a/n: My primary inspiration to write this fic came from Notting Hill. There are infinite possibilities when it comes to a Celebrity!AU, but I decided not to make it as simple and thus, this fic isn't an all round trip to fluff-land (lmao). This fic will probably have about 5 to 6 chapters, depending on how the flow goes. I dedicate this fic to Yuri Hannah for being a constant listener to all my random ramblings and muse ideas.

Disclaimer! I do not own any characters from Code Blue, just the plot.

Chapter One.

The rumours of actress Shiraishi Megumi (33) wanting to take a break from the entertainment industry has been confirmed by the star herself. Shiraishi, known best for her role as Akiyama Hana in the melodrama, Spring Rain, is reportedly going back to her hometown in Aomori for an indefinite period. For reasons undisclosed, Shiraishi has apologised to her fans for the sudden decision of her hiatus, and has revealed that this is something she has to do. While Shiraishi is deeply grateful for all the support she has received thus far, the star herself is unsure of when she would be returning to the big screens. She hopes that her intentions will not be misconstrued, and thanks her fans for their unwavering support and love.

It has been a week since her press conference, but Megumi could still remember the look on her manager's face when she told him she wanted a break.

There were a few new movie offers on the table when she told him she couldn't do that anymore, and her manager had given her a look of frustration and confusion. Whenever she closes her eyes, Megumi could still hear her manager's voice telling her she should calm down and really think before making any hasty decisions she would regret later.

Megumi had insisted she didn't need more time to think this through; she has made her decision, whether her manager liked it or not. It wasn't something she had suddenly thought of, Megumi had reasoned with him. She had thought long and hard about it, and found herself desperate to get out from her current situation.

Her manager, aghast, didn't oppose to her decision nor did he explicitly agreed to it. When he asked her how long she need, Megumi had shrugged and said she didn't know.

She was sure her manager has assumed she had gone crazy. First, Megumi had turned down the offer to star in a movie alongside one of the top A-list actors in the country. And then, even when he brought her a list of other television drama offers, Megumi didn't so much as to glance at the list before rejecting all of them. And now, this.

When her manager pleaded asking her to tell him what is wrong, Megumi had kept mum. She didn't tell him why she was doing this, except that she was tired of everything.

Being an actress wasn't Megumi's choice by heart.

She was 10 years old when an agency had approached her mother in a mall. The conversation was a blur in her mind, but Megumi had remembered the representative saying she was the perfect choice for a supporting child role in an upcoming daily drama. She didn't remember when the decision was ever made as she was never consulted in the first place, but Megumi had felt the need to appease the people around her that eventually, she just went with the flow. She didn't even know she could act, but had been pleasantly surprised when she heard praises from the director. Megumi was then thrown into a frenzy of photoshoots and a number of press conferences until suddenly, she wasn't just Shiraishi Megumi, a girl from a small town, anymore, but Shiraishi Megumi, a rising child actress in the entertainment industry.

There were a few more roles after the success of the drama, much to her surprise, and clothing companies began to call her to endorse their brands. In all truth and honesty, while Megumi had been overwhelmed most of the time, she didn't hate the attention she was getting. She believed that it was a good opportunity, and even wondered how lucky she had been to be chosen to walk on this path. This wasn't what she wanted, but she had grown accustomed to it.

She spent most of her teenage years behind cameras and screens, and landed her first titular role in a coming-of-age sitcom when she was 17 years old. Later, at 24 years old, she starred as Akiyama Hana in a melodrama that was a nationwide success. She won her first Best Actress award from that drama, and more offers began to pile in.

Megumi didn't know when she began to feel that way, but after a list of movies and dramas she had filmed, she could no longer bring herself to enjoy acting as much as she used to.

She vaguely remembered that, after getting her first Best Actress award, she wanted it to end. But how could she, when it was just the beginning?

It was calmer than she had expected, the atmosphere in the clinic.

Megumi had expected screaming children and crying toddlers to say the least. She was at the paediatrics, after all. Instead, it was so serene and calm that she almost thought she was dreaming. The few sick children in the clinic were seated with books or toys in their laps, making barely any noise—Megumi had to stop for one second to check if she was at the right place.

"Hello, may I help you?" She was greeted by a nurse, and Megumi was quick to push the sunglasses back onto her face.

"Hello, I believe I have an appointment with Dr. Hiyama." She answered softly, a small smile on her lips as the nurse raised an eyebrow. It didn't seem as though the nurse recognised who she was, and she breathed a sigh of relief mentally.

"Only you, Miss?" The nurse had asked politely, her tone slightly confused as Megumi nodded her head in embarrassment. This was not how she had wanted to reunite with her best friend, but there wasn't much choice given how busy Mihoko was. "May I get your name so I can confirm this with Dr. Hiyama?"

