Feel Jyphey Yet?

I was able to get the gifts into my room. One hotel staff member was kind enough to help me lift the boxes into the elevator. The concierge at the front desk sent two staff members to make sure I got every gift inside my apartment. After our labor, I thanked the staff members for their assistance. Both of them responded in kind, but they couldn't help but wonder why I got so many gifts. They gave me one final goodbye, and soon they made their way out. As I turned around, the boxes were placed in a tower-like fashion to save some space. We managed to put most of the boxes in a corner, and when we ran out of space, we had to put them on the floor. My apartment isn't small; it's more like I have to be careful of tripping over them or crushing the boxes underfoot. I had to make sure the boxes were in a secure room. I wouldn't want to have unexpected visitors snoop around while I'm not home.

I can't open my gifts yet. I'll have to take care of them after I get a good night's rest. After I was done eating my late-night meal, I went to take a shower and do my nightly routine before going to sleep. I put on fresh clothes after my shower and flung myself onto my pillow. When I checked my phone one last time, the agents immediately responded to my texts during my ride back to the apartment. It's better for me to start this new job as soon as possible because I am excited to work with a big company. One final thought rested in my head before I drifted off to sleep.

*What comes next?*

My sleep went smoothly until my phone alarm rang out, and I groggily silenced it while I got up. I rubbed my eyes to shake off the drowsiness and did my morning routine. Soon, I was freshened up and ready to start my day. I am wearing a cream-colored button-up shirt with the cuffs rolled up to my elbows, a white undershirt, and light blue jeans with some tears at the knees. I think I'll wear brown dress shoes with white socks to complete my outfit. The interviewer was nice to give me the freedom to dress casual. It looks like I will be meeting up with them at the JYP café. I adjusted my facemask in the mirror and pulled out my phone to make sure I was headed in the right direction. After I was done mapping my route, I exited my apartment with determination in my mind.

.o0o.

I wonder if JYP café has something that can fill my stomach. I think I'll order something after my interview is done. I hope they have sausage rolls. Something savory will suffice for lunch. I plan on making myself a pleasant steak dinner with asparagus. Or maybe lemon pepper chicken for lunch and dinner. While I was lost in my thoughts, I felt a hand grip my shoulder, and I stopped in my tracks to see who it was. Hm, it's not "who it is," it's more like who are they? I faced the three gentlemen who seemed to be... placid, no more expectant. All three of the gentlemen are wearing black suits with a white dress shirt underneath. Two of the men have black ties, the one grasping my shoulder has a crimson red tie. They are wearing dark black pants and are wearing black shades. I looked to my right and saw a black limo parked against the sidewalk. The two guards with the black ties have slicked back brown hair, a grimaced expression, and one of them has a goatee while the other is clean-shaven. As for the gentleman still grasping my shoulder, he has black hair with some blonde highlights on his bangs. He has auburn-colored sunglasses on in his shirt pocket. I can't tell if it's soju or a really strong drink that's reaching my nose. I took off my earbuds and put on an archaic smile.

"Can I help you three gentlemen with something?" I asked politely. The person with the red tie let go of my shoulder and gave me a scanning look.

"My name is Beom-seok. Remember it well, kid." The red-tie man spoke flatly. I'm certain that was an underhanded threat just now, but nevertheless, he continued on. "So, is your name Akira?"

I glanced at the guards at his flank. Their arms were behind their backs and something tells me these guys don't mess around. I'll pretend he didn't just exhale into my face for his sake.

"And if I am Beom-seok ssi?" I answered back. One of Beom-seok's guards started to walk up, but Beom-seok raised a hand to stop him. Beom-seok merely chuckled to himself and looked at me in the eyes.

"You got guts, kid. How about we take this conversation to the car?" We don't want to invite any unexpected guests. I'd like to have a few words with you. And don't worry, we won't be doing anything rash." I was kind enough to open the limo's door for me to enter. I entered through the door and took my seat inside. Throughout this whole interaction, I remained on guard because these people aren't the friendly type. I have to play it cool before I retaliate. When I entered the car, I made sure my phone was in my left hand and the hidden screw in my wallet was slightly jutting out. Luckily, nobody was able to see my actions inside the car. I made sure to take a seat near the doors in case I needed to escape. A few moments later, Beom-seok waved the guards to stay outside, "I want to talk to him 1 on 1; please stay outside."

