Behind the Spotlight

Everyone has their own classes that society puts them in. Upper class, middle class, and lower class. If you're in the lower class, society wouldn't pay much attention to you since you don't have a name for yourself. Middle class, you could have a name for yourself, but people would still look down on you. Upper class is where you have it all; money, fame, friends, and more. Even though you are at the top, you still get whispers here and there, which could damage your reputation. And Jung Mi-Young was situated in the upper class. Her mother owned at least 130 jewelry stores across the world, her brother was a CEO for a fashion company, and her father was a manager for a mainstream K-pop group. You'd think that she'd ask for her daddy's money for anything, but she only called him for help with her school tuition. She was 22 years old, studying Business Administration and Entrepreneurship. Making a name for herself without assistance from her family had been a dream for her ever since she turned 14. She lived in a modern apartment whose rent was no joke. She only got it because her mother insisted that it was a good idea to live in a rich place to focus on her studies. As much as she argued, she never got through to her. Now here she was on her laptop, studying notes for her online test next week. It wasn't going to be hard because it was just a daily quiz to see if you had learned one singular topic on the subject. It was 9 pm now as a yawn escaped her lips. She ate dinner not too long ago, and her bowl was sitting on her night table. The room was filled with the scent of Bulgogi mixed with a bit of vanilla. Pushing back her hair, she glanced out the window, seeing the city lights shine brightly outside. Mi-Young was on the 15th floor so that she could see everything. When times got rough, she'd go out to the balcony and sit down with a cup of tea. Her mind always got filled with negative thoughts due to stress and also people just befriending her because of her status. A sigh escaped her lips. Time to wash up. She got off her bed and stretched her body out. She picked up her bowl and exited her bedroom. Once she arrived in the kitchen, she saw her cat drinking from her bowl of water. A smile appeared on her lips. "Had a good nap, Eun-chae?" The cat meowed and went back to drinking water. She got her at an animal shelter that was about to close down. She had a soft heart for animals, so she went ahead and looked around. All the animals looked healthy. But Eun-chae was the one that stuck out. Rubbing herself on the cage and meowed for attention. Worst of all, she was a British Shorthair. Her favorite breed of cat. Now here they were, in a single-mother-and-daughter relationship. She began to wash up the pots and dishes she used. After this, she was thinking of finishing for tonight and scrolling on social media. Some time passed, and she finished cleaning the dishes. "Want to cuddle on my bed, hm?" Eun-chae meowed and waddled over to her bedroom quickly. It was like her cat could understand everything she said because of how she responded. A small breathy laugh came out of her mouth as she walked into her bedroom and sat on her bed. She patted her lap, and Eun-chae hopped onto the bed, curling into her lap. Her purrs were loud as she rubbed her back. She picked up her phone and unlocked it to scroll on Twitter, which is now X. She would never call it X because it made no sense. Scrolling away, she saw news about how MOONSH1NE's manager had decided to retire from the industry after serving 20 years under KE:Bop. Her jaw dropped when she saw this. No one in her family informed her about this. Unless they didn't know. "Dad never does something like this without consulting us first.." She clicked on the comments to see that people were upset about him retiring and saying they'd miss him. But a few even wondered who would manage the pop group. That was also her question. Then a notification popped up on her screen. Her dad. It said that he wanted to have a family dinner tomorrow night to discuss the news. When opening the message, she saw that her brother and mother reacted to the message with a thumbs up. She did as well. Well, she will know everything by tomorrow. The next day rolled in like normal. Doing online classes, fed her cat, watched her Netflix series, and studied up for her quiz. It went by quickly until it was 6pm. She was going to take an Uber to their mansion, but apparently, her father asked their driver to drive them instead. So now she was standing outside her apartment building in the cool, waiting for the car. Staring up at the sky, she went into her thoughts. She's going to see her family after months. It's like those typical rich life stories. Parents are not always around, and a maid takes care of you instead. But that wasn't the case for her. Her mom takes her and her elder brother on trips with her when she needs to check something at her jewelry store. She and her brother never got bored once when they were younger. Their father made them watch him help producers make music for K-pop idols. It was fun. The sound of a car slowing down caught her attention. She saw that the driver had arrived. Before she could even move an inch, the car door opened