Siren Song | KNJ ✅

Chapter 1: My Universe

Ari's POV 🌸

I smooth down my skirt and have a seat on a chair in the lobby. I can feel my heart pounding against my chest as I try to calm myself. This is an opportunity of a lifetime for me, and it is both exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time.

As I try to keep my hands from shaking, while clutching my messenger bag, I hear a friendly voice overhead.

"You must be Ari Lee?" A strawberry blond woman asks me. She's dressed in black jeans with holes in the knees and an oversized Guns 'N Roses t-shirt. It's tied in a knot at her right hip bone, cinching her at the waist. Her hair is piled on her head in a messy bun with a pen sticking out that she seems to have forgotten placing there.

I have to stifle a satisfied chuckle because from everything I have read online about Lily Tremblay, this retro-cool look she has going on certainly lives up to her "Bad Girl of the Music Industry" reputation. Lily has a reputation for marching to the beat of her own drummer, and it is everything I am hoping for in a potential boss!

"Yes, that is me!" I cast a smile at her as I rise from my seat, trying in earnest to keep my nerves out of my voice even though I can feel my body slightly shaking.

"Great to meet you! I'm Lily! Follow me, and we can go chat in the conference room.

I follow Lily down a hallway with crisp white walls that are periodically dotted with artwork which makes my heart sing.

Damn! Even the hallway is better than where I work presently!

We take our seats at a long conference table, the wood is a blonde color, and there are a few green plants dotted around the room. It's sparse but comfortable, more than what I would expect from a conference room.

Lily takes my resume and throws it down on the table without even looking at it. "So, let's get right down to it. Tell me, Miss Ari Lee, why do you want to work as an assistant here at Rogue Records?"

I'm taken aback for a moment at Lily's unconventional approach to our interview, but I'm also open to it. It's this kind of out-of-the-box thinking that I'm craving.

"Honestly?" I breathe out.

"Yes, lay it on me!" Lily chuckles.

I look down at the table as I collect my thoughts and run my hand nervously over the back of my neck.

"Well, honestly, I've been looking for a long time for the right position. When I saw this job posting, it lit a fire in me. After reading the ad, I looked up you and Rogue Records on the internet, and I find the way you handle yourself fascinating. You've made some brave moves, and I'm craving that kind of energy. I want to feel like I've contributed to something, somehow." I take a moment to breathe out slowly. "I must sound strange..."

"Well, I do tend to rely on my gut often when making decisions. Sometimes it's great, but it can also go terribly wrong," she chuckles. "Some may call it 'brave,' others may call it plain "stupid!"  Lily smiles widely.

"When I saw the posting, it just felt like the universe was trying to point me in the right direction. I want to come to work every day and feel proud of the work I'm doing." I shrug sheepishly, feeling like a bit of a sap.

"I totally get that!" Lily's understanding demeanor does a lot to relax me, but then she slaps me with a loaded question!

"So tell me, who is your favorite K-Pop artist or group?" Lily cocks an eyebrow at me, practically daring me to pull some fangirl shit.

I can feel the crimson color rising upon my cheeks, and my nerves kick in, "Well, uh..."

"It's okay, you can tell me. Trust me, there is no wrong answer," Lily encourages.