An Unexpected Tuesday

Chapter One

Tuesdays. Probably my least favorite day of the week. I know it’s typically “I hate Mondays”, but I like to be quirky. Tuesdays are just so boring, and they honestly don’t serve a purpose. Especially this Tuesday. I recently moved to Seoul. I’m from a small town, so this is quite the culture shock. And with nothing to do, I decided to just walk around. No better way to learn the city. The bustling vehicles, the tempting smells wafting through the air from the coffee shops and bakeries, and people passing by without a second glance toward me. It was actually the perfect environment for an introvert like me. I was one in the sea of many. I could move around freely. I could do as I pleased. I was about to step off the curb with the crowd when there was a hand on my shoulder.

“Excuse me. Could you please help me out?” The lady quickly spit out at me. She looked frazzled.

“Umm, I’m not sure I can do you any service. Please excuse me.”

“I need someone to be my partner for a press conference. You just have to sit there. I’ll pay you.” She had this look in her eyes. It was a mix between begging, fear, and almost excitement. “It will be the easiest money you’ll ever make. Please just help me out.”

I recognized her as a major writer for a magazine. I knew she was legit, but did I really want to take time out of my day to play reporter? It’s a boring Tuesday. Live a little. Go do something. I thought to myself.

“Fine. I’ll help out. But I better be paid decently for this.” I was as firm as I could be without being rude.

“Great, thank you so much. You might know who I am, but I’m Park Yujin. You are?”

“L/N Y/N, pleasure to meet you.”

“Now that that is out of the way. Follow me. The conference starts in 15 minutes.”

I followed behind the click clack of her heels. I noticed what she was wearing, a skirt and blazer set with a nice silk shirt. I felt very underdressed to say the least. I was in chunky black boots, skinny jeans, a plain white t-shirt, and an olive green bomber jacket on. I looked normal. I figured my outfit wasn’t a cause for concern, since she didn’t even mention it.

It was a short walk to our destination. She checked us in, I was given a badge, and we sat down at the end of the fourth row. I swear I stuck out like a sore thumb, but I tried not to think about it. Ms. Park tried making small talk, but I was more interested in my surroundings,

“Since you’re younger, I’m going to guess you know who BTS are. Am I correct?” Ms. Park asked while writing something down in her fancy notebook.

“Yes, I know them. You’d have to live under a rock to not know them.” She stopped writing. “I promise to not act like a fangirl. I’m here as a reporter.” I raised my eyebrows up and down, which made her giggle.

“I got lucky with picking you up off the street. You just have to sit here, nothing more nothing less. I bet you’ll love this experience nonetheless.” She went back to writing. I gave a little nod while looking around. I could feel my face getting warm. I was trying my best to not seem nervous yet excited. However, all that control tried to jump ship when the seven men walked on the stage behind the tables and microphones. This was going to be a long couple of hours, I figured. I put my brain on cruise and hoped for the best.

Ms. Park seemed eager to ask her questions and to hear the answers to others’ questions. Even though I was a fake, I still paid attention. I was able to listen to my favorite idol group and get to watch their actions. It was so surreal. Thank God I was picked off the street. As the conference came to a close, an announcement was made.

“BTS wanted to do something special for those of you who came today. They decided to allow one reporter a one-on-one, well I guess a one-on-seven, interview. They are very grateful for everyone taking time out of their busy lives to be here. We have randomly selected the reporter.” I was only half paying attention, but the shift in the room caused me to listen right as he said “Ms. L/N Y/N with _______ Newspaper. You have been selected.” I sat there, dazed and very much confused. Ms. Park nudged my arm.

“You got picked kid. You get a private interview with them. If this goes well, I’ll pay you even more.” I felt her slip something into my hand as she pushed me up out of my chair. “She’s right here. It is an honor for our reporter to be picked. Thank you so much.” With that, she shoved me out into the aisle, and I was being escorted by a staff member. I looked back at her, still confused, and all she did was give me a thumbs up. What the hell is going on?

“Please follow me this way Ms. L/N.” The staff member walked me into a room that was away from the main hall. “BTS will be in here in a few minutes. Please make yourself comfortable.” Before I could get any clarification, the man was gone.

I stood there blinking. I finally looked down into my hand and saw Ms. Park’s business card. I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text.

Me: Ms. Park, it’s L/N Y/N. What did you mean by private interview? I zoned out at the end.

Ms. Park: Ah, Ms. L/N, you should have paid attention. You were picked to interview all seven members. Please make this a good interview. I need that interview. It’ll help both of us out. Fighting!

I stared at my phone, still confused. I guess I’ll do my best. I looked around and saw eight chairs arranged in a circle. A table with water bottles and a few snacks, a few couches, and a coffee table with a polaroid camera. I walked over to look at the camera and saw that there were pictures as well. I didn’t want to touch them, but I for sure was going to look. There were pictures of each member by themselves, several duo pictures, and then a couple group photos. I let out a soft giggle, they’re so cute. I walked over to grab a bottle of water and peruse the food. I decided against eating anything, so I made my way toward the chairs. I sat down in the one facing the door, and I put my feet up on the little ottoman that was in the middle. Since the room wasn’t very interesting, I decided to take my phone out. It dinged right as I took it out.

Babe: Hey sweetheart, sorry I didn’t text you back earlier, I got busy. See you soon!

I dismissed the text, I’ll respond later. I was about to go back to Twitter when there was a knock at the door before it was opened. I stood up, pocketed my phone, and prepared myself to greet the boys. I was greeted by their manager first, and then the boys entered.

