(Writers note: hi army! Here is my favorite video of the rap line. I specially love Yoongi with his white hair which is when we meet him at the begining of this story. Hope you enjoy the story as much as I did writing it. I purple you!)
I also added this which has to be my favorite video of Yoongi of all time! Also love that he gets the first verse!
November 19, 2017
"You make sure to be safe" My mom says kissing my cheek while hugging me to the point I can't breathe.
"I will eomma" I say trying to calm her nerves. This will be the first time I leave home and I know they are worried. My dad and brother follow and both hug me with the same intensity as my mom.
"Call us as soon as you make it to yours friend's house" My father demands.
"Yes appa" I say walking towards the awaiting train that will take me to my destination. I turn around before I make it to the entrance and I look at my family for one last time to take a mental picture. My mom wipes some unruly tears from her beautiful face and my dad does his best to comfort her. My older brother looks worried and I know he will be texting me the whole trip. "I love you all" I exclaim waving my hand in a goodbye and I am met with small smiles from my family.
I find my seat and to my luck its a window seat. I am nervous about what today will bring and the window will be a good distraction. The trip to Seoul is about 4 hours and I am thankful for the time that will allow me to calm myself. I have never been outside of my hometown and that fact is making me nervous. I was born and raised in Daegu and my parents have always worked hard and lived paycheck by paycheck. We never had extra money to take trips. It took all my savings with some help from my parents and brother to be able to pay for my trip. If everything goes as expected I will be able to pay them back very soon.
I hear my phone go off and it takes me away from my thoughts. I fish it out of my bag and I smile when I see my brother's name. I knew he will be texting me as soon as I got on the train.
Bong- "Have a safe trip! I am taking our parents home now. Please don't forget to call when you make it to your friend's apartment."
Me- "Oppa stop worrying. I will be safe" I text back knowing its no use. He will continue to worry until I am back from my trip.
My brother almost refused to let me leave once he found out I had a job interview in Seoul. It took all my sweet younger sister charm to convince him I could do this trip all by myself. Of course he is the exact copy of my dad, looking like a younger version with the same temperament. My mom and I always joke telling them they are twins and not father and son. Of course my brother Bong is a few inches taller than my dad at 6 feet and he has long dark hair which is very different from my dad's short haircut. But they are the same person in every other aspect. They always agree on everything specially when it comes to me and my safety. Ever since we were kids my dad gave him the job of being my protector and engrained it in his brain that he has to watch out for me. It was because of this reason that it took all my will to tell him about this trip. I waited until the last minute knowing he was going to have an issue with me traveling outside of our town. He was very angry and concerned and my dad had the same sentiment. They could not understand that this is a one in a lifetime opportunity for my career. If I get this job I could help them improve our way of life. I have always wanted to be a photographer ever since one of my brother's friends gifted me a Polaroid camera for my eight birthday. I used that camera to take pictures of everything around me and I would explore my neighborhood for potential photo ops. In the last 12 years I have been able to improve to a better camera after having many jobs. I still take that small polaroid everywhere with me to remind me of what started my love of photography.
I fish for my phone again and check to make sure my brother has not texted again. I smile when I see no alerts on my phone and I decide to listen to some music and pick my playlist of my favorite Pop songs. I look for my headphones and I am thankful no one has taken the seat next to me. I am not a shy person at all and I love to meet new people but knowing I will be by myself for the 4 hour trip makes me feel better about my safety.
We get the alert the train will arrive to it's destination in 5 minutes and I take the time to get my bags ready. I only brought a small suitcase and my favorite black bag. I don't own a lot of clothes or accessories but everything I own is very loved and appreciated since it was bought with the sweat of my family members. I check my makeup on the handheld mirror I always carry and to my surprise I look somewhat put together after the long trip. My short light brown hair is another story. I run my hands through it and play with my bangs to try to tame it. I hear my phone ding and I look down to check.
Hae- "Status update?"
Me- "5 minutes away. Are you at the station?" I reply letting her know I will be arriving soon.
Hae- "Yes, I am excited to see you!" I smile at my friend's text and I have to say I am also every excited to see her. She moved to Seoul almost 5 years ago and I have not seen her since. We still talk everyday through text and video call but it's not the same. We have been friends since we were kids and before she left we were inseparable. I am staying with her this week while I attend my interview. It will be cool to experience the new city with her and to see how a single girl lives. I know she has a roommate and they both work in the same company but I have never met the roommate before. I am looking forward to potentially making a new friend.
I feel the train start to make a stop and the anticipation of finally seeing my friend and being in a new place hits me. I get up once it has completely stopped and I look down to make sure my clothes look okay. I am wearing my favorite black shorts with matching jacket and oversize T-shirt tucked into the shorts. I want to make a good impression with my friend and I have had this outfit picked out for days. I get off the train holding my bags and I can't believe I actually here. I have been dreaming of this trip for years and I am finally here.