and revealed her brother, Jung Jae-Hyun. "Oppa." Her lips formed a smile as he rushed over and gave her a warm hug. "It's been months, Mi-Youngie." He stepped back and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Your eyebags got worse. Told you to sleep more." She rolled her eyes and removed his hands. "I do sleep more. Just some days I stay up later to study." A sigh escaped his lips as he adjusted his glasses. "Summer break is coming. Get some rest while you're on it." She nodded her head. He gestured for her to walk to the car first. Once they were both in the car, he began to strike up a conversation. "How do you feel about the news about Appa?" She glanced out the window and watched as buildings turned into a blur. "Surprised. I really didn't expect him to retire." Her brother leaned back in the car seat. "He's getting old. But that can't be the only reason." She couldn't help but agree with him. Their father normally has reasons to do and not do certain things. Not just ball it without anything in his mind. The entire car ride was silent, filled with soft old Korean music from the radio. It wasn't like they didn't have anything else to say to each other. It's just that their thoughts were filled with what was going to happen at dinner tonight. After three hours in the car, they finally arrived at their family home. It looked the same as ever. Two cars were parked out in the courtyard, which meant her parents were inside. Stepping out of the car, the cool breeze hit her harshly, making her hair graze against her face and stick to her lips. Mi-Young saw that Jae-Hyun had already made his way to the front door. She followed behind him. A housemaid was outside, waiting for their arrival. "Good evening, Jung Mi-Young and Jung Jae-Hyun. Your parents are inside." They both gave her a polite smile and entered the house. The interior of the house was warm and relaxing. Color schemes ranged from white down to beige. The living room was spacious enough to hold at least 20 people, with a big TV screen situated on the wall broadcasting the news. Underneath it was a wide fireplace. The dining room was behind the living room, and the table wasn't set yet. Next to it was the kitchen, where her mother was at. She was currently standing over the stove, taking a sip out of the pot. It smelled like Kimchi Jjigae. She hadn't had that in a long time. She did remember when her mother made it when she and her brother came home from school. That was probably the main dish for tonight. When her mother turned around, she let out a surprised sound, seeing her two children standing there. "Oh my! My babies are finally here!" She didn't waste any time and walked over to them. She hugged them both and let out a delightful sigh. "You two have grown so much. Jae-Hyun, your beard is coming back." She rubbed his chin, and he just looked away, a bit embarrassed. "It's nothing special, eomma.." The mother giggled and looked over to Mi-Young. "And you look much more mature than the last time I saw you!" She brushed a strand of hair away from her face. Mi-Young gave her mom a wide smile. "University got her." Her brother muttered under his breath. She elbowed him, and he let out a dramatic groan. The mother stepped back and just stared at them. It was nice to see them still having a good relationship. "Your father is up in the office on a call. He'll come down soon." She turned to the kitchen and walked back inside. "Why don't you two shower and change?" They nodded their heads, and both walked up the stairs. Mi-Young's bedroom was down to the left of the hallway. She walked down and opened the door. It was still the same as ever. It still had those LED stripes on, with pastel blue wall colors. Her bedsheets did change last time she was there. Walking around, she touched the surface of her dresser. Memories flooded her mind from around high school days. The giggles she shared with her friends. She made her way to the bathroom and opened it. Time to shower and get ready for dinner. An hour passed, and she was already dressed in her pajamas. Now she was just braiding her hair into two. She was about to step out when she heard the sound of her father's voice. She stood by the door and listened in on the conversation he was having. "Yes, I'm going to discuss it tonight. They need to know who I appointed as manager." She looked out the door to catch a glimpse of her father. He had casual clothing on instead of his usual suit and tie. His eyebrows creased as he sighed. "I know she's young, but I promise she's perfect for the job." Now she knew the manager was a girl and young. Wasn't that not allowed within the K-pop industry? Either way, her father sounded serious about the manager. And it seemed that he knew her very well since he was using a warm voice when speaking of her. Her first thought wasn't that he was cheating, but that he had found someone whom he sees as his child. She smiled at the thought. The sound of him hanging up the phone and his footsteps receding caught her attention. She finally stepped out. The sounds of plates clattering on the table filled the downstairs. Her mother must have finished cooking. It was time for the meeting, and for some reason, her gut was telling her that it wouldn't go well.