately says yes and accompanies me inside a room full of people. The woman then introduces me as the letter sender and the room becomes quiet.

                “She’s pretty, isn’t she?” I hear someone say. When I look at the direction of the person who spoke, I realize that it was Yoon Jongshin, one of the MC’s of Night Star.

“Then the sister must be pretty too,” another one says. This time, it was Gil. He was smiling naughtily.  I search for more familiar faces around the room until my eyes land on one particular person. He is there. He smiles when he saw me looking at him. I smile back in return.

                “Ah, Lee Yujin-ssi?” I look at the person who called me and take a bow.

                “Ne. Annyeong haseyo. I’m Lee Yujin, the letter sender.”

                “You may sit here first,” he offers a sit next to a woman who is busily typing something in a laptop computer.

                After sitting, everyone introduce themselves.  One by one, starting from the main MC's to the regular staff members told me who they are and what they do for the program. The guy who asked me to sit is one of the directors of the program. The woman who is still not looking up from her laptop is one of the writers. After their introductions, the director looks back at me.

                “So, as you know, we called you here because your letter got picked. You are aware that this request is anything but usual, right?” I nod. “And your sister has no idea about this, right?” I nod again. He continues, “That means we cannot just proceed with the program not knowing what to do exactly. We need to make plans so that we can set up the necessary materials. We also need to check the location first. We cannot just barge into your house and announce to your sister that she’s on national television, can we?” I shake my head. Why the heck can’t I say a single word?  “So you need to help us here,” the director says finally.

                “Uhmm... how can I help?” I ask with a small voice that doesn’t feel like mine. I guess it's only natural that I feel nervous since I'm in the presence of some famous and influential people.

                “Aigoo, Kim PD, why are you intimidating the kid?” Shin Dongyup suddenly says with a smile on his face.

                “I'm not intimidating her. I'm simply talking to her,” Kim PD replies somehow defensively. The other people around the room suddenly start to laugh.

Then I feel someone tapping my shoulder. I look up and find it’s the writer. “Hey, chill. We’re not going to interrogate you. Anyway, what do you actually want to do? How do you want this surprise to turn up? Because you know, as much as I want to do the planning as I’m the main writer here, I can't just decide about it. Everyone here agrees that we should do whatever it is that you want to happen since it's your wish that we are granting.” Everyone in the room nods as she finishes speaking.

                “I... don’t know. I haven’t actually thought of that. I just hoped you could help me to make Onew-ssi meet with my sister.” I look at Onew who is just sitting there silently while looking at me. I notice everyone also turn their heads to Onew.

                “It’s okay with me to meet her,” Onew says simply.

                “Uhmm... do you know my sister?” I ask uncertainly. He slowly nods his head, and then a smile starts to appear on my lips. “Then...” I look again at the other staffs. “Is it okay if they could meet alone first?”

                “Do you actually want them to have a date?” Shin Dongyup asks.

                “Ah, no! Just... just a meeting.” I utter.

                “You are aware that everything needs to be caught on tape, right?” the director talks again.

                “Y—yes.”

                “That means it can’t be just a simple meeting. Why don’t we set a surprise romantic dinner date for them? With candle lights and soft music in the background,” the writer suggests.

                “W—wait! Romantic?” Onew suddenly looks like a lost child. I almost giggled to his reaction because he looks so cute.

                “Why not?” the three other MC’s say together. They were also grinning at Onew’s reaction.

                “Onew-yah, it’s time that you finally get to have a love life,” Gil says as he pats Onew’s shoulder. Onew looks at me helplessly probably asking for help.

                “Ahm... I don’t think so. Maybe it’s better if you could just proceed to regular programming. The MC’s would be in the van doing your usual talk and greetings, except Onew-ssi.” I bite my lower lip. “He could go to our house and surprise my sister there alone.”

                “As simple as that?” the writer asks. I simply nod. I can’t think of any brilliant idea right now. Besides, no matter what kind of surprise I could think of, it will probably have the same effect on Jini unni.

                “What about their duet? You know we could actually arrange it so that they could sing in Music Bank,” Yoon Jongshin suggests.

