About a hundred photographers and journalists stood strategically in front of the shiniest star of the night and fought against each other in order to capture the best shot of the famed and alluring actress and singer of all time, Irene Wu.
The superstar squinted her eyes, she still cannot get used to the blindingly bright and endless camera flashes from numerous paparazzi along with the dominant shuttering and flickering sounds.
Even with minimal make-up on her face to maintain her sweet and innocent image, Irene wore a permanent smile on her painfully beautiful face. She had the kind of face that one could never get tired of looking at, she is flawless and downright perfect inside and outside in the eyes of her avid fans.
The longer you stare at her, the more beautiful she becomes. As a standard procedure after releasing a new album, her agency holds a grand press conference inviting all the leading media outlets in the country to make favorable articles about her.
But with Irene's popularity, the agency did not really have to put extra effort into that matter because her popularity ranges among people of all ages, and is even dubbed as the "Nation's Sweetheart" and the media outlets would love to put her as the subject of their articles. Irene is loved by all the citizens dearly.
Irene is seated in front of a long purple rectangular table crowded with microphones on top and beside her long-time manager and the venerable CEO of the entertainment agency she belongs.
She is wearing a purple floral dress and her bleach blonde waist-length hair is curled on the ends, making her look like a sweet fairy in relation to the concept of her latest album. Her manager reached for one of the microphones in front of her, held it close to his mouth and spoke, "Next question please." and then politely handed the microphone back to Irene who just took a sip of the water bottle in front of her.
For unknown reasons, Irene's heart has been feeling heavy since earlier and her breathing became hard but she conditioned herself to feel better for the press conference.
One press reporter stood up confidently and is evidently nervous, "Hello Irene, I am your fan!" His voice resonated with the entire area and everyone laughed at his enthusiasm and high energy. Irene smiled sweetly, her eyes sparkling with extreme delight.
"Irene, a piece of news just got in which states that your album already got sold out nationwide a few minutes after the official release!" He jovially informed which made everyone immediately check their phones and after confirming the latest news, everyone let out an ear-splitting cheer and uproar.
Irene's manager leaned closer to her and whispered something to her which made her gasp, her eyes widened, and smiled so wide. Sold-out albums are something not new to her but she just can't help but feel elated every time this happens.
The press reporter resumed, "You have been absolutely successful and ever-soaring like a phoenix. My question is, what's next for you, Irene?" She has not responded yet but his cheeks and ears turned red like every fanboy does when they get to see Irene closer, astonished with her delicate beauty that just seems so perfect for the chaotic world they live in.
Irene held the microphone close to her mouth, "Thank you for that question," She paused and contemplated, flashes from cameras still flickering.
She resumed, "I want to find solace and tranquility in my life, yes, that is where I think my life is headed." Irene smiled and nodded her head in the pursuit of conveying her warm message to others.
Her fans from all over the world have been constantly worrying about her because she devotes most of her time to mastering her craft and producing music, starring in box-office movies and high-rating television series and they are concerned about whether she still has time to take a rest.
The breeze was cold and there were no stars were seen in the vast reddish-black sky. Irene, her manager, and four bulky bodyguards in black walked together on the way to the parking lot of the hotel where the press conference was held an hour ago.
She is now wearing a gray oversized hoody and shorts, slippers, a Gentle Monster sunglasses, and her hair tied into a messy bun. At first glance, no one would have ever thought it is Irene because of her casual looks which is way different when she is on stage.
"Please do wait here while we get the car," One of the bodyguards informed and immediately walked away in a swift and calculated motion.
As for Irene, she is left with her manager who is standing a few meters away from her and lit up a cigarette, put it between his dry lips while talking to someone over the phone but his voice was too low for her to hear the conversation.
So she got her phone from her purse and started reading articles about her recent feat of sold-out tickets in no less than a minute, breaking her own last record in five minutes.
Her manager, Baek Hajoon, threw the cigarette into the trash can and slid his phone inside his front jeans pocket. There are dark bags under his drooping monolid eyes and lines of wrinkles forming on his forehead.
He took huge strides in Irene's direction and when he reached near her, he spoke, "Irene, I need to go to the bathroom first, I've been holding this out for too long. Just wait here, okay? They should be here soon," Irene simply nodded her head as a response while her gaze is still on her phone. Meanwhile, Hajoon runs back inside the hotel.
A few minutes later, a weary white Foton Traveller FX van stopped in front of her, two masked men got out from it and dragged Irene forcefully in just a matter of seconds.
She squirmed out of their grip with all her might but the other man placed a handkerchief on her nose and mouth. Irene tried to stop breathing but the scent made her very dizzy and weak to fight for her life.
Irene's mind was still strong and awake but she could not move her body as if it was paralyzed. Later, her eyes began to close on their own, her head hurting like it is being split in half and the world around her is spinning. Nausea crawled from her abdomen on the way to her head before everything around her went black.