Two Parties and a Funeral (Sequel to Resurfaced)

Chapter 3

After a considerable amount of effort on my part- by which I mean a lot of television shows and surfing through the net, I was happily thorough with the BTS members. La CJ was increasingly becoming more like the building for a fashion magazine, with a crew of incredibly famous and striking people, and then, there was me, in constant struggle to adjust to the whole new environment I was plopped into. With the informative beep of my phone, I read the unexpected message from NIna. 'Wear something nice tonight, you me and the boys are going out for dinner.'

While the invite would excite some, it struck horror in me. Having a meal with he  someone is the best way to find out about the type of person he or she is. Who would risk embarrassing themselves before world-famous idols. I was great friends with J-Hope, but that was just for the brief duration in the office. Gulping in despair, I mentally went through my wardrobe for something that did not scream 'off to work.' Absentmindedly, I opened Nina's contact and smiled at her display picture. Unsurprisingly, it was taken on one of her dates with Hobi. They just seemed so happy around each other, as through they fed off the other's positive energy. Watching them, it did make me feel lonely at times. I was teased often by the couple to get myself a 'better-half' as they termed it. ''Well, I do have seven gorgeous Korean stars to choose from,'' I once grinned. 

''Six, my dear,'' Nina reminded me subtly. Having spent some thought I wondered what it would be like if I, by some miracle could get into a relationship with one of the seven... I mean six, Bangtan Boys. They were breath-takingly handsome, were absolutely decent and good hearted individuals, but then I knew that while their life seemed to shine, it was never easy. I dare say, it was harder for them than it would ever be for an average person like me. 

Back when we first moved into Korea, and news of Nina and J-Hope began to spread, there was vast commotion. The fans were beyond mortified that the man of their dreams was stolen by some foreign girl. At least, that was how they put it. Nina received hate of all forms- letters, e-mails and endless bashing on social media. One inhumane individual; it angers me even to speak of her; threw herself infront of our way and spoke most unkindly to her. While I did not understand most of it, I was no fool to understand that it was cruel and meant to hurt my friend. The latter was visibly shaken, but made no move against the fan. It was later when J-Hope asked her about it (I obviously told him!) that she broke down and related the incident. J-Hope was angry, but he was also very upset. His fans made him choose between the love of his life, and themselves, which was a very selfish thing to do. I could not imagine how it must have felt to see the one he loves on the receiving end of malicious attitude. 

The emotional boy then, after consulting with his company, made an official statement to his fanbase, confirming the news of his relationship, and begging that they accept Nina and love her as they loved him. In response, despite some of the supportive fans who sympathized with him, hundreds of fans left the fancafe. I will not go into the details of the couple's distress, but I am sure you have a good idea of what it must have been like. From that moment I decided that I was not one for that kind of life, and would never develop the courage and patience that Nina did. 

I own that my habit of falling into long periods of deep thought can be distracting. Do not lose hope dear reader, I will do my best to entertain you with the snippets of our lives.

If you expected me to narrate to you about a sophisticated night with a group of K-pop idols, then I am sorry, but you shall be disappointed. I did have dinner with Nina and the boys, but it was truly a stressing experience. 

It is said to always put your best foot forward. Having dressed in one of the few gowns I owned, I was rejuvenated by a sense of self-confidence. ''Annyeong haseyo,'' I practiced out one last time before I entered the restaurant. The usher at the door decided that the greeting was directed at him and smiled at me, answering in fluent Korean. He looked at me expectantly, making me realize that he had asked a question. ''Deh,'' I answered back with a nervous smile, making his smile drop. His features grew cross and he opened the door for me. ''Great start, Jane,'' I told myself. ''Now act sensible, and stop acting like a fool in front of the Bangtan Boys.'' 

I spotted Nina in a private table by the corner, with J-Hope beside her. The rest of the six members sat in front of them, allowing me to only see the back of their heads. I waved happily when the couple saw me, and went over to take a seat beside them. ''Ann-'' Whatever I had prepared to greet them with, I forgot. They were simply too beautiful for words. While the boys courteously greeted me, I stared at them open-mouthed. It always sounded silly to me when I read romantic-comedy novels, and the female protagonist would suddenly lose her ability to speak when the lead male smiled or simply looked at her. I warn you, it is very real. 

Luckily, Nina saved me with a nudge to my elbow. ''Jane has been working a lot on her Korean, almost as much as I do,'' she replied to Rapmon. I rapidly nodded in agreement, pretending that I was fully aware of the gist of conversation. 

Taehyung, cheerful as always asked with curiosity. ''Who is your favourite K-Pop singer, Jane?''

''G-Dragon of course!'' I exclaimed enthusiastically. 

''Ahh!'' I heard the boys say and agree almost reverently at the mention of their senior. 

''He is just so damn hot!'' I went on dreamily and then mentally kicked myself. While Nina gave out a hearty laugh, and thumped J-Hope on the shoulder, the BTS members gave embarassed smiles. While I was more than irritated with myself, I was kind of happy for what I said since I caused Jimin to give the most adorable smile of embarassment. It just made me want to hug him like a large, fluffy teddy bear. 

''Aww, you look super cute,'' my tongue spoke for itself. This made the boy hide his face on the table, resulting in the entire table bursting into laughter. Luckily, this was an ice-breaker and I could engage in normal conversation with the boys. It only lasted till the meals were brought. The Bangtan Boys dug into the meal immediately, with Jin stuffing a very large piece of steak into his mouth. It baffled me how that enormous chunk of meat could fit into that pretty little mouth of his. It took the boys a few minutes to realize that Nina and I had not touched our food, and simply looked at each other blankly instead. 

''Go on,'' Jungkook said while chewing on his kimichi. ''Eat up you two.''

Suga was quick to realize our difficulty. ''You don't know to use chop-sticks?'' 

''Nope,'' we answered gratefully. Soon The seven boys were demonstrating the art of using chop sticks as they ate. Nina, who was good at everything she attempted, caught the hang of it very fast.'' 

My first few trials resulted in no ramen. The second time I handled the two sticks using my right hand, a piece of radish flew into the air and landed on the neighboring table. Desperate to eat something, I took one stick in each hand, and dug them into my bowl. I then lowered my head to the level of the bowl and ate my first bite. Thinking back on my dining experience, I blush with embarrassment, but as J-Hope says, at least I was a good source of entertainment. When the wine was brought, I cheerfully decided that I could be more lady-like, and sat straight and dignified and began to gulp at it. Jungkook gave me a pointed look that seemed to say, 'what an ill mannered girl,' as he neatly turned the upper part of his body away from his companions and took a sip of his wine. Glancing around, everyone, including Nina followed suit. It was much later that I found out about the Korean dining courtesy. Just when I think I have learnt a lot, I find out about the bulk of knowledge I do not possess.