Chapter Five 

More messages were left on Hyejin's Wattpad account. Most of the messages came from people who had attended her fan signing and received her autograph and a message. They sounded happy, from what Hyejin had read and she couldn't help but feel happy as well. 

She recognized most of the accounts but there was one account she's seen around once. It was the newest account she has ever seen. The oppa fan that went by the name of @dinorawr17. She hasn't seem him in her notifications such as him voting or commenting on her stories; he came out of nowhere, really. He just popped out and sent a sweet message to him. 

@dinorawr17: I got to go to your fan signing after all! thank you for signing my book, hwan hyejin! I'm so happy! continue to have success in your life, hwan hyejin! 

Hyejin lightly giggled as she typed back her reply to him. 

@hwan_ji: Hehe, thank you for coming! <3

Her phone started ringing and Hyejin immediately picked up the call. 

"Hi, Hyejin!" Dae Jung greeted on the other end, all cheery. 

Hyejin leaned back in her swivel chair as she greeted back, "Hi there, Dae Jung."

"Want to go somewhere fun?" Dae Jung asked on the other line. 

Hyejin paused from going to her works on Wattpad and checking on the drafts she was working on. She wasn't sure what story she wanted to publish next. Her Hoshi fanfiction or her Woozi fanfiction. 

"Somewhere fun?" she repeated. She wanted to, but she was afraid she'd get spotted by people. After all, everyone knew who she was. 

"Yup! Wherever you think is fun. Do you want to watch a movie? There are new movies out," Dae Jung suggested. 

Movies did sound okay. Plus, they would be inside a cinema, where it would be dark. No one would recognize Hyejin that way. "Sure. Let's watch movies. I'll meet you at E-Cube Mall later, then?"

"You seem to be hooked up with E-Cube Mall lately," Dae Jung noted. 

Only because it's the nearest mall to Pledis, Hyejin thought as she smiled behind her phone screen. "Yeah, yeah. It's not because my face is right in front of Sujin Bookstore or anything. It's also not because I have become their celebrity ambassador. I just like it there."

Dae Jung wasn't convinced by her. "Are you sure? You sound suspicious. Do you have a boyfriend who works there? Or a crush? Tell me, Hwan Hyejin. Is there a new added member to our small circle of friends?"

"You're crazy, Cho Dae Jung. What circle? There's only two of us," Hyejin said. "There's no guy, Dae Jung. I'm apparently not attracted to guys of my age. Or level. Whatever I'm saying, I'm not even making sense."

Dae Jung let out a teasing chuckle. "Oh, but you do know that you've leveled up, Hwan Hyejin?"

Hyejin squinted her eyes, though he couldn't see it. "What do you mean? I leveled up?"

"Don't you know? You're famous now, Hwan Hyejin. You're what the entire nation is talking about. Have you forgotten that, Miss Famous?" Dae Jung teased. 

Famous. That was the one word she kept hearing around her. She wrote a fanfiction. It got published. What she didn't expect to happen was her being all over the news. Offline or not, she was there. Her name, her picture. People knew about her. Some of them loved her. Some of them criticized her. But whatever it was, she was still famous. 

"You won't believe how tiring it is to be famous," Hyejin quietly confessed. She let out a sigh and shook her head. "I'll tell you about it when we meet up later. I'll see you then, Cho Dae Jung. Hang up."

"Okay. I can't wait to hear my best friend's rant after she turned famous," Dae Jung said, chuckling before he ended the call. 

Hyejin placed her phone on top of her computer desk and turned her chair so it faced the wall that her bed was placed next to. She wanted to do some thinking right before she met with Dae Jung. There were things she started to wonder ever since she gained the famous title. 

Before everything happened, she was only a girl on Wattpad, thinking how on earth could she become just like those famous people on Wattpad. She studied their ways and approaches to fans and tried to do the same but it didn't work, so she gave up. She just watched all the other authors grow and she was stuck in the same place. 

No one noticed her. No one loved her. She was a ghost on Wattpad no one could see.

Then, magically, everything changed overnight. From a girl to 521 followers to a girl with 21.3K followers. How did it happen? Hyejin was clueless. But maybe it was those type of magical moments that catch you off guard. 