When the car door shut, Beom-seok straightened himself and took a sip of his canteen.

"Do you know why you are here?" Beom-seok asked me. I shook my head. Beom-seok gave a half smile and leaned forward with his arms resting on his knees. "Well then, how about I enlighten you?" The man leaned over to a cabinet and pulled out a folder with some papers inside it. I threw it to my feet. I kept my eye trained on Beom-seok as I reached for the folder. It looks like he won't be making a move, but I still need to be cautious around this man. I raised the folder against my chest and I looked over the... pictures.

"Is this some sick joke you planned for me? I don't exactly get scared of pictures of a bloodied mess." I asked politely. Beom-seok sighed and put his canteen in a cooler before looking at me sharply.

"You don't remember your encounter with Hyun nim yesterday?" How rude. You two were getting to know each other. It is a shame he met face-first with the concrete stone. His final moments were his face getting crushed just because of a misstep. Beom-seok grinned and gave me a knowing smirk. My face remained devoid of any emotion. There's no point in playing ignorant since Beom-seok already knows.

"What about him?" I asked. I put my ankle on my knee and leaned onto the armchair. Beom-seok snickered at my relaxed gesture.

Well, I've been tipped off to his recent passing. My sources have told me you were indirectly involved in his death. It seems you were at the wrong place at the wrong time." Beom-seok continued. "Any normal person would immediately have their head taken off by the bat." But you? You anticipated it and dodged the strike."

"Your point, Beom-seok?" Indirectly involved does not make sense; it's an oxymoron." I spoke tersely. I grow tired of this. What does he want from me? He let out a "hm" and gave me one look. His look spells out a curious expression.

"I haven't formally introduced myself, Akira." Please bear with me a bit longer. My name is Kim Beom-seok. I am a humble entrepreneur and a well-respected individual. I don't know a lot of people, but I usually have a lot of coworkers to deal with our clients accordingly, if you catch my drift." Beom-seok folded his hands together and leaned back into his armchair. "It was rather unfortunate that his passing couldn't have been sooner. He was a liability to my organization and his death was an accident, but it was all thanks to you, Akira."

I continued, "I suppose you could've written me a letter of gratitude. I'm still unclear on why you pulled me aside for this conversation."

"You didn't think it would be that simple. You thought you could just walk away from a dead man? Some kid didn't notify the authorities about a dead body, and you were more focused on your job." Beom-seok continued. I was about to respond, but his next comment caught me off guard. "I like how you operate, Akira. You are somebody who does not let people get in their way. I think I can give you a little something for your troubles."

Beom-seok reached into his coat pocket and flicked a card towards me. I caught it and gave the card a look. "Give the numbers at the back a call if you need to make some appointments or payments. Tell them your name, and they will give you whatever you need. I'm easy to reach, or my agents can assist you. I gave you a small amount in that card. It should be enough to last you for two years." I gave him an incredulous look. He made the appointment comment subtle, but he already knows that I figured out what he was insinuating.

"I have several questions." I think I'll leave it at two. What are you after and what is the catch?" I asked as I narrowed my eyes. Beom-seok chuckled quietly and opened the door next to him.

"I recall you said you were in a bit of a hurry. But I suppose I have time for two of your questions. I will start with the first one. I just did you a huge favor by disposing of the dead body, but I don't blame you for being skeptical. I like to keep tabs on people who are more than capable of handling themselves and are more calculating when provoked." Beom-seok rested his head on his balled hand and gave me a slight smile. "As for the catch, there are a few. You are smart enough to know what not to do. If you are still unclear, let me summarize for you: don't bother going to the police; if you don't listen, I will make you listen; and I have eyes and ears everywhere. Are we clear, Akira?"

The mood dramatically shifted. I was getting nervous as the limo became colder. But I steeled myself quickly. I could not show weakness to him.