“Hello, I’m Ms. L/N. It is an honor to interview you.” I bowed toward them while they all bowed back. “I hope the press conference wasn’t too draining.” I smiled at them as they all came to take a seat around me. Jungkook sat on my left side, J-Hope was next to him, then Suga, and RM sat in the chair across from mine. Jin was next to RM, and it looked like V and Jimin were about to fight for the seat to my right, but Jimin beat him to it. Jin put his hand on V’s arm and lightly pulled him down into the chair. I left out a little air through my nose and smiled. Even now they can’t help but act like themselves, cute.

“I know introductions are not needed, but you guys are more than welcome to go around and tell me your names.” I looked at all of them and couldn’t help but smile.

“I’m Jungkook!”

“J-Hope.”

“Hi, I’m Suga.”

“I’m RM.”

“Jin.”

“Hello, I’m V.”

“And I’m Jimin.”

“Nice to meet you all. I’m excited for this one-on-seven interview.”

“Excuse me, Ms. L/N, you can call us by our names. No need to be so formal.” I looked at RM, or Namjoon I guess, and could see he wanted to be in a more relaxed setting. The press conference must have been harder than I imagined.

“Alrighty then, please call me Y/N.” I gave a quick nod and a smile to Namjoon. “I forgot my notebook, so I am going to record this on my phone. I hope that is okay.” I was pulling out my phone while talking, and I looked up to see their reactions. Some shook their heads, and some didn’t respond. I sat my phone on the ottoman and hit record.

“So, I would like this to be more of a conversation than an interview. I’m one for organic interactions. Please get comfy,” I put my feet on the ottoman, “and let’s get started!” With that, I clapped my hands like they were a slate board marking a new scene. I could tell a weight was lifted off the men in front of me. I couldn’t imagine the pressures of being the biggest boy band in the world. I let out a shaky breath. Regardless of me being a “reporter”, I was still nervous. I started to fidget with the hem of my shirt, when Jungkook reached over and grabbed my hand. Leaning over he whispered, “You’re going to do great,” and gave me his signature Kookie smile. I smiled back, and I figured he’d let go of my head, but I was wrong. I was a bit dazed but knew I needed to continue.

“I’ll introduce myself so we’re better acquainted. I am a new hire, so this is my first big job. I have been in music since I was a kid. Singing, playing piano and guitar, and constantly listening to so many types of music. I just moved to Seoul a few weeks ago, but I’m originally from a very small town. And lastly, I’m 22-years-old.” I gave them a smile, but they all looked shocked.

“You’re younger than me?” Jungkook blurted out, which caused the rest of the men to chuckle. “That means we’re all your oppas.” Shock didn’t leave his face.

“Yes, you are, but don’t worry, I won’t call you that.” I giggled at his relief. “Now, let’s get into the actual questions. What got all of you into music and/or dance?”

As the interview went on, I asked them questions that related to them being BTS. I also wanted to ask them questions about themselves, hobbies outside of music, likes and dislikes, and the TMIs everyone is dying to know. I tried my best to make it feel like an interaction between friends, not an interview. At some point, Jungkook, Jimin, and Taehyung had moved their chairs closer to me. Jungkook wasn’t holding my hand anymore, but the three youngest were very interested in me.

“Ya, you guys are too close. I can’t even see Y/N anymore.” Jin lightly smacked Taehyung on the arm.

“Sorry hyung, we’ll move back.” Jimin said, almost falling out of his chair while trying to move it back to its original spot. I looked at my watch and noticed that the interview had almost gone on for two hours.

“I hate to say this, but I think I have taken too much of your time. It’s almost been two hours. I’m sure there are other responsibilities that you guys need to attend to. It was an honor and a pleasure to be able to interview you guys.” I got up and bowed to them all. They matched my actions. The door opened, and their manager stepped in. “Thank you for your time.” I stopped the audio recording. Just as I was about to put my phone up, Jungkook, Taehyung, and Jimin approached me.

“If it isn’t too much to ask, would you be willing to give us your number? We’d like to keep in touch.” Jungkook asked while seeming very shy. The other two seemed like moral support.

“Uh, sure. No problem at all.” Jungkook and I swapped phones and created new contacts.

“We should start a group chat. That’ll be fun.” Taehyung nudged the other two.

“Yes, we should!” Jimin said and Jungkook nodded.

“That’s fine with me.” I let out a laugh and the boys smiled at me. Namjoon then came up beside me.

“If you guys want to go get changed, Manager said our stuff was ready.” The three boys waved as they walked away. I couldn’t help myself and waved back. “Thank you for the interview today. It was honestly the most relaxing one we’ve ever had. I appreciate that.” He was looking directly at me. There was something different with this interaction.

“It was my pleasure. I’m glad I achieved my goal in making this organic. Thank you once again.” He smiled at my statement, and all I could focus on was the dimples. I will never get tired of seeing those.

“Well, we must get going. We hope to see you soon. Until then.” He bowed a little toward me and I toward him. With that, they were all out of the room. I was alone. I slumped back into my chair. Did that really just happen? I was so trapped in my thoughts that I almost missed the stream of notifications on my phone. It was from the group chat that the boys had set up. I couldn’t control the smile that appeared. I saved their numbers as they texted the group. Then there was a text from Ms. Park.

Ms. Park: How was the interview?

Me: It was great. I recorded the interview since I didn’t have a notepad. I’ll make a transcript of it and send it to you.

Ms. Park: That’s great. Just send it to the email on the business card.

Me: Will do.

As I was about to put my phone up, I got another text message.

Babe: Hey doll, let’s meet this evening. I have time. See you around 7?

Me: Hey you, I’ve been busy today too, but meeting up sounds great. See you then!

I put my phone back in my pocket, left the building, and walked home to my apartment.