Kpop Cadeau

Jillian had been living and enjoying her life peacefully; doing whatever she wants whenever she wants. She couldn't ask for more. Who wouldn't want a peaceful life? Until one day, she bumped into a seemingly mysterious guy in a gray hoodie who was being chased by some crazy girls and he even had the audacity to kiss her to save himself! She thought he was only a random guy that she won't ever meet again, just like the rest of the people she bumped to on the street, until he came back and offered her something she couldn't refuse in exchange to pretend as his fake girlfriend for the next two months. And in their two-month charade, it wasn't easy. It wasn't all sunshines and rainbows, especially when you're dating a famous idol.

ASTRID YU, a washed-up, burnt-out former child actress, starts a YouTube vlog in an attempt to stay relevant in PH mainstream media. She collaborates with a local coffee shop, Brew Blends, so she could make her content for one of her vlog's many series (“Be a Barista with Me!"). However, she gains a following for all the wrong reasons—her viewers ship her with the coffee shop's owner, ENRIQUE LEE. Which would've been fine… if he hadn't been the infamous high school sweetheart she left behind for the sake of her acting career. Not to mention that after all this time, Astrid is still deeply in love with him. And Lee? Well, Lee hates her guts.

Everyone in the company knows one thing about Ethan Jang. Our CEO has no heart. Cold. Emotionless. Brutal enough to fire someone before they finish “Good morning.” So imagine my shock when I walk into his office at 2 a.m. and catch the “Ice King of Seoul” ugly-crying over a K-drama, clutching a tissue and whispering, “Don’t die, Eun-bi… please…” I should’ve backed out slowly. Instead, he saw me. Now Ethan Jang billionaire, perfectionist, professional soul-crusher — is doing everything to shut me up: bribing me with bonuses, threatening to transfer me to Antarctica, and begging me (yes, begging) to keep his midnight K-drama breakdowns a secret. But hiding it becomes impossible when: • He accidentally quotes K-drama love lines during meetings. • He drags me into a fake-dating scandal to protect his image. • He insists on “rehearsing” romantic confession scenes with me… too close, too intensely. • And worst of all, his cold façade starts cracking — and I’m starting to like what I see underneath. He’s all logic and walls. I’m chaos, emotions, and bad decisions. We were never meant to mix… yet somehow we’re falling into the messiest, funniest, and most unexpected romance of our lives. Because the scariest man in the company isn’t heartless after all he’s just been waiting for someone to rewrite his script.

My boyfriend, Nathan Linden, refuses to participate in buy one, get one free promotions with me, so every time we go out on a date, my best friend, Candace Lane, always ends up joining us. "Buy one free one at Lucky Star Beverages! Don't miss out!" Nathan immediately calls Candace, then places his order first without missing a beat. Candace doesn't take long to arrive and accepts the iced coffee Nathan passes her. The straw is already stuck into the drink. The pair begin to talk about a mutual game they play, getting into a heated discussion that causes their faces to flush red. I tighten my grip on the receipt I'm holding. The milkshakes are clearly on promotion too, yet every time, I'm the odd one out and have to order for myself. By the time I receive my milkshake, Nathan and Candace have already exited the shop. I hurry over to the cinema across the street to meet up with them, only to see the two of them arguing. As it turns out, Nathan's credit card allows him to enjoy 50% off if he buys two tickets, but he has no intention of giving that second ticket to me. When Candance spots me, she urges me, "Lily, quick! Go buy a ticket for yourself. The movie's going to start in ten minutes." Then, she shoves a bucket of popcorn into my arms and adds with a shy smile, "Here, the popcorn was buy one, get one free too. You can have this bucket all to yourself since you eat so much. Nate and I can just share this one bucket." I pause and glance between the two. Their movie seats are next to each other, and their favorite drinks, phone casings, and even the keychains hanging from their backpacks are all the same. Suddenly, an epiphany crashes over me. Since they love buy one, get one free promotions that much, I'll just back out of this relationship.

I went home for the holiday season. However, the most annoying person in the family, Karen, had shown up with her brat of a son, Toby. Karen was the wife of my father's younger brother. Every limited-edition figure and model kit in my display case had been used as toys, taken apart, and smashed to pieces. I was so angry I almost blacked out from my blood pressure rising. Karen cut me off first. "Oh, our VIP is finally awake? He's just a kid, and he does not know any better. Speaking of which, Toby is turning eight next year. Now that you're rich, you should at least give him a big present, right? Eight thousand dollars has a nice ring to it." My parents had a dark look on their faces as I forced my anger down. "Sure, Karen. That amount is nothing, but we need to be proper with the timing, right? I promise I'll give him a big one on the actual New Year's Day!" Then I took out my phone and saved the invoices for everything he had destroyed so I could print them out later. You wanted a big present, right? Fine. I would make it a big one!

What was supposed to be a punishment for captain Ysabelle Gum soon turns into a romantic getaway when she catches the attention of a celeb musician on her team. Ysabelle has no interest in men, especially celebrities, she just wants to shoot and kill to her heart’s content. However, she is forced to reconsider when she is tasked with being his bodyguard. Ysabelle wants no part of it, not when the singer is hell-bent on making her love him. Actor and singer Jordan Bell was used to being fawned over, by fans and family. But he realizes he needs something else, something deeper. When he is cast in a military drama, Jordan and his team go to shooting stations, where he meets Ysabelle, who against all odds saved his life during a shooting mistake. Jordan is sure she is the one for him, and he vows to make her his bodyguard. But the thing is, Ysabelle has no interest in him, and no amount of broken bones will keep him away.