Summer in Seoul

“LUCKY we can get this ticket. Our seats are in the front row! You know what, tickets are sold out in half an hour! But I don’t think that’s strange news. It’s been four years since Jung Tae-Woo hasn’t released an album, so I’m sure the album this time must be great,” Young-Mi said as she kissed the entrance ticket to the Jung Tae-Woo fan event. “Do I have to call Mister Kim and say thank you? “

“Ah, no need. I already thank him, “Sandy said quickly.

Park Hyun-Shik fulfilled his promise and gave Sandy two tickets. Of course Sandy immediately invited Kang Young-Mi and because of that she had to fabricate a story about the origin of the ticket. She tells Young-Mi that Mister Kim gave the ticket to her for completing the assignment perfectly. Seriously! If Mister Kim was ever good to people, his name is definitely not Mister Kim. But Young-Mi is not suspicious at all with that story.

They arrived at the place where the fan meeting was held and saw hundreds Teenage girls swarm at the entrance. It turns out there are many loyal fans of Jung Tae-Woo. They carried large banners, balloons and cardboard boards that says Jung Tae-Woo’s name. Sandy still doesn’t understand why those people are so crazy about Jung Tae-Woo even though she’s already spent time with that guy this past week. She wondered if she would it feels strange to see Jung Tae-Woo standing on the stage and singing….

“This time they limit the number of viewers,” said Young-Mi. “Previous fans meeting event were much more crowded. “…

Sandy looked away from the crowd of Jung Tae-Woo fans to her friend. “Is that true?”

Kang Young-Mi nodded firmly. “Of course. I also came to the fan meeting event that day. Wow, there are so many who came. You can’t imagine it. At that time I had difficulty breathing. It’s no wonder that many of his fans fainted on the show, and some even died.

I told you, right? Do you remember, Soon-Hee? “

Sandy nodded and pondered. “I’ve heard about the incident, but since I have never attended an event like this, I don’t know what the atmosphere is like.”

Kang Young-Mi smiled and took Sandy’s arm. “Even though the number of viewers has been reduced, I’m sure they remain wild. You will be able to feel the atmosphere. Oh yeah, Jung Tae-Woo still remembers you, doesn’t he? “

Sandy looked at her in surprise. “What do you mean?”

Young-Mi clickes her tongue. “Didn’t you go to his house at that time? he even drove you home? Hey, you just remind him! During the event signing autographs later, said you met him. After that we can definitely chat longer. Yes? Yes? You have to draw his attention to us.”

“What? I told you I don’t want people to find out the night that I met him? ” Sandy replied. “I don’t want to be involved in such gossip.” Oh yes, she knew that this statement was contrary to her decision to help Jung Tae-Woo….

“Then don’t be blatant. You can give hints that can make it— “

“Hey, Kang Young-Mi! Never mind, let’s just go in, “Sandy interrupted as she quickly pulled her friend’s hand into the building.

The event starts and Jung Tae-Woo appears accompanied by the screams of his fans. Sandy was rather stunned because the fans of Jung Tae-Woo’s were really full of enthusiasm and their screams were awesome. Young-Mi also screams and shakes the balloon she was holding hard. Seeing her friend like that, Sandy so joined in cheering and screaming even though her voice was clearly not heard among the shrill other fans who are more expert in this matter. Sandy saw Jung Tae-Woo standing in front of the audience, smiling broadly and waving. The man wore a black shirt, white jacket, white trousers, and a scarf black and white he bought with Sandy.

Then Jung Tae-Woo starts singing and Sandy lets himself be influenced by wild Jung Tae-Woo fans. He joined in screaming and wagging balloons like Young-Mi. Sandy acknowledged Jung Tae-Woo’s voice was indeed good, so he didn’t have time to think whether it really felt strange to see him on stage.

Jung Tae-Woo sang songs from his new album, interspersed with a short conversation with the audience. The fans kept screaming for fun, not even a few who fainted. The next is the signature distribution program. Sandy and Young-Mi join the queue.

Sandy saw the fans shaking Jung Tae-Woo’s hands one by one and smiled happily, some were crying so excited. Jung Tae-Woo’s friendly smile never left his face. Sometimes he talks short and jokes briefly with some fans. Sandy wondered if he didn’t feel tired.

When Sandy and Young-Mi’s turn was almost there, Sandy could hear the conversation between Jung Tae-Woo and his fans. Generally the fans will compliment his appearance and song, then Jung Tae-Woo will thank him politely and very kindly, after that he will ask the fan’s name and sign on a CD, poster, or whatever is offered to him.

When Sandy finally stood in front of Jung Tae-Woo, the man did not look surprised when he saw her. Sandy tried to act like most of the other fans of Jung Tae-Woo and offered the CD Jung Tae-Woo that she just bought earlier.

“Tae-Woo Oppa, I like your song,” Sandy said passionately. She does not care about Young-Mi who constantly elbows her.

She heard Jung Tae-Woo cough softly and put his signature on the cover of the CD she was offering. Then with his usual smile, he returned the CD to Sandy. Sandy immediately grabbed and squeezed Jung Tae-Woo’s hand which stuck out the CD, making the man somewhat surprised.

