'Shannon! Did you hear what the leader of Miss Sunshine said on stage just now?' Freddie oppa asks when I finally come back to the waiting room after my performance. It was a success. A lot of people in the audience knew and sang along with my song. And I didn't mess up the choreography!
'Yeah, I was even on stage with them!' I reply.
' Do you think she was referring to you?' He asks. 'I mean you said they were nice just now. What actually happened?'
'Well, I only got to talk to two of them and one of them was nice,' I say. 'Kind of.'
'And the other one was not?'
'I wouldn't say she's not nice, I've just met nicer people.'
Freddie lets out a sigh, 'oh well. You'll meet others that are kind-hearted, I'm sure.'
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After a long day of schedule, I'm finally home. I have to pack for America now!
'Shannon! How was your debut stage today?' Seokjin oppa comes into my, technically Jungkook oppa's, room.
Jimin and Jungkook oppa are already on the bed chatting with me while I pack.
'It was good! I didn't mess up the choreography, which is a huge relief.'
'That's good to hear.' He puts a pack of hand warmers in my suitcase, 'it's really cold in America now, you'll need them.'
'Awww, thank you so much, oppa!'
Jimin oppa sees them and says,' don't forget about the gloves I gave you! You'll need to keep your hands warm during rehearsals.'
Jungkook oppa then puts a beanie on my head, 'this, too.'
While I continue packing, the rest of the oppas come in bringing stuff for me.
' These socks are brand new. I got the same ones and they are soft and warm! Keeping your feet warm is important when you're a rookie dancer,' Namjoon oppa says.
' Take this sweater with you, it's made of 100% wool. Don't worry about it being too big because oversized clothing are in trend now!' Hoseok oppa smiles.
Taehyung oppa walks in with a giant box. He opens it and a large coat is revealed. It looks heavy and warm, and the cutting is so intricate that it looks like it's hand sewn. 'Look what I've got you, Shannon. Try it on!'
'Wow, this coat is beautiful.' The tag says Gucci and I'm guessing it's one of the luxurious brands. 'Oppa! You guys are spoiling me!'
'Shannon-ah...oh, you're all here.' Yoongi oppa walks in with his laptop in hand.
He takes a look at my suitcase and laughs, 'you guys, she's going to New York and LA, not Alaska.'
'Yeah but she needs to keep warm so her voice is not strained during the show!' Jimin oppa says.
'And she looks like she's packed 10% of each of your closets! Her suitcase is gonna be overweight!'
'Don't worry about it, just pay the overweight fee using the company's credit card, I'm sure your manager has it,' Taehyung oppa says.
'I'm going for five days, because Freddie oppa said some of the talk shows have booked me. I think I won't have to pack too much because he's also got my stage outfits,' I reassure them.
'Ok, just do whatever you like. Sorry I didn't prepare anything for you to bring,' Yoongi oppa says.
'No problem! Yoongi oppa, why did you come here?' I ask.
'I was just looking at the track you produced.' I did that when I was still resting last week because I had nothing better to do besides sitting around in the massive apartment. Yoongi oppa taught me how to use the composing software on his laptop so I could experiment the sounds and techniques he taught me.
'Oh and what do you think?'
'It's pretty good for a first-timer. I've made a few changes here and there and I just wanna show you.'
'Daebak! You're starting to write your own music now?' Hoseok oppa asks.
' Play it out!' Namjoon oppa says.
Oh lord, am I actually showing my shitty song to the best producers in the company?
The changes Yoongi oppa made literally upgraded my song by a few notches. I think he's doubled a few vocal lines and also added another layer to the baseline.
'It's a good start, well done, Shannon!' Namjoon oppa says.
'Thank you, I'll keep trying!' I say.
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The flight to Los Angeles is at noon so we arrive at the airport at 9:30am.
I'm shocked by the amount of people that came to the airport because of me. I'm immediately faced with the paparazzi when I get off the van. The flashlights of their cameras take a few moments to get used to, but luckily Freddie and my assistants are there to keep them from shoving their camera in my face.
'Shannon-ssi, how's your leg?'
'Shannon-ssi, are you excited to go to America?'
'Shannon-ssi, which sunbaen in BigHit you're closest with?'
The questions that just never stop coming but I'm specifically told not to answer any of them because some journalists can manage to twist whatever I said into the headlines which can be a lot of trouble to my career.
I'm stood right across the entrance of Incheon International Airport. Jimin oppa told me yesterday that this is usually where they stand and let the paparazzi take pictures of them.
'Stand up straight and tall, smiling isn't necessary, only if you want to.' He said.
Freddie whispers, 'Shannon-ah, I brought your combat boots along, too.'
The straight face I had on for the paparazzi is gone instantly. I smile and forgot all the protocol I'm supposed to follow like covering my mouth when I smile. Oops.
'That's my sweetie,' Freddie whispers.
There are about 70 fans as well and they've been screaming my name since I got off the van. I treasure my fans so much, so I smile at a few of them. Since taking selfies with them is a big no-no, I can only look towards their direction and hopefully they can see how happy I am to see them.
After checking in, we're seated in the lounge before the boarding gate opens.
'Look at this,' my manager shows me his iPad, 'they've already uploaded pictures of you! It's been only an hour!'
Oh yeah. There are already online articles and posts showing me outside the airport just now.
Wow, they even found exactly where I got my clothes. How did they do it?
My jeans and hoodie are both from H&M because they sell the cheapest clothes and I'm practically still broke. Then there's the coat Taehyung oppa got for me...
It's six million won?!
'Shannon, are you ok?' Freddie oppa asks after seeing the colour of my face drains.
'The...the...the...' I can only point at the picture.
'That's your coat, yes.' He says, 'I was gonna say, did you steal clothes from BTS?'
'No...Taehyung oppa gave me the coat as a gift.' The longer I stare at the price the more dizzy I feel.
'Wah, that's so cool. I mean having a V buy you a present is already awesome and he's also got you a Gucci coat? That's basically a dream-comes-true for the fangirls out there.'
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It's finally time to board. Our company was so generous and bought ya business class tickets! Who would've thought my second time ever flying will be in business class? I'm so gonna work even harder so I can fly my mum and Sav out on business class.
My phone receives a message notification and it says Jungkook oppa has sent me a message!
There's a picture of his studio and the message writes:
Working hard to pay off the credit card bill you generated for me
I think I chuckled out loud because Freddie oppa looks at him with a suspicious look. But he continues with writing his emails.
Me: I'm so sorry! I promise once I start making money I'll pay for samgyeopsal!
Jk: and also lamb skewers
Me: deal
Jk: good luck with the showcases, you're gonna be amazing and America's gonna love you
My heart melts from his wishes. If only he isn't on tour right now, I'd really love for him to come to the States with me.
Jeez, since when am I so attached to him? He only sees me as a hoobae, it's not into me.
I'm just pathetic for how much I want that to not be true...