"Winter!" A woman calls out from the distance, approaching the coffee table that Minjeong was sitting by.

"Oh! NingNing! It's been a while!" The blonde greets back before standing up and giving her old friend a hug.

It had been ages since the two friends have met up but seeing a familiar face again, Minjeong couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth as she embraced the girl who she calls her very best friend in the world.

The two go way back, having met in a university club in their first year. NingNing was an international student and didn't speak the native tongue very well. Noticing this, Minjeong went to the woman straight away, hoping to help the younger out as much as she could to make her feel more comfortable. Their personalities clicked then and there, allowing the two to become one of the closest of friends.

That all happened around 5 years ago, and to this very day, you can still catch the two women seeing each other to maintain their closeness every month or so.

Although recently, it had started to feel like every 3 months or so, given that NingNing finally made it into the psychology field, just as she had always wanted.

And with Minjeong's hectic life managing one of the world's most successful actresses, their schedules just didn't align like they used to.

But nevertheless they still managed to find time for each other, despite each respective woman's jam packed lifestyles.

Finally sitting down after ordering coffee, NingNing enquires about Minjeong's newfound schedule. "How's the new job? I heard you finally got that promotion?"

"I'll hardly call it a promotion, more like a complete change of scenery." The blonde responds, sipping her drink as she did so.

"Don't sugar coat it, I know you're managing a celebrity. Spill already which one is it"

It shouldn't come as a surprise, but despite the two friends not having enough time in the day to catch up, that didn't mean they don't constantly update each other via SMS on a daily basis, where Minjeong may have dropped hints here and there that her new job involved managing a celebrity who was a pretty big deal.

But she never dropped the name. Deciding it was best to tell NingNing in person than anything.

"I would tell you, but I don't think you would believe me?"

"Oh come on, don't give me that smug look of yours. Just tell me already, you've been gatekeeping this information for months!"

"Alright but you have to promise you're not going to freak out" Receiving a promising nod from the other, the blonde gestures NingNing to come closer, so she could whisper the answer into her ear.

"Yu Jimin!?" NingNing immediately stands up from her seat "You mean to tell me you manage THE Yu Jimin-" The woman quickly places her hand over her mouth at the site of Minjeong's raised expression, realising that she had unloaded that information way too loudly that made a few heads turn within the cafe. "Are you for real?" She whispers out, more self aware of her volume now.

With a small smile, Minjeong said nothing else, but only answered with a nod.

Squealing, NingNing plop right back down on her seat. "I can't believe it Minjeong! That's awesome! She's the real deal right there too! Wow I'm happy for you!"

"Thanks" The blonde chuckles sheepishly

"Going from a movie setup crew to managing a star, that's really quite the promotion isn't it?... although I heard.." Her words trailed off as she looked deep in thought.

"Heard what?"

"Oh no- It's just that I've heard rumours that the girl is actually a relentless diva." NingNing brings her beverage to her face "Now that you're literally interacting with the source, would you care to confirm?"

Oh geez tell me about it, that girl is a straight up DDD with two sharp little horns

Is what Minjeong would've said if NingNing had asked at the very beginning of when she became Jimin's manager...

But call it a protective mechanism..

The blonde no longer wished to taint Jimin's name any further than it already has been within the industry.

Not since everything that has unfolded with the actress...

Because, to put quite frankly, she no longer believes it deserves the bad reputation her name carried.

A Sour Patch Kids gummy is what Minjeong liked to refer to Jimin. She might've been extremely sour on the outside, but once you penetrate through, even if it's a little bit, you start to see that maybe the candy wasn't as sour as one may have thought.

Although she can't exactly say for sure how sweet Jimin was underneath... their interactions are still kept at a certain distance afterall... but at the very least, from her own personal experience, she can at least say,the woman wasn't as unbearable as she once thought and is somewhat tentative in her own unique right.

Either way, she's nothing like how everyone in the industry has portrayed her, well, not entirely anyway. Definitely not an evil, devilish woman with two horns, that's for sure.

And perhaps hearing that there are rumours spreading around now by her very own best friend, may have even agitated Minjeong a little bit.

It's her job to keep the actress in check afterall, so these rumours don't run around freely.

That's why she was concerned...

Right..?

"Look she has her moments, but every celebrity does, it's normal, so don't listen to everything you hear on the media. People just like to start things over nothing."

"Oh- yeah alright" NingNing responds, but she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the weird vibe the blonde was giving off, being someone who works in psychology, the girl has learnt to pick up on various details that can reveal more than one leads on... but she chose not to press further."

"That's enough about me already, tell me more about you NingNing, or should I refer to you as doctor NingNing instead?"

Laughing the two old friends continued to talk about nothing and everything.

⋇⊶⊰❣⊱⊷⋇

"Damnit, why isn't she responding?" Jimin stares at her phone with an annoyed expression whilst lying flat on her oversized couch in her living room.

It was the weekend, the actress had had nothing to eat all day, and she was seriously craving some snacks from the local convenience store.

Typically, she would message her manager to grab and deliver her order, and the blonde would respond within the first 5 minutes and have the food delivered in under 15.

But today, she couldn't get a hold on her for some reason, and the very reality of that was absolutely ticking the actress off.

"She's slacking off now; I knew I shouldn't have been so lenient on her." Rolling her eyes, the woman begins walking back and forth in her massive living room, contemplating frantically about what her next move of action should be.

