Chapter 145 - Feed the Paparazzi

Ye Rim didn't want to get up, but an aggressive conversation not far away was annoying her. 'But what the hell is going on!' her sleepy mind wondered, but then the violent knock of a door and Eun Ha's loud and frustrated  'AISHHH!' totally woke her up.

When she dragged her tired body into the living room, she found her unnie by the window, peering out from behind the curtain,

"What was that, Unnie? I thought I heard an argument."

"And you did it, Ye Rim. Two neighbors came here to complain!"

"How come?!" she had no idea what Eun Ha was talking about, so her friend pulled her close to the window.  Three vans from different media were parked where they had been for the past two days.

"Aigoo. Haven't they given up yet?"

"Now they are trying to prove that I bribed broadcasters to publicize fake news. They made up a lot of things about me and Ryan Lee, and now they're furious, pointing in all directions and to each other. The neighbors are angry and have already said they are going to hold an assembly in the building about this," said Eun Ha, closing the window for good and throwing herself on the sofa, frustrated. "It is even difficult to leave the house! Kang Dae is also hidden, unable to leave his quarters."

Ye Rim didn't say anything about raising rumors about Eun Ha and boosting her career facts, but she was already sorry. Sitting next to her unnie, Ye Rim hugged her,

"Think on the bright side. Paparazzi are surrounding your home, wanting an interview with you!"

"But all they are saying about me now is my weak resume as a stylist, that I don't even have a collection to show, and that so and so are thinking about suing me for having entered the Fashion Ball without invitation. OH! I'm so sorry!" Eun Ha whined.

"But so far no one has really sued you, have they? Why doesn't anyone really have proof against you! You shouldn't have entered the Ball without invitations, but your marketing campaign is viral! They tried to invent a lot of things about Ryan Lee and you."

Eun Ha looked away, but Ye Rim was not going to judge her this time. In fact, her morning had started off great and she still could taste Jun Hyeon's lips on hers. 'Ah! Focus on your friend! She needs help!' the singer reproached herself.

"You are the owner of the apartment, they cannot expel you just because people are across the street, and vans are in legal parking lots. They are envious! Stay calm."

Eun Ha just hit herself on the back of the head, trying to relieve stress.

Ye Rim went to the kitchen, looking for food, but there was none, even in the fridge,

"Unnie, why don't we have food?"

"Guess why! I couldn't go to the grocery, let alone the greengrocer! Yesterday I had to leave in disguise! Aren't they pestering you too?"

"Yes, yesterday I had to run because they also want to fill me with questions," Ye Rim confessed. "But did you spoke to Kang Dae? As I told you, I saw him coming into the greengrocer yesterday."

"Yes, I did it," her unnie told the conversation and also a horrible story about a woman was on the run from an attacker and crossed Chang Mi's path. It horrified Ye Rim.

"Unbelievable. With so many things going on, reporters are concerned about the gossip from Ryan Lee and Stylist Jung," she commented. But she knew those were experts in entertainment and fashion, not reporters of police cases. "You know what, Unnie? Let's do your runway show! Isn't that what they want? Fresh news? Let's give them that news!"

"What are you talking about, Ye Rim? Running a runway show is not a cheap thing."

"But Eun Ha, you need to take advantage of it while it's in evidence. If you let them start denigrating you before you act, you will lose your timing. Invite multiple people. Certainly, some will come. The press will come. We just can't take long to do the event, we can't let interest cool down. How soon can you make the collection you designed?"

"Ah, well, it's just… I need people and fabrics, but I was thinking about…"

"Today Jun Hyeon Oppa told me something. That I do everything I believe to come true. And so it will be! Let's make the stylist Jung's show happen!"

Ye Rim got up euphorically, knowing she needed to infuse some energy into her best friend. In fact, she was coming up with ideas right now,

"Unnie, make a list of everything we will need to do a runway show in the next 15 days. We can't wait too long or waste free advertising."

