"Nice necklace you have there."

I snapped up when an emollient voice interrupted the unicorns' marathon playing inside of my head.

Nah, kidding.

It was actually a product of my nervousness, so I couldn't think of anything straight right now. I was so lost in my mind that the last thing I remembered was my family's villa. I think I had zoomed out for the whole journey in the train, and now only I came back to the real world.

I looked at Gayoung unnie, while my hand had found its way embracing the red tiger charm necklace inside of my palms.

Such action would instinctively happen only because of two reasons; because you are afraid the other person is interested in your necklace and would try to steal it from you, or you know you shouldn't have worn the necklace given by some good-looking guy and so, you turn defensive over it.

And at this moment, the latter sounded just right to clarify the situation I was going through. Because I was now looking at Gayoung unnie with wavering eyes, my brain cells fighting over each other to at least spew out a logical reason.

I didn't even know why I acted like I was caught red-handed, when it was just me, wearing a necklace given by him. And no, it didn't mean anything. I just felt like wearing it.

What? It's Gucci, people. Get over it.

"It's a l-lucky charm. You know, so that I can pass this interview, unnie." I uttered out quietly. I could feel the blood rushed up to my cheeks, yet I still tried my best to muster out a smile.

Gayoung unnie nodded and smiled kindly at me. "That particular 'someone' must be so important to you, seeing that you brought something belongs to that person to your big day."

I wished I could just say it didn't mean anything, but I held the urge to do so and forced out a smile at her. Because if I said anything more, it would only lengthen the conversation and threaten my secret about that specific 'someone' to be spilled.

As we were waiting for the receptionist to entertain us with a reply, I took my time appraising the pure interior of the building. It looked aesthetic and classic as the background was embellished with mix colors of white and soft grey.

Huge photos from the LED screen welcomed me. Music Videos and photos played on the screen, and I found myself pulling my brows together when the stunning images of BTS were displayed on every each of the big screens.

I didn't expect that the boys would be so popular that even Vogue Korea had decided to choose BTS as the facade of their office. But then, who am I kidding? Even the HQ of Vogue in United States had interviewed BTS and wrote a remarkable article about them after they have earned the honorable award on Billboard.

"Sorry for the long wait, Gayoung unnie. Our boss has returned to his office, and he's now waiting for your arrival." The gorgeous receptionist named Areum gestured courteously to the direction as she speaks with a friendly smile.

Gayoung unnie and I both thanked her with a nod and made our way up. I clasped my hand together as it felt like my blood was slowly turning into ice cold because of the nervousness that was consuming my veins.

"Mia, are you ready to nail this interview?" Gayoung unnie asked me, at the same time, cutting off the chant that I had been memorizing in my head for the past few hours.

"Yes, unnie. I will never disappoint you," I assured her with a wide smile. Yet I knew deep inside I might not be as assuring as I sounded.

Gayoung unnie beamed me a knowing smile, as if she could see through how I truly felt about this sudden-death interview. She leaned against the secretary counter and fisted her hand in the air.

"Hwaiting, Mia! I'll be waiting for a good news here," she cheered and pointed at the counter, where another lady behind the counter flashed me an amiable smile as well.

I took a deep breath and scanned my fashion for the interview — a loose baby-blue shirt that was tucked into my leather pants. Once I was pleased with my own appearance, I knocked on the matte black door of the CEO office.

"Come in," I heard a voice instructed inside. With that, I took the courage to finally twist the door handles and entered the modern air-conditioned room.

"Hello, CEO Bang. I am here for a job interview," I greeted in a calm tone as I made my way towards the main black table.

Behind the table, instead of seeing the CEO's face, I saw the top of his head, an adorable bowl cut hairstyle of his greeted me as he was still focusing on the paper stack in front of him, biting his lip down in slight desperation.

As he looked like he was occupied by something, I took the chance to scan his table briefly — a glistening gold nameplate of 'Bang Shihyuk' on the glass table instantly caught my eyes.

Bang Shihyuk? Why did that name sound so familiar in my ears? My mind swirled wildly, trying to find the reason behind the itch at the back of my mind. Pulling my brows together, I silently watched the man before me with a questioning gaze.

