The House

Chapter 1

"Don't mess up, Don't mess up, Don't mess up!"

I fidgeted with the keycard wrapped around my neck. My strides getting faster and robotic as I walked closer to the studio door. I didn't expect myself to get this nervous, but it was my first day.

"Credentials?" I looked up from my shoes to see a tall muscular bodyguard towering over me, he was dressed in all black. His hazel eyes squinted in my direction.

"Credentials." He asked again a tinge of annoyance was evident in his voice as he looked away from me, clearing his throat.

"Oh," I gave an awkward laugh before pulling up my newly gained position. Holding it up with a face splitting smile and a shaking hand.

Son Chaeyoung
Intern

He gave me a dubious stare looking back and forth from the keycard to my face before locking his jaw and pointing to the entrance.

I felt my knees slacken as I walked to the entrance, as though they had turned to jelly and the only think keeping them moving was the conscious need to not embarrass myself. I don't know what I expected the studio set to smell like, Wood? Peppermint? Popcorn? Whatever it was it sure wasn't what I got. Stepping into the large metallic studio set, I was hit with the stench of blood, sweat, and disinfectant which burned my nostrils. It was as if I had unknowingly strolled into a high school boy's locker room.

From the outside, the set looked like nothing more than a storage container, made of rigid, galvanized steel panels and concrete, but on the inside with all the equipment it held, one could create an infinite number of fictitious worlds. A bar, a high school, a bedroom, even a wedding all in one container.

The room was abuzz with busy staff running around, working on setting up the equipment and stage. It was simplistic, a couple stools and guitar amps littered on the stage in a messy yet cool glory, a blue backdrop with tones of purple and red, creating a calming atmosphere.

But as fun as watching the action was, if I didn't get to work helping someone I'd be fired from my job as an-- unpaid intern. The lowest on the food chain and first to go.

I looked around taking in a deep breath, 'You're ready for this,' the excitement was slowly wearing off as panic began to set back in. My hands became clammy and I was acutely aware of my surroundings. I wasn't going to get help from any of the frazzled runners so instead I grabbed a steady cam and started walking towards the camera crew.

"Hey you!"

I turned my head to see a lady with teal hair walking towards me, she was in a white polo tucked into her faded black jeans. The lanyard around her neck said,

Yoo Jeongyeon
Production Manager

I stiffened in my position, did I already do something wrong? She sauntered over in my direction and handed me two black garment bags taking the steady cam in return. "Get these to the dressing room now..." She took a slight pause looking down at my keycard, "Chaeyoung."

"Right away, but wher-"

"Good," She hollered, before I could ask, with a smack of her hair on my face and the clicking of her buck heeled boots she was off the steady cam hoisted onto her shoulder like a sword.

"...is the dressing room?"

I began wandering around aimlessly, all the beige/blue doors lined along the south wall looked the same. If it wasn't for silver name tags you wouldn't be able to find your way around, "Tech room, closet, recording studio, prop room... bathroom, ah yes, the dressing room."

I rapped my knuckles on the door and it opened to a young woman, her hair was a jaded black that she had tied up in a ponytail, she was smiling, but the creases under her eyes and posture made it evident how tired she was. "May I help you?" Her voice was rough and she wiped away sweat on her neck.

I cleared my throat, "I was told to bring this to you..." I held up the garment bags smiling widely, I just finished my first task on set!

"Oh perfect, I was just waiting for you."

I nodded trying to look past the woman to the girl in a blue frilly blouse sitting in front of the mirror but the makeup artist hid her reflection from me, and so did the slammed door in my face. 'Sheesh, is everyone on edge today?' I thought.

I spun on my feet and took in a deep breath, 'Well this is it, can't believe I'm here,' I didn't think I'd be standing in the studio of the renowned director Kash Arroya just two months ago.

I remember sitting in the kitchen eating a new version of healthy dinner my mother had made. My mom was never a great cook but this time it was especially unbearable, let's just say spinach doesn't go with, anything.

"So how's your summer going?" Maya, my mother had asked,

"Not bad just a lot of taking pictures and sleeping." I spoke, my head down, playing with the soggy spinach in my plate.

"How's Dahyun? You haven't seen her in a while!" My father spoke up.

I felt my anxious ticks kick in, and I took in a deep breath. "Nothing much, she's just waiting for responses from colleges."

"Oh yes, and what is she majoring in."

I puffed out a long breath 'You know what she's majoring in.' My mind wandered.

"Law. She wants to be an IP attorney."

This was always an uneasy topic, mom and dad had been feisty ever since they had to force me into accounting when I said I wanted to major in cinematography and wouldn't budge. But as stubborn as I was I wouldn't let my passion go and neither would I get rid of my friend, Dahyun, of whom I was proud for taking charge of her life, extra classes, and constant studying, we hadn't seen each other much recently but I sometimes wish she wasn't so academically inclined or at least my parents didn't know exactly how much she did.

It reminded me of the fuzzy conversations with yelling about, "How are you going to eat?" "We love you but it's not a probable choice." and the favorite "But you've always excelled in math don't let those talents go to waste!"

Going into the arts wasn't the best decision, who knows if you'd "make it" but I want to try it out before I decide to go through the whole job, marriage, kids route. I want adventure, mystery, real food. And that's what I planned on doing. I pulled out a wrinkled piece of mail I'd been holding onto it for the past week.

"Mom, Dad, I need to tell you something." They looked up from their plates to face me and I put the mail in the middle of the table for them to take in. Prepared for the wreckage it would leave in its wake. My father was first to reach for it and pull out the letter inside.

He stayed quiet, reading the contents before putting the letter down, his face- emotionless.

"What is it?" My mother asked as she took the letter. My father kept staring, his gaze burning a hole into my brain. Sensing rising heat I took a sip of water to wet my drying throat. I was never really good at confrontation.

Author's corner:

Hey everybody!

This is the first chapter and I'm so excited to write this story. I just wanted to say that I am back and I got all of your messages and am so lucky to have you all and love you all to such an extent that I don't have the words to explain it. But I can show it with my actions. If any of you ever need to talk or have anything going on I am here. Please take care of yourselves, I hope you guys have a great week, remember to hydrate, eat, and hopefully you don't have too much to worry about!

I've been working on this story for a while now and have only a couple chapters left. They are important chapters, but I'm hoping posting the story will give me the urgency to write them lol

So I hope I can do it and you justice and post every day or so.

-Vika :)

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