Maybe that was even how the other users on Wattpad turned famous. It was magical. It came unexpectedly. And before you know it, it doesn't stop. People follow, watch your every move on Wattpad, wait for updates, and leave sweet messages for you to see. 

Hyejin was thankful. That was all she was to them. She was so thankful for every one of her reader's existence. Without them, she didn't think she would have continued her dream. 

Hyejin smiled alone in her room before she finally stood up and got ready to meet Dae Jung. She first took a shower and while showering, she had different flashes of new and potential story ideas she could use for her other drafts. 

After she was done showering, she changed into the clothes she was going to wear to meet Dae Jung. A white shirt with a small print that said I'M CUTE. in pink over black tights with her favourite white sneakers. She saw her phone placed on her computer desk blinking and immediately went to check on it. 

Hyejin squinted her eyes at the message before she began writing a reply to her. 

Hyejin: When it is?

Ms. Jang: It's scheduled in three days. It's going to be aired everywhere. Would you do it? They'll just ask a few questions and that's it.

Hyejin: okay... I'll do it. 

Ms. Jang: Great! I'll tell them the great news.

Hyejin: Okay. I'll be going to the movies with my best friend today. Sorry if I don't reply to your messages later.

Ms. Jang: That's alright. I'll text you the details soon, then. 

Hyejin: Okay.

Hyejin pressed the home button of her phone and breathed in a deep breath. A talk show. Wow. She was really doing all sort of things, wasn't she?

Shaking her head, she concentrated on watching a movie with her best friend. She grabbed all her necessary items and finally left the house to head over to E-Cube Mall.

+ + + 

The bus was filled with people pilling in. Hyejin wore a mask and kept her head down, afraid people would recognize her and start asking for pictures. Hyejin felt like a celebrity with every growing day with all the people watching her every move, but nothing has really changed. 

She still lived with her parents. She still goes to school, though she was on her holidays currently. Nothing much has changed. 

But even if everything was still the same as before, she couldn't ignore the fact people knew her. Strangers knew her name—her face. They would recognize her if she was walking on the street. They'd whisper to their friends, regardless of good or bad things. The entire nation knew her. 

Sometimes, Hyejin would have nightmares. She liked getting recognized for her talents but she was still afraid. She didn't know if she had a phobia, but she really disliked people watching her, especially when they were waiting for her to mess up in some way...

Hyejin lightly shook her head and concentrated on everything else. She was squeezed between some seniors from her school. She recognized them because she often made eye contact with one of the two. Quickly, she stared down at her shoes and hoped no one would recognize her. 

She arrived at her stop not long after and slipped down the bus in the quickest way possible as she entered E-Cube Mall. Pledis Entertainment was nearby and she wanted to do something as crazy as checking if SEVENTEEN would magically appear out of there but she wanted to at least keep her sanity, so she dismissed the thought and tried to search for Dae Jung. 

"There you are!" Dae Jung said once he spotted her. He raised a hand up and started waving, trying to catch her attention. 

She was glad he didn't blurt her name out in public or heads would have turned to see them. She picked up her pace and did her best to keep her head lowered so no one would recognize her. Again, the burden of being famous. 

"Woah, you're even wearing a mask. Having a famous best friend sure is cool," Dae Jung said before he laughed and patted her head. 

Hyejin punched his arm and said, "Whatever, Cho Dae Jung. Let's get moving. I don't want to get recognized. It'd create a scene."

Dae Jung chuckled and nodded before he started moving. While they were walking past people, Dae Jung suddenly took his phone out and showed Hyejin a video. 

"What's this?" Hyejin asked before he played it. 

"Just watch it," said Dae Jung as he pressed play. 

The video showed a boy with a mask and a baseball hat. The time stamp was the day of Hyejin's fan signing. The angle of the video was filmed behind Hyejin. 

The guy avoided Hyejin's eye contact most of the time. Hyejin wasn't sure what exactly she was watching until Dae Jung started to zoom in on the guy. When he looked up to make eye contact with Hyejin, Dae Jung paused the video. 

"What am I supposed to be looking at?" Hyejin asked, confused. 

"Look at the guy," Dae Jung said, pointing at the screen of his phone. 