She felt her heart race, her calm demeanour faltering. She had half a mind to just leave the clinic there and then, but Megumi persisted. She was here to see her best friend; this wasn't about her title as an actress, but her friendship with Mihoko.

"Shiraishi…Megumi." Her voice was low, but the nurse heard it loud and clear. She saw how the nurse had paused for two seconds, frowning, before looking at her again. There was a mask of realisation on the nurse's expression, and Megumi found herself dreading for what's to come.

Only that, the nurse didn't say anything. Didn't ask for a photo with her, or ask for a confirmation if she was indeed the Shiraishi Megumi everyone knew about. The nurse had nodded, backing away into an office—Hiyama's, that was for certain, before coming back and gesturing for her to enter.

"Thank you." Megumi said politely. She didn't miss the beam of admiration the nurse had given her, but she proceeded into Hiyama's office anyway.

When she entered, she was surprised to see Mihoko examining a child on the examination bed. She stood by the door silently, watching how her best friend was talking to the child in a pitch that clearly didn't belong to her. Mihoko had a huge grin that didn't fade away even when the child hopped off the examination bed and sauntered to his mother by the side.

Mihoko glanced up then, seeing Megumi standing awkwardly at the entrance. She immediately beamed at her.

"Why, look who the wind blew in."

It was during lunch hour, twenty minutes later that Megumi could finally talk to Mihoko properly. She had brought a pre packed bento for her friend just so they could eat inside, and Mihoko hadn't been happier.

"This was prepared by your mom, right? Please say yes." From all the years Megumi had known her, it didn't seem she has changed much. Mihoko was still ever so cheerful and full of energy, and she was glad to see her so happy as well.

"Yes." She plainly said, and Mihoko punched the air in happiness.

"I've been wanting to drop by to visit your mother but I couldn't. I missed her cooking so much!" Mihoko opened the bento eagerly and swooned at the sight in front of her. "Doctors aren't the only ones saving lives, y'know? Your mother is a life-saviour, too."

Megumi stifled a laugh, watching her friend eat with so much joy that it made her guilty for not being home more often. She has greatly missed her mother's food, too. "So, how are you?"

"Extremely busy." Mihoko said in between bites. "My uncle is expecting me take over this clinic so he has been passing down all his clients to me and I am dying!" She faked crying and earned a sympathetic look from Megumi. Even so, she knew Mihoko was just exaggerating. The latter loved her job and was extremely passionate about being a doctor.

Before she went full-time as an actress, Megumi had mostly been in school with Mihoko when she had no schedule. She could barely squeezed time for both her studies and her schedules in Tokyo, relying only on Mihoko's revision notes to get her through high school. It didn't look like anyone had cared, though, if she was to be completely honest with herself. Her teachers had given her much leeway, never pressuring her to submit her homework, never scolding her for an unsatisfactory grade. They were all proud to have a rising star from their small town that instead of wanting Megumi to graduate with flying colours, they were satisfied with her just achieving minimum grades.

But Mihoko, she had been different. While she had been proud, she couldn't understand why Megumi had to give up her studies in place as an actress. She had made sure Megumi completed her studies in time for finals and remained sane for her acting projects in Tokyo. Megumi didn't know how she did it, but she was eternally grateful for having such a responsible friend. It was because of her that her results came out more than satisfactory, though the media had exaggerated and reported she was an honours student. She figured that if she hadn't been so successful as an actress, Megumi would have followed Mihoko's path and gone to medical school instead.

"So…are you okay?" Mihoko had been careful when she asked that question, but there was no indication from Megumi to show that she was offended. She knew everyone in her town was curious of her sudden decision to be in an indefinite hiatus, right at the peak of her career, too. It made no sense to exclude Mihoko from the equation.

"I just needed a break." Megumi replied. It was starting to roll off her tongue easily, after repeating this to several other people. Mihoko didn't seem convinced, knowing that a break wasn't all that Megumi had wanted, but she didn't feel like it was the right time to prod her best friend to elaborate, so she shrugged.

"How long are you planning on having your vacation? Aren't you missing out on a lot of casting opportunities by being idle like this?"

"Why, are you eager to get rid of me or something?" Megumi playfully teased, though she avoided her question effectively. It was difficult to give an answer to a question she didn't know of.

Mihoko grinned. "Are you kidding me? I just saw you after god knows how long, of course I want you to stay as long as you could." Then, her grin faltered slightly. "But you're okay, right? Like, really, really, okay?

Acting has taught Megumi to put on many masks to cover what she truly felt. Behind all the glory and fame of a much loved actress, beneath all the smiles and laughter she portrayed outside, there was only an empty sad shell of a soul within her.

"I'm really fine, Mihoko." She lied once again. It was effortless.