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The first episode came out today! It’s so strange filming the show while it’s airing. You get feedback in real-time on the internet.
I’d like to say hi to B4UGal1986 who said she liked my vintage wedding dress look. I know all the fans must wish they were in my shoes, and I can’t blame them. Believe it or not, even a fake marriage requires a lot of work, but it gives us an extra boost when we receive love from the viewers. Thank you to everyone for your kind words of encouragement.
They mean more than you know.
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The gentle rattle of a cell phone vibrating against the dressing room table woke Letty from her dreamless sleep. The first thing she felt was the chilly morning air hitting her nose and she pulled the fluffy white duvet up a little further. Letty opened one eye to look at the bedside clock and saw she still had twenty minutes before she had to get up and prepare for another day of filming. Her hand crept toward the phone and she yawned as she saw a text from her mom. She clicked on the message to read what it said.
Just watched the show and you were hilarious. Your father loved the ketchup bit. Proud of you.
Letty bolted up in bed and rubbed her eyes before she read it a second time. Had the hour long episode of Marry My Stalker finally aired? She’d lost track of what day it was. Ben told her when it was coming out, but the steady stream of filming pushed everything but the immediate present from her mind. Letty pulled out her laptop and clicked the bookmark for her favorite K-fan news site. Would their show be mentioned there?
She tapped her fingers against the computer while she waited. The page loaded and Letty gasped at the picture of the main story. Her own face stared back at her from the screen. They’d used one of the outdoor wedding pictures from the roof that first day. Ki Tae stood by her side with his sweet bashful grin, and Letty held his arm with one hand and her rose bridal bouquet with the other. The headline read “From Stalker to Star.”
“Zowie!” Letty shouted to her empty hotel room. “I’m famous. Again!”
She clicked on the picture and the news story appeared. Letty’s stomach clenched as she mentally prepared herself. Would it be merciless like the ones after the airport incident? She held her breath as she read the review of the show. When she reached the end, she felt like weeping. Or hopping up and down on the bed. It was 50-50. The writer liked both the show and her. The first episode included an interview with Letty where she explained how her supposed attack on her favorite K-pop singer had all been caused by a rogue elbow bumping her, and the writer seemed to buy her explanation.
“Thank God.” Letty sighed. “I won’t be a social pariah in the fan forums anymore.”
She scrolled down the page to the comments section to read the viewers' reactions.
“I didn’t expect to like her, but I couldn’t help myself,” wrote KiTae’s Girlfriend in Minneapolis.
“KI TAE IS AMAZING!” fangirled Amy449 in all caps. “I HOPE HIS SHOW IS A HIT SO HE CAN MAKE MORE OF THEM! WE NEED AS MUCH KI TAE AS WE CAN GET!”
“Why couldn’t I be chosen for his wife?” bemoaned B4ULVR4EVR in New York. “That’s my dream job!”
Letty related to every single outpouring of affection for her reality husband and every frustrated comment that they weren’t the one playing his bride. She still found it hard to believe that this chance came her way.
“Has my life already peaked at twenty five?”
Letty laughed at the ridiculous idea. She was too optimistic for raincloud thoughts like that. This experience was just another diamond studded milestone in what was sure to be a joyous existence. Letty read through dozens of posts, most of them positive with the occasional remark about the show being boring or not what they expected. She had almost reached the end when a comment from KT&ME in Los Angeles stopped her.
“I don’t know why they picked such a fat, ordinary looking girl. Ki Tae deserves way better.”
Letty shut her eyes, pursed her lips and sucked in a deep breath.
And another.
She refused to break down over one faceless netizen thousands of miles away. But that thoughtless comment hit a sore spot.
Weight was her constant battle, one she knew she would fight for the rest of her life. Some girls could eat a piece of pizza or a doughnut without ever thinking of the consequences, but she had a mental calorie counter in the back of her brain, always reminding her she would pay for the indulgence later. Letty had made peace with her overly rounded hips years ago and proudly acknowledged herself as a quirky, enticing, and attractive woman.
Not beautiful “in spite of.”
She was beautiful. Period!
But hate still hurt.
Letty cleared her throat, pressed her cold fingers against her eyes, then looked at the screen and grinned. She signed in using her longtime handle MyManKiTae and typed her own comment under the story.
“Whoever thought of this show deserves an award. The concept is engaging. The grooms are too hot to handle—Ki Tae is the hottest—and the brides are just the right mix of personalities to keep it interesting. Especially Letty. I can’t believe they found such a unique, captivating, vintage bombshell like her. She rocks!”
Letty pressed enter and patted herself on the back as her comment appeared at the bottom of the list.
“Nothing like a little self-affirmation to start the morning out right.”
Letty vaulted out of bed and headed for the shower. Come snow or sleet or wind or rabid netizens, this was going to be a great day. She would make it that way.
