1 Chapter 1 - So What Now?

Dear Rose,

We thank you for your application and your interest in our TravelDreams – Work and Travel program.

However, we regret to inform you that due to limited spots available in the program and your late application, we do not have a place open anymore for the fall semester of 2018.

Kindly note that we offer this program twice a year, and we are pleased to provide you with a spot in the spring semester of 2019.

To secure your spot, please...

The rest of the e-mail is a blur. I stare at the screen, the outside of the window. Then at the screen again.

I've been rejected.

I've been rejected.

The words are slowly and painfully burning themselves into my brain, and a feeling of utter failure and desperation washes over my entire body.

How could this happen to me? Me?

My entire life, I've always known what I was doing. I've never been late for a deadline, and I sure as hell have never been rejected from anything.

After graduating from high school, I couldn't bear the thought of starting university right away. Another four years of sitting in a classroom and memorizing pointless information only to forget it right after taking the exam seemed like hell to me, and I somehow managed to convince my parents to let me on a work-and-travel around the globe for a year.

Except, there's a slight problem.

I wasn't accepted to the only program my parents could afford.

I shut my laptop closed – I can't look at this damn e-mail anymore- and put my head in my hands, massing my temples.

The cute café I'm sitting in Hongdae, Seoul, does not fit my current mood. Around me, people are chatting, laughing, talking, carrying with their life while mine has just been ruined with this simple, short e-mail.

I need to clear my head. Everything can be fixed. How do I fix this?

There's several issues with my current situation. First of all, the fall semester at the universities here starts in two weeks, so I can't apply anymore. Second of all, I've already told my parents I was leaving. Everything is ready. It never even occurred to me I wouldn't be accepted.

How could I be such an imbecile?

At this moment, my phone lights up, and a text from my best friend Eun appears on the screen. Great. I officially have no plans for the future anymore, but at least I still have friends.

You still coming tonight?

Sighing, I read her text. Eun wanted to go out with me, and some of our other friends tonight before summer is over. Except I'm absolutely not in a party mood right now. But I'm also not going to bail on my best friend.

Sure.  can't wait babeee

As soon as I send the message, I immediately regret it. That sounded way too enthusiastic for my texting style. She's going to sense something is off.

What happened?, she immediately texts back. Damn it, I knew it.

Talk tonight, ok? , I answer without waiting for her response.

...

"Ouch!", I groan as Eun grabs me by the arm to pull me outside. "Can you like, slow down?"

She ignores my complaints until we're outside on the street, far away from our other friends who are still dancing inside at the club we've reached a couple of hours.

Eun crosses her arms and glares at me, her eyes two little fireballs. "What happened?"

I don't look at her as I answer and observe the countless young, drunk, and most importantly, happy people walking around the streets of Itaewon on this Thursday night. "I need to crash at your place, starting next week."

She raises an eyebrow. "Huh? Why?"

"Because that's when I'm supposed to start traveling," I mumble, already dreading the rest of this conversation. I don't want to go through the humiliation of admitting I was rejected.

Eun stays silent for a while, trying to read me by staring at my side profile – as I'm still refusing to look at her.

"You got rejected. You got rejected from that travel program thingy," she finally concludes.

It's weird. This street is so crowded, and still, I feel like we're all alone. "Yeah," I nod. "So, I need to leave home for a while, so my parents think I'm actually traveling."

Eun sighs and puts her arm around my shoulder. "Why don't you just tell them the truth, Rose?"

Immediately, I shake my head. "You know why, Eun-ah. It took me so long to convince them to let me do this, and now... I'm basically going to lose six months of my life while waiting for the next semester. They are going to be so... disappointed. Not even angry, just disappointed. I won't stand it."

"Of course you can stay at my place", she mumbles. Eun's parents had to move back to the countryside a year ago due to her mom's job, and Eun has been living alone in a small studio ever since. She's the only one of my friends who lives alone, and it's probably one of the many reasons why she's the strong and independent one of the friend group. "But what are you going to do? Just watch Netflix for six months?"

"While that sounds like a dream, no, of course not. I don't want to just live off you. I'll find a job at a café or something, and once my life is stable again, I'll confess to my parents and move back home, I promise."

She considers this, chewing her lip before she crinkles her nose at me. "The two of us living together, huh? Doesn't sound so bad."

I can't help but slightly smile at that. "No, it doesn't."

"See?" Eun pinches my cheeks, making me laugh for the first time today. "There's something good in every situation. Now let's go back inside, I heard that BTS' Jimin is at the club tonight." Her ironic tone clearly shows that she does not believe in that, but I can't help but shiver at the thought. What if... with a mask, everything is possible.

No, it's probably just stupid gossip. I shake the thought off and follow my best friend inside. And what would it matter anyway? He wouldn't recognize me anymore.