"Crystal." I spoke and made my way to the exit. Beom-seok immediately lighted up and rubbed his neck. He gave me a sheepish smile while I had my poker face on.

"Splendid. Well now, you are free to leave for your job interview." Beom-seok said. As I was about to exit the limo, Beom-seok gave one more underhanded threat.

"An excellent performance, by Akira Khuzwayo, great dance moves." From this day forward, don't disappoint me."

.o0o.

"There's no mistaking it; the blue JYP symbol on the glass building is my destination."

I arrived at my destination. I let out a haggard breath. I still couldn't believe I was escaping that unscathed. Beom-seok was all smiles when he bid me farewell. I made my leave and briskly cut a corner to leave his line of sight. This card... it's a debit or some credit card he has given me, and it has a support number on the back. There are 4 sets of 4-digit numbers on the front. It has this black spider design on the front with no real banking company on the corners. The unsettling thing is the spider's having numerous eyes around its body and more eyes at the back of the card. I stuffed it in my pocket. Cash will be a problem later on, and something tells me there's more to this accursed card than what Beom-seok leads on. I think I'll hold off on using the card for now.

I entered through the double doors in the JYP café building. It feels like the last café I was at, except this café is the setting that determines my future. I arrived at the interview site a few minutes late. I entered the café and was greeted by the baristas by the counter. I simply nodded, gave them a slight smile, and proceeded to scan for my interviewer. To my surprise, it was none other than Mr. JYP himself, Park Jin-young. His eyes met mine, and he gave me a toothy smile. I made my way to the table and shook his hand.

Nice to meet you, Khuzwayo ssi! I'm glad you made it for your interview! Would you like something from my café? I hope your journey here was not too troublesome. Mr. JYP snickered. I chuckled and shook my head. If only he knew what transpired minutes ago. I replied "no" to his café offer for now.

"It was no trouble, Jin-young nim. I took the scenic route." I hope my few minutes of tardiness caused no problems. Oh, and please call me Akira." I stated with a firm final handshake before I broke off.

"Please call me Jay. No need for the formalities. Alright then, let's get started on the interview, shall we?" I nodded and relaxed into the chair.

"What is your name and age?" Jay asked.

"My name is Akira Khuzwayo. I am 20 years old." I answered. Jay nodded and wrote my answer down. Did he just whisper Cool's last name?

"Alright, we gave you the paper as a recommendation for you to come here and pursue your future with us. But what makes you a capable person, and what is your work ethic?" Jay asked again.

I straightened myself up and made sure to keep extended eye contact with him. "Hire me and I will make sure your problems get fixed. I don't work for free, but I am good at problem-solving and am an able person. My recent performance is proof of that. But aside from dance, I am capable of video editing, I have advanced skills in production design; and I know how to run a show." I finished, as a matter of fact. This got him smiling like a clown. He recorded my answers and hummed.

"What does JYP Entertainment mean to you, Akira?" Jay asked with a smile on his face.

"A business place where I can see myself building a better future for the company and finding success here. JYP Entertainment is an idea with a strong resonance that fills my heart with pride. With that being said, I consider this an opportunity I simply can not pass up. I see myself building a future for the company and myself. I can be a valuable asset to this organization." I answered with a smile. That should keep him interested. Now I just need him to bring me the last few questions, so this is all hook, line, and sinker. If you want a job, suck up to the company and read their standards to match "their" interests. Corporate sleazeballs are too asinine to befriend. JYP SSI is a good example of that description. To him, I am just a kid that just knows how to dance and produce. To me, some tools.

My boss handed me my employee pass tied to a lanyard. I gracefully took it and wore it around my neck. It feels nice and snug.

From this day forward, Akira, you will be one of my valuable assets to JYP Entertainment. Please follow me to the JYP building." Jay spoke proudly. I tagged along and nodded to the receptionists, who waved at us both.

.o0o.

The tour went just like the videos showing how good Mr. JYP, the father of the popular kpop groups, is. He took me down to visit the Bobby Brown room, the Madonna room, and the Michael Jackson room. I will admit I was impressed with his attention to detail. He gave me insight on how he imported the red walls in the Michael Jackson room from Germany. 80% soundproof walls sound impressive. You can dance, sing, and cry and no one will hear it.

