.
I opened my eyes wide. Above her long slender neck, the lady flaunted an elegantly styled brunette updo that had a traditional hairpin with a Western-style ornament dangling on it. She was wearing a mini wedding dress-like white lace dress. When she moved her steps along with her 15 cm-high stilettoes, her gorgeously long legs appeared between the hem of the skirt.
Her big downturned eyes, adorable facial features, and her beautiful pupils that sometimes turned golden in the sun… Her face was very familiar from appearing numerous times on the TV screens.
Kim Hye Hill, standing beside me, murmured in an underwhelmed voice.
“Isn’t she Lee Nara?”
“I’ve heard that she seldom makes a public appearance. This party is indeed huge.”
Kim Hye Woo also remarked slightly in awe.
Encountering a celebrity right in front of their eyes, those were the only reactions the twins made. The two, therefore, looked so different from the kids I had known from school.
Then, I thought about the happening that took place when we had the courage test. I did see Lee Nara right in front of me; however, on that day, she was wearing sunglasses, and it was too dark at night to recognize her.
When I turned my head to the side, the only person, who was emitting a whoop as Lee Nara showed up, seemed to be Yoon Jung In.
Standing vacantly for a moment, he soon grabbed and began to swing Kim Hye Woo’s arm.
“Geez, dude, this is my first time seeing Lee Nara in real life!”
“Yeah, me too.”
Kim Hye Woo replied in a calm tone. Yoon Jung In then turned his head to Kim Hye Hill and spoke out another comment.
“Hey, isn’t Lee Nara’s face so small? It’s almost vanishing away.”
“Yeah… but isn’t Ban Yeo Ryung’s face as small as hers?”
Kim Hye Hill responded while looking composed like Kim Hye Woo.
‘Oh, that’s true,’ I nodded my head in agreement. That was Ban Yeo Ryung’s strength and weakness at the same time. She was too pretty that once we got used to her marvelous appearance, we could no longer ooh-and-ah to just regular beauties.
Hold on, then my face would look like…!
Boohoo, repressing my tears, I hung my head down.
Yoon Jung In then shouted, “Come on, what’s wrong with you guys? Isn’t it just me who’s seeing her in real life for the first time? Hey, Kim Hye Woo, you’ve said that she seldom makes a public appearance? OMG! Did you guys see her smiling just now? Gosh, what an angel!”
“If angels had her personality, oh lord, poor heavens!”
It was Eun Jiho who made that response. When I raised my head to look at the sight, not only me but also Yoon Jung In and the Kim twins were staring at Eun Jiho with their eyes open round. Eun Jiho then asked back, ‘Why? What’s wrong?’
Something came across my head out of the blue. I nodded my head. Lee Nara’s real name was Woo Rinara, Jooin’s cousin. She had a very close relationship with Jooin. Thus, Eun Jiho, who has been friends with Jooin since seven years old, would definitely know about her. My face suddenly turned stiff, thinking, ‘If those words have slipped out of Eun Jiho’s mouth, how abnormal her personality is?’
Next to me, Yoon Jung In was asking a question while shaking Eun Jiho.
“Holy Christ! Dude, do you personally know Lee Nara? Are you close with her?”
Eun Jiho, who was about to reply to him, still looked grim.
“Uh-huh, I’ve known her since I was young, but not close…”
‘And not even want to get close.’
That was when I tried to estimate Lee Nara’s character after hearing Eun Jiho adding those words of murmur.
There was another fuss taking place through the crowds of people surrounding the top star.
‘Eh?’ I looked into that direction again while standing in a tiptoe. Kim Hye Woo was the first to grasp the situation as he was taller and had better sight than me.
Staring at the stirred-up crowds for a second, he then said, “Eh? That’s Woo Jooin. Hey, Eun Jiho, your friend is there.”
“Oh, really? Well, yeah…”
Swallowing the words, he murmured in a low voice.
‘Maybe he’s here with her,’ I thought, nodding my head. He might have come here together with his cousin, the actress Woo Rinara.
That was when a roar burst out amid the crowds.
“What the heck? He is fighting with… Lee Nara!!”
“What’s going on here?”
Hold on, Lee Nara is fighting who? Even in this public event?
At that very moment, Kim Hye Woo, who was reviewing the situation, suddenly put an enigmatic look on his face for quite a while and began to remain silent. Pulling his arm nonchalantly, Kim Hye Hill flung a question.
“What’s up, oppa? What’s going on?”
“Uh, nothing… um, am I getting it wrong…?”
“Huh?”
With the most serious look on his face, Kim Hye Woo then replied while fastening his gaze at the uproarious situation.
“Lee Nara is fighting with… Woo Rihon, the leader of the boy group Daydream.”
“What?!”
Not only me but also Yoon Jung In emitted a shriek. Kim Hye Hill, on the other hand, also looked obviously surprised this time.
‘Jesus Christ, Woo Rihon?’ I mumbled. Daydream, the boy idol group debuted five years ago, was now globally renowned Korean superstars.
‘He might be kidding me,’ I thought; however, I suddenly reached to the point of how seriously the same a person was upon naming people.
Woo Rinara, Woo Rihon… reviewing those names inside my head, I soon covered my head with both hands as it began to go through a headache.
Oh, no… come on…
As I raised my head, the look on Eun Jiho’s face came into my eyes.
‘Now I get it,’ I convinced to myself, ‘the two would definitely be blood ties or related to each other in some way.’
I heard Yoon Jung In and the Kim twins asking back again.
“Come on, what’s happening?”
“I have no idea too. They are just fighting…”
What Kim Hye Woo said after stiffened my face even more.
“While holding Woo Jooin’s each arm.”
“What? Are you serious?”
“What kind of relationship do they have among them?”
What Yoon Jung In and Kim Hye Hill asked one after another in bewilderment made me wrap my head with my hands again.
‘Oh, what a headache! If they fight in public like that, is it meaningful for them to hide their blood tied relationship until now?’
While I had those thoughts in mind, Yoon Jung In pressed us to approach them.
“Hey, let’s get closer and watch what it is.”
Not only me but Eun Jiho, who looked so sick and tired of the situation, bent the steps toward them.
The huge venue didn’t have as many people as its size, so we could easily move near to the entrance.
As expected, many people were there watching those superstars fussing around while having the same look that we had on our faces.
Looking at the actress Lee Nara and the singer Woo Rihon in a close distance, I, again, let out an exclamation.
According to what Yoon Jung In said while staring at her in a far distance, she looked like ‘an angel just fallen from the sky.’ Woo Rihon, who wore a glossy purple striped suit with disheveled white hair like chalk, was, needless to say, a born-to-be celebrity. Perfectly pulling off that abstract hairstyle and the unique outfit was truly admirable, but the aura that he radiated whenever he changed his facial expression was even more speechless. Although he wasn’t that tall and had a slender physique, everything about him was seemingly no joke.
Looking at the dumbfounded boy who had both sides of his arms grabbed by each of them, I spoke quietly.
“Oh, it really is Jooin.”
Kim Hye Hill, next to me responded, “Yeah, it is Jooin.”
Both Eun Jiho and I shoved our faces in our palms again.
Amid the situation, I heard Lee Nara striking a retort.
“Don’t you take that hand off from him? How dare you grab my baby brother’s hand!!”
Woo Rihon didn’t look defeated at all. Scowling at Lee Nara with his mono-lid, drowsy yet fierce-looking eyes, Woo Rihon also blurted out loud.
“Why is he your baby brother? If you say so, then he’s my baby bro too.”
“Hilarious! Hey, you who wanted to break down the family relationship with me! Then you’re no longer a blood tie with Jooin too.”
“No, it was you who refused to be my family, wasn’t it? You said you want to live as strangers, so I did what you want. Why are you making such a fuss now, huh?”
The whispers of people around them began to grow louder.
“Wait, did they say family?”
“What are they talking about?”