                “Oh, no!” I suddenly burst. “Uhmm... sorry. You can't do that. You can't make my sister sing in front of so many people. She's a very... how do I put it...? a shy person. It's okay even if they sing just in a noraebang.”

                “Onew-ssi, is that all right with you?” the director asks.

                Onew just shrugs his shoulders. “Whatever you wish is my command.”

                The director nods. “Then we just have to set our materials.”

♥ ♫ ♥ ♪ ♥ ♫ ♥ ♪ ♥ ♫ ♥ ♪ ♥ ♫ ♥ ♪ ♥ ♫ ♥ ♪ ♥ ♫ ♥ ♪  ♥ ♫ ♥ ♪ ♥ ♫ ♥ ♪  ♥ ♫ ♥ ♪ ♥ ♫ ♥ ♪  ♥ ♫ ♥ ♪ ♥ ♫ ♥ ♪ ♥ ♫ ♥ 

                I look up to the apartment building that is in front of me. So this is where she lives. The technical staff members who are going to install cameras are already up there together with Yujin. Yujin said that her sister is out at the moment for her part-time job as a waitress so this is the best time to set up.

                Apparently, they live in a rooftop apartment. This is starting to feel like a drama more than a variety program. It’s like I’m going on a blind date with a girl I actually know. But more than thinking about work, I feel like I’m just going to meet with a friend that I haven’t seen in a long time and have a nice chat with her. I just hope that this meeting will really go well...

                Though we didn’t really become friends in the past, there’s a distinct reason why I remember the girl named Lee Jini. I might have even remembered her more than any other girl classmates I had in the past. For one, there was the obvious reason that our names sounded almost similar. Second, I remember being compared to her by my friends. Though I didn't notice at first where they saw our similarities.

                She was actually not the type who could easily catch people’s attention. I remember her being really quiet and somehow reclusive. She was not particularly a snob but she was not too friendly either. She talks when someone talks to her, otherwise, she’s just sitting quietly on her chair or has her nose buried in her books. Until one day...

                I was running to go back to our classroom because I left my bag there. The bell has rung and many students are scattered in the hallways rushing to go home or go to their separate endeavours. Our music teacher called for me earlier to inform me about an upcoming audition to an entertainment company. Ever since she heard me sing for the first time, she has always encouraged me to pursue music. I told her that I have to think about it and tell my parents first.

                I know Mom and Dad are going to support me in whatever decision I make. It is actually Mom who is my number one fan. She has been telling me since I was a kid that I have a very bright future ahead of me because of my exceptional talent. I’ve always said no to her because I didn’t trust myself enough to become a professional singer and musician. But ever since I started middle school, more people started to encourage me – my teachers, my classmates, my friends, even my neighbours. They kept on telling me that this talent needs to be shared. Still, I need to think very carefully about it. I am so young and so afraid to make the wrong decisions. I haven’t gotten to the point where I am confident enough to take that kind of risk.

                As I neared our classroom, I heard someone singing. I walked faster to find whoever it is that is making that wonderful sound. When I reached the classroom, I found one girl sitting in a chair singing softly and looking oblivious to her surroundings. Her clear sweet voice echoed across the room like gentle cool water flowing in a stream. It has the most refreshing feeling to it.

I looked at her carefully to know who she was. She’s a girl I’ve never paid attention to before. Not that I paid attention to other girls, actually. I just know her name, Lee Jini. It’s almost similar to mine. She must not have been aware that someone was listening to her because she looked so relaxed as she fixed her things. When she looked up, her eyes grew bigger as she noticed me looking at her. She immediately excused herself and exited the room as I was about to smile to her. The words “You have a beautiful voice” were hanged at the tip of my tongue. When I woke up from my senses, I tried to follow her but she was already gone.

                Then I wondered, how come I was the only one that the teachers are encouraging to pursue music? Haven’t they heard her sing? She probably has the most beautiful voice in the whole school.