Hyejin leaned closer to take a good look at the video but she still didn't understand what was Dae Jung trying to say. "Nope. You lost me. What? Is this the guy you've fallen for? Hmm?"

Dae Jung ignored her and said, "This video was taken on the day of your fan signing. It was... around five fifty one in the afternoon? Your manager was the one who took his video, standing right behind the two bodyguards you had by your side at that time."

"I know that. I was practically there when it happened, Dae Jung. I just don't understand why you're showing me one of my fans right now," Hyejin said, looking at Dae Jung, confused. 

Dae Jung continued, "Why did you think your manager started to record? There were a bunch of other fans she could have recorded, but why would she have recorded him out of the many for?"

Hyejin shrugged back in response. "I don't know, because he was good looking? Because she recognized him? Maybe he's her nephew or something. Maybe she wanted to tease him about it later."

"You're not following up very well." Dae Jung shook his head and sighed. "Think fanfictional, Hwan Hyejin. Why do you think your manager did this?"

"More importantly, why did she send that to you?" Hyejin wore a questionable face as she eyed her best friend.

"That's not important right now," he said, frowning at her. 

"It is to me."

"Fine, you're so stubborn. It's because I'm your best friend, so she sent it to me. She thought I'd help you realize something as important and big as this," Dae Jung said, lightly pushing the side of her head. "You must be a huge pabo to not have noticed it, Hyejin."

"What did I not notice? I'm so confused." Hyejin felt frustrated not understanding what was going on. She looked at Dae Jung and asked, "Can't you just tell me what's up?"

Dae Jung shook his head in response. "It'd be better if you realize on your own. It's my job to help you with that. Continuing where we left off, why did you think your manager recorded this guy, out of all the other fans that attended your fan signing?"

"I don't know, because he was an oppa fan?" she suggested, unsure. She was getting more frustrated by the seconds. She didn't like suspense, though she liked writing in it her stories. Ironically. 

"There were other oppa fans there, too, Hyejin," Dae Jung pointed out. He was trying to trim the list down for her. 

"You're making no sense," Hyejin decided after a moment. "Absolutely no sense. What's so important about this guy, huh? Is he your cousin or something? Or my cousin? Too bad, I don't have a cousin around that age that's a guy."

Dae Jung crossed his arms over his chest as he looked at me with amazement. "You're really clueless, aren't you?"

"I don't get you so I'm just going to walk away..."

Dae Jung stopped Hyejin from escaping by holding her firmly on her shoulders. He gave her a smile and said, "Think about it, Hyejin."

"Nope." Hyejin shook her head in response. "I refuse to answer something I don't understand."

"Fine, I'll give you a hint. He's someone famous." Dae Jung looked like he dropped the biggest hint ever, yet, Hyejin still had no clue who or what he was talking about. 

After a while, Hyejin finally said, "Yup, you're crazy. I'm going to hop over there and watch a movie myself if Mr. Crazy here doesn't tell me what's going on."

Dae Jung sighed again, his head lowered as he shook it from side to side. "You're totally hopeless. I don't understand how a girl like you has been recognized for her writing."

"Stop belittling me." Hyejin immediately pinched Dae Jung's arm as she threw him a glare. "Just tell me already. If it was that obvious, I must have missed it big time."

"How can you call yourself a fan girl when you can't even recognize your idol kneeling right in front of you, asking to get his book signed?" Dae Jung finally dropped the bomb. 

It took minutes—long minutes, in fact—for Hyejin to react. Her head slowly moved and looked up at Dae Jung, her eyes slowly widening as she asked him, "What?"

"Didn't you hear me? I said: your idol was right in front of you at that time," Dae Jung repeated. 

"What? That meant..." Hyejin gulped, feeling shaky all of a sudden. 

Dae Jung confirmed it, "Yup, that's right. Your bias from SEVENTEEN, Dino, was right in front of you asking for an autograph. He must be a fan. Congratulations, Hwan Hyejin. Not only are you idolized by the fandom, you have your idol admiring you too."

~Author's Notes~ 

Here's another lovely chapter for you guys. <3 Don't forget to vote and leave comments! <3 See you in the next one. <3