I have a secret. Nothing cancellable or life-ruining, just a...questionable life choice.

In college, when I was desperate for money, I got a job as a waitress at an upscale restaurant. Well, that's mostly true, but the reality is just a little different.

My uncle sent me a recommendation to work at a restaurant owned by one of his old stuntman buddies, one of the countless, tourist trap dinner theater spots that plague New York City. I was a waitress most of the time, but some nights, I was a performer in their martial arts show.

It was like a performance ripped right out of a cheesy Kung Fu movie: dramatic, offensive, and filled with ridiculous stunts. Picture this: I played a sexy version of what can only be described as a knock-off, violent Cinderella. As my old boss would say, "Sexy for the parents, Cinderella for the kids."

I kicked, punched, and twirled my way shamelessly across the room, driven by the knowledge that each fake sword chop, each dummy shot with flaming arrows would increase my tip average for the evening.

Whenever my friends asked about my job, I'd spin tales of luck and connections, praising my uncle's friend for landing me a fabulous opportunity, while conveniently leaving out the whole dinner theater stuntman gig. As for the times I had to wear fake boobs to rake in extra cash? Well, Lucy would probably ask where she could find a fake ass to join me if she knew about those moments. No, my lips were sealed, and my secret life as a martial arts performer would stay buried with me.

But damn, I have to say, performing in front of a room full of easily impressed tourists was the ultimate exercise in swallowing pride. My uncle once gave me some life advice that stuck with me.

He said, "Ilse, if someone is threatening you and you tell them you know Taekwondo and start doing Poomsae to show them, they won't give a shit. If you need to scare someone, or hell, impress the shit out of someone, forget tradition and decorum. Fight for your goddamn life and show them how badass you are."

"Mr. Security Guard come here," I called, motioning to him. "Stand here. Don't move." I said sternly.

I grabbed one of the many bottles of water offered to Min-ji and placed it on his head with a wink. It's time to pull out my "scare the drunk patrons" move.

Immediately, I could tell that he knew what I was going to do. I, a 5'6" woman, was going to kick the water bottle off the top of his 6'3" head.

I began running, spinning, and kicking my way toward the towering guard to gain momentum. His face was a mix of panic and confusion as I closed in, but I was determined.

With one final jump and spin, I let loose a kick that sent the water bottle soaring into the audience.

The security guard blinked, momentarily startled, before bursting into raucous laughter. He patted his head, chuckling as if he had just witnessed the greatest magic trick of all time.

"Ayyyy, hahahaha!" he cheered, giving my hand a hearty shake.

I laughed too, my vision narrowed by adrenaline finally widening again. The crowd that had gathered around was laughing, chatting, and slowly wandering off back to their jobs. Before I even noticed, I was wrapped again in an increasingly familiar Chanel-scented hug.

"I'm so sorry for doubting you, Ilse! It makes me feel even better about having you be Seo-yeon's nanny, knowing that you can defend her," Min-ji said, grabbing my face and gazing at me fiercely.

I tried to respond, but my cheeks were so squished that all that came out was, "You're welcome!"

"Would you look at the time!" Min-ji exclaimed, letting me go. "I've got to get into hair and makeup if we want to start shooting on time. You have Seo-yeon's bag, right? Good. If you need anything at all, just ask anyone."

Min-ji's entourage let out a collective swoon as they ushered her over to hair and makeup.

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"Ms. Meyer, you're so cool!" Seo-yeon called.

I turned toward her voice and locked eyes with a startlingly beautiful man. If I asked an AI to draw me a picture of a handsome famous person from Korea, it would be him. Too perfect to be real but somehow standing in front of me with Seo-yeon riding comfortably on his shoulders.

She said something to him in Korean, and he put her down.

She ran over to me, grabbed my hand, and said, "This is Baek Yun-jae. He's one of Daddy's minions," crossing her arms proudly.

Baek Yun-jae chuckled and said, "I'm the leader of 3KZ, the idol group Dae Jun-ho is working with. I'm currently guest-starring on the show with Min-ji as her nephew. Seo-yeon was just telling me about you. You're her new teacher and nanny? You can call me Yun-jae. I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other more." He smiled and shook my hand.

Glad that my blushing face could be blamed on the exercise, I smiled awkwardly and said, "Nice to meet you!"

"That was really cool, by the way! You're really good," Yun-jae said, Seo-yeon nodding enthusiastically in agreement. "How long have you been practicing Taekwondo? Do you have somewhere you practice in Korea? You see, Jun-ho has this idea for choreography and our new music video that we would need to learn some martial arts for... Oh! So sorry, I got carried away there." He laughed, blushed slightly, and looked away.

"No worries!" I smiled, waving my free hand dismissively. "I've been practicing since I was... about five, I think? My uncle owns a Taekwondo studio back in the US, so I've been training with him forever. I did competitions and stuff too. Looking back, there are probably embarrassing videos of me on YouTube that I could've had Min-ji watch instead. Actually, I do have a place I go to here! I've only been there a couple of times since moving, but it's a dojo owned by an old friend of my uncle. I can let Jun-ho know about it."

"That would be amazing, thank you! Do you think you could teach me that water bottle thing?" Yun-jae asked, his eyes shining with excitement.

Laughing, I assured him, "Sure thing, it'll take some time, but I can teach you some other cool tricks in the meantime."

"Deal!" Yun-jae grinned.

"Yun-jae, you're on in 10!" a voice called.

"I've got to run! Here," he said, pulling his phone out of his pocket and handing it to me, "Add yourself on Kakao, please."

"Oh, sure!" I said, blushing in surprise.

Our hands briefly brushed as I handed back his phone.

"See you later!" Yun-jae called, walking away.

He then did an awkward backward walk before adding, "Send me those videos you mentioned! I want to learn those tricks!"

"Will do!" I called after him, my face turning even redder than before.

As soon as Yun-jae disappeared from sight, Seo-yeon, ever observant, looked up at me with a mischievous grin and said, "Isn’t he pretty?"

"Aren't you a bit too young for this sort of thing?" I exclaimed, my face now resembling a fire truck.

Seo-yeon giggled and gave me a wink that she clearly inherited from Jun-ho. This level of cuteness should be illegal.

The day passed quickly with Seo-yeon and me going over her homework (again) and learning knock-knock jokes, all per her request.

"Mama, Mama!" Seo-yeon exclaimed excitedly once shooting wrapped for the day.

"Yes, baby?" Min-ji responded, scooping her up in a hug.

"Ms. Meyer taught me a bunch of knock-knock jokes today. So I'm going to tell you some, okay? Not all of them but just a few. Knock-knock..." Seo-yeon began, Min-ji giving her best performance, laughing at each one like it was the funniest thing she had ever heard.

Laughing at Seo-yeon's delight and Min-ji's Oscar-worthy performance, I noticed Yun-jae motioning to me out of the corner of my eye.

"Me?" I mouthed back at him, pointing at myself and feeling a blush begin to creep across me.

He nodded heartily and pointed to his phone, mouthing, "Check your phone!"

I gave him a thumbs up and pulled out my phone, noticing a bevy of missed messages from the day.

"3 messages from Baek Yun-jae," my notification wall read.

My heart beating out of my chest, I opened KakaoTalk.

"Hi 👋"

"Don't forget to send me those videos!"

"Can you come to a company dinner with us tonight? I told Jun-ho about what happened this morning and he wants you to meet the rest of 3KZ and talk about Taekwondo with you. I promise that the food will be delicious 🥺"

"Let me double-check with Min-ji, and let you know!" I messaged back.

"Yay!" He responded back quickly. "Jun-ho just told me Min-ji gave him the all-clear for you to go. Meet me by the door at 7 😊"

"Kk!" I texted.

I looked up, meeting Yun-jae's eyes instantly. He gave me a smile and a wink so perfect it almost caused a medical emergency.

"Min..." before I was able to really say anything, Min-ji interrupted.

"I just heard from Jun-ho! Seo-yeon's jokes were so wonderful that I just had to call Jun-ho so Seo-yeon could tell them to him when the moment was fresh!" Min-ji exclaimed, motioning to Seo-yeon behind her, tiny hands wrapped around Min-ji's phone, still talking to Jun-ho.

"You're going to dinner with them, right? I hate to say this, dear, but you're looking a little bit worse for wear at the moment. Don't worry!" She said, seeing my crestfallen face.

"You're beautiful!" Min-ji began, grabbing my face and staring intensely into my eyes.

"Gorgeous! Your natural blonde hair is the envy of us all. Your eyes are such a pretty blue. Your body, so perfect and wonderful, honed for years like a fine tool through intense training! You've just had a long day and need a little freshening up, that's all."

Letting go of my face, grabbing one of my hands, and motioning behind her, Min-ji called,

"Jia! Come here for a moment, would you."

"Jia is my makeup artist and an absolute master of her craft," Min-ji said, placing my hand in Jia's.

"Jia," Min-ji commanded, switching to Korean and giving what I can only assume was a pep talk to Jia.

Jia, looking absolutely determined, guided me into the makeup chair and began working.

Min-ji and Seo-yeon, finished with her call to Jun-ho, watched and nodded approvingly as Jia worked.

When Jia finished, I was in awe. I still looked like me, but better and somehow more like myself.

"Thank you!" I said, smiling widely up at Jia. She smiled back in response.

"Jia, you've done it again! Let's send her off." Min-ji said, giving Jia a hug.

Just like that, I found myself sitting at a table with a K-Pop group, drinking beer and wondering how in the hell I got there.

Pinching myself under the table didn't help. This was all too real—Baek Yun-jae, the charismatic leader of 3KZ, sitting right next to me, laughing and sharing stories as if we were old friends. Jun-ho, the famous former idol, sat across from me, looking godlike and in his element... And there I was, a former waitress and martial arts performer, somehow invited into their exclusive circle.

I couldn't help but feel like a fish out of water. How did my life go from a struggling college student to this extraordinary and bizarre moment?