While the rest of the people my age are probably partying the night away, I'm happily bundled in my duvet, drinking hot cocoa and listening to my vinyl records on a Friday night. You'd think that a K-Pop fan like me would be averse to Norah Jones or Ed Sheeran or Emma Pask, but I'd have you know that my record collection is the exact opposite of my iTunes library. The main reason I bought a vinyl player off a charity flea market in Itaewon was because I wanted a mellow option for days when my life just feels so restless and chaotic. I guess it's safe to say that I need this little me-time after all that happened.

Since coming back to Korea my life has gotten way more hectic. I have been ignoring my phone for days, focusing instead on catching up at work and working out at the gym. It's been almost a week of constant hiding from the world since the day the blog post surfaced. I don't know why or how long I'm doing this for but right now it's the only way I know how to cope.

*Flashback*

After our long talk about living in South Korea, Nawoon and I got separated at the immigration line in Incheon. I knew she didn't have a baggage to claim and I felt bad that I didn't get to say a proper goodbye because I wanted to get her number so we could at least talk some other time. Friends are a bit hard to find in Korea, especially for people like me, so the fact that we clicked so well in just a few hours made me want to see her again. Maybe I'll bump into her outside JYPE some other time?

Kako!

BamBam: Babe, eodiya? [Babe, where are you?] I'm on my way to pick you up, call me when you land.

Ah, so we're finally out of formalities now, are we? I couldn't help but smile while dialing BamBam's number. "Yeoboseo? Bammie, na yeogi wasseo." [Hello? Bammie, I'm here now.]

"Oh, Jinjja? [Oh, really?] I'm almost there, where exactly are you?"

"I'm just waiting for my bag, will you wait for me at the arrival area?"

"Okay! See you soon, Babe!"

"Yah, Ba—" I heard a click and the line went dead before I could even protest about the unwanted endearment. I stared at BamBam's selfie on my phone's contact ID wondering whether I should ask him to just keep calling me Noona despite the fact that I repeatedly asked him in the past not to bother with honorifics. Is Babe better that Noona?

Just as I was hauling my heavy baggage out of the carousel, two flustered young girls came up to me. "J-jamsimanyo, a-agassi!" [Excuse me, miss!] I turned to the girl with her hands tightly clasped around a Samsung phone.

"Ne?" [Yes?] I answered, smiling wearily.

"Are you the DJ in that viral video? The GOT7 DJ?" The other one asked boldly, stepping towards me with hopeful eyes. I felt my heart jump up to my throat.

"Ah, n-ne..." [Ah, yes...] I haven't checked my SNS since leaving Narita but Nawoon said the video had been circulating since after the event but the whole thing got blown out of proportion when Tyde got around to posting it.

"Do you mind if we take a selca with you?" Said the girl holding a phone. Her question left me in a momentary daze as I translated every word to English in my head. A selfie?! I wasn't wearing any makeup then, nor was I wearing any fancy clothing. I wasn't even sure how they managed to identify me in my parka, loose shirt, white distressed jeans, and ballet flats. "Jebal... [Please...] We want to take a picture with you before you get very famous."

"A-araso..." [Okay...] I motioned for them to come forward and stand closely beside me. People started to look at us while we're taking the photo. At that point, I felt like I was floating outside of my body. "Kamsahamnida..." [Thank you...] I said, bowing before quickly turning around, my bag in stow. Suddenly other youngsters started flocking around me, asking for selfies. Some of them are already taking photos of me in different angles without even asking as I make my way past the customs area, past the doors, and into the arrival bay.

I saw a familiar black van and felt relief washing all over me. BamBam started calling again, his face prominently displayed on the background of my phone's caller ID. "Babe, is that you in all-white outfit?"

"Yeah, who's with you?" I said, huffing as I approach the black van. A few people are still tailing me and I didn't want them to see any of the boys picking me up at the airport like some sort of royalty.

"It's just me, everyone's busy today. Wait, I'll go down and—"

"Andwae, gwaenchana!" [Don't, I'm fine!] I quickly said, slowing down as I walk towards the van. "Stay where you are."

"Ah, wae?! [Why?!] Are those people following you?"

"Yeah, I'll explain later. Bye!"

Click. Click.

My heart was pounding as I drew nearer. Were those camera flashes? Maybe it was the airport lights?

Just then a guy in blue uniform came up to help me with my baggage. I recognized him as one of GOT7's designated drivers so I allowed him take my bag away, thanking him profusely as I rushed inside the van. Thankfully, BamBam is in the back seat, his face partially covered with a pair of huge sunglasses.

"Oh my god, you have fans already?!" BamBam said, pulling me beside him and hugging me as soon as I settled down.

"They're YOUR fans," I said, shaking my head. I remembered the sparkly star key chain Nawoon gave me before boarding and the stark difference between her and the other fans. "It's so weird, they said they wanted selfies with me before I got famous, and I'm not even close to that." I added as the van sped away.

"Daebak! [Awesome!] Your video went viral so fast!" BamBam said, a huge smile painted on his face. There was a look of pride in his eyes I've never seen before, and he seemed genuinely pleased about the fact that his friend is turning into a semi-celebrity, which I couldn't understand because I was personally feeling a little bit panicked.

On the way to my apartment he told me that he found out about the video because a fan tagged him in a tweet. I told him about that night in Perth, about Nawoon and why I suddenly called him Babe over the phone. He laughed and said he thought I was flirting with him, which earned him a slap on the arm.

