IN LOVE WITH MY IDOL

IN LOVE WITH MY IDOL Episode 1: The Fan Who Never Stopped Believing Scene 1 Seoul, South Korea 7:03 A.M. The first rays of sunlight slipped through the curtains of a tiny apartment tucked away in a quiet neighborhood of Seoul. The room wasn’t luxurious, but it was warm and full of personality. A bookshelf leaned against the wall, packed with novels and old photo albums. Fairy lights framed a large corkboard covered with concert tickets, handwritten notes, and photographs. Right in the center hung a framed poster of Korea’s biggest idol group. AETHER. Five young men smiled confidently at the camera. Standing in the middle was their leader… Kim Ha-ru. His soft smile had remained exactly the same for almost ten years. The poster had faded around the edges, but someone had carefully protected it with a transparent cover. Someone who treasured it. Someone who had never stopped believing in him. “…Five more minutes…” A sleepy voice echoed from beneath a mountain of blankets. An alarm blared across the room. BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! A hand shot out dramatically. Smack! The alarm clock flew off the bedside table. Silence. “…I won.” Choi Dan-o grinned with her eyes still closed. Three seconds later… “Oh no.” She sat bolt upright. “My interview!” She jumped from bed so quickly that she tripped over her slippers and landed face-first onto the floor. “Ouch!” After lying there dramatically for a second, she raised one fist toward the ceiling. “I refuse to let gravity ruin my career!” ⸻ Scene 2 Kitchen Dan-o hurried around the tiny kitchen with a toothbrush hanging from her mouth. She burned her toast. Dropped her spoon. Spilled orange juice onto her résumé. Then accidentally fed her breakfast to the neighbor’s cat that had wandered in through the open window. The fluffy orange cat purred happily. “…You’re welcome.” Her phone buzzed. Han Soo-bin Best Friend Soo-bin: “Please tell me you’re awake.” Dan-o typed while trying to zip her skirt. “Absolutely.” The phone rang immediately. “You liar.” “I can explain.” “No, you can’t.” “I’m leaving now.” “You haven’t even brushed your—” Dan-o froze. “…” “…” She slowly looked at the toothbrush still hanging from her mouth. “Oh.” Soo-bin burst into laughter. “I knew it.” ⸻ Scene 3 Bus Stop The city was already alive. People hurried to work. Street vendors prepared breakfast. Students rushed past wearing uniforms. Dan-o clutched her folder tightly. “This is just another interview,” she whispered to herself. “You’ve done this before.” Her smile faded. “No…” “I’ve failed every interview.” She sighed. “It’s okay.” “One day life has to get tired of rejecting me.” A little girl standing beside her tugged on her mother’s sleeve. “Mommy! Look!” Across the street stood a gigantic digital billboard. AETHER’s newest commercial appeared. Thousands of fans stopped to watch. Kim Ha-ru looked into the camera with calm confidence. “No matter how difficult today becomes…” “Tomorrow is another chance.” Dan-o smiled unconsciously. “You always know exactly what to say.” For nearly ten years, she’d watched every concert, every interview, every livestream. During some of the hardest moments of her life, when she felt lonely and uncertain, AETHER’s music had been a source of comfort. She didn’t know Kim Ha-ru personally. But somehow, his songs had helped her believe that she could keep going. The bus arrived. She climbed aboard with one quiet promise to herself. “Today… I’m going to change my life.” ⸻ Scene 4 Aurora Entertainment Headquarters The towering glass building gleamed beneath the morning sun. Employees hurried through the revolving doors carrying coffee and tablets. Dan-o looked up at the company’s logo. “This is it…” She took a deep breath and walked inside. The lobby was breathtaking. Marble floors. Elegant chandeliers. Huge digital screens showing music videos. One display featured AETHER rehearsing for an upcoming world tour. Dan-o stopped walking. She smiled. “They work so hard…” “Excuse me.” A deep male voice interrupted her thoughts. She turned too quickly. CRASH! Coffee splashed everywhere. Across her blouse. Across the polished floor. And worst of all… Across the expensive black shoes of the man she’d bumped into. Dan-o gasped. “I-I’m so sorry!” She bowed repeatedly, frantically grabbing tissues from her bag. “I wasn’t looking where I was going. I can pay for the cleaning—I mean, if shoes can be dry-cleaned—or replaced—oh no…” The man looked down at the coffee on his shoes, then back at the flustered young woman trying to wipe them clean. For a brief moment, the corner of his mouth almost lifted. Almost. “It’s fine,” he said quietly. Before Dan-o could properly apologize again, he walked toward the private elevators. She let out a long breath. “Great…” “My dream career hasn’t even started, and I’ve already assaulted someone’s shoes.” She had no idea the man she had just bumped into wasn’t an employee. He was Kim Ha-ru. And he had just met the person who would change his life. End of Part 1 of Episode 1 Next: Dan-o’s interview takes an unexpected turn, while Ha-ru can’t stop thinking about the strangely cheerful woman who spilled coffee on him…