A Thousand Purple Stars (JinJi)

Kim Jisoo

Gently, she ran her finger over the top edge of the magazine until her skin touched a piece of parchment. She opened the magazine at that spot. Lying in the middle of the publication was a slim, folded piece of transparent parchment. Squashed in between was a small pressed and dried wildflower with thin, gossamer purple petals and a center that used to be yellow. It was very delicate, so Jisoo was careful as she opened up the parchment a bit to check on her flower. It had been her lucky charm all these years, and god knows that she would need all her luck later today.

Moving her attention away from the flower and back to the page, she ran her index finger over the glossy finish until it came to rest on a spot on the masthead.

Julie Kiyoko, Managing Editor.

Jisoo felt her heart swell at the same time that her stomach lurched. She looked up to check the clock once more. In just a little over an hour and a half, she would be meeting Julie Kiyoko, Embrace Magazine Managing Editor. This job interview would be her first step toward her dream.

Jisoo had given herself away to daydreaming once again and almost didn't even notice when her classmates started to stand up and pack their bags. She folded her flower back up into the parchment, gently so as not to damage it, and then she slipped it between the pages of a novel she was reading. Then, she threw everything else into her bag and stood up.

"Jisoo, wait," said Jaebum before she reached the door. Taking a minute to fix her shirt and steady her beating heart (why did his voice have this effect on her?) Jisoo turned and walked toward her TA.

Relax, she tried to tell herself, but she couldn't help it. The closer she got to Jaebum, the more nervous she felt. He was wearing a navy blue suit today, which had to be the sexiest of all the suit colors. Paired with his new haircut and the slightly scary aura of authority that wafted around him (which was admittedly also kind of hot), Jisoo didn't know what to do with herself.

He was half sitting, half leaning against the desk, and when Jisoo slowed to a stop in front of him, he held out a stapled pack of papers toward her.

"I read your draft," he said. Jisoo gave him a nervous look.

"You did?" she said. "I mean... thanks. Uh, so what did you think?"

"You have a gift, you know?" he said, and Jisoo immediately blushed.

"Really?" she said, hating how pathetically hopeful her voice sounded just then. Jaebum nodded.

"You really have a way with words and expression, your writing is strong," he said, not breaking eye contact with her. Jisoo's heart raced, doubling in speed with each compliment.

"Thank y—,"

"But," he continued, crossing his arms and his expression turning solemn. "I think your research lacks substance. I can tell you've done the reading, but there's nothing in your paper that tells me that you've actually done any hands on digging in the information. Everything just feels too surface, you're going to have to go back and dig deeper to come up with anything of substance. You understand?"

Jisoo blinked at him. Yes, she understood, and he was right, of course. Even before she turned the draft into him, she knew he was going to say that her writing was half-assed and the research felt rushed and surface. But still. She never did take criticism very well. Especially when it came to her writing.

Her ego was hurt. But she couldn't lash out now. If not because this was Jaebum she was speaking to, then because doing so would lengthen this meeting, and she wanted to be at the Embrace Magazine headquarters early for her interview. So she just swallowed her wounded pride and nodded.