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I went back to high school today. Me and my angel voiced, guitar playing faux husband.
Come to think of it, I had a crush on a guy in a band the first time around, too.
Not that he noticed. He was so busy dating their lead singer he never saw the girl on the front row at all their concerts. He also played the guitar.
Yes, I have to admit it. I’ve got a thing for guitar players.
––––––––
Letty skipped out the main entrance of her hotel and spun in a circle. If she were wearing a hat, she would have tossed it in the air. It was amazing what five hours of sleep could do. She stretched her arms up to the early morning sky and wished she could burst into song like those women in the classic Hollywood musicals. But she didn’t think Seoul was ready for that. No need to damage Korean-American relations with her pitch problems.
A honking horn brought her back to earth. She turned and saw Ben waving to her from behind the steering wheel of a small, white mini-van. The sagging rear bumper and deep black gash in the side door made it look like a reject from an action movie. She looped her purse strap over her shoulder and hurried over to meet him, her black and white polka dotted skirt bouncing around her.
“Has someone been using this to film chase scenes?” she asked as she swung the passenger door open.
Ben grunted in disgust. “It does look like a police car plowed into it, doesn’t it? But this is what the agency gave me to drive. Sorry I’m not playing the gentleman and opening your door. If you let Bessie sit idle for too long, the engine dies. I have to keep revving the gas pedal.”
“Bessie?” Letty scooted up onto the seat and shut the door.
“A car with this much personality deserves a proper name. And Bessie just seemed to fit. Like a stubborn old mule that would rather be grazing in the back pasture. Fasten your seatbelt.”
Ben put the car in drive and took off. He maneuvered through the crowded Seoul streets with ease as he pointed out various landmarks along the way. Letty clapped her hands when she recognized the imposing statue of Admiral Yi Sun Shin. This led to a full account of her last trip to Seoul when she visited all the famous landmarks with a tour bus full of southern middle aged Korean drama fans. Ben laughed in disbelief as she regaled him with stories of roadside breakdowns, impromptu hikes through the country, and one particularly jolly lady who had to be piggybacked out of a restaurant in a cold medicine induced stupor.
“Sounds like the trip of a lifetime.” Ben turned off the main road into the parking lot of a three-story high school, where he pulled into an empty space and turned the engine off.
“It was an auspicious start to my globetrotting career,” Letty said. “But don’t you dare think I peaked early. I’ve still got a lot of mileage left on me.”
Ben put a hand to his heart and bowed his head. “I wouldn’t dream of suggesting that.” He unbuckled his seat belt and turned to face her. “So what are you planning to do with all those frequent flier miles? Write a travel book?”
“Maybe. I love writing! For me, it’s just another way of talking with people. I started my own blog after my last trip to South Korea when I had so much to tell and my friends got tired of listening to the same stories over and over again. It covers everything from travel, to K-pop, to finding exotic new foods to try. My favorite thing is when people leave comments on my posts and I answer back and it turns into a whole new discussion!”
“Somehow that doesn’t surprise me.” Ben opened his door and climbed out of the van.
Letty grabbed her purse and opened the door with her right hand then reached over to unbuckle her seatbelt. She held the small black frame and pressed the red button at the top with her thumb, but nothing happened. She pushed again, but the buckle didn’t budge. Setting her purse on her lap, she used both hands to press on the stubborn release and yanked at the belt.
Ben’s tall frame appeared at the open door beside her. “Is there a problem?”
Letty looked over at him and nodded at the dashboard. “I guess Bessie’s taken a liking to me. She won't let me go.”
Ben placed an arm against the roof of the van and leaned in to assess the situation. “I remember this happening to one of the staff once. Try holding down the button and wiggling the lock around while you pull on the belt.”
Letty followed his suggestion. She wiggled and tugged, and jiggled and shook the thing, but remained trapped.
“Oh well.” Letty sat back in the seat and huffed as the mangled belt spooled into the retractor over her right shoulder. “I guess we could film here. But it might be a little crowded with all the cameramen in the backseat.”
“Here, let me try.” Ben leaned in further and stretched across her lap to grab a hold of the uncooperative contraption with both hands. His left shoulder hovered a mere inch from her chest as he studied the lock. Ben’s attention focused on fixing the seatbelt, but Letty was pressed back against the cushion with an unexpected lapful of attractive male. She held her hands up at a self-conscious angle near her chest, trying not to get in his way while he wrestled with the belt.
Wait.
Wasn’t this like all those scenes in the fluffy, romantic Korean dramas she loved so much?
