December 24th [COMPLETED]

Part Two: A Job Offer

It was a single line in a single email that George had sent to Jae Min. That was all it took. He had asked, not for the first time, how George was doing. And in a very uncommon, un-George-like move, she had answered. Honestly.

She told him a condensed version of what had gone down with Concept. She thanked him for his personal shout-out on her work on the Faded Relics album and mentioned that she was currently looking for a job out of the road. She explained to him that she was stuck in New York without work and was looking for something, anything to do. She didn't elaborate much past that but it was clear enough that producing for anyone at the moment was out of the question. Her current lack of credibility in the industry made that impossible and while she could work sound engineering at venues, that would ever only be as a temporary gig on a freelance basis.

George had no expectation for her interaction to go further than Jae
Min's inbox, a life update to her friend whom she hadn't seen in a really long. However, she had apparently said just enough because a week later she got a call from an international number. She took it but only after staring at her screen for thirty seconds trying to figure out who it could be.

When she finally did answer, two very familiar voices came over the line.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Georgie! Hi!"

"George! Hello."

Jae Min and his team leader, CJ, came in loud and clear from all the way across the world. George couldn't even do the time difference calculations in her head, her brain had frozen at the sound of their voices.

"Are you there?" CJ asked. Jae Min said something in the background in Korean that CJ replied to back in Korean. George quickly realized that she hadn't replied yet. All they had heard so far was empty air. Luckily, her brain was alert enough to prompt her to say something before they thought the line had gone dead and hung up.

"Hi! Yes! Hi! I'm here. Sorry, I'm just.....surprised. Hi! It's so good to hear from you guys. How are you?"

"Good. Really good." CJ answered.
"How are you?" Jae Min asked, his usual bubbly tone barely covering up a hint of concern in his voice. George had to swallow up a well of emotion that started forming in her throat. Her usual mood of stoicism had dissipated right along with her reputation.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm umm... I'm good. What's up? Why are you guys calling?"

There was a lull and a rush of whispers in Korean came over the line. George waited until Jae Min cleared his throat.

"We want you...to work with us." His English was halting but his tone was confident.

"Work with you?" George parroted.

"Yes. Work with us. Travel with us."

Jae Min spoke further in Korean that CJ then translated for him.

"We want you to tour with us. We're heading out on tour next month and the guy who usually travels with us, he sets up our recording gear and everything, he had to back out at the last minute."

"We are getting you a job," Jae Min added.

George was standing at her window, looking out at the New York traffic passing below, her eyes unseeing, her brain completely dumbfounded. But only for a second. Desperation kicked started her brain and helped her catch up to exacting what was going on.

"I'll do it!" she said, louder and more forcibly than she probably should of as a consummate professional. But she wanted to grab her chance before the offer could disappear just as magically as it had appeared.