Chapter 16 - Bingle, Bingle
The next few days were uneventful. The boys mostly stayed in the studio while I would sit quietly watching over the production process. I found it hard to pay attention to what was going on half the time. I was so caught up in my thoughts about Ji Yong and Seung Hyun. When I left the studio, I would slowly shuffle wherever I went, barely giving any mind to my surroundings. It was surprising that I never ran into a wall. Lunch was usually a quiet affair; sometimes I would sit with Eun Ji, and sometimes I would sit alone. Most of the time my food would go to waste because I just couldn't shake myself out of my funk.
It was, again, lunchtime, and I hauled my tray of food to a table in the corner. Why was I in this situation? I poked at a small bowl of kimchi with one chopstick and leaned my head against the wall.
"Ha Na, are you okay?" Ji Yong slid into the chair opposite me at the table.
"Hmm? Yeah...just tired."
"Are you ready to go to the magazine shoot today?"
"Huh?" Today's schedule had completely slipped my mind. "Oh. Yes. I should get my things together." I rose from the table and took my tray with me.
"Then," Ji Yong caught up to me, "I'll see you in a few?"
"Yeah." I continued walking out of the cafeteria.
Over the past couple days, Ji Yong had tried to cheer me up and he certainly followed me around when he could. My heart was a jumbled mess and, as nice as Ji Yong was, I kept thinking about Seung Hyun. He avoided me at all costs and I hated that. It made me feel miserable. We had one night where we made a huge breakthrough and then it all fell apart again. If he was going to act this way, why did he even tell me how he felt? I found myself thinking of him more often than anything else. Ji Yong lavished attention on me while Seung Hyun ignored me. I don't know why it bothered me so much. It shouldn't have. It's not like we ever started anything.
I made my way to the elevator and down to the lobby. Before I could exit the building, a group of three girls was standing in my way. I bowed, said hello and tried to pass, but they stood there like a fence.
"You're Song Ha Na." I looked up and recognized her right away. Yoon Na Re, the girl Ji Yong was with at the club.
"Hello," I greeted her.
"I hear you're hanging around my oppa a little too much lately." She wore a scowl on her face. Her two lackeys had their arms folded and their eyes were judging me.
"Pardon?" I was genuinely shocked. Her oppa? There were girls that behaved this way outside of movies?
"Oh, so you're going with the 'innocent' routine?" The three of them looked like a trio of witches aiming the daggers in their eyes straight at me.
"I don't know what you're getting at, but I have a schedule to attend." I tried to push past her, but she put her hand on my shoulder and stopped me.
She held her chin up as high as she could so that she could look down at me. "Listen, you're new here. You should refer to me as sunbae."
I laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation, "Excuse me? How are you my sunbae? Just because you've been here longer? I'm not an idol in training."
She pointed her finger at me, "That's right. You're invisible. No one knows you and no one ever will. Do you think you're qualified to stay beside Ji Yong oppa?"
This girl was getting on my nerves, and she was ignorant to boot, "Not that it's any of your business but as a producer in training, it's my job to shadow the music process."
She cocked her eyebrow, "Producer? Then why aren't you in the studio now?"
"I have to assist TOP with his schedule until his manager returns." Why was I even engaging in this conversation?
She stiffened her posture with her fists at her side, "Isn't Ji Yong oppa going to be there as well?"
I rolled my eyes, "The whole band is going to be there." You nitwit.
She cleared her throat and stepped into my personal space, "Ha Na, you better stay away from Ji Yong oppa. Your relationship better be strictly professional, because if it's not I'll..."
"If it's not, you'll what?" Seung Hyun's voice traveled through the lobby overpowering Na Re's unfinished threat.
"Sunbae..." Na Re and her two lackeys bowed.
"If you have time for this nonsense then you three should be practicing," he chastised, "Come on, Ha Na, we've got to get going." He walked out the door and I followed behind, taking note of the angry looks on the girl's faces.
"Thanks." I said as I caught up to Seung Hyun. He didn't reply and instead climbed into the waiting charter bus. All the members were inside, as well as managers and other staff. He sat down near the front, separate from everyone. I went to sit beside him.
"Ha Na!" Ji Yong yelled from the back. "Over here!" Before I had a chance to even sit down next to Seung Hyun, Ji Yong was flagging me down, insisting that I sit beside him. I gave one final glance to Seung Hyun who ignored me entirely. If he was going to be that way, there was no reason I should bother. But, after my run in with the three witches, I didn't feel like sitting next to Ji Yong, either. I chose the safe option and sat in the row beside Ji Yong with the aisle creating a clear line between the two of us.
