Taste | Changbin

Chapter Six

Lennon took a deep breath before she knocked on JYP's office door. 

"Come in!" JYP's muffled voice broke through the wood. 

She gripped the metal handle and turned it. The smell of cinnamon washed over her. The room looked the same as it did a few days ago. Photographs sat on his desk facing him, she assumed they were of his family. Behind him, a wall sat with photographs of all the people he worked with. 

The walls were painted a pale beige. Multiple large filing cabinets were hidden in the back corner. JYP sat behind a large wooden desk. His fingers flew over the keys of a keyboard. His face was lit up by the screen of his desktop computer. He glanced over at her from the top of it. "You're right on time, come sit down." He gestured towards two padded chairs in front of his desk. 

She walked further into the room and plopped down in one of the chairs. Her fingers automatically intertwined themselves together. She placed them on her lap while waiting for him to finish what he was doing. 

"Sorry, I'm typing up an email real quick. How was your morning? Did you like working with the boys? I'm almost done with this and I'll tell you what this meeting is really about." 

Was she going to get fired for spilling coffee on Changbin? That iced Americano started sliding up the back of her throat. She quickly swallowed and started to speak. "It was okay, they're all really nice. I was nervous, but they made me feel at ease. It seems like they're really great people." 

"I'm glad to hear you liked it. I know we've had some issues in the past with a few new staff members. Sometimes people get off on the wrong foot with the band. Once you're on the wrong foot, they usually don't like them. Sometimes they'll band together and refuse to work with the staff member." 

"Oh?" It was the only word that came out of Lennon's mouth. She would have thought that JYP would have ignored their request. She figured that they had staff members that they didn't like, but they were probably forced to work with them anyway. JYP must have respected them if he easily gave into their demands. 

"Okay, now that that's done, we can get started. I wanted to talk to you about America. Did you like America?" 

"Huh?" Lennon raised an eyebrow. 

"You told me you moved here from America. Did you like America?" 

"It was okay, why do you ask?" 

"Do you have any important plans in the next few months?" 

"Um..." She quickly ran through the days in her head. Did she have any important plans coming up? "I don't think so." 

"I ask because, let's start from the beginning, the makeup artist you're replacing. We've worked with her for two years. All the boys were pretty close with her and she just went into labor. That's why I hired you so quickly. We have to have a makeup artist here. A makeup artist can make or break their image." 

"Uh-huh." 

"She went into labor unexpectedly. She was eight months pregnant and her water broke early. She's okay, but I wasn't prepared for it. I thought I had a few more weeks to find a proper replacement. I know this is unexpected and I'm asking a lot from you. You can say no, but I wish you wouldn't." 

Lennon furrowed her eyebrows. She was trying to figure out where this conversation was going. The thought of her getting fired flew out the window. What was she going to be asked? What did America have to do with anything?

"The boys are going to go on tour in two weeks. They know that it's coming, but I haven't announced it to them yet. We're starting in America and working our way back through other countries back to Korea. If you're not doing anything, I'd appreciate it if you'd go with us." 

"A world tour?" 

JYP nodded his head. A large smile grew across his face. "This is going to be their third one. They've all been really excited about it, we all are." 

Her brain tried to process all the words that JYP was telling her. She'd have a chance to go to other countries. She'd have a chance to take photos and see sights that she had never seen before. She'd have a chance to live the life that most people dreamed of. 

"I would love to, but I don't think I can afford that. Truly, I would be honored, but I don't have a bunch of money. With plane tickets and hotel rooms and food and I-" 

A loud laugh came out of JYP. He quickly slapped a hand over his mouth to muffle it. Lennon tried to hide her shock from his outburst. She dug her nails into her palms. She had this job for one day and she was going to lose it. She braced herself for him to announce her resignation. 

"I'm sorry, that was so unprofessional of me." Small laughs still came from his mouth. "I should have mentioned it sooner, your expenses will be paid for through the company. In fact, we'll actually pay you for going on the trip. You'll still be an employee of ours, we still have to pay you." 

"Really?" Lennon met his eyes. 

"Absolutely! We'd love to have you along. I already got a text from Chan earlier. He asked if you'd be back again tomorrow to do their makeup. They seem to really like you." 

"It'd be an honor, I'd love to. I just need to know when we're leaving and where we're going. I'd also probably need to know when we're coming back, just so I know." 

"Of course, of course! I'll put everything you need to know in an email and send it to you. Whatever you do, just don't tell them that we're going on tour. That's going to be announced tomorrow before they start shooting their new music video. I'm glad you're going to be going along. You still have your passport, right? It hasn't expired, has it?" 

"It's good to go. I just got it before I left America. I haven't been to any other countries besides North America and South Korea." 

"You're going to love it! I'll let you get back to doing what you're going to do. I'll see you tomorrow morning at eight for their music video." 

Lennon slightly bowed her head. "Thanks for letting me tag along, see you tomorrow!" She got out of her chair and headed towards the door. The door slammed shut behind her. 

A large grin filled her face. She was going to go to other countries! She was going to take multiple photos and eat new foods. She was going to learn about new cultures and have the time of her life. The thought of it was overwhelming and a little dizzying. 

She turned to head towards the parking lot. Right as she turned, she slammed into someone. Their phone flew out of their hands and hit the ground. An apology instantly came out of her mouth. She bent down to pick up the phone. A large crack sat in the middle of the screen. "I'm so sorry!"

She held the phone out and glanced up to see Changbin's brown eyes glaring at hers. "Can't you watch where you're going? Thanks a lot! Now, I have to buy a new phone." He snatched the cracked phone out of her hand and continued down the hall. 

Lennon squeezed her eyes shut and pinched the bridge of her nose. Every interaction with Changbin was worse than the last one. She took a deep breath and slowly started towards the parking lot again. 

How much longer was this going to go on?