"Hey did you listen to Jooyoung's new Album? It's a literal masterpiece. I mean—how could a human even think of such work! I heard he produced everything too, he's a monster. A monster of talent."
Sejeong smiled at coworker's enthusiasm and nodded in agreement. A few months ago when Minju's phone lit up, Sejeong instinctively glanced at her wallpaper and gasped.
"Is that...Yun?"
Yun was a member of 'Tryangle', the K-pop group that Sejeong was absolutely crazy about. She had been a fan since their debut and watched as they progressed into their success, being one of the top charted artists today.
"You're a Trio?" Minju's eyes brightened as she realized that she'd found a partner in crime.
And that's how Sejeong and Minju became work besties. They entered the company around the same time, so it was easy for them to get along. And besides, their jobs at Korea's top publishing company was stressful and they needed a comrade to get through the day, not to mention after work complaining sessions.
Minju continued on her praise, "Each song is just so...delicate...like the petals of a flower."
"Really, even the album title, "Songs for Flowers" is so genius! Our boy is really a prodigy," Sejeong said. This is how the two of them spent their lunch break, fangirling about Tryangle. Of course, they were careful not to get caught by their other coworkers because from a normie's perspective, they knew their behavior seemed down right crazy.
"Did you know that Jooyoung did an interview for U magazine?" Minju pulled out the magazine from her bag, she was the type of fan to collect everything. "It says here that this album is dedicated to 'Daisy', you know, the author of "Call Me When It Rains."
Sejeong spat out the coffee she was drinking and began to cough violently.
"For...for who?"
"Geez girl, don't waste food like that," Minju said while handing her a napkin, "apparently Jooyoung found comfort in her books. He even said that, 'Call Me When It Rains' saved him during hard times. He even calls her his life savior!"
"Can I read that?" Sejeong asked, grabbing the magazine from Minju's hands. She began to read the interview:
Jooyoung: If I'm being completely honest, I went through some hard times. Really, really hard times. I didn't tell anyone about it, especially my fans because I knew they would worry. And even that made me feel weak, like I couldn't even give back a fraction of the joy they've given me.
Interviewer: So how did you overcome this?
Jooyoung: I read, "Call Me When It Rains" by the author 'Daisy' and I honestly think that it saved my life. The characters...it felt like I was reading a story about me from a different dimension? Haha, maybe that's weird.
Interviewer: Could you share some of your favourite parts of the book?
Jooyoung: There's a scene when the protagonist wants to give it all up, so he goes to the romantic interest for a final goodbye. I thought that the romantic interest would try to stop the protagonist, but she just says, 'Did you know that you can share emotions? Pain, joy, worries, we can share it.' I don't know why but that really comforted me, like I didn't have to carry all this burden on my own.
Interviewer: It seems that the book holds significant part of you heart. Did you have any messages for the author? Who knows, she might read this interview.
Jooyoung: Oh...haha. I'm getting shy now. But author Daisy, if you're reading this, thank you for saving my life. My album, "Songs For Flowers" is dedicated to you and I hope the songs can give you some of the same comfort that you gave me. I really want to meet you...so please, contact me. I'll be waiting!
Sejeong dropped the magazine back onto Minju's hands, "hey...I'll be right back." She bolted to the washroom and locked herself in one of the stalls. "The album...is dedicated...to me?" She dropped her head to her knees and grabbed her hair in two fistfuls. Her name was Sejeong Lee, pen name: Daisy, and she was going through the biggest shock of her life.