“Thank you, Tae-Woo Oppa. Thanks. I love you, “she exclaimed happily.

In her heart, she laughed out loud at the expression on his face.

When walking back to her seat, Sandy saw Park Hyun-Shik standing not far from Jung Tae-Woo. Park Hyun-Shik also saw it. Sandy leaned down slightly to give a greeting which Park Hyun-Shik returned with a smile and a thumbs-up. Surely that uncle had seen the small scene earlier.

After the autograph event was over, the emcee announced that Jung Tae-Woo would distribute special gifts to ten fans.

“Wow! He wants to distribute gifts! What is it?” Young-Mi is so excited that she doesn’t stop moving in her seat.

“Hat,” Sandy answered involuntarily.

Jung Tae-Woo, who was standing next to the emcee, said he would present the ten hats he had bought himself. Young-Mi’s head immediately turned to Sandy.

“How do you know?” she asked suspiciously.

Sandy became troubled and hurriedly said, “Just guess it. Usually artists like to give gifts of hats. If it’s not a hat, then a keychain or brooch. “

Young-Mi smiles. “Maybe you’re right. He once gave a brooch gift to his fans. Unfortunately at that time I didn’t get it. “

The hats were distributed to eligible fans. For example when the host asks who brought the first official poster Jung Tae-Woo, or fans who came from far, and so on. Some are randomly chosen by throwing the ball, and whoever catches the ball will get a prize. Everyone has fun including Sandy and Young-Mi.

“Now, we only have one last hat,” said the emcee who was greeted by the screams of the fans. Whether it’s screams of disappointment or happiness because to Sandy’s ears, the screams of Jung Tae-Woo fans sound just the same.

“That’s mine!” exclaimed Young-Mi as loud as possible, trying to beat the screams of other fans while waving both hands toward the host.

“Maybe you remember, before the program started we asked you to write down your cell phone number on a piece of paper and put it in the big box over there. Do you know what that means?” asked the emcee. 

There was a roar from the audience as they looked to and fro and wondered.

“I’ll explain it,” the host said again and the atmosphere became quiet. “Look, Jung Tae-Woo will pick one of the phone numbers in the box randomly and he will call that number. Whoever’s cell phone rings, come forward, and this last hat will be yours. Now you have to hold your cell phone and make sure your cellphone is active.”

The enthusiasm of the audience soared and they were busy taking out their cellphones. Sandy felt she had become a fanatical fan because she was also holding her cellphone hopefully like Young-Mi.

“Ready? Shall we start? ” exclaimed Jung Tae-Woo who was greeted by screaming fans.

He put his hand in the big box and rummaged, then took out a small piece of paper. The fans are still screaming. Then Jung Tae-Woo pulled out his own cell phone and opened the flap. The screams of thousands of fans are getting worse. The emcee must also calm down the audience by saying that they could not possibly hear the ringing of the telephone if everyone continued to scream like that. Finally the atmosphere returned to silence, now only a soft whisper here and there.

Jung Tae-Woo pressed the cellphone button while looking at the small paper in his hand, then pressed the cellphone to his ear. The small paper was put back in the box.

Seconds waiting for the connection to feel so long. Everyone there looked at their cellphones hopefully. Suddenly the dial tone. 

“Jeez!” Sandy shouted in surprise when the cellphone she was holding rang loud.

“Soon-Hee, your cellphone!” Young-Mi screams while laughing hysterically.

The audience began to speak and the host told Sandy to stand up and answer her cell phone.

“Miss wearing a blue shirt, please answer first. Is it really Jung Tae-Woo who’s calling?”

Sandy actually doesn’t need to answer because on the cellphone screen the words “JTW” appear, the name she saved for Jung Tae-Woo’s cellphone number. It was true that Jung Tae-Woo called her, but Sandy kept opening the cellphone flap and sticking it to her ear. Even though the atmosphere was very noisy because of the people cheering and clapping, she could still hear Jung Tae-Woo’s voice on the phone saying, “Hey, come on go ahead.”

Young-Mi grips Sandy’s arm and shakes her body hard. Sandy wondered where her friend’s energy came from. Finally she managed to free herself from her friend and went forward with two guards. Her heart was pounding loudly because this was the first time for her to stand in front of a crowd of people who were cheering and screaming. She back and forth bent towards the fans as well as the show’s staff on stage.

When Sandy stands in front of Jung Tae-Woo, she realizes neither Jung Tae-Woo nor the emcee is holding a hat. She saw the host give a signal to one of the staff standing in the corner, but the staff member shook his head.

What is this? There is no hat? Sandy was sure they had bought ten and she had counted nine hats that had been given. One hat is still left. Don’t tell me Jung Tae-Woo wants to make a fun with her.

The host looks confused but tries to be calm. But Jung TaeWoo suddenly said, “Wow, it looks like the last hat is gone. I am really sorry. I wonder?”

The audience was silent and Sandy looked at Jung Tae-Woo with narrowed eyes.

Suspicious look. If Jung Tae-Woo is playing with her, this is really not funny. She was already so nervous standing in the light like this and now she has to accept Jung Tae-Woo’s game?