The CEO's hand swerved in a speedy straight motion until he put the last stroke and held up his hand in victory. Once he looked up, a chubby-looking man in round glasses, probably in his mid-40s, finally welcomed my view.

"I have been waiting for you, Ms. Kw-"

The faithful smile on my face wavered a little when I couldn't understand why CEO Bang had just stopped in mid-sentence in calling out my name. His expression looked like he was overwhelmed by something, because right now he was looking at me with widened eyes, the pen in his hand had free fall to the marble ground.

"J-Jinhee?"

My heart dropped into my stomach when I heard that name echoed in the room. Cold chills covered my spine as I had never thought even the CEO of Vogue Korea would also know Kim Jinhee on a personal level. It seemed like that name would never stop chasing after me, even on my big day.

"The only daughter of Kim Jong Pil, Kim Jinhee, right?" The CEO rounded the table and approached me in a rush, his dilated eyes slowly scrutinized my frame in utter shock.

Even though I felt the uneasiness grumbled in my stomach, I tried my best to conceal my discomfort and let out a sweet smile at him. "I'm sorry, CEO Bang. I think you are mistaken. My name is Kwon Mia. Were you expecting for someone else?"

Upon hearing my words, he turned even speechless. A long moment of silence passed before I saw his expression turned sour. He scratched his head mindlessly and let out a bitter chuckle. "Oh, n-no... I'm actually expecting for you, Ms. Kwon."

The CEO wrapped his face once and let out a heavy sigh, a hint of disappointment visible on his face. When he saw me still standing there, he quickly gestured me to the chair with an apologetic smile.

"Ah, I'm sorry for the confusion, Ms. Kwon. Please, take a seat and make yourself comfortable."

I let out a thankful smile and took the seat across him. "This is my portfolio, CEO Bang."

Taking a deep breath to recompose himself, he received my portfolio and flipped through it attentively, looking at the art of my designs for the past few years I had worked as a fashion stylist.

"Wow. I had to say these high-end fashion are pretty impressive. Gayoung told me that your previous client was Ivy Quinn, is it true?" he asked, his eyes sparkled in amazement as he couldn't stop examining the arts on my portfolio.

"Yes. I'd worked with her for eleven months, to be exact," I counted the months in my head, but unfortunately, I couldn't mask my expression when those unpleasant memories with Ivy decided to surface out at that moment.

"And may I know what's the reason behind your resignation?" He flickered his curious gaze at me, closing my portfolio at the same time.

I slowly let out a polite smile and looked at him straight in the eye. "I'm afraid I can't provide you with the details, CEO Bang. The whole experience was sort of confidential."

At that moment, I thought I was doomed because of my fearless candor. But I was surprised when I saw CEO Bang let out a pleasing chortle, the smile on his face stretched even wider at hearing my answer.

"Congratulation, Ms. Kwon. You have passed the test."

My eyes instantly enlarged at his sudden announcement. "R-really? That's it?"

Sitting on his leather chair, CEO Bang crossed his ten fingers and beamed me an affirmed smile. "I'm searching for a stylist that can think critically and a great problem solver. Through your experience with Ivy Quinn, I'm sure you've had those traits in you."

Then he slowly leaned back against his chair and gesticulated my frame from the top to the bottom. "Looking at your appearance for today, you seemed mentally and physically organize."

"But the most importantly of all," He fixed his thin glasses up the bridge of his nose, "Your answer told me that you are trustworthy and honest. I wouldn't want people to spread rumors about my artists. So I really prioritize the privacy of my boys."

"Don't worry, CEO Bang. You've found yourself a perfect candidate," I told him with a canvas of calm confidence, a convincing smile drawn across my face.

CEO Bang laughed, his shoulders bounced lightly at hearing the sanguine answer of mine. For a couple of seconds, he continued looking at me, and I noticed how his soft eyes swirled with a tinge of sadness. "You sound just like her..."

"Pardon?" I asked when I couldn't quite catch the phrase he just uttered out.

He scratched his head again and shifted his sitting position into an upright posture. "U-um, what I mean is... I'm afraid you have to change your hair color to a darker color, Ms. Kwon. Trust me, it's for your own safety."

"Sure, CEO Bang." I complied with a nod. I didn't interrogate much about it because I knew it was a basic etiquette for a fashion stylist not to appear conspicuous whenever they stood by their clients' side.