"Apart from the clothes, I will need models, a venue, catering, lighting and music, staff, an event manager and ... courage!" Eun Ha seemed to be sweating cold, but at the same time, her eyes shone.

"Okay. Go to work on planning what clothes will be on the runway, and leave the rest to me.

"But Ye Rim, besides you having your own schedule ... you never did that!"

You are right!" Ye Rim barely believed in her own energy level.

Eun Ha just looked at her, static.

°°°

Ye Rim appeared in front of the building just as Baek Woo Geun got out of his car like a movie star. The paparazzi were bored making small talk when one of them pointed out the news. Baek Woo Geun took the time to close a button on his coat, letting his best angle be captured by the cameras. He greeted Ye Rim with a huge smile, asking, through his teeth,

"Is it showtime?"

"Yes, as we agreed, feel free to say what you want," Ye Rim also replied through her teeth, taking the opportunity to toss her hair in a seductive way to the cameras. After all, she could also benefit from some previous exposure!

Realizing that the couple was not averse to answering questions, as they stopped by the car, the reporters approached. Fashionista Baek knew some personally and greeted them.

"Woo Geun, so is it really true that you and Stylist Jung dated during college?"

He shook his head, "We are just good friends. We've always been friends. Eun Ha helped me with my first doc.u.mentary on fashion. You can even see her name in the credits! Stylist Jung, in addition to being a good friend, is the most creative and inspired person I know!" 

The commitment of the words of the fashion critic and social influencer impressed Ye Rim. When she called him asking for help to organize a runway show for Eun Ha, she thought she would have some work to convince him, but he accepted at once. Did he really have a crush on Eun Ha, as Ye Rim always suspected, or was he just wanting to take advantage of the publicity? Even if it was the second alternative, it would be fair if he helped Eun Ha develop the design for an independent runway show.

"Is this a social or professional visit, Woo Geun?"

"Ah, both. I recently spoke to Eun Ha at the Fashion Ball and she invited me to her new experimental project. As I said, we already had this experience of working together. We had several ideas and maybe we can create something together. I am ready for this partnership, and I was very happy with the invitation. You will certainly be fascinated, as I was, just seeing the sketches. "

"So is there really going to be a runway show?"

"Without a doubt, yes! Get ready for something new and transcendental. Stylist Jung is today what Alexander Zhang was for Korean fashion 10-15 years ago. The renovation! Wait for official announcements, but get ready! You know that if I applaud, the young Korean fashion will applaud too!"

"Some people claim that Stylist Jung made fun of Korean fashion by forging a celebrity. What do you think?"

"What an incredible concept! Not everyone can understand the criticism behind this. As a filmmaker by training, the way she recreates Cinderella and My Fair Lady by Oscar Wilde as a critic of 'packaged fashion' is simply remarkable. I'm not saying it's revolutionary. But Eun Ha has subverted the media by showing her point of view entirely. But whoever understood the references must see this repeated in the runway show we are producing. Whoever didn't understand, is grumbling about marketing scams and things like that. There was no 'scam', as she didn't create fake news. She introduced a character and the media just replicated as truth without judgment. Whose fault is it? Who does consume with conscience or who replicates patterns without proper recognition of value?"

Ye Rim knew why Baek Woo Geun was so famous as a fashion critic. Even though he is a vain egocentric. She was thinking that Woo Geun really liked Eun Ha. Never before had I seen him so engaged for something other than himself.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go up to meet Eun Ha," the fashionista smiled condescendingly, as part of his act.

"Just one more question, Woo Geun."

"Okay, just one more. I must send you food, as you will keep pestering the quiet neighborhood that my friend chose to live in? Or do you prefer to wait in your offices for my assistant to call you with exclusive news?"

The paparazzi thanked Baek Woo Geun for his kindness, but they asked the final question, nevertheless,

"Will Ryan Lee be at this show?"

Baek Woo Geun pursed his lips to hide his anger, taking a deep breath.