We dance and drink for a while, and I finally manage to relax a little, as a new plan forms in my head – I'm going to crash at Eun's, I'm going to find a job, and it's going to be alright -, before I tell the others I'm going to get a glass of water from the bar. It has been enough liquor for the night.

As I wait for the glass at the bar, someone taps my shoulder, and I turn around with a smile, thinking it's one of my friends. However, my smile immediately fades away when I see a big security guy twice my face staring down at me.

Without introducing himself, he just says: "Follow me, Rose Winters.", and starts walking away.

I stare at him with my mouth open. What the hell? Then, I run after him, struggling to keep up.

"I didn't do anything wrong! I'm legal! I'm allowed to drink alcohol!", I immediately defend myself, panicked.

"I know," the guard responds calmly. "I never said you did anything wrong. Come on now. He wants to see you."

"He? Who the hell is he?" I ask, confused.

"Stop acting like you don't know. Aren't you friends?" He's led me into a dark corridor and has finally stopped walking, staring down at me again, this time with a raised eyebrow. "Gosh, you're unlike the people he surrounds himself with usually. I hope I didn't pick the wrong person."

I frown. "What does that mean, unlike the other people? Was that some kind of insult?"

He just sighs at me impatiently and points at the door we stopped in front of. "He's inside. Go on in."

I look back from him to the door and ponder feverously. This whole situation screams kidnapping and ****, but somehow, I don't feel unsafe. Taking a deep breath, I open the door, and the person who's sitting there smugly on the sofa takes my breath away.

It's no other than Park Jimin.

He stands up and greets me with his signature smile, slowly walking towards me. "Hello, Rose. Long-time no see."

"Jimin oppa.", I breathe, completely overwhelmed.

He raises his eyebrows amusedly at my apparent startled state. "Are you alright, Rose?"

"Umm... I think I need to take a seat.", I mumble and plop down onto the sofa without waiting for his reaction.

Jimin decides to lean at the wall across from me, still seeming rather amused. His hair is back to this natural color, black, and he's wearing a simple black sweatshirt with some jeans, highlighting his muscular tights. He looks absolutely incredible. And here I am, sweaty from dancing and with eye bags more prominent than the sun. Great. Just great.

"You know, I would have expected a little bit more enthusiasm from your part.", he breaks the silence between us.

"Sorry," I say. "It's just... it's been years, oppa. Literally years. And you're like, really famous now. I mean, so freaking famous. One of my friends literally has five posters of you in her room. You're her bias, whatever that's supposed to mean. And..." I trail off, realizing I'm rambling and force my brain to focus on the situation at hand. "Wait, how did you even know I was here? I didn't even see you!"

"Of course you didn't. I was wearing a mask. As you pointed out several times, I'm quite known now. Unfortunately, I can't just enter clubs like a normal person anymore. And I saw you dancing with your friends, that's how I knew. Not exactly what I taught you.", he winks at me, and I heavily flush at the idea that my middle school classical dance teacher saw me twerking drunkenly in a club.

How is this even real life right now?

"Well, it's good to see you," I quickly say, wishing to distract him from the whole dancing thing.

"You too." He smiles warmly at me, and my heart melts. "Your Korean is so good now. You've completely lost your accent. And you look great, Rose-ah."

"Thank you," I laugh awkwardly. "To be honest, I didn't think you'd remember me."

He's a superstar now. Never in a million years, I expected him Jimin to remember the shy girl he protected from bullies while he was helping out as a dance teacher.

Never in a million years.

"Of course I remember you!", he scoffs in shock. "I always remember cute girls."

Oh God. I'm aware he's being playful, but still, I thought the flirty personality he put on in interviews was just an act.

"I was surprised to see you here, though.", he carries on. "Are you on vacation in Seoul?"

"No," I shake my head. "We moved here from Busan a couple of years ago."

He seems satisfied with my response as if he was hoping for me to say this. "Good, good. So no plans of leaving Seoul right now? No going back home to the States?"

"Uh, no." I shake my head at his questions, confused as to why he cares so much. My parents had to move here when I was ten years old for their career, and they fell in love with Korea, so moving back to the United States has never even been up for debate.

"And I'm sure you need a job right now, right?"

I freeze right away at his question, suddenly being reminded of current life problems. "How do you know?", I ask defensively.

He seems surprised at me tensing up. "Huh? I don't know, I was just guessing. You just finished high school, right? Most people are looking for a side job at that age."

"Oh, right," I laugh nervously, trying to smooth over my awkwardness. "That's right. I'm looking for a job."

Jimin claps his hands joyfully. "Well, that's perfect. I have a job proposition for you."

What? Thinking that he's joking, I grin at him. "Hit me up, oppa."

"Well, the company has been struggling to fill this position for a while now, and so they asked if anyone we knew came to mind. I couldn't think of anyone at first, but when I saw tonight... I realized you would be perfect."

"Perfect for which position?", I ask slowly, suddenly nervous.

"Would you be interested in being the personal assistant of one of my members, Jungkook?"