The host said, “Yes, I’m very sorry. It looks like the last hat is lost. We are looking for it now.”

Sandy felt like a fool, just standing still in front of everyone. She decided she should go back to her seat. When she turned around, Jung Tae-Woo held her back.

“Wait a minute,” he said, smiling apologetically. “Since there is no hat, how about I give this to you?”

Jung Tae-Woo took off the scarf around his neck and wrapped it around Sandy’s neck. The audience again screamed and screamed. Sandy looked at the scarf patterned in black and white boxes that were now wrapped around her neck. She touched the scarf and looked up at Jung Tae-Woo in surprise. The man is laughing and the laughter on his face made Sandy finally join in the smile.

“Waah … you’re so lucky, Soon-Hee! You didn’t get a hat, but you got the scarf he was wearing. Ouch, Ouch, my heart … If I were you, I would definitely not be able to sleep tonight, “said Young-Mi enthusiastically on the way home from the event. They both sat in the back row of the bus which was not too crowded.

“Yes, I’m very lucky,” Sandy agreed, smiling. She continued to stare at the scarf wrapped around her neck. She had thought that Jung Tae-Woo was playing with her, but it wasn’t like that. At first, if Sandy’s ugly guess proved right, she intended to punch Tae-Woo right then and there.

Suddenly Young-Mi straightens her back and grips Sandy’s arm.

“Wait a minute, Soon-Hee. You have Jung Tae-Woo’s number! “

That’s not a question and Sandy can only blink in confusion.

Young-Mi patted Sandy’s arm and exclaimed, “Earlier he contacted your cellphone with his cellphone, so that means on your cellphone now there must still be his cellphone number, right?”

“No!” Sandy argued quickly. What does it have to say? “Earlier … when I returned to my seat after receiving the gift, Jung Tae-Woo himself said that the cellphone belonged to one of his staff members. Anyway, think about it, how could Jung Tae-Woo be carelessly letting his cellphone number be known to strangers? “

Young-Mi nods her head. “Makes sense too.”

Sandy breathed a sigh of relief and grunted inwardly. Throughout this agreement, Jung Tae-Woo has caused many problems himself, but instead Sandy has to fix it. Maybe the man needs to be punched.

“Hey, let me see your signed CD earlier,” pleaded Young-Mi while taking out her own CD.

Sandy took the CD out of the bag and handed it to her friend.

“Look, he wrote ‘For Kang Young-Mi … from Jung Tae-Woo’,” Young-Mi said, showing it to Sandy. She screamed happily and stroked her CD box. Sandy could only shake her friend’s behavior. Then Young-Mi switches to read the writing on the front cover of Sandy’s CD. “For Sandy …from Jung Tae-Woo. ” She paused for a moment, then asked, “Sandy?”

Sandy immediately turned. “Why?”

“Did you just tell him your Indonesian name, huh?” Young-Mi asked.

“Oh, that …” Sandy was rather nervous. “Yes, it seems so.”

Young-Mi frowns and shakes her head. “No, no. Looks like you didn’t even say your name. “

“Really?” Sandy said in surprise. She began to panic and quickly racked her brain, struggling to remember the signature event earlier.

Young-Mi continued, “I was standing right behind you at that time. You just said you like the song. “

Sandy remembered, but she tried to argue, “Ah, no. I said “How are you? My name is Sandy Tae-Woo Oppa, I like your song ‘. I’m sure of it. If not, how would he know my name? “

Why is this friend so smart? For a moment Sandy felt afraid of the carefulness of Kang Young-Mi. Over time, if she and Jung Tae-Woo continue to make small mistakes like this, she will run out of excuses.

Young-Mi thinks, then finally nods. “Is that true? It was very noisy at the time, so maybe I didn’t hear it. Never mind, it’s not important. By the way, the song he sang earlier was really good huh? “

“Today’s program was very successful. I congratulate you, “said Park Hyun-Shik. He and Tae-Woo have returned to the management office. Relieved, he leaned his back against his office chair and looked at Tae-Woo happily.

Tae-Woo looks at his manager and smiles. “Indeed. I’m glad we got through it so well, not like before. “

“Everything’s fine, you don’t need to worry,” said Park Hyun-Shik. He exhaled and said, “I know you called Sandy earlier. The number listed on the paper is not Sandy’s mobile number, right? “

Tae-Woo laughs. “Indeed. I intended to make a fun on her, but it didn’t work.”

Park Hyun-Shik joined in laughing and loosen his tie knot. “I already felt strange when you asked me to keep the last hat.”

Tae-Woo gets up from his chair. “Where do you keep that hat?”

Park Hyun-Shik took out the hat he asked from under his jacket and threw it at Tae-Woo.

Tae-Woo casually catches the yellow cloth hat and looks at it. He remembered that he and Sandy had differed opinions about this one yellow hat.

According to Sandy the hat was good, while he thought the yellow color was too flashy. But now that I think about it, this yellow hat is not bad.

“Hyong, I’m going home first,” he said as he waved his hat.

“Yes, lots of rest. Next week your schedule is very tight, ”Park Hyun-Shik reminded.