An K-pop Story

Jade and I were getting ready to send our fan letter to the biggest K-pop band, XR. XR is a K-pop band that is extremely popular within the industry. We were so excited to send our letter to them. It was a chance for our letter to be read publicly. That was why I took so much time to perfect it. “Hurry, Deanna. We're gonna be late to the post office.” I screamed, "I'm coming!" from my desk in the bedroom. I took the envelope, pressed it to my lips, and whispered a prayer under my breath, hoping for the best.

I grabbed my purse and bolted downstairs to meet a ticked-off Jade. We jumped in the car and blasted the radio. “I’m so excited! We'll be breaking barriers as the only black women from New Orleans to have our letter read publicly!”

“I’m so excited!” Jade said as she pulled into the parking lot of the post office. “If our letter gets read publicly, that means we’ll be the only black women from Orleans parish to have our letter read!”

“We made it,” Jade said with a sigh of relief as she pulled into the crowded post office parking lot.

We both got out of the car. Jade rushed inside, leaving me behind. I grumbled, “Slow down!” She knew I had anxiety, and she still raced off. As I tried to catch up, Jade rushed inside and left me behind. I grabbed my purse and ran down the stairs, meeting an irritated Jade. We got into the car and drove off. I was almost inside when I noticed the line had gotten longer, forcing me to wait even longer. It was longer than the line at the DMV on a Monday morning.

I sighed and waited.

Normally, the post office isn't this jam-packed. I let out a deep sigh and shifted impatiently in the line. I didn't know what was happening until I moved closer. It was Lee Jae, the member of XR. Then Jade comes out excitedly. “I gave Lee Jae my letter!” She beamed with excitement.

Of course, Jade would meet Lee Jae. She always had a knack for getting what she wanted. Sometimes I felt like I was living in her shadow. I was excited for Jade. She handed her letter directly in the hands of Lee Jae, while they would never read mines. Oh well, things like this always happen. I don’t know why I thought it would be any different. Jade and I rode back home. She kept talking about the encounter with Lee Jae. I just nodded along, pretending to be interested in her story. Deep down, however, I was still sad. We eventually came to my house. She stopped what she was saying. “I’m sorry, D. I really am. I know you wanted to hand your fan letter off too,” she said.

I sighed, trying my best not to show my sadness. “It’s okay, at least you got to hand your letter off,” I said.

“Deanna, I’ll call you, okay?” she said.

I said, “Okay.”

I left her car and went inside. I sat quietly in the living room and turned on a movie.

My brothers came home from school, Christian and Cameron. They were twins, attending Spedrock University. Christian majored in engineering and Cameron majored in music business.

Cameron plopped on the sofa next to me. “Hey sis! What’s with the long face?” he asked.

I sighed once again, not wanting them to know what happened with Jade and me. I simply said, “Nothing.”

Cameron looked at me skeptically, knowing something was up. Christian, in the kitchen making food for us, knew something was up as well. They were older than me by 10 months.

I tried to brush off the conversation, but Cameron wasn’t buying it. “What happened, Deanna?”

So I wound up telling them everything that happened.

Christian sighed. “Honestly, why do you even still hang out with her?” he said, still cooking. “To be honest, D, I think you know well enough that Jade has always been about herself and herself only. When Mom passed away, she didn’t even care. It was always how she felt and what she was going through.”

I silently nodded, acknowledging Christian’s words. I knew he was probably right, but I didn’t have any other friends besides her and Ivy.

Christian shouted, "Pizza's ready!" and we all rushed over to grab a slice. As we dug into the delicious pizza, Christian continued our conversation. “You deserve friends who truly care about you, not friends who only use you for when they need a listening ear.” I looked down at the plate, as realization hit, I felt the nausea hit the pit of my stomach. As Christian got up to hang with his friends. Cameron went upstairs to get ready for work, while I went to my room and crashed on the bed. I knew he was probably right, but I didn’t have any other friends besides her and Ivy. As Cameron and Christian

I woke up to a text message from Cameron.

