Identity Revealed

Sun Hee kept turning around with a wide smile on her face. She danced, imagining herself in a musical play inside of Min Jee's room. Sun Hee swayed through the music of Beautiful by Crush. Her long, curly hair twirled as she tried so hard to make an interpretative dance.

"What is wrong with you!"

Min Jee's upper body raised. Her sleeping habits muddled her hair, almost covering her face. She shouldn't have given her the passcode to her apartment. Sun Hee barged in like she owns the house.

"Look at me. I'm beautiful, am I not?" 

Min Jee rubbed her eyes and scrutinized her entire body until she caught sight of what's printed on her shirt. It was Dong Joon. Even her hair band has Dong Joon's adorable face on it.

"Are you insane?" she muttered.

"Yes, I'm madly in love with Dong Joon," Sun Hee said, with a dreamy gaze in her eyes.

"You always say that along with a lot of celebrities on your list."

Sun Hee was an ultimate fan girl who rushes to every concert, fan meeting and her idol's merchandise. She screams at every drama with romantic excitement and cries a bucket of tears on sad endings. If there's a temple where she could worship her idols, she'd be a devoted nun to them.

"And where did you get that?"

"Oh, these merch? There's an online shop that sells them. But they're out of stock."

"I'm sure you bought most of them."

"Of course. If only Dong Joon's an actual person."

Sun Hee's admiration made her eyes shaped like hearts.

"You should praise me. I created him."

"Why would I? You made him suffer." 

Sun Hee glared at her. She dropped her body on the bed and sighed.

Three hours later, Min Jee went to the supermarket. She had sunglasses on to conceal her puffy eyes and wore an oversized cardigan, white shirt, and denim shorts.

She walked through the saturated market. The aroma of sulfur, floral, and herbaceous spices raced to her lungs. Pungent essence of fresh fish mingled with broccoli, arugula and the citrucy compound of limes. Chili pepper paste and sesame oil drifted through the air as she ran her fingers through a long stalk of ginseng.

It was difficult to live alone and be apart from home. Questions like what to cook and where to eat bothered her at first, but she embraced independence, as she longed for it in a great deal of time.

"Excuse me."

Min Jee glanced at the person behind her. There were two young girls waiting for her response. One of them wore a long sleeve crop top and denim pants, while the other wore black fitted V-neck crop top and a miniskirt.

"Ugh, yes?" she replied with a puzzled expression.

"Would you allow us to take a photo with you?"

"You're Miss Seo Min Jee, right?"

"May I know what this is all about?" Min Jee asked.

The girls caught a glimpse of one another.

"You are Black Sunshine, the creator of Captivated. We are avid readers!"

The girls giggled.

"Now let's take a photo!"

Min Jee's eyes widened under her sunglasses and was stunned. She stiffened as the girls stood beside her and took a groupie. Their broad smiles beamed while she's like a model in Vogue.

When the girls left, she dialled a number on her phone and put it against her ear.

"Hello—"

"Bring me lunch at home. We need to talk."

She went back to her apartment in a hurry and waited for Sun Hee. An hour later, the door opened and Sun hee came rushing. She panted while placing the paper bags in the kitchen.

"What happened?" she asked.

Min Jee crossed her arms. She rarely hangs up on the phone before she could even speak. That's what makes the conversation urgent.

"Search my name on the net," Min Jee said.

Sun Hee sat next to her and scanned her phone. Afterwards, she covered her mouth in astonishment.

"How could this be?" she murmured.

An article about Min Jee being Black Sunshine spread like wildfire. Only her family, the Parallel Webcomics, and Sun Hee have knowledge about her identity. 

"Who leaked my personal information?" she said.

"I haven't got the faintest idea."

Min Jee hates other people meddling with her life and loathes public interest. She wished to remain hidden and continue living in solitude.

"Sooner, reporters will bang at your doorstep."

"Let's ask the person who wrote the article. I'm willing to press charges against the culprit."

Sun Hee shook her head.

"Don't be too harsh on that person."

"I want to know their motives. This is despicable," she said with an ominous look on her face.

"Let's eat, okay? I'm hungry. It's been tough to stay in the hospital. I'm stuck with a deluge of clients."

Sun Hee sighed. She's a psychiatrist at Goyohan Mental Health Department Clinic. The rate of patients with mental illnesses had escalated. But when things go south, she's always a listener to Min Jee. 

They went to the kitchen and grabbed a cup of ramen partnered with some soju. They breathe in the wafting odor of ramen before devouring it.

"How did you know something bad happened?" Sun Hee asked.

"Some fans took a photo of me. Did you know how shocked I was? It's like my soul came out of my body."

As an introvert, a private life matters for her. She used to avoid public places but had to deal with it as an adult.

"You should get used to it from now on. It's alright, fame won't last."

"Am I supposed to be comforted? Or threatened?"

Sun Hee looped the noodles over her chopsticks, using the spoon as an anchor. The yolky goodness of the eggs made the broth better. Min Jee pulled the noodles out and threaded them loosely over her chopsticks, using her spoon to loop them over. She dipped the noodles back into the broth and used her spoon to soak up the soup with some green onions in the mix. Then she slurped the noodles and made a loud sound.

"This makes life better," she said.

Sun Hee drank a bottle of cold soju and belched.

"And this makes life wonderful."