Malaika's POV.

 "I really wanted to avoid this." I whispered to myself as the woman led me to a room I never thought I would enter in my whole entire life of living on planet earth. Maybe this was because of the views and subscribers I had on my YouTube channel, or maybe it had to do with the look of desperation I had on my face as I pleaded for a job despite not being a fan any more. I don't know.

As I walked past the rooms, I cringed at the loud secular music being played. It was 'dragon' a song by KKP k pop group, the one I had once been obsessed with when I started listening to k pop. They were my first and last group to ever like, it had nothing to do with them and more to do with my walk in Christ. Being a devout Christian, there were just some things that you had to give up in order to focus solely on God. I thought as we rounded the corner.

I mainly gave up KKP because they were dangerous for my faith, in the beginning of my walk with the Lord anyway. My whole life I loved music, but the people who sang the songs I liked meant very little to me. I didn't care if they won the bill board awards or not, I didn't even care if they supposedly dropped dead the next day. Not only that, but I never really got involved in their lives. But with KKP I got involved with everything. I loved these boys, they were good people, but unfortunately that's not enough. I got my emotions mixed up in being a kkpier which was their fan base name. But when I got saved and found out I couldn't have 'idols' I put before God they had to go. But I didn't love them any less and still kept them in my prayers, that God would deliver them and help them come to Him.

I had a practically big fascination with Hyunjin, one of the boys in the group, age 24, born in 2000. We are just three years apart me being 21, it was just perfect, and I have to admit I have dreamt about our wedding a healthy amount of times. But I didn't hate when it was rumoured he had a girlfriend because as long as he was happy, I was happy and that was enough for me and furthermore it was none of my business I had never even met the guy, he could date who he wanted. Some girls out there really be wildin'.

"We are here, just go in and prepare your work space. The boys will be with you in a minute." The woman told me in Korean.

"Thank you" I too replied in Korean as I remembered how I had learnt Hangul just so I could talk to these boys if we ever met. Yikes!

I was setting up the work top when I had an uproar of voices. "God, I just pray that you will be with me the whole of today, may my faith remain strong and may I be able to do my job without any distraction, amen."

And then they entered.

Malaika's POV

Well, then that went quite well.  Every one had entered and greeted me before it all went down hill, I found out that Minho, one of the band members had viewed my YouTube channel and shown the rest of the members one video in particular, that had talked about how hard it was for me to give up secular music especially, KKP.

Oh God, could this get any more awkward, in that video I had specifically detailed just how much I dreamt and thought about Hyunjin and his handsomeness and how God had purposely taken His time in making him and went on to tell my followers in detail how much I liked him, but would have to give him up because she could never put him before God. I hadn't meant it as a love confession, I just wanted people out there to know that this life of living for Jesus came with sacrifice and for me that was many things, but among them was my love and loyalty to Hyunjin.

Which was the truth, and I stood by it shamelessly, people needed to know it was okay to have some difficulty giving things up, but in the end this was a journey of sacrifice because honestly if God could give His only son, who was Hyunjin, just an extraordinarily handsome man, ahhhhh the humiliation in her body just wouldn't leave.

"Oh Mukama why, why did they have to see the video?" I should have known. Back when I was a kkpier, I knew they viewed fan pages, but the ting is I am not really a fan any more and neither did I tag them in any video I made even if it was about them. So how did they come across the video.

I peeked over my shoulder to take another look at Hyunjin, the Lord really is a master artist. I turned back and facepalmed as I remembered how I looked at him when he just came in, that quickly changed when I found out he watched the video, flash had nothing on me the way I simply teleported away from his presence.

"Excuse me."

"Oh Lord, please don't abandon me now." I was whining and I knew it.

"Excuse me, hello?"

"Though I walk through a room filled with handsome men, I shall not be tempted."

"Hello?"

"Temptation shall not overcome me, for I am a child of the most high-

I jumped and turned around, as I came face to face with Felix, the blond haired beauty. Like I haven't embarrassed my self enough already.

"How may I help you?" I said, clearing my throat.

"I was told you were to do my makeup for the day?" The Australian accent would be the death of me. "So are you gonna get started?"

"Yes please." Snap out of it, Malaika, "Have a sit."

"I am Felix, by the way."

"I don't know if you want me to say I know because you clearly saw the video." I said putting out the things to get started.

"I did, but I was going to give you the benefit of the doubt and not mention it." His smile, oh God be with me. "So I am an angel, huh?"

I rolled my eyes as he chuckled, I had described Felix as an angel in my video, which he could be compared to because he was kind and good-hearted.

"Don't remind me, I beg of you, I have had my fair share of embarrassment." I said as I applied foundation and contour to his face. "Do you want your freckles covered?"

"Yes."

I went on to do my job, and it was silent for a while, "Where are you from?" he asked.

"From Africa."

"Where in Africa?" My eyes widened, he actually wanted to know? I loved travelling, but people's assumptions annoyed me, people never dug deep enough or even asked me to find out more about where I was from the way I did for them, it was disheartening at times.

"Well, have you ever heard of East Africa?"

"No."

"I am from a country called Uganda in East Africa, it is referred to as the pearl of Africa." I said as I turned his head to the side to add blush. The look was almost done.

"How is it like, what?" He must have noticed my shock, people didn't normally care to ask once they found out I was from Africa.

"Nothing, it's a beautiful place." I went on to describe my home, the culture and the people. Uganda really is the pearl of Africa, it's a beautiful place filled with beautiful people and culture.

"Wow, it seems like a good place to visit."

"It is, I think you will enjoy it. There are no paparazzi there because no one cares enough." I said as I finished applying the final coat of lip gloss. "Have a look."

