Unexpected Love

54. HQ

The next morning H told us we had to go to HQ because I needed to sign some papers. What papers?

— "Babe, will you go with me?"

— "Sure Nabi, maybe it's your contract, don't worry."

When we got to the HYBE building I was amazed! On my last trip to Korea we drove by the building, but stepping inside was totally different! Yoongi took me directly to his studio, he was like a little boy showing out his house to a new friend, so sweet! But we weren't there for long when he got a call

— "Hey!" — (pause) — "Neh! It has been great! Have you seen the videos?" — (pause) — "Neh! They go wild when I give the finger!" — (pause) — "Ani! That's part of the show now, I will give the finger in every show — (pause as he laughed) — "Yes, she's right here." — he looked at me, it was obvious he and 'idontknowwho' were talking about me. — "Ok, see you in 5."

— "Bella, Bang PD wants to meet you, he's coming down right now."

— "Huh? Why? Oh Dear! I'm nervous!"

— "Ani! It's ok, he's really cool, don't worry." — he grabbed my hands and kissed them. And there was a knock on the door.

— "Si-Hyuk! How are you, old man?"

— "Aaagh, where's your respect for your elders ahh? Hello, you must be Isabella."

— "Nice to meet you Sir." — I bowed to him according to the social conventions in a working environment.

— "How are you? H and Suga told me you are worried about all this, having second thoughts? Because, you know, everything has been taken care of by now, to make your transition easier."

— "Excuse me, can I sit down?" — I felt my head spinning with his words.

— "Sure! Let's sit down"

Suga sat next to me, and he kept holding my hand.

— "So, Suga... tell me all about you two, what are your plans, have you both thought this through? How far have you planned? Sorry Isabella if I'm cutting straight through, but that's how things are right now."

— "Well, our plan is to take it slow, one day at a time. Bella already agreed to stay for the remaining days of the tour; and after that... well, we'll talk again about us and the future and go from there. Si-Hyuk, you know I don't like to plan that ahead."

— "And you Isabella, are you like Suga or do you like to have your life planned?" — Si-Hyuk's eyes had a hard look.

— "l do like to have some structure in my life and plan ahead, but at this present moment I'd rather not plan that far ahead because I need to change some things inside of me in order to live at my fullest." — l didn't believe this myself, how did I expect people to do so?

Then, Si-Hyuk started talking about all the hardships you can encounter in the industry. He was very serious during this talk, and even quite intimidating, but I remained calm and listened to every single word.

He said my job position was going to be a therapist because I didn't have a professional degree for being a translator. He also said I was going to have to work full schedule, and that I was going to attend other HYBE employees. Then, he asked Suga to leave us alone so he could 'really' talk to me. Suga hesitated a bit, I started to feel my hands sweaty, and I was searching for his eyes, hoping to be saved.

— "Min Yoongi... please leave us alone... now."

— "Si-Hyuk, be nice to her; I trust you, but you don't want me to be upset with you." — Si-Hyuk nodded, and Yoongi left his studio.

— "Bella... can I call you Bella?" — I nodded. — "So Bella, you're finally here, huh? You've caused quite a fuss around my staff, everybody seems to adore you." — he didn't sound too happy about it. — "Many of them that already had some sessions with you are saying that your occidental point of view is better."

One of the Korean traditions is NOT to look into the eyes of a senior at work, so I kept my head down in front of Bang PD all the time, and I didn't like that. I know I haven't mentioned it before, and for sure haven't shown it in my story, but... I'm a woman with a strong character who doesn't get intimidated by any male figure; well... right now my blood was boiling in my veins because I was containing my need to speak out. My knuckles were white and my fingernails were cutting through my palms, I was about to burst.

— "But..." — he said — "here in HYBE we are open to many ways that don't necessarily go with our culture all the time, and we have noticed how those employees are improving in different ways. So, thank you." — he bowed at me. — "Anyway, there's a lot we can all learn from this experience and I want to formally welcome you to the company. Also, this brat of a boy standing out there has never been happier, it's good to see that at least one of my sons is having a healthy love relationship; we've had bad experiences with some of them in the past and they've been heartbroken many times."

I took a deep breath of relief and softly responded to him

— "I can honestly tell you that all this is as overwhelming for me as it is for many of you, but I'm a woman that would never hurt anybody I care for, and I do care for Yoongi, the staff, and the boys I've met. I hope I can meet the rest soon. Also, I would never compromise my professional ethics, so I promise that nobody will regret the chance I've been given; and I'm grateful for everything that has been done for Yoongi and me. Gamsahabnida." -- I smiled and bowed to him.

— "Ok! Why don't you call him in? Let's give the little brat a break." — he laughed.

As soon as I opened the door I saw Yoongi with a soft look and smile, as I nodded and smiled back at him.

— "So, everything ok between you two?" — Yoongi asked right away.

— "Neh, I like her! She's strong, she's also smart and knows how to conduct herself according to any situation." — Bang PD winked at me. — "Go to HR so you can sign your contract and the lease of your new home, it's in the UN Village, and the company will be paying for it. You can settle in when you return from the tour."

So, now I officially had a home in Seoul... Oh, Dear! this was getting more real every day.