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My blog views jumped exponentially since the big announcement, so I should probably introduce myself to all the new readers.
Hello, everyone! My name is Letty McDonnell. Some of you may recognize me from that little airport incident a few months back. It was all a misunderstanding. I promise. But I get why so many fans cried foul. I would be livid if I thought someone was trying to hurt Ki Tae!
So imagine my shock when I got the call inviting me to be on a television show with him. I never in my wildest fantasies thought of going on a Korean reality program, let alone one where I pretend to be married to the man of my dreams. Nobody pinch me. I’m afraid I might wake up! Check back often for all the juicy behind-the-scenes details.
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Letty shoved her cat’s eye sunglasses up the bridge of her nose and adjusted her beret as she passed a mirror at the baggage claim in Incheon International Airport. She reviewed the effects of her latest diet and gave herself a wink. Five weeks with no carbs just about killed her, but it knocked off that extra five pounds she wanted to lose before she launched her career as a Korean variety show star. It had been a while since her hips could fit into this secretary style pencil skirt. She clocked in at a very pleasantly distributed size eight on the American charts. The chance to fake marry her favorite Korean pop star had been the greatest gym motivator of her life. She wiggled her slimmed down hips just once to revel in her weight loss victory then buttoned her coat, grabbed her suitcase and headed for the exit.
“Hello, Seoul!” She raised her voice so that everyone in the general vicinity could hear her, not that they cared. “It’s good to be back.”
Two short months ago she’d been in the depths of despair. After a long interrogation by airport security, she’d managed to convince them that she was not mentally unbalanced or plotting some sort of deranged fangirl attack, and they allowed her to leave with a warning. But that was far from the end of the ordeal.
A video of her head over heels tumble had already gone viral before she even made it home to Pittsburgh, and people all over the world labeled her The Puppy Sign Stalker. Nobody in her everyday American life even suspected what a turmoil she was in. Her internationally ignorant coworkers greeted her with the same bland smiles as always. But online, the K-pop loving community plastered her story on every blog and fan forum she visited.
Her friend Hannah, who lived in South Korea, even saw it on the local news and called to check on her. But as it so often happens, what seemed like the worst moment of her life became a blessing in disguise.
A very shameful, pride crushing disguise.
The huge amount of South Korean press generated by the airport scandal inspired B4U’s agency to capitalize on the publicity. They soon announced they would be featuring the band in an internet reality series called Marry My Stalker. Each of the four singers would “fake marry” a diehard fan from a different country and complete various games and romantic scenarios with them. A representative from UStar Agency called Letty and offered her a job as Ki Tae’s reality wife, and the rest was history.
Who would have thought a Korean reality program would fulfill the two biggest desires of her life? She would meet Ki Tae in the living, breathing, spectacular flesh. And she would add a Mrs. to her name. Sort of. After three weeks of shooting, she had to give the honorary title back.
“Good thing I had all those vacation days saved up,” Letty told the stranger in the tan overcoat beside her.
The man gave her a polite, confused smile, nodded, and speed walked away.
Letty pulled out her cell and looked up the number they told her to call when she landed. She punched in the digits and held the phone to her ear.
“Hello?” A friendly male voice on the other end picked up on the first ring.
“Oh good! You speak English.” Letty worried about that on the flight over. “Not that I don’t love Korean, but I doubt this call comes with subtitles.”
The listener on the other end chuckled. “Yes. I was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. No need for subtitles.”
“Cleveland? That’s close to where I’m from! Ever been to Pittsburgh?” Letty navigated through the terminal with her oversized orange suitcase and headed for the exit as she talked.
“Steel City? My friends and I used to drive there for football games.”
“Brownie points to you for calling it Steel City!” She swerved to avoid an employee pushing a cleaning cart.
“Can I assume this is Letty?”
“Assume away.” Letty walked through the sliding glass doors and rolled her suitcase down the sidewalk as she looked for the taxis. “I just landed and am currently looking for the taxis.”
“Great! My name is Park Hyun Bin, but you can just shorten it to Ben. I’ll be your translator. As soon as you get to the agency, I’ll fill you in on the details before you meet with the director.”