"Whoa, you're fantastic at what you do."

"God blessed the works of my hands."

"What's your MBTI, by the way."

"I don't know, I have never tested."

" Never?" He was shocked, I shook my head. "Zodiac sign then?"

"Nuh uh, I don't do those things, I am a child of God, not a gemini."

"Is it really that deep for you?" He had no idea how deep it went.

"Deuteronomy 17: 2-7 says, If a man or woman living among you in one of the towns the Lord gives you is found doing evil in the eyes of the Lord your God in violation of His covenant and contrary to His command has worshipped other gods bowing down to them or to the sun or the moon or the stars in the sky, He said they were to be put to death because all evil shall be purged." I said what I remembered from memory.

"You are a loyal person, I respect that." It was one of the things I took pride in, my loyalty.

"Are you against me praying for you before your show?" I suggested as he stood up.

"No, I actually am a Christian, I carry my bible everywhere." That wasn't enough, you carry it but do you read it, I decided I wasn't going to say anything, we joined hands as I said a short prayer and let go of his very soft hands, I needed to get out of here and go to church.

"Thank you, are you staying for the show?"

"No, I am leaving the other makeup artists will fix you up. It was nice meeting you, Felix."

"You too Malaika."

I cleared up my space and went out, that was enough for today, I dashed out of the place to go to church, I had a handful of things to repent for as my brain had gone wild. I didn't look back, even when I had Hyunjin mention my name Felix in Korean.

It was all his fault I needed a holy cleanse anyway.

Malaika’s POV

I entered the café Ji-ho had called me to and spotted him sitting with Yasenghwa. He saw me and waved me over. I rushed towards him and gave him a big hug having missed him for the last two weeks.

“How was Egypt?” He had just come back from Egypt, we were part of a gospel worship group and were supposed to go to Egypt together but because of recent circumstances I had stayed.

“It was fine, how have you been.”

“Good, hi lovely lady.” I said turning and addressing Yasenghwa.

She is the most complicated friend I got when I came to Korea. I had met her through our church and I had immediately disliked her. It wasn’t her fault though, Ji-ho is my brother we might be related by blood but he is my brother. We had met when I was 12 years old under difficult circumstances and had formed a bond that was unbreakable.

Ji-ho was my whole world, mostly because he was all I had. So when I finally came to Korea and saw the blooming romance between them, it felt like someone was snatching the only thing I had from me and I wasn’t happy in the slightest. People thought that maybe I had feelings for him and even advised that he distance himself from me. In their defence I wasn’t doing a good job at hiding my jealously.

Only that wasn’t the case.

“How is the new job going?” Ji-ho asked.

“Great!”  He saw straight through my lie but let me be.

“Is it as life changing as it is said to be.” Yasenghwa knowing my former love for the group was taking the opportunity to be extra.

“It would have been years back, now that I am viewing it from a new perspective its actually not everything I thought it would be.”

As we continued to converse I looked at Ji-ho and Yasenghwa smiling at each other I wondered how I had ever hated her. If Ji-ho was happy, then I was happy. I had never had romantic feelings for Ji-ho, no offence to the guy, he was actually very good-looking, but I viewed him as a brother.

When I was at the lowest, the only person who was there for me besides God was Ji-ho. It's hard to find someone who says they will be with you every step of the way and keep that promise. This man had seen me through the lowest of my lows and had been there picking me up each time, when my faith was failing he was there telling me not to give up hope, that God still loved me and would never leave me. He had become my rock and to see someone who threatened that peace was kind of upsetting.

Even when I was being irrational he assured me, “Just because someone else comes into my life it doesn’t mean  I love you any less, it just means there is someone more to love. No one can ever take away the bound we have, you will always be my family.”

Anyone who had grown up close to their siblings could understand. You think it’s you two against the world until it’s not. Letting go of people I love has always been hard for me, when you finally realize that you guys will some day live your separate lives and have your own families, and it comes at the worst possible time when you're not ready to accept that reality and have anyone take that peace away from you.

It wasn’t until I saw just how much his face lit up when he looked at Yasenghwa that I started to notice how selfish I was being. Ji-ho had given up a lot of things for me, sleepless nights when I didn’t want to live any more, dates when I was sick, he had sacrificed his happiness over and over for me. If you really love someone, you will do everything in your power to protect them and make them happy and if Yasenghwa made him happy, who gave me the right to take that away?

I remember the day I had finally come to this conclusion, I found them hugging outside Ji-ho’s flat door as he stayed next to my flat. Ji-ho had been so scared of my reaction and that was when I realized he was just as afraid of losing me as I was him that he restored to hiding their relationship. I didn’t want him to feel like he couldn’t trust me and saw that this could cause a rift in our relationship, I put my fears behind me, blessed them and for the first time ever took the initiative to talk to Yasenghwa and get to know her.

If I thought he was happy before, I had never anticipated how much happier he would be to see me get along with the woman he liked.

“Are you okay?” Ji-ho asked as we walked to the flat after dropping off his girlfriend. “Was that too much?”

“No, you dummy it's been a year, give me a break.” I rolled my eyes and slapped his arm. “I think I might even like Yasenghwa more than you.”

“Well she likes me more than you.”

“Oh the lies women tell men not to destroy their ego.”

We bickered all the way home. Looking back, I think God removed had to put Yasenghwa in the picture. I had become too dependent on Ji-ho and God couldn’t have that happening. I had to lose part of Ji-ho to get closer to God and I know it sounds crazy, but it wasn’t until after Yasenghwa came along that I learnt to completely rely on God.

And so I thank you, God, for bringing Yasenghwa into my life.