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Hello ! My name is Kwon Sooki, I'm 25 years old. And you're about to read a piece of my life. I grew up in France, with my family. My grandmother was korean, and she passed me her love for her country. I grew up loving the korean culture, and I've always wanted to live there. When I turned 18, I decided to pursue my dream to become a make-up artist. With the support of my family and my hard work, I graduated and was recruited as a make-up artist for a famous theatre company at 20.

I loved my job. The company was kind and I had the opportunity to practice my art freely. But I felt like something was missing in my life. I couldn't get a grip on what it was, but I couldn't get rid of the feeling. So I made a crazy choice: I applied for a job in a music company, in Korea. I did it without second a thought. I was a dreamer, but realistically I applied without much hope.

I continued my life for a month, almost forgetting about that, until that day.

*Throwback to the D-DAY*

It was almost 3 AM when I felt my phone buzzing. I opened an eye, groaning. I had the bad habit of sleeping with my phone next to me, mostly because I fell asleep watching Stray Kids edits on TikTok. I took a look at the number, ready to insult whoever was on the other side of the line. But my eyes opened wide when I recognized the dialing code: it was from Korea !!

Next thing I knew, I was on a plane to meet the manager and run a few tests. I didn't have much money, but I spent all my savings on that plane. It was the opportunity of a lifetime, I couldn't let it slip.

I spent my first night in Seoul just hanging out, discovering the city, and falling in love with it. It's not like I could have slept anyway, first of all because I was jet-lagged, second because I was overly excited. I don't really know how to explain to you, but I immediately felt like I was home, like I belonged there. To the point where I promised myself that even if I didn't get the job, I would find another one in Seoul.

The day after I got to meet the manager. He was pretty surprised to see a foreigner speaking korean this fluently, with a good knowledge of the K-pop culture (Thanks Granny). We clicked pretty well so he decided to immediately test me, and he offered me the job right after. I couldn't realize it. I was gonna be a make-up artist for JYP ?! My dream was coming true. And on top of that, I was recruited by the company where the group I stanned was working. I must have been a really good person in my previous life.

As soon as I came back to France, I told my family about the news. At first, my parents were a bit worried about their daughter being alone in a town in another country, but my grandma was already planning every backup support. She had contacted all her friends in Korea to find me an apartment. And since luck didn't leave my side, one of her friends had a granddaughter who was about to work at JYP as a hairstylist. They found us a colocation near the building. About a week later, I was in Seoul, in my new apartment with the woman who would become my best friend. Nomi and I clicked well almost immediately. We were sitting on the couch, a cup of ramen in the hand while watching a dating show. "Are you nervous for tomorrow ?" she asked me out of the blue. "Dead ass freaking out. But I can't wait to discover for what group we're gonna be mainly working.". Nomi nodded: "Same. I lowkey hope for a girl group.". I agreed with her, a girl group would be perfect.

The morning after, we were in the meeting room with the manager, signing our contracts. Once done, he gave us our affectation, and I did my best to hide my reaction. I swear I wasn't just a good person in my previous life. I must have been a hero to my nation or even to the world. I exited from the room with Nomi by my side. We got in the elevator and waited to be alone. Once the door closed, I practically jumped in her arms, and she did the same. "WE ARE WORKING FOR STRAY KIDS ?!", "OH MY GOD I CAN'T BELIEVE IT.". Next thing we knew, we were in the room, being presented to the group and the staff. They were all very welcoming and kind, but I was too shy to interact much. My first make-up ever in that job was Han. I can't explain to you why, because we were two introverts, but we clicked almost immediately. He came to me each day, chatting with me. After a few times, I went to eat with him and Lee Know, then Seungmin tagged in, and as time passed by I felt more comfortable around each one of them. And this was how my friendship with them started. In a year, they went from being my idols to my chosen family. They brought me out of my shell, and I discovered a new side of me, more extroverted as long as I was with them. They taught me confidence, love, and the value of friendship.

What you are about to read is my story two years after I got the chance to work with these amazing people. If I had to describe it with a few words, I would go with eventful, chaotic, amazingly messed up. What did you expect ? We're talking about Stray Kids here.

If you are eager to find out what happened with them in my life, dive in. Good luck !