The part where the hero reaches across the girl and buckles her in to show how much he cares about her safety. Letty loved those scenes, even though she knew they were a little ridiculous. What grown woman needed someone to buckle her in like a preschooler?
But that wasn’t the point. It wasn’t about the action. It was the proximity that mattered. And, right now, the proximity of the muscular shoulder leaning so close to her made her mouth go dry.
Ben fumbled with the button and he cocked his head so it came near enough that Letty could smell the shampoo he must have used that morning. She took a deep breath of the fresh, clean scent just as Ben turned to look at her. Letty froze with the breath still in her lungs and hoped he hadn’t caught her sniffing him.
“Uhhh.” He cleared his throat and turned back to the belt. “This isn’t working. I may have to find some scissors to cut you out of this thing.”
He gave one more mighty yank and the plastic frame that trapped the buckle cracked under the pressure. His left elbow flew back and jabbed into Letty’s gut.
“Awwwfff.” Letty doubled over as Ben backed up and stared in horror, the broken seat belt dangling from his hand.
“Letty!” He grabbed her shoulder with the hand not holding the offending belt. “Are you okay? I’m so sorry!”
Letty wrapped one arm around her stomach and the other over her mouth as her shoulders shook.
“Does it hurt that bad?”
He watched as water pooled in her eyes. Letty saw him drop everything and thread both hands through his hair and grasp at the strands as he stared at her in horror. She dropped her hand and let the tears slide down her face as she howled.
“Are you ... are you laughing?” Ben's hands dropped from his head and settled on his hips.
Letty just laid over the side of her seat and spilled out the car door onto the ground in a pile of polka dots. She choked and wheezed and guffawed until there was no breath left to do more as she sat on the cold pavement and rested her body against the metal door frame. Ben crouched down in front of her, his face half relief, half concern.
“Are you sure you’re alright? I really hit you hard!”
She chuckled again. “Leave it to Letty McDonnell to turn a classic romantic cliché into a medical emergency.”
Ben straightened and grabbed Letty’s hand to help her up. She stood and turned to see if any dirt was on her skirt, grabbed her purse from the front seat and slammed Bessie’s door.
“The morning just started and I’ve already got enough blog material for a week. I love Korea!”
Ben hurried her into the school and they wound through the tiled hallways lined with classrooms until they made their way to the gym. The crew was busy setting up the lighting and cameras, which all centered on the stage at the far end of the room. Letty and Ben approached the barely controlled chaos as he explained the day’s shooting schedule.
“The B4U boys will be acting like a high school band, and the wives will be the audience as they serenade you.”
Letty sighed on cue.
“Don’t swoon yet,” Ben said. “The theme for today is first love. We’re showing what it would have been like if you all met each other in high school.”
“What about Ji Ah and Jin? They actually are still in high school.”
“That’s true. Maybe the show is going to paint it like this is a genuine first relationship for them.”
Letty clasped her hands together. “Does this mean I get to wear one of those cute plaid uniforms with the oxford shirt and necktie?”
“Mmm-hmm.” Ben scanned the crowd of people around them. His hand rummaged in his pocket as he pulled out his cell phone to check a text message.
“I love those things! In my high school the unofficial uniform was ripped jeans and t-shirts.”
“Somehow I can’t imagine you in that.” Ben turned his attention back to her.
“I didn’t say I wore them,” Letty said with a proud tilt of her chin. “I was vintage chic from entrance day to graduation.”
“Now you get to experience the more regimented dress code of a South Korean teenager.” Ben was once again looking around. He found what he was searching for and motioned to a door on the side. “The wardrobe lady just texted me and I think that’s her there. Let’s get you fitted out for the day.”
He led her over to the side room and Letty disappeared into the makeshift dressing area. The lady in charge of the costumes passed her a red and blue plaid skirt with a white short sleeved shirt and a matching tie, and Letty changed in the small, curtained off corner the woman pointed out.
Letty squealed when she looked in the mirror and saw herself dressed like one of the characters in a high school drama. This job was making all of her K-fan fantasies come true. She tugged a little at the hem of the pleated skirt which was shorter than she normally wore before she exited the dressing room. Ben sat on the edge of the stage with a guitar on his lap. She walked up and he glanced at her sideways, then did a double take. He leaned a little closer as he focused on an unknown something.
“What?” Letty reached up to touch her cheek. “Have I got something on my face?”
“No.” He focused his attention on the guitar. “You look good. I mean ... like an actual high schooler.”