                In the next few days that followed, I started paying more attention to her. I looked at her when I know she’s not aware of it. I was sitting two seats behind her so it’s easier for me to look at her. I started noticing more things about her, like how she’s always by herself. I noticed that when we’re having recitations in class, not even once did I see her raise her own hand to recite. Instead, she would whisper the answers to the person sitting next to her. From there, I learned that she was quite intelligent. I just didn’t understand why she wouldn’t answer the questions herself. It’s like she was deliberately trying to be as unnoticeable as possible.

 Honestly, I’ve always wanted to approach her but I didn’t know how. I’m not really comfortable when it comes to talking with girls my age. Except for a few exchange of greetings, we weren’t really able to talk longer than three sentences.

                When I decided to finally join the audition for SM Entertainment and got casted, I became busier than any student could possibly be. I struggled to manage my time for my studies and my training. I didn’t have any more time to even hang out with my friends. And eventually, I forgot about the girl whose name was Lee Jini.

Until the day I received that letter... And now I'm going to see her again.

♥ ♫ ♥ ♪ ♥ ♫ ♥ ♪ ♥ ♫ ♥ ♪ ♥ ♫ ♥ ♪ ♥ ♫ ♥ ♪ ♥ ♫ ♥ ♪  ♥ ♫ ♥ ♪ ♥ ♫ ♥ ♪  ♥ ♫ ♥ ♪ ♥ ♫ ♥ ♪  ♥ ♫ ♥ ♪ ♥ ♫ ♥ ♪ ♥ ♫ ♥                                

                I stand up from my chair and decide to make coffee while I'm brainstorming for the twist in the plot of my novel. I've been writing for the past five hours without break and I felt the need to stretch my limbs. I feel great now that my drive has finally returned and I was able to write continuously. The only problem is that I'm starting to feel drowsy as I was staring at the computer screen for such a long time.

                I went straight to my computer after I finished my shift in my part-time job as a waitress in a small coffee shop. I work there from two PM to eight PM. I've done many part-time jobs since I was seventeen here and there so I'm already used to this kind of lifestyle. I and Yujin are not struggling anymore like we used to since I started writing professionally two years ago. But I still liked to take part-time jobs because I want to save as much money as I can.

                I start stretching my arms from side to side then upwards as I make my way out of my bedroom. I haven't had too much exercise lately so my limbs and muscles easily get stiff.

                I stop dead on my tracks when I see someone standing in the middle of the living room and staring back at me. I know my eyes grow bigger than usual. I start to rub them because there's no way what I'm seeing is real.  I slap my cheeks with my two hands to wake myself up because this could only be a dream. But he's still there... smiling so sweetly like he's just seen the most fascinating thing.

                “Nega michin nabwa. I think I really need to drink some coffee. I'm already hallucinating. How in the world could Jinki be possibly here?” I say to myself as I continue to shake my head. I continue walking to the kitchen without looking back to the direction where I saw him standing. “It’s just wishful thinking Jini. You've been thinking too much about him that you're starting to see illusions. You're just crazy. Get a grip of yourself,” I keep telling myself as I start operating my coffee maker not even daring to look back at the vision.

                I look at the watch in my wrist as I am waiting for my coffee to boil and suddenly, a song pops out in my head and I start singing. “It's a quarter after one. I'm all alone and I need you now. I said I wouldn't call but I lost all control and I need you now. And I don't know how I can do without, I just need you now...”

                I am bobbing my head as I sing the song when all of a sudden, I hear a phone ringing. I’m quite too sure that it’s not mine or Yujin’s because that is a ringtone I’ve never heard before. I slowly turn my head to the direction where the sound is coming from. Only to come face to face with Lee Jinki's figment.

                The ringing stops but is replaced by the sound of the thumping in my chest that is starting to become louder every second as I see him move and put a phone next to his ear.

                “Yes hyung...” he answers the phone without breaking eye contact with me. He smiles at me and I could definitely feel my heart running away from me. “It seems that she has just finally noticed my existence in her house.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

A/N: Don't you think she's weird? What would you do if you suddenly find Onew standing in the middle of your house in the middle of the night?

I'd probably faint. Haha!

Comments?

Suggestions?

Violent reactions?

Sorry. I actually at making dialogues as much as I at making conversations with other people in real life, written or spoken.