“How will I recognize you?” Letty asked the man with the smile in his voice.
“Just look for the sleepy guy in the green sweater. I’m afraid I’m still on Cleveland time.”
“Oh? How long have you been in Seoul?”
“About three years.”
Letty laughed. At least they gave her a translator with a sense of humor.
“But seriously,” Ben said. “Just ask for me at the front desk.”
Letty spotted an available driver bending to get in his cab and waved her arm. “Tahk-shi! Tahk-shi!” She’d been practicing her Korean ever since she’d gotten the recruiting call.
The driver straightened and looked at her with a furrowed brow. Letty heard Ben’s smothered laughter in her ear and froze.
“What? What did I do?”
“I’m sure he appreciates your effort to speak his native language. But your pronunciation could use a little work. It’s more like taek-shi.”
“What did I say?”
“You basically called him Mr. Chicken.”
“Oops!” Letty cringed. “What a way to make a first impression!”
“I bet it will be a funny story at the dinner table tonight.”
“That’s okay then. As long as someone gets a laugh out of it. Joesonghamnida.” She bowed low as she walked up to the man and used the Korean word for sorry.
“Did I apologize right?” she whispered into the phone.
“Perfect."
Letty passed her suitcase to the driver and climbed into the backseat while he stowed her bag in the trunk. She pulled out a Korean phrasebook from her jacket along with the slip of paper that had the address for UStar Agency. Letty sounded out the next phrase in the book that meant, “Can you drive me here, please?” but heard Ben chuckling again.
“What? It wasn’t that bad!”
“No, no. But ... if you wouldn’t mind, I could talk to the driver for you.”
“Would you?” Letty slumped back against the seat. “That would be amazing!”
“Just pass the phone up to him along with the address and I’ll tell him what you need.”
“Roger that.”
Letty smiled at the driver as he opened the door and slid behind the steering wheel. She pointed to her cell before she gave it to him with the slip of paper, and he nodded. The man listened to Ben’s explanation without saying a word and passed her phone back in less than a minute. Letty propped it between her ear and her shoulder as she dug around in her purse.
“Hey. Me again. Thanks for the help.”
“No problem. It’s a bit of a drive from the airport. You should be here in about an hour.”
“Great! See you then.”
“Can I help with anything else?”
“I’m all set. This isn’t my first time in Korea.”
It was her second. But he didn’t need to know that.
“Ah, an expert.” Ben laughed. “Okay. I’ll be waiting for you at the agency. But call me if you need anything at all.”
“Will do.”
Letty hung up and watched the big city scenery speed past her window. Her heart did a little tap dance in her chest just being in South Korea again. The last time she was here, she’d traveled all over the country with a hilarious group of fellow fangirls on a tour bus. That’s when she’d met her friend Hannah, but more importantly, that’s where Hannah met her future husband Jae. Letty smiled as she relived that first trip in her mind. It may have been secondhand romance, but that was still one of the best love stories she ever witnessed. And to make it even better, the two would have never gotten together if it weren’t for her.
As if on cue, her phone screen lit up with the number of her K-drama loving kindred spirit, Hannah Lee.
Letty answered on the first ring. “Hannah! I missed you.”
“Have you landed? Did they lose your luggage? Was the flight smooth?”
“Yes. No. And Yes. Everything is great! I’m on my way to UStar now.”
“I don’t know why you wouldn’t let us pick you up,” Hannah grumbled. “The taxi ride will cost a fortune.”
“It’s a weekday and you and Jae are busy enough running the tour company. You can’t spend two hours driving to and from the airport. Besides, the agency is paying the tab. They can afford it.”
“I know. It’s just been so long since we’ve seen each other. Once you start filming, you probably won’t have time for anything else.”
“I promise I’ll come see you the minute the show stops filming. Even if it’s three in the morning.”
“No need to come that soon!” a male voice shouted from the background.
“Hush, you.” Hannah said. “Sorry, Letty. You’re on speaker phone.”
“Hi, Jae!” Letty greeted her friend’s husband. “No need to pretend. I know you’re just dying to see me.”