"Cheer up, Ha Na. It's a beautiful day." I gave an obligatory smile. Ever since the night he came over to my house, I didn't give our relationship any further thought despite the kiss that almost happened. Eun Ji thought it was unbelievable that I was in a love triangle, but I certainly didn't. All I could think of was Seung Hyun. I never thought I was one to fall for the hard-to-get routine, but the more he ignored me, the more my heart ached. I just wanted to be near him.
I half-heartedly listened to Ji Yong as he talked about everything and anything. I fell into a repetition of nodding and smiling just to seem as if I was paying attention. I didn't understand myself anymore. Ji Yong was sweet and caring and gave me all of his attention. A few days ago, I would have soaked up his affection like a thirsty flower. Now I just wanted him to leave me alone so I could focus on open Seung Hyun's closed heart. What a wretch I am, I thought, to have my feelings change so quickly.
"I want to change the game with my next solo album, you know?" I caught the tail end of Ji Yong's conversation and snapped out of my thoughts.
"Ah..." I muttered as I stared towards the front of the bus.
"So will you work with me?" He placed his hand on my knee.
"Pardon?"
"My next album," he said as he followed my gaze to the back of Seung Hyun's seat.
"Oh, sure." I turned towards him, "Sorry, just a little absent minded today." I offered an apologetic glance.
My face reddened as I saw his eyes shift between Seung Hyun and I. "Ha Na, what's going on with you and Seung Hyun?"
"Nothing. Really." I didn't have to lie. It was the honest truth, unfortunately.
"Are you sure?" The bus stopped as it reached our destination.
"Yeah, let's go." I didn't wait for a response. I gathered my effects and moved towards the exit.
The set of the photoshoot was buzzing with chaos.
"Where is the model?!" A man with a retinue of five assistants burst onto the set. He was breathing hard and his face was red. One of his aides leaned in and whispered in his ear.
"She's not coming? She's not coming?!" He threw a notebook across the room. "I'll make sure that brat doesn't work in this industry again. Her ego is out of control! How dare she!" He flew past me in a rage. "Get Bigbang dressed and ready to shoot. Someone find me another model! And get me a cappuccino, right now!"
"Wow." I blinked.
"He's one of the most sought after photographers in Korea." Ji Yong was standing beside me. "I have to agree with him; anyone who misses an opportunity to work with him shouldn't be in the business."
I cocked my head to the side, "What if something happened? Like, what if she's sick or something happened to a family member?"
"That's the price of fame, Ha Na." I watched him shrug nonchalantly
I was a bit surprised by his attitude, "That's a bit much, don't you think?"
"Not really. You'll come to see what I mean in time. If you want something bad enough, you'll never give up for anything." His eyes lingered on me long enough that I picked up on what he meant. I bit my lip and turned away. "How about I grab some coffee for everyone," I offered.
"Sounds good. You might want to grab one for the photographer, too." He winked and left for the dressing room.
Coffee duty again. I started to believe that every career in Korea must begin with being a coffee-maid. I had been around so much coffee since I arrived that I swear my closet started to smell like coffee beans. After a half hour, I returned with coffees for everyone. I saw the boys on the set, milling around. The shoot hadn't started yet. The concept must have been dark. The set was painted mostly black with a red, velvet fainting couch in the center. Seungri looked over at me and waved. When I saw the fake fangs as he smiled, I understood what kind of photo shoot this would be. Vampires. It seemed a bit ridiculous, but it would be interesting to see the boys all made up that way. I pointed at the coffee and Seungri nodded before alerting the rest of the crew to the table full of cups. I grabbed the cappuccino I purchased specially for the photographer and navigated my way to where he was. He was still enraged, a phone to one ear and his hand flying around, emphasizing his angry words. I tried to fly under the radar as I silently offered him the coffee. He whirled around to see who would dare interrupt his tantrum. Shit. I should have just given it to one of his assistants. But then his face changed completely.
He stared intently at me while he wrapped up his conversation, his voice a bit more calm, "Nevermind. I've found what I need. I won't work with your agency again!" He hung up and shoved the phone in his pocket.
The photographer placed a finger under my chin and turned my head from left to right. "What is your name?"
With eyes wide and a small amount of panic rising in my stomach, I managed to reply, "Song Ha Na, sir."
He clapped his hands and demanded loudly, "Get her dressed!" Set assistants began to swarm in on me. My mouth dropped, I pointed at myself, eyebrows raised and turning my head to see if he was talking to someone else.
"Miss Ha Na, I'm about to make you a star." He snapped his fingers and I was spirited away into a dressing room.