“Those were the days! No paychecks. No bills. No taxes. All I had to worry about was homework and whether or not someone was going to ask me to the homecoming dance.”
Ben turned the pegs on the guitar neck and plucked the strings. He shook his head at the sound. His fingers made a few more adjustments and strummed the guitar.
Letty hopped up on the stage to sit beside him. “Is tuning the instruments another one of your many important duties?”
“It is today.” He didn’t look up as he continued to mess with the pegs.
“Good looking and you play the guitar. If you could sing, you’d have to beat the girls away with a stick.”
Ben glanced up at her with a secret smile and quirked an eyebrow.
“No.” Letty held up a hand. “Don’t even tell me—”
He started to sing in a low, husky whisper as he played the guitar. His voice was so different from Ki Tae’s clear, angelic pitch that reminded the listener of cotton candy and Christmastime. Ben’s tone was warm and rich like a dark chocolate candy bar that had been sitting out in the sunlight for too long. It melted over Letty till she could almost taste his words on her tongue. She sat motionless beside him, hands clasped in front of her like she was begging for more. Letty remained silent and still until the very last note.
“Zowie! Why aren’t you in front of the cameras? You could totally make it as a K-pop singer!”
“And have to live like an over-styled, well trained puppy on a leash? No thank you.” Ben swung the guitar off his lap and rested it in a little metal stand at his side. “Those guys ask permission from their management company to even breathe. If they do get a day off, they hide behind a face mask so the fans won’t recognize them. And forget dating in the open. Even if the company lets you, the paparazzi would make that poor girl’s life a horror story.”
“I see your point. But it’s a shame no one gets to hear your beautiful voice. Bringing joy to all the people listening must be one thing in a singer’s favor.”
“I could think of one more.” His eyes twinkled as he stood up next to her.
“What’s that?”
“I might get set up with a cute stalker fan from America.” He flicked a finger under her chin and walked away.
“Player,” Letty called after him.
He swung around and walked backwards so he could grin at her one more time. Then the director shouted his name and Ben took off running.
“I’ve never been more grateful for the fact that I don’t speak Korean than this moment right here.” Letty sighed to herself. Especially when her translator pulled double duty as a morale and ego booster. She hoped they were paying him what he was worth.
“Letty!” Chance raced up and squatted low by the side of the stage like he was hiding from someone. “You’ve got to help me.”
“What’s this?” Letty threw her hands up in feigned shock. “The leader of B4U needs my help with something. My little fangirl heart might burst with joy.”
“I’m serious.” Chance’s eyes darted back and forth as he whispered, “I may only have a minute before she finds me.”
“She?”
“Sana.” Chance grabbed Letty’s elbow, stood up, and led her over behind a rack of clothes where they were out of sight. “My fake wife is driving me crazy!”
Letty clicked her tongue in mock sympathy. “What did she do this time?”
“I decided to catch a quick nap in my van in between setups. I was lying back in one of the seats with my head resting on the window when I heard a noise. I turned and BAM!” He slapped his hands together and Letty jumped. “There she was with her face pressed against the glass. I could practically see her nose hairs.”
“That’s it?” Letty pffft in his face. “I thought maybe she’d stolen your underwear or something.”
“Not yet.” Chance shuddered. “But how would you feel if you woke up to find a stranger’s eyes staring back at you?”
“She’s not a stranger. She’s your reality wife. For better or worse. Till the end of the show do you part.”
“It can’t come soon enough.” Chance moaned as he ran his fingers through the pink streaks in his dark hair. “Why couldn’t they let me marry you?”
“Because I didn’t slap you with a poster board puppy sign and get our faces plastered all over the internet.”
“I wish it had been me. Ki Tae gets free publicity and a wife who doesn’t follow him around everywhere.”
“Have you forgotten what the name of the show is? Marry My Stalker!” Letty crossed her arms in front of her. “Sana’s just playing her part.”
“Can’t you do something?” Chance clasped both his hands together in a pleading gesture. “You two are friends, right? Can’t you reason with her? Tell her to back off a little?”
“Actually, we’re not that close,” Letty admitted.
“There you are!” Sana leaped around the corner of the rack. The way Chance cringed you would think she was wearing a hockey mask and accompanied by screeching violins. She walked up to her cowering husband and looped a possessive arm through his as she cast a suspicious look Letty’s way.
“I have been looking everywhere,” she cooed. “The director is ready for us to film the scene where we pass love notes to each other under the desk.”
Help! Chance mouthed as Sana dragged him off, but Letty just gave him a jaunty wave.
It was nice not being the weirdest girl in the room for a change.
