Map of the Soul 7 Saga Book 3 - Home

Home Chapter 6

As the morning light filtered through the office window, I settled into my desk and idly flicked the BTS bobbleheads that adorned it. After gathering the paperwork, I stole a quick glance in the small mirror on my desk to ensure that I looked presentable. Having just completed my morning workout, prayer, and meditation, I wanted to make sure I looked my best when getting ready for work this morning as I prepared to respond to JK's request to be friends. A smile tugged at the corners of my lips, and a blush spread across my cheeks at the thought.

I heard a knock on my cubicle wall. I looked over to see Mi Hi, the secretary from the front desk. "Oh hey, Mi Hi," I said in Korean. She smiled and responded, "Hey girl," in Korean. "How are you? What are you blushing about? You got a hot date or something tonight?"

I giggled, thinking if only she knew. She laughed, "So that's a yes, I guess." "Well, good luck! I hope you have fun," she added, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

I smiled and rolled my eyes. "I never said I had a date," I teased.

She then handed me some paperwork and said, "Oh well, hey, we should go out for coffee sometime. What do you say?"

"Sure, I would love that." Not only was I getting to be friends with JK, but I was also making some other friends in Korea. I smiled to myself, feeling lucky.

The day was busy with paperwork, PR reports, and working on getting JK ready for the BTS tours and album debut. The hours dragged by as I waited for him, my anticipation slowly giving way to disappointment as the day wore on. I longed for the chance to share my answer with him, but as the day drew to a close, JK was nowhere to be found. Knowing how packed his schedule was this week, I resigned myself to the fact that he simply couldn't make it.

I swiftly gathered my purse, keys, and a few other items before stepping out of the office. I crossed the street to the bus stop and patiently waited for the bus to arrive. As I boarded the bus, I found a seat and settled in for the ride to my son's daycare. Upon arrival, I was greeted by the sight of my son eagerly waiting with his daycare worker, the last child to be picked up.

"Sorry I'm late! I had a lot of work to do today," I explained to the daycare worker. She nodded understandingly and guided my son over to me, ready to head home after a long day.

"Hi, Mommy!" he said as he ran and hugged me.

"Did you have a good day?" I asked him.

"Yep! I did. We drew pictures today!" he exclaimed, his eyes shining with enthusiasm.

"Oh, that's cool! Tell me all about it, hun. Let's head home." Holden and I talked all the way home on the bus, sharing stories and laughter.

In the following days, the office felt unusually quiet without JK's presence. As I went about my tasks, I found myself growing increasingly doubtful that I'd have the chance to express my desire to be friends with him. With JK's busy schedule, we had no time to meet up and talk, but I tried to remain positive as the week went on.

I found myself at a cozy coffee shop with Mi Hi, and as we sipped our drinks, we delved into deep conversations about life and work. It was as if we had known each other for years. Mi Hi quickly became my closest confidante, and soon, we were talking every single day. As our friendship blossomed, I realized that I had started to let go of the idea of maintaining a friendship with JK. I hardly saw him except when he appeared on live streams for ARMY or did promotional activities online and when I was dealing with all the paperwork on his behalf.

I found great joy in befriending Mi Hi. She's incredibly kind and has a laid-back demeanor. Additionally, she has a child, and we often arrange playdates for our kids at the park. As a result, our children have also formed a bond. With the busyness of my workdays and post-work activities, the notion of JK had completely slipped my mind.