Name Your Price

1 - Ugh!

"Alright... come on."

I sit on a bench in Woodbrook Park, camera in hand. To anyone watching, I was just a photographer staring intensely at the Wisteria tree, waiting for the perfect shot. Wisteria trees have always felt romantic and whimsical to me. As a small breeze flowed through the park, the beautiful violet flowers swayed giving off a sweet aroma; but as gorgeous as this scene was, it was in no way the focus of my attention.

Just beyond the trees, a man sits on a similar bench. Bu Hyungseung, shuffles nervously in his seat, adjusting and readjusting his tie before looking at his phone and looking around. He's done this at least 3 times since he sat down. Mr. Bu works for IXO Entertainment, one of the leading entertainment groups in the country. He's decently well known if you follow the ins and outs of the entertainment industry, but he's not known enough that any random person would approach him while he sits alone in the park.

Hyungseung reaches into his pocket and pulls out an almost identical phone. A burner! I should have known! Rookie mistake Kim! He does one more tie fix before standing up and being joined by a female figure. Pop princess, Sonni. No last name. Just Sonni.

Sonni was part of the girl group 21st Century Girls until late last fall when the group disbanded, seemingly out of nowhere. Most of the girls cut ties with IXO, except for Sonni who debuted 3 months later as a solo act. There were plenty of rumors going around the internet about the 2CG disbandment and Sonni's debut, but the juiciest rumor of all was that Bu Hyungseung was at the center of them both. And now, both Bu and Sonni sit right before my very eyes.

The scene screamed romance. Between the cloudless day and the Wisterias floating in the breeze, this could have easily been the cover of a Drama. 'Under the Wisteria', I title it.

Sonni laughs and tucks loose strands of hair behind her ear before laying her hand on Bu's, but the slats on the park bench make it too difficult for me to get a good shot. In any case, simple hand-holding wasn't going to be enough to prove the rumors true. The rumor that 19-year-old Sonni was having an affair with her 45-year-old, married, manager! 'Under the Wisteria'? More like, 'I'm In Love With My Old Man Boss.' Of course, this job had no room for romance. There was always something sinister and scandalous right under the surface.

"Just a little closer," I whisper to myself, finger on the shutter. Sonni starts to lean in, almost as if she heard my request and was following through. I see a smile creep up on Hyungseung's face as he also starts to move closer to Sonni. This is it. I'm almost salivating as the distance between them closes. Nobody has been able to get definitive proof of Sonni and Hyungseung's affair, but here I was, centimeters away from breaking the story of the year.

"Come on, that's it. Please just do SOMETHING!"

"Hey, did you order 2-Star Burger?"

The lens of my camera suddenly turns green as I hear a voice above me. I move my face away from the camera to see an awkward, toothy-grinned, delivery boy holding a greasy fast-food bag.

"What the...dude, no! MOVE!" I wave him away while sliding along the bench hoping maybe by the grace of God my subjects are still there.

The spot that once occupied my big fat paycheck was now empty, Sonni seemingly floating away like the Wisteria petals. Hyungseung on the other hand is about 10 feet away, on his way back to the parking lot.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW!?" I sneer as the frightened burger boy slowly backs away from me. What I want to do is grab the stupid grease bag from his hand and beat him with it, but instead I grab my camera and quickly start scrolling.

I had to have gotten something. Anything! I know I clicked the shutter before the kid walked in front of me. Right?

I curse under my breath at the blurry silhouette of what could be two people kissing or a very oddly shaped shrub. But maybe if I squint?