“Check your thread,” he said. “Jade and Ivy are talking bad about you.”

As I scrolled through the thread, my heart dropped as I read Jade and Ivy's comments about my dressing style and plain appearance. I really wanted to yell at them and say how much they hurt me, but I knew it would only make it worse. I took a deep breath and hit the block button.

Finally, I felt free again. I'm free from their negativity and hurtful words. I could finally be my true self.

I transformed my emotions into something productive. I directed my attention towards writing, a passion of mine. Without realizing it, I wrote an entire fanfiction. My purpose for writing this fan-fiction was to escape. I did not know that sharing it online would grab the attention of other K-pop enthusiasts or even the XR members.

It shocked me when I started getting messages from fans who loved my story. I received a message from a member of XR himself telling me how much he enjoyed my story, which left me even more shocked. Messages and comments from other fans expressed their appreciation and excitement for my fanfic in the following days. Kim Woo Joon, the CEO of FanStar Entertainment, the company that XR is with, made one of those comments. His comment was so surprising and exciting that I literally jumped out of my chair when I read it. “The way you portrayed the music and members of XR in your fanfic is truly remarkable, capturing their essence flawlessly. We would love it if you became our Webtoon and Wattpad writer for our groups,” he wrote. My heart was pounding with excitement. He wrote. The comment from Kim Woo Joon made my heart race with excitement and disbelief. His group offered me a position as a writer! Excitedly, I dashed to Cameron and Christian in the living room where they were lounging on the sofa, watching the Saints against the Eagles.

“Guys! Guys!” I shouted.

As they looked up at me, their eyes widened with anticipation.

“Hey D, what's new?” Cameron asked.

Trying my best to hold back tears, I shared the exciting news. “I had landed a job with the highly acclaimed FanStar Entertainment. I’m going to be one of their writers for their groups’ Webtoon and Wattpad!”

Cameron and Christian didn't hesitate before jumping off the couch and giving me a tight bear hug.

“Congrats, D! You’re going to South Korea!” Christian said. “We’re so proud of you for following your dreams.”

“We should celebrate!” Cameron said.

My brothers and I celebrated the news and job offer. I called Mr. Kim Woo Joon, and we talked about my contract and pay, discussing the details of my new role in FanStar Entertainment. I felt like a new chapter in my life had just begun. My heart was racing with excitement and nervousness as I ended the call. I couldn’t wait to start this new adventure!

Cameron and Christian helped packed for our move to South Korea. Excitement was building up inside me as I thought about the opportunities ahead. As I was getting ready to leave, Jade came over. Cameron's gaze sharpened as his eyes narrowed. “What do you want?” He spat out with anger.

His reaction took Jade for surprised, but she quickly gathered herself. “I know I was wrong about what I did to you,” she said.

I wanted to believe she had changed, but I knew it was not the case. Jade had a habit of using others to benefit herself. I found out that her letter wasn't chosen to be read publicly on YouTube. I suspected she came over to apologize only because she had seen my post about my good news.

I looked at her and said, Jade, “I've always had your back, but when you ditched me to hand over your letter without even checking on me. Then talked trash about me with Ivy on social media. You made it clear you don't give a damn. I'm off to South Korea. I'll survive without you.”

When Jade looked at me, her eyebrows raised in surprise, and her eyes filled with regret. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

I sighed, feeling the weight of the moment. “It’s too late for that, I said. I’m going now.”

Cameron smirked. “That’s exactly,” he said. “Please leave.”

Jade watched me in silence as I gathered my belongings and headed towards the door. She left without a word.

Christian, Cameron, and I left. It was a given that they would come with me. Leaving the country by myself wasn't a possibility. With our mother gone and our father absent, we only had each other. They moved to the university in S. Korea. We made our way to the gate and boarded the flight that would take us to Seoul.