Chapter 23: Peculiar Stalker (1)

Kang Ra-Eun’s phone had been ringing nonstop since her declaration to quit acting, with most of the calls being from Chief Jung and Shin Yu-Bin asking to at least tell them why. Ra-Eun then answered that she was inexplicably burdened by the fact that she would be in the same agency as the top star Rita, so she would quit.

There was no way that Chief Jung and Yu-Bin could understand why Ra-Eun would say something like that regarding Rita, because...

‘They haven’t gone through what I had.’

Rather, Chief Jung may have liked it, since he was a man. Not many men would hate the fact that one of the prettiest and most talented women in Korea with a euphonious voice was appealing her love to them with absolutely no conditions.

‘Wait. Come to think of it, I’m also a man.’

But for some reason, Ra-Eun hated it. It was difficult for Ra-Eun, who had naturally high defensive instincts, to accept someone like Rita who approached her with such undisguised desires.

‘I never had any intention to do so anyway.’

Seo Yi-Seo approached Ra-Eun as soon as she got to school.

“Ra-Eun, did you turn your phone off? I was worried sick since I couldn’t get in touch with you since this morning,” Yi-Seo asked.

“Oh, yeah, I turned it off,” Ra-Eun answered.

“Why? Did something happen?”

“Well... I guess,” Ra-Eun answered while looking down at her dead phone, “I’m being troubled by a bit of a peculiar stalker.”

No one in school could possibly know that the stalker was the popular celebrity, Rita.

***

Ra-Eun knew that things wouldn’t be resolved just from not taking any calls. She had expected either Chief Jung or Yu-Bin to be waiting outside her school to persuade her against her decision, but...

‘I never expected Rita herself to come.’

The school became a mayhem from the sudden appearance of the top star, Rita. The clicking of camera shutters from students holding up their cell phones could be heard from all around them. Rita waved at the students about to head home with a smile.

“Whoooaaa!”

“I love you, Rita unnie!!”

“Could you please look over here as well?”

Rita was truly at the peak of popularity among the teens and those in their twenties, excluding the older generation.

Rita said to Ra-Eun with an apologetic face, “I heard what happened from Chief Jung. Don’t be like that. Could you please give me another chance?”

“What chance? A chance for you to do all kinds of skinship on me again?”

“Nothing of the sort.”

Rita seemed quite serious this time.

“I want a chance to apologize to you,” Rita expressed.

Ra-Eun sighed deeply. There was no telling when Rita would come see her like this again if she refused, and she also felt sorry for Chief Jung and Yu-Bin, who did their absolute best to treat Ra-Eun well. They would be shocked beyond belief if she one-sidedly bid them farewell like this.

The continuously-sighing Ra-Eun decided to accept Rita’s request.

“Okay, but let’s go somewhere with fewer people. I know just the place.”

Ra-Eun had decided to take Rita to the cafe that just so happened to be allergic to customers.

***

Ra-Eun arrived at the Starlight Road cafe in Rita’s car. Seo Yi-Jun dropped the cup that he was holding in shock when they both entered.

“R-Ra-Eun noona! S-She’s...!” Yi-Jun stuttered.

“Shut up and focus on work. Also, ignore everything that you hear and see here today, understood?” Ra-Eun stated.

“Yes... Understood.”

Since Yi-Jun did anything that Ra-Eun told him to do, he wouldn’t spread any rumors if she asked him to keep it a secret.

Rita said to Ra-Eun, who took her seat first, “First, please accept my apology.”

As Rita was about to get down on her knees...

“I’m going to leave if you get down on your knees,” Ra-Eun declared.

Rita couldn’t help but smile embarrassingly at Ra-Eun, who could read her like a book. What Ra-Eun wanted was not an apology, but an explanation. She had far too many questions left unanswered back at the studio.

Ra-Eun asked her directly, “You said you like women, right?”

“Yes,” Rita answered.

“What does that mean exactly? Are you les... something like that?”

“Not really, you could say that I just like pretty people, whether they be men or women. But you don’t often see anyone as pretty as you, so I couldn’t help myself but to push you down on the bed, caress your hand, and secretly sniff the clothes that you were wearing... Well, I wanted to do that, but I unfortunately couldn’t.”

Ra-Eun could hear Yi-Jun saying “Whoa...” from afar. She knew about the first two, but had no idea about Rita’s third confession about Ra-Eun’s clothes. There was probably no stalker as pretty as Rita in the entire world, but it was problematic nonetheless.

“I don’t have any desire to do anything like that with you, sunbae, so please don’t do it anymore,” said Ra-Eun.

“Okay, I won’t.”