“I guess it wouldn’t be too unbearable.” His voice drew closer to the phone.
“Still as charming as ever.” Letty didn’t take it personally. She knew his snarky words hid a caring soul underneath. “I’m going to give you an extra-large hug when I see you, no matter how much you squirm.”
“Have you signed the contract yet?” Hannah interrupted. “Because I really don’t think this is a good idea. Who knows how they’ll paint you? You would be at the mercy of the writers. The show is called Marry My Stalker. They might edit it so you look like a total nutcase!”
“Who cares! I’ll get to spend all sorts of one-on-one time with the man who makes my heart rock like an overloaded washing machine. Just me and Ki Tae.”
“And a thirty-person camera crew,” Jae deadpanned from the background.
“Oh them.” Letty waved a dismissive hand at the skyscrapers speeding by the taxi window. “I can tune them out easy. I’ve got great visual concentration. I scored higher than average on a brain test in college.”
Letty heard the scrape of chair legs against the floor as Hannah moved away from Jae and lowered her voice. “Do you really want your first adult relationship to be aired on international television for all the world to see?”
“Hey! I’ve been in a relationship before. What about Johnny King?”
“Second grade note passing doesn’t count.”
“Then what about the guy from college?”
“He friend zoned you and started dating your roommate.”
Letty gnawed on her lower lip with her teeth. “I may not have much experience in the dating arena. But when will I ever get an opportunity like this again? It’s Ki Tae!”
Hannah moaned and switched tactics. “You might have to do all sorts of crazy things. You know the kind of wacky assignments they give on those variety shows. Fish sauce, mud fights, water cannons.”
“Sounds like fun!” Letty said. “Oooh, maybe we’ll even get to tour his company and meet some other artists. Maybe I could even introduce you to Joon Ki.”
“Joon Ki?” Hannah’s tone changed and got louder at the mention of her favorite singer.
“Don’t even think about it!” Jae’s far off voice warned Letty this was a sensitive subject.
“No need to be jealous, Jae.” Letty laughed. “Hannah may have loved Joon Ki first, but I’m pretty sure you rank higher now.”
Hannah lowered her voice to a whisper. “Do you really think I’d get to meet—no wait! What am I saying? Letty, this is a bad idea. Isn’t there any way I can talk you out of it?”
Letty shook her head, even though Hannah couldn’t see it. “I know I may regret it later, sweetie, but look at the bright side. Even if it’s a total train wreck, I can always go back home to America. Nobody there will ever know.”
She heard Hannah laughing and knew she had her. Truth be told, she wasn’t quite as courageous as she pretended, but that wouldn’t stop her. Her smile was her armor and she was ready to take on the world.
The taxi started to slow and Letty recognized the ten-story steel and concrete building up ahead from the pictures she’d seen online.
“I’m here at UStar, Hannah. Talk to you soon. Love you!” Letty hung up before her friend could think of any new arguments.
She threw her hands up against the window and almost pressed her face to the glass like a little kid. She was actually here. Her alarm clock wasn’t going to wake her up in five minutes and tell her she needed to get ready for another boring day at the office.
“Only for you-oooh-oooh. Only for you-oooh-oooh,” she sang to herself.
The taxi passed a group of teenagers standing on the corner holding large signs.
“The fangirls are out early this morning.”
Letty pointed them out to the driver as she leaned forward in her seat. She’d be right there with them if she didn’t have an invitation inside. Letty craned her neck to see which artist they were touting and jerked back as she recognized a giant picture of herself with a bloody red “X” drawn over it. She couldn’t read the Hangul writing, but she was pretty sure it didn’t say Welcome to Korea.
Letty sunk low in the backseat. The driver pulled the car to a stop in the horseshoe shaped driveway in front of the agency. Letty waited for him to retrieve her luggage from the trunk as she pulled her coat collar up around her face and her beret down over her ears. She adjusted her sunglasses when he opened the door and slapped a wad of bills in his hand.
“Thanks for everything. Bye!”
Letty grabbed her giant orange suitcase and ran through the front door like her life depended on it. Knowing how unforgiving the diehard sasaeng fans could be ... it just might.