"You aren't an idol and technically aren't allowed to use these rooms. However, you are permitted to use these rooms as you see fit." Mr. JYP said.

I pointed out, "on the caveat, if the idols are not using it, do not worry, I won't use the rooms nor disturb the idols. Realistically, I will be too busy to use the rooms." Jay responded with a hum and beckoned me to follow him to another section of the floor.

"The basement has mostly rooms for dancing. However, there are also music rooms and private studios where you can train your vocal cords. Are you a singer, Akira, or perhaps a hidden idol?" Jay asked me in a teasing manner.

"I'm afraid not, Jay; I think I'm better suited to set design and a few 8-counts in dancing. I'll leave the singing to the professionals." I responded. As we walked, we headed up the stairs and went to the music factory floor. There are approximately 7 rooms on this floor. JYP also named the rooms after famous musicians in different decades. It's safe to say he also named the eight rooms across the street after musicians. Hold on a second. Is that Dr. Dre?

Jay heard me blurt it out. "Why yes, it is. Are you perhaps a fan of him?" Mr. JYP asked me. I nodded and I explained to him how he is a music producer I truly respect. The movie, Straight Outta Compton, was approximately 70% correct. However, the film impressed me with the tale of a rap group taking off. Dr. Dre has my respect for his impact in the music industry. He is an artist and not just a rapper.

"Excellent! You have great taste in music, Akira. By the way, let me show you my room and the rest of the area. " Jay continued, "Do you happen to know what the motto is on this floor?" I shook my head and paid more attention to him.

"'Start with your heart, finish with your brain'." Jay spoke.

"I don't quite follow. Can you go into detail with the motto meaning?" I asked politely. To be honest, I sort of figured out what it meant. Feelings and passion go hand in hand. If you are not passionate enough about your work, chances are the project is going to turn into shit. In some cases, an idol may not like the song they wrote, but the product still sells. In every line of work, there will always be something you will dislike doing. I plan to make my work and life balance bearable by just getting paid and getting out.

"The motto means you start with feeling like something you might like to do. And you will get lost and start to doubt the product, but it's important to maintain that feeling. Before you finish with your brain, try to analyze your work and compare it to the trends. And then, you can finish with your brain." Mr. JYP finished with that as we entered into his room, aka his museum of albums and prized possessions.

He talks about his prized signed guitar by Charlie Wilson and how it will never leave this room. He also mentioned that he doesn't dare remove the guitar from the display case; he doesn't deserve to use such a prized artifact. Come to think of it, he has so many black artists' albums and prized possessions. It looks like I know how he gets his inspiration.

We both arrived at the rooftop. I'd be lying if I said the view didn't amaze me. There is an abundance of vegetation, and the view is a huge plus. He joked with me about how anyone could go up here and hide behind bushes to not be disturbed.

"Mr. JYP This rooftop is amazing. The vegetation gives off nature's and relaxing vibes. I wish I had brought a book. That table near the glass fence is a perfect reading spot. I said in awe. There was a new parasol folded up and a table with four wooden chairs that had a lovely view of the Lotte Tower.

"I do like this site as well, Akira. The gardeners did an excellent job of maintaining the vegetation. Some Idol members go up here as well to relax or read. I want to direct your attention over there! It is the Lotte Tower, the giant building in the Seoul Olympic Park. So you know, the Lotte Tower is similar to New York's Empire State Building." Jay chuckled. I breathed in a smile and nodded to the joke. A good attempt, but poor execution. and a repeatable offense.

"Hey, are you feeling hungry?" I'm willing to treat you to some lunch, Akira. " Jay asked.

"I'm interested in what you have for lunch. I will take you up on that offer, Jay." I responded in kind.

"Excellent! Follow me, you're going to love this. " Mr. JYP said enthusiastically.

.o0o.

"So, 'JYP' here means home in Hangul, and the 'bob' followed by it is meal. So JYP or I like to advertise that we like to serve foods that are non-GMO, organic, non-MSG, environmentally friendly, and well, you get the idