Fan Fiction |
by distant origin
“Because Vanness missed home?” Vic guessed.
“Because anywhere in Asia’s too dangerous since it’s full of fans?” Vanness followed.
“Because the song’s about becoming big stars and this is where the Hollywood sign looks best?” Ken suggested.
“You’re all correct,” their manager, Dave Sy, said as he got off the front of the van and opened its doors.
The F4 got off and they all looked around.
“This place is nice,” Vic said, looking at the nearby mountains.
“I used to bring my dates here,” Vanness said, following him.
Ken stretched out his arms. “The wind feels great.”
Jerry took a deep breath. “This is some hometown, Vanness,” he said, looking at the mountains where the Hollywood sign was.
“Don’t wander off,” Dave said. “I’ll go look for your director,” he said and walked away.
Ken went to sit at one of the benches near the cliff. “We have a new director?” he asked.
“I think they want someone from here to direct us so the place would look perfect,” Jerry said. “Only a local would know where the best lighting is and all that stuff.”
“He’s gotta be pretty experienced then,” Vanness said, looking up at the clouds that had just blown in, casting shadows on the ground.
“F4,” Dave called as he came back, “Meet your director.”
The F4 turned, expecting to see a middle-aged man, much like the ones who’d directed them before. But instead, they saw a girl, even shorter than Dave, with blond streaks in her red hair, wearing a black t-shirt, jeans and combat boots.
“This is Dana Summers,” Dave announced.
Ken raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re kidding, right?”
Jerry was eyeing the girl carefully. So were Vic and Vanness.
Dana rolled her eyes. So predictable, she thought, expecting one of them to ask how old she was at any moment.
Sure enough, Vanness obliged. “How old are you?”
She faked a smile. “22,” she said.
The F4 looked at Dave uncertainly.
“Look guys, I know she’s just as old as ZaiZai, but her demo was really the best. Plus, she’s a local. She knows everything about this place,” Dave told them.
But the F4 still looked reluctant.
“So what if she’s a local?” Ken started speaking in Mandarin. “That doesn’t automatically make her an expert.”
“And we don’t want our video to look amateur. It’s our 3rd album already,” Jerry added, following suit.
“Why couldn’t you get anyone older anyway?” Vanness asked, likewise.
“Because the experts didn’t want to do a boyband music video,” Dana said grumpily.
The F4 turned sharply to look at her.
“You speak Mandarin?” Ken asked her, surprised.
“Oh, right,” Dave said, just remembering. “That was her most qualifying factor. So there wouldn’t be any difficulty talking to the crew and you guys.”
“Why didn’t you tell us that before?” Ken asked, obviously annoyed for humiliating himself.
“Why should he?” Dana said, smirking. “You’re supposed to know that it’s not just the Chinese who speak the Chinese language.” She then walked away and went to talk with the crew, leaving Dave with 4 tall guys who were all looking at him angrily.
“Look,” Dave said, raising his hands in front of him. “I know she’s young, and I know she’s got an attitude, but please, bear with her this once because she’s really good.”
“And she was the only one who accepted the job, right?” Vic said. “Why didn’t you just tell us the truth?”
Dave sighed. “You know you’re not as famous here as you are in Asia,” he explained.
“But why’d she still accept the job if she didn’t like us in the first place?” Ken asked.
“Ah,” Jerry said, waving his hand to dismiss it. “It doesn’t matter. We’re here and it’s only for 3 days anyway.”
“Right,” Dave agreed. “So, let’s give it our best, okay?”
“Whatever,” Vanness said nonchalantly and headed towards his trailer.
The F3 did the same without saying a word.