Bangtan Pack

Pain in the {ink}

"What the hell? Why does this hurt so much?" I complained at the pain emanating from my tattoo.

Through my iPad screen I could see that Ava was visibly concerned at my sudden outburst. Even though I was halfway around the world, she insisted on FaceTiming me while I got ready. I lifted my shirt to see the source of my pain, but all I saw was the tattoo that I received last fall.

This potential partnership was BTS and the UN was huge for me. It would open up many doors and help expand my cause further. Between my fathers legacy and the clout of my law firm, joining their campaign would make me practically unstoppable. To have the UN on my side on top of everything else? Nothing would be better. Or so I thought.

Due to my history of debilitating panic attacks, the girls hated leaving me alone during high stakes scenarios such as today. If they couldn't be with me, it was my manager. However Alanna was called into HYBE before my scheduled meeting. Not only was she meeting with their management team first, but also had to meet with their security and legal before I was allowed to enter their building.

Now I was left to my own devices for a couple hours before the meeting of my life was to begin. And my tattoo was hurting like hell.

Ava refused to let me be alone. I don't blame her. I don't trust myself to be alone.

I may be an introvert, but I thrive on being in the presence of others. Not a socializer by any means, but I can not function alone. Marie once described me as an extroverted introvert. Upon learning about the wolf in my dreams, Elle dubbed this quirk of mine as a "pack mentality". It got worse after my parents death. Just the thought of living on my own sent me into a tailspin. Right after the funeral, both girls moved in with me to my parents home in San Francisco. We still live together to this day.

With the short notice of this trip, the girls couldn't get work off on time. Otherwise they would have shlepped half way around the world as well. Alanna always travels with me, she's my handler just as much as my manager. Since Elle and Ava are my family, I function best when I am near them. Elle jokes that I prevent her from having a healthy dating life, but she needs our little family just as much as I do.

Wanting to make sure I didn't get lost in my thoughts and work myself into an anxious tizzy before the meeting, Ava insisted we FaceTime until I got to HYBE. Due to the time difference she was already home in bed waiting to fall asleep until I was back with Alanna. Besides keeping my anxiety at bay, I was really nervous to meet this boys. I enjoyed having her input as I figured out my outfit. Not just the potential partnership, I felt this innate need to impress them. I kept reminding myself this was strictly business. After my arrival in Seoul, I started subconsciously prepping myself like this was a blind date, not a business partnership. It was odd.

"Does it still hurt Sienna?"

"Oh god yes, but getting ready is distracting me from the pain"

"Show me"

"There's no redness or sign of..."

"Sienna. Lift your freaking shirt and show me. Now."

She may be the sweetest, but Ava is no one to piss off. Knowing I valued my life, even from 6000 miles away, I complied.

Lifting my shirt I revealed the full moon tattoo over my left rib cage right above my heart. The skin looked fine with no signs of redness or infection but I caught myself staring.

"Uh, what's wrong?"

"Ava, is it just me or does my moon tattoo look lighter?"

"Girl, I'm on FaceTime through my phone. Take a photo and send it to me."

Grabbing my phone, I lifted my shirt to take a photo. Once satisfied that the shot was clear enough to seem the change in pigmentation, I sent it to her.

"I know the moon is connected to your dreams, but I realize you never told me how that ink came to be."

"It was early September during one of my visits to the LA office. Alanna and I decided to go explore Korea town. After a little too much Soju during the KBBQ, I drug her to a nearby tattoo parlor. I've always wanted one and I guess it took 2 bottles of Soju to finally follow through. I felt the full moon was a perfect representation of my dreams and on my ribcage right over my heart felt like the perfect home."

I heard the ping of Ava's text alert.

"Here it is. Yeah, it seems more of a faded black."

"Oh wait I posted about it on my private Insta account. Now I'm curious about the actual date. Lemme see"

For some unknown reason I had the desire to figure out the exact date I chose to get my full moon tattoo. Scrolling through my account, I came across the original post and saw September 1st. Wanting to double check, I checked my phone's history. Sure enough the water mark in my photo album.

"Huh, why does that date sound familiar?"

"What date?"

"The date I got my tattoo. I felt the need to verify when I got it. Sure enough both the photo watermark and my insta post say the same date: September 1st."

"You gotta be freaking kidding me. Seriously?"

"What?"

"Jungkook from BTS, that's his birthday. You know, the maknae of the group you are going to meet in about an hour."

"Shit. Seriously? Talk about timing. Wait, doesn't he have that hidden tattoo sleeve and their fandom on his knuckles?"

"Yep, that's the one. There's been tons of controversy around his ink, so he has made a point to keep it hidden under long sleeves with the exception of his right hand since they are all BTS and ARMY related."

"So you meant to tell me I got my only tattoo on the birthday of the most tatted member of that group?"

"Yup. And sure enough, that was on his 23rd birthday. The joke in ARMY is that he woke up on his 23rd birthday and choose violence."

"Like sexy violence?"

"That's one way of putting it. You know, if I knew any better it's almost like those are connected?"

"What in the hell are you smoking Ava."

"Here me out. Right after he turned 23, he turned on the sexy. Undercut with longer curly hair, man bun, purposefully unbuttoned his shirt during the online concert. I'll show you photos are your meeting... but damn."

I nearly choked hearing Ava use damn. Yes, it's a soft who cares curse word. But from Ms. Heavenly Mouth herself, I ascended.

"Ava?!?!?!"

"Holy forking shirtballs. That boy MANNED UP." Ava started chuckling and needed a minute to compose herself. "I'll wait until your meeting is over since I don't want you distracted during the meeting. Many have theories, I just think he found himself. Knowing about your tattoo, I'll just blame you."

"As if."

I rolled myself and continued laughing with Ava as I finished getting ready. My hair and makeup was more of a softer romantic look while I wore a powerful black pantsuit with my favorite pair of Chucks. Finished and ready to go I sat on the lounge chair in my suite talking to Ava until I got the notification that my car had arrived.

The more I joked with Ava, the less I felt the pain from that inked up spot on my ribcage. Little did I know that as the meeting at HYBE got nearer, my tattoo began to drastically lighten in color. But that wasn't the only change that occurred during the drive to HYBE.