Thank heavens our conversation halted when he asked about L.A. just when I had to get off. "I'll tell you some other time. Thank you so much for picking me up, Babe!" I hurriedly said, kissing him on the cheek to distract him from the topic. I don't think BamBam would buy my lies about not meeting up with Mark when we're in the same city for two days. After all, he knew that I talk to Mark the most. He was still visibly shocked up until I closed the door of the van.

I woke up the next day with a call from Mina, who scolded me for not telling her that I was back and informed me that I was going to be late on my first day back to work. I was all over the place trying to get out of the apartment as fast as I can that, in my haste, I forgot to bring my phone. To make things worse, everybody seemed to be on high alert when I got to the office. I felt eyes on me everywhere I went and I thought it was because I got my swimmer's tan back, until Mina caught up with me.

"Yah, there you are, my famous chingu [friend]," Mina said with the widest smile I've ever seen from her. "Your secret is out, everyone is going to know that you're filthy rich." She showed me her phone and on it was a blog post written in Hangul featuring my party photos from Perth.

"Oh my god," I said, sounding just like the naive Australian girl I was when I first came to South Korea.

"That was a Gucci dress, wasn't it?" Was Mina's follow up question. I couldn't answer her. I was reeling, weak in the knees at the realization that somebody figured out who I was and put it out there for everyone to feast on for a few hot minutes. The blog post detailed my arrival yesterday, how I seemed to have been picked up by the same black van that drove GOT7 around for their schedules, and how none of the fans knew that GOT7's behind-the-scene video producer was actually an "Australian Paris Hilton" who DJs during her free time. What the hell?!

The article contained high resolution close up shots of me walking out of the arrival area and getting in the car and photos of me in Perth which seemed to have been taken by someone in the mosh pit section. There was a screenshot from the GOT7 Amazing World DVD of the split second I was seen on screen when I took their photo from the stage with the sea of fans as their background. The comments section was ablaze with inquiries about me. Some Australian GOT7 fans even posted photos of the recent newspaper articles I dreaded seeing.

Thankfully, no one insinuated that I was dating anybody, let alone sleeping with anybody—which I am most definitely guilty of. People were more concerned about my looks, and JYPE's seemingly "high standards" for hiring employees. "Do you really have to be this fit and pretty to work at JYP?!" A Tweet said, accompanied by a photo of me and some other good-looking girls I've seen around the company.

I buried myself deep in overdue work and refused to talk to Mina about it and she understood because by the time I finished reading the blog post, she said I looked like I've seen ten ghosts. The fact that there were fans waiting outside JYPE that day didn't help my situation. They recognized me immediately and continued to follow me as I walked away, throwing questions left and right that I couldn't answer. I just smiled, apologized, and immediately hailed a taxi so I could lock myself up at home.

*Flashforward*

TydeLevi sent you a message

1 FaceTime call from Hope Kangjeon

2 FaceTime calls from Liv Moseley

3 missed calls from Mark Tuan

You have 45 messages in With Love, The Resthouse Caretaker

You have 5 messages from Markiepoo

You have 1 message from Bammie

mtuan93 sent you a message

You have 53 mentions

1 message from Mark Tuan

Oh, what the hell.

I finally open Mark's SMS, just because he rarely sends one. "I'm coming over" It reads. Just before I type my lame-ass lie about being contagiously sick, I hear the doorbell ringing downstairs. Damn, why do I live so close to them?!

I put on a fluffy dressing gown over my dark blue sleeping gown to cover my braless state as I hurry to the door. Mark hits the doorbell again. "I'm coming, I'm coming!"

Mark starts waving through the door monitor, his face covered with a mask and a hat. I open the door for him and he immediately takes his mask and cap off to reveal his devious grin. "I missed hearing that." He pushes the door wider with his strong arms and leans forward.

"Hey,"

"Hey,"

"Welcome back!" He pulls me into a tight hug with one arm and smells my damp, tangled hair.

"Thanks." I can't fight him, at least not physically. Worst of all, I can't fight the swelling warmth in my chest the moment our bodies make contact. He doesn't struggle when I pull away to invite him in and close the door. "What's in there?" I ask, gesturing to the bag he's carrying.

"I brought you ice cream in case you're missing LA too," He's smiling his wrinkly-eyed Markiepoo smile and suddenly I feel like melting.

"I just got here, why would I miss LA?" I take the bag from him anyway and walk towards the kitchen.

"I don't know, I miss LA..."

"It's your hometown, of course you'll miss it," I say, placing the can of ice cream on the kitchen counter and reaching for a bowl from the cabinets above me. I know where this is going, and I would very much like to beat around the bushes for as long as I could because I'm not really in the mood to discuss my love life—or the lack thereof—at the moment. "How are you?" I finally ask, hoping to find a safer conversation starter.

"I'm a bit sad actually..." His voice deepens as I set the bowl and two spoons on front of him. He settles on a bar stool across me.

"Why?" I ask, avoiding his eyes by busying myself with the vanilla ice cream he bought. I heave abundant scoops of it into the bowl while Mark stares at me, probably intent on breaking my concentration. He reaches for the other spoon and I freeze when our knuckles brush against each other in the process.

"...Because I think you're ignoring me." His voice is stern and sure.

"No, I'm not!" I chuckle nervously, desperate to change lanes.

"Then why were you not answering my calls and my messages?"

"I'm sorry, I was so busy! I left a lot of work before going on vacation." I let out a deep sigh, feverishly wishing that he would leave it at that.

"Then why do I feel like you're avoiding me?"

"Why would I do that?!" I snap, finally looking up at him with a challenging stare. He stares back bluntly at me, beautiful brown eyes going darker by the minute, and I realize there's no turning back now.