"Ara Dallia!" I hear someone call my name and I look in the direction of the sound to see a very excited Hae coming my way.
"Eonni" I exclaim meeting her in the middle to hug.
"I can't believe you are here" Hae says and I feel the same way. "Let me look at her" she moves back to hold me by both arms. "You look so beautiful" she says smiling.
"Thank you" I say bowing "You look beautiful as well eonni" I say taking a good look at my best friend. Her hair is shorter almost hitting her shoulders and this is the first time I notice it. I am not surprise at how tall she is now since almost everyone I know is taller than me thanks to my 170 cm height.
"Stop it with the formal speaking, we will be roommates for a week its about time you call me Hae" she says and I smile at her words. I bow again to agree to call her by her name. "Ready to see my new place?" She asks and I move my head in a silent yes.
We walk towards the street together to find Hae's car. I still remember her big smile while she was showing me her new car on a video call months ago. The car is small and white and I am not like Bong I have no way of knowing a car brand by just looking at it but I do know I like it. It fits her fire personality and I think that's all she cares about. We finally find it after walking for a while and she takes me on a small tour to show me the city on our way to her apartment. The city is beautiful and while staring out the window I can't believe I am actually here. We pass by some buildings and I have to move my head up to be able to see the end of the tall buildings. I hear Hae speak and I look to her to find her pointing at one of the tallest buildings.
"That's where I work" she says and I look up at the enormous building filled with windows. I was shocked when she told me she had gotten a job at Big Hit Entertainment. She had just moved to Seoul and we didn't expect her to find something so fast. I was double surprised when she told someone we knew the person that had gotten her the job.
"He is doing great by the way. I am surprise you haven't asked me about him yet" She says bringing me back to the present.
"What?" I pretend I didn't understand who she was referring to.
"Yoon Gi. Him and the rest of the group are doing amazing. They are currently in the states attending an award show." she says matter of fact and I don't know what to reply. Of course I know how well he is doing my hometown is filled with pictures of him and the other member who was also born in Daegu. And coming to Seoul has made me realize Daegu is nothing compared to this place. They have building size pictures of all of the members everywhere you turn. "Ara Don't be shy now. I know you had a crush on him when we were kids"she continues, making me blush.
"Eonni stop, that was years ago" I say lying through my teeth. I don't think I ever got over that stupid childhood crush and I don't think I will get over it anytime soon. I still feel my heart flutter every time I hear his name or see his picture which is hard when I see his picture everywhere. He and my brother used to be best friends and I would beg my brother to let me hang out with the older kids so I could be around Yoongi. I would make it a point to be close to him just so I can hear him speak. He was fascinating for such a young age and I knew he was on to better and bigger things. When he left I was sad for months and it didn't help that my best friend left shortly after. That year was one of the saddest of my life and I still feel pain when I think about it.
"Umm why don't I believe you" Hae chuckles and I hide my smile behind my long bangs.
"Do you still have a crush on my brother?" I ask trying to give her some of her own medicine. She has never been able to hide her feelings for Bong.
"Ok I get it, I will stop teasing you now" she says and her expression changes to something else and I know she is thinking about my brother.
Shortly after we arrive outside an apartment complex and Hae gestures for me to get out of the car once she parks the car. The building looks expensive and well guarded and I think back at our house back in Daegu. I can only dream about having a place like this for us to come home to everyday. We make it to the third floor and I am in pure awe of how gorgeous this place is. We arrive at her door and I watch as she puts in her code. She asks me to memorize it since it's her date of birth but I don't need to. I am really good with dates and I would never forget my best friend's day. The inside of the apartment is as beautiful as the outside. Her style is similar to mine and you can tell she lives a minimal lifestyle. Her furniture is between whites and different colored woods and the place looks clean but homy. Hae talks about her day but all I can do is look around the place at every beautiful detail.
"Oh before I forget this Wednesday is my roommates birthday and we are having a small dinner to celebrate. She is excited to meet you as soon she comes back from the United States." Hae says and I don't recall her mentioning her friend had a birthday coming up this week. Since today is Sunday and my interview is tomorrow I don't have enough time to shop for a present. I can't go to the dinner empty handed.
"I don't know if I will still be here" I say truly not knowing if I will leave Seoul as soon as my interview is over.
"Nope you are staying, you said you were staying for a whole week" Hae says in a demanding voice.
"Yes I will stay a week if the new job asks me to stay but if they don't like my interview I might leave earlier. I can't afford any more days" I say ashamed at knowing my money will run out soon.
"Doesn't matter, you are coming to the dinner and that's final, don't make me use my older sister voice" she says smiling but the smile does not reach her beautiful brown eyes.
"Let's see what happens" I say winking at my friend. Even though I don't want to upset her I can be stubborn and I know that if I don't get the interview I would want to go home as soon as possible to find another job. I am set in becoming a professional photographer and I will do anything in my power to make my dream come true.