"Just call me Bang PD-nim, Mia. Along with the drop of formality, I'm welcoming you to this company." CEO Bang announced in a comfortable, open stance as he stood up and offered a handshake to me.

I stood up and accepted his handshake with a happy smile. My inside danced in excitement. "Thank you, Bang PD-nim. Please take care of me from now on."

__________

"Unnie, you won't believe this!" I exclaimed as soon as I stepped out from the Bang PD-nim's room.

Gayoung unnie who heard me from the secretary's counter immediately rushed towards me and held my shoulders, her eyes enlarged in pending enthusiasm. "How did it go?"

"All good, unnie. I totally nailed it." I let out a smirk and crinkled my nose in happiness when Gayoung unnie engulfed me into her embrace and patted my back repeatedly.

"Congratulation, Mia! Welcome to Big Hit Entertainment!"

Upon hearing that one declaration, my eyes slowly rounded in disbelief. The happy smile on my face vanished almost instantly. It felt as though a kind of paralysis had seized every sense that I had, because I just found myself immobilized in the hold of Gayoung unnie. The only thing that I was conscious of — was the faraway echoes in my head.

Big Hit Entertainment...

Big Hit Entertainment...

"Is that you, Gayoung noona?"

"Yo, I miss you, noona. It's been a while."

Familiar voices managed to creep into my mind, at the same time, successfully breaking the frozen state of mine.

"Oh, perfect timing, guys!" Gayoung unnie beamed cheerfully as she spoke to someone behind me. "Meet your new stylist, Kwon Mia."

Still with my mouth unconsciously left agape, I felt Gayoung unnie turned my body around and there... I saw a scene that almost made my knees collapse. A flush of adrenaline kicked into my system, and I heard my own heartbeat raced in crazy beats similarly to Cypher 3: Killer.

As if in slow motion, I saw the familiar seven boys waltzed out from the elevator, and once they had taken in my appearance, their expression slowly changed into utter disbelief, as it literally reflected mine. Every pair of eyes widened to the fullest extent.

The time stopped. A long, deafening silence passed by as we looked at each other in disbelief. Everyone was muted as no one could believe at the unforeseen scene.

"Jinhee, my hope!" Someone called out my name in a long stretch, and I felt a familiar warmth wrapped around my petite frame.

I blinked a few times, and it took me only a second to realize that it was Hoseok who was hugging me ever so casually. "It's nice to have you around again, kiddo. I guess the waiting game has finally ended, heh."

Hoseok let out a wide grin, while I still found myself muted. I wanted to say something, but only found myself tongue-tied. It felt like there was a huge brick blocking the passage in my brain, because I couldn't process anything about this double-whammy situation right now.

"This is so unbelievable."

I shifted my gaze to the right and saw Jin and Namjoon let out an incredulous chuckle. Because just like me, they couldn't believe what kind of crazy fate was befalling inside of this building as well.

"Welcome back, Jinhee." Jin patted my shoulder with a contented smile slowly spread across his face.

"Second time with BTS, Jinhee?" Namjoon winked at me and pinched my cheek playfully. I whined out a little as his touch propelled me out of my stillness.

While on the left side of the group, it was like a demesne of darkness because I saw how Yoongi, Jimin, and Jungkook closed their stances with dark emotions whirled in their eyes. And I guess, it had to do with the bitter closure that I had defensively bestowed them in NYC.

And lastly, the hot-toffee haired guy who had just emerged out from the center of the group, and was now approaching me with his ardent mien that never failed to stir my heart into a complete chaos.

I still couldn't fathom why, but it seemed like he always had the magical power to make the whole universe stopped just at the little quirk of his lips, the little arch of his dark brows...

And the little glint of his mysterious brown eyes.

"We meet again, princess."

A U T H O R ' S N O T E

And the healing starts here.

By the way, I saw this on Twitter. It's about Taehyung's physiognomy (fortune reading based on facial features). The last two sentences left me shock 🌚🌚

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Thank you for reading, crystals!
🌹

Much love,
ℓynie

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T E A S E R

"Stop staring at me like that, Taehyung."

"It's not my fault when you are too beautiful, Jinhee."