MANDY walked inside their classroom and went straight to her seat. All her classmates were busy with their fangirling business, each student has their own copy of what’s new and trendy in the K-Pop industry. But just like the other days, Mandy was left alone in her seat, with nothing in her hand, but a piece of old issue magazine that she bought on a book sale stall.

“Mandy!” It was Sherry, Mandy’s friend that just like her, an unfortunate fangirl of the K-Pop group, Sproutoon. “Have you bought the latest copy of…” Her eyes landed on the Sweet-Pop Magazine on her hand. “Is it the—” Sherry’s face distorted upon seeing the date issued. “Old issue.”

Mandy snatched the magazine from her hand. “I can’t buy the latest issue,” she said in a low voice. “It’s out in my budget.”

“Me too,” Jennie butt in and pouted her lips. “I wish I have a foreigner boyfriend like Cecile.”

Sherry and Mandy followed Jennie’s gaze, and they found their classmate Cecile surrounded by their classmates. She was showing them off their new signed albums of Sproutoon. The three girls heaved a sigh together in hopelessness.

“She’s a working student, right?” Mandy asked, her brows were furrowed in curiosity.

Sherry nodded. “But, I heard she got herself a foreigner boyfriend that could sponsor her fangirling goals.”

“How to be like Cecile?” Jennie propped her chin on her hands. “If only mom is giving me extra money in my monthly allowance, I could afford a signed album.”

Sherry laughed. “That’s impossible. Aunt Catherine is quite tight in money.”

Jennie pressed her lips. “I wish I could also support Sproutoon financially, but I can’t.”

Mandy heaved a sigh. She opened her Sweet-Pop Magazine on the centerfold where her bias, Elias Hwan, was the model. She stared at it and let out a sigh again. Mandy considered herself as a low key fan, just like Sherry and Jennie. They are part of those fans who cannot support their bias in spending money for their concerts, fan meets, and comeback albums. Their only contribution for their bias group is to stream their new music video on YT channels and any other music platform that their songs were featured.

But, Mandy knew that it’s not enough. She looked at Cecile and her signed albums. She must’ve gone to South Korea just to get those albums signed by the Sproutoon.

“Did you watch Elias Hwan’s video on Vlive?” Sherry asked, not only to Jennie but also to her. “Mandy, I’m sure you spent your whole night again replaying the video––”

“Of course, I did,” she said and looked at Sherry. “Did you see these eyebags? These are my rewards for contributing millions of views and hearts to my Elias’ video.”

Jennie made a ‘tss’ sound. “That’s why you ignored my calls last night.”

“To be Elias Hwan’s wife is Mandy’s dream,” Sherry taunted. “But, unfortunately, there’s no way that Elias could meet her, even in dreams.”

Mandy ignored Sherry’s mockery about her fangirl dreams. Her mind was on Elias Hwan’s video again. She can still remember how handsome he was with his just–out-of-the–shower look. She shut her eyes and dreamed about him, but before her mind could drift back to the realm of dreams, she heard Sherry called her name.

“What––?” Mandy covered her mouth when she saw their professor standing in front of her desk. “Good morning, Ma’am––”

The old woman snatched the magazine on her desk. “This magazine will stay in my drawer until I see your guardian, Miss Nakahama.”

____

“THAT’S unfair!” Mandy shouted frustratingly as soon as they stepped out of the school gate. “She confiscated only my magazine, how about the others?”

Sherry snorted. “The others hid their albums as soon as Mrs. Castro entered our classroom. It was your fault, I called you many times, but it seems like you can’t hear me.”

“She’s ignoring us on purpose,” Jennie said and hooked her arm on Sherry’s. “Right, Mandy? Are we an interruption in your fangirling business for Elias Hwan?”

Mandy knotted her forehead. She doesn’t understand what Jennie is talking about. “Why? Don’t you want to support Sproutoon anymore?”

Sherry stared at her while Jennie just shook her head. Mandy doesn’t understand why her friends are acting like this.

“Is there a problem?” Mandy asked with a knotted forehead.

“No,” Jennie replied quickly. “Nothing that concerns you––”

“Jennie!”

They all looked at their back and saw Christian, the graduating Engineer student in their university. Mandy’s brows furrowed when the guy ran towards them with a big smile on his face. And, he’s just looking at Jennie.

“Hi, girls,” Christian greeted them, but her eyes were focused on Jennie.

“What do you need?” Mandy asked with an arched brow. This guy was a known playboy on their campus, and she won’t let him play with anyone of her friends.

“Jennie,” the guy answered. “I need to talk to her––”

“And why?”

“We have plans today,” Jennie quickly answered and stood beside Christian. “I’ll see you tomorrow, girls.”

Mandy watched Jennie and Christian walked away with a knotted forehead. She turned to Sherry, who was grinning like a kid as she followed the two with her gaze.

“Is there something that I don’t know?” Mandy asked, nudging Sherry in the waist.

Sherry shot her with a confused look. “Huh?” she asked as if her question was out of this world. “About who?”

“About the two?” she replied, pointing at Jennie and Christian.

Sherry arched her brow at her. “Jennie is right. You’re not listening to us,” she said and pinched her cheeks. “Try to recall, Mandy. You’re spending too much of your time in stalking Elias Hwan––”

“Of course!” she cut off and swept her hand away from her cheeks. “He’s the person that I wanted to marry.”

Sherry laughed. “Whatever,” she said and started walking away from her. “I’ll see you tomorrow––”

“Hey, aren’t we gonna hang out?” she called to her.

But, Sherry just knotted her forehead. “Today is facetime day with Mom, remember?”

Before Mandy could answer, Sherry turned her back and continued walking. She sighed. She was about to go to a nearby juice bar when she saw Cecile sitting in one of the dining tables in a pizza parlor beside the juice bar. Mandy remembered what Jennie said about Cecile before their class.

Cecile was a working student with a boyfriend that sponsored her fangirling goals… Mandy sighed again. How she wished she also had a boyfriend like Cecile has.

***