"The convenience store isn't too far, and it's usually empty at this time," she reasons with herself. "Surely I don't have to waste 2 hours on my makeup today and just quickly make a few purchases without anyone recognizing me."

Usually Jimin is way more apprehensive about even the thought of going out in public without her usual getup.

But the actress have had a full week of nonstop filming from morning to night.

She had been absolutely exhausted, and her face had practically been painted and repainted on over and over again.

So you can't really blame her for wanting to be bare faced and dress casually on the weekends.

Glancing towards her phone one last time, the woman grabs the nearest jacket she could see before covering her face with the hood attached to it.

"Screw it. I'm too hungry for this"

⋇⊶⊰❣⊱⊷⋇

The grocery store buzzed with fluorescent lights, neat aisles, and the hum of shopping carts. Jimin, a popular actress, hurriedly entered, her mind set on a quick snack run. With a basket in hand, she started grabbing items, murmuring her preferences to herself.

"Twisties... gummies... ooo cinnamon crunch!" The actress began filling up her basket, the small action beginning to make her feel a sense of enjoyment.

It may have been a mundane task, but truthfully it had been ages since she was able to go out by herself like this.

Keeping her hoodie low as an extra precaution, the woman was about to walk to the counter to check out quickly, when a squeal pierces through the air, making her snap her head towards the source of the noise.

"Jimin!? You're Yu Jimin right!" The girl approached her with stars in her eyes. "It really is you!" She was peaking up from underneath to get a better grasp of Jimin's face, even though the latter was trying her best to hide herself underneath the hood.

Instantly, at the moment, she felt her throat tighten.

It's just one fan Jimin.. It'll be alright

She tried to calm her rising nerves down before giving her fan a small smile that made her scream even louder.

This is no good...

She wasn't at all presentable right now.. not one bit... no makeup.. nothing... maybe she should just give the fan what she wanted and dash out as soon as she can...

But wait.. what if she asked for a photograph with her...

Oh no... no no.. But Jimin isn't ready.. she's not ready yet-

"No way! That's Jimin!" Another fan burst out from the distance, making the actress snap her neck towards the other direction with her mouth agape.

And before she knows it, the A lister was surrounded by more and more attention as the initial squealing of one woman had snowballed and drew in more and more onlookers.

Jimin's face flushed and her vision began to blur... she could hear her heart pumping erratically as a wave of panic washes over her.

Shit- They can see me.. they can't- they can't see me like- like this

Her brain went into overdrive, wanting nothing else but to get out of here at once. Dropping her basket full of snacks onto the ground the actress dashed right out of the store causing a wave of confused faces to follow closely behind.

Recognition followed her like a shadow, even now that she was outside, more people approached, requesting autographs and unknown favours... Jimin struggled to comprehend the demands... she was just so overwhelmed and the ringing in her ears began drowning out the voices.

She felt trapped. Held captive, unready for the spotlight that had unexpectedly engulfed her. Breathing became a challenge, and she yearned to flee, but hyperventilation held her captive. Too many eyes, too much attention—she couldn't bear it.

There were just too many people... looking at her... all looking at her.. they're eyes.. they're all on her.

No..

No no no no no

"Please" Tears began trickling down her cheeks "Go away" her voice was barely audible as more and more people began surrounding her.

"Jimin!"

A familiar voice cuts through her distress, making her turn her head towards that very sound.

It Was Minjeong...

The blonde had rushed over to the convenience store after cutting her appointment with NingNing short upon seeing the text message she had missed from the actress. So you can imagine her surprise seeing that very woman in the middle of the street, bombarded by a bunch of screaming fans without any security, or anyone else, wearing only casual clothing that Minjeong had never seen the girl wear before.

She didn't even need to take a closer look, even from here the shorter woman could tell something was awfully off.

Jimin looked like a deer in headlights, frantically staring left and right to everyone that gathered around her, acting like a lost child as she continued to fidget unnaturally. Her face was red and her eyes looked misty even from afar.

She just knew then and there, that Jimin was in trouble.

Pushing past every fangirl and fanboy, Minjeong practically fought her way through the crowd so she can be right next to jimin.

"Hey hey" the blonde grabbed the sobbing woman gently by the cheek "Look at me... are you alright?"

"Make them leave..."

"What..?"

"Don't let them see me like this, they can't see me like this- please Minjeong get me out I can't I can't let them-

Her words were trembling so much she couldn't even finish her sentence properly.

Minjeong's never seen the actress act like this before.. not in the past months of managing her...

The sight made her heart ache... watching the tears continue to fall, the blonde did her best to wipe every single drop away with her thumb

Just what in the world happened here...?

But without further thought or hesitation, Minjeong removes her jacket and drapes it over Jimin's head to cover her from the illuming crowd.

She then guided the woman safely away from everyone as fast as she possible could, using her body as a human shield to block off any hands or body that would've otherwise touch the girl in her arms.

Everyone was practically yelling at the two woman right now, asking what was wrong with Jimin and why she had been crying.

But Minjeong didn't bother responding to any of it. She didn't care.

The only thing she had in mind right now over all else is Jimin's safety and how she was going to make sure to get the older back home in one peace.

My car's parked too far.. I can't keep walking her there like this...

Seeing Taxi nearby, the blonde fended off any remaining crowd before waving down the driver, gesturing at him to be as quick as possible

Still hearing loud chattering all around her, she opens the car door and guides Jimin in before following closely behind and begging the driver to get them away from the nosy audience.

I don't know what happened but as long as I'm here... no one is going to hurt you Jimin.. I promise..