Ra-Eun felt a bit empty from Rita’s unexpectedly frank acceptance.

“I don’t intend to force my sexual preferences onto others either, so if you don’t feel comfortable, then I’ll cancel the agency transfer as well. So please don’t quit your acting career because of me, I’m begging you,” Rita pleaded.

Ra-Eun pressed on her temple to quell her headache. However, she could feel that Rita was being genuine.

“Don’t you ever get anxious working in the entertainment industry, being in love with pretty girls that much?” Ra-Eun asked.

“It’s okay. I actually became a celebrity so I could meet pretty girls,” Rita answered unexpectedly. “I love seeing pretty female celebrities on TV, but wouldn’t you prefer to see them up close? That’s why I became a celebrity.”

Ra-Eun was so lost for words that she could only laugh.

“But I haven’t made any big mistakes yet, so you can rest assured. I may not look like it, but I have self-control,” Rita expressed

“No, I don’t believe you.”

Rita had already been placed third in Ra-Eun’s list of people to watch out for. For reference, first was Kim Han-Gyo, and second was Kim Chi-Yeol. Hence, Ra-Eun offered Rita a condition.

“Then write a memorandum.”

“A memorandum?” Rita asked confusedly.

“Yes, to forbid you from coming within a one-meter radius of me. If you agree, then I will not quit acting.”

“And what if I enter that radius?”

“Then I will hit you.”

Ra-Eun would not forgive anyone who laid a hand on her without her permission, whether they were men or women. However, hearing that, Rita momentarily blushed.

“That’d be pretty good in its own way...”

“Pardon???”

“N-Nothing! Please forget what I just said.”

Ra-Eun was exasperated, seeing Rita trying to cover up what she had just said with laughs.

“Please wipe your drool first,” she noted.

Ra-Eun seemed to have picked up quite a peculiar woman.

***

Chief Jung and Yu-Bin were relieved as Ra-Eun withdrew her declaration to quit acting.

“Yes, Ra-Eun, you made the right choice! Keeping that talent of yours buried is absolutely absurd! Thank you so much for reconsidering!”

They still did not know why Ra-Eun had said that she would quit acting, but the fact that she changed her mind was more than enough for them.

“But...” Ra-Eun asked Chief Jung just in case, “Did Rita sunbae really say that she would come here of her own accord?”

“Here?” Chief Jung questioned.

“I’m talking about GNF. There were articles about her transferring agencies.”

Chief Jung nodded enthusiastically.

“Yup. We didn’t have any high hopes since she was such a huge star, but she sure shocked us... Not only that, but she even lowered her conditions. Had Rita really liked our agency that much?”

Rita hadn’t taken a liking to GNF Entertainment, but to Ra-Eun herself. She had her suspicions, but they were indeed correct. But regardless...

‘It should be fine, since she wrote a No-Approach memorandum.’

Ra-Eun decided to leave it at that. She said goodbye to Chief Jung, and Yu-Bin left to get the car. Meanwhile, she headed to the bathroom. She no longer had the issue of going into the men’s bathroom by mistake. As she was about to head inside, she felt a presence from behind her.

“Ra-Eun~!”

Rita was approaching Ra-Eun at a frightening speed. The moment that Rita stepped within one meter of her, Ra-Eun stretched out her right hand as if waiting for it to happen, and then...

Thwack—!!!

She dealt a flick of justice on Rita’s forehead.

“Ouch!” Rita exclaimed.

“I told you that I would hit you if you approached me, didn’t I?”

“Owwie... That hurt. So you really would hit me.”

Ra-Eun sighed deeply as Rita rubbed her red forehead.

“Did you think I wouldn’t?” Ra-Eun asked.

“I didn’t expect you to react so sensitively like this.”

Rita, who had started addressing Ra-Eun casually, couldn’t help but smack her lips in pity.

Ra-Eun said once again while repeating the same flicking motion, “I’m the kind of man— I mean, woman who keeps her word, so please don’t even approach me as a joke. I might end up bruising your forehead.”

“Tch, you cheapskate. What’s wrong with cozily locking arms together? My other juniors would die for me to get close to them. One of them was so happy that she cried while going “My, oh my, oh my!” when I held her hand.”

“Then why don’t you get lovey-dovey with that junior instead? You can forget about expecting something like that from me.”

Ra-Eun was a bit of a... no, a very special case. However, Rita’s gaze was still laser-focused on Ra-Eun despite being told to go get lovey-dovey with her easy target of a junior.

“No one’s even been in my radar ever since I met you.”

“Haa...”

Ra-Eun could not even remember how many times she had sighed ever since meeting Rita.