Amber was glad she took a cab. It’s been years since she last visited Seoul and the city  had changed quite a bit in the last five years. The tomboy with rich caramel hair kept herself occupied by staring at the window. She coldn’t believe that she was back here out of all places.

         “You a tourist here, kid?” The driver asked, glancing at her through the rearview mirror.

         Amber shook her head. “No, I lived here once.”

         The driver didn’t ask any more questions after that, turning up the radio higher. It played non-stop trot and kpop songs which were unfamiliar to the Taiwanese girl. However, when the commercials came around, she did recognize the voice.

         “Ah, Krystal. My son is a big fan of hers. You know her, kiddo?”

         Oh I knew her alright, Amber thought bitterly. Here she thought that she would be able to eat out with Wonbin and catch up. But instead of that, she meets the rudest person she had ever met in her life and while she was beautiful, Amber didn’t tolerate people like that. The most unbelievable part was the fact that Wonbin was going to have Amber work for her.

         “She’s not that pretty,” Amber told the driver, running a hand through her hair. “And she's pretty rude.”

         “Ei! Don’t let the rumors get to you. They’ve been there since she started. I know she’s not like the others who always smile and stuff but I believe that’s just her appearace,” he replied defensively.

         Sigh. Amber just sighed. Her fans have too much faith in her. From what Amber saw so far, she might be pretending to be nice to everyone when she’s secretly like that. If there’s nothing Amber hated the most, it’s people like that.

         She’s just like them, she thought.

         The driver continued to talk about Krystal and how people misunderstood her almost as if it was him and not his son who was her fan. Out of courtesy, she tuned in and commented and reacted appropriately. They passed one of her billboards and Amber looked up, looking at her beautiful face. She looked as if she was shining. But that was all on the surface.

         Back inside the van, Krystal was reading her script for the drama she would appear as a minor role in.  Even if she were only to appear in four episodes, Krystal was memorizing everyone’s parts. Nothing brought her more joy than imagining inside her head how the scene on paper would unfold in real life and on-screen. It always amazed her. That words on paper could be brought to life and be…so magical.

         Her and Wonbin stopped by a restaurant where he ordered ddukboki, spicy chicken, side dishes and jajjangmyun. Despite her slim form, Krystal was a heavy eater. He couldn’t fathom how someone could eat so much and stay in that form.

         But then again, he really didn’t know that Krystal woke up way ahead of schedule and jogged around the neighborhood. When she was bored, she usually hit the gym. Her personal trainer was also a good friend of hers and they had meet ups at least twice a week for her intensive training. Not to mention, her metabolism was fast.

         “If only people knew how much you ate,” Wonbin said, carrying the plastics with take-out food inside the elevator.

         The younger scoffed, flipping her long blonde hair. “Not everyone can achieve this body. Besides, they’re already pitiful enough as it is. No need to slap it in their faces.”

         Throughout the years, Wonbin had found a way to decipher the true meaning behind her words. It’s either she really meant what she said or there was something behind her words. Maybe she was saying that so her fans wouldn’t go around starving themselves and enjoy eating what they wanted. Or maybe she really thought they couldn’t match up to her perfection. Sometimes his head throbbed when he did this.

         They were eating in Krystal’s apartment after. It was tidy and well-decorated with monochromatic colors. The star liked minimalism and the only color beside black and white was the cool blue wall behind her sofa. It almost seemed as if a bachelor lived inside her apartment.

         Wonbin laid out the food on the table and grabbed extra plates to place the food in. He didn’t admit it but dining with Krystal was one of the things he enjoyed about this job. She let her guard down whenever she was at home. Instead of being poised and elegant, hard to approach and stand-offish, Krystal was more relaxed in the confines of her own apartment.

         After Krystal showered and changed, she joined Wonbin who waited for her before they ate. The food was still warm and Krystal sniffed the air like she always did. A faint hint of a smile was on her lips as she ate a piece of ddukboki.

         “Best food in the world,” she said, sighing. “I can never get tired of it.”

         Although her manager wanted to laugh, he stopped himself, digging in himself. Krystal ate almost everything that was given to her. Again, one of the few positive things that he knew about her. They ate while talking casually about work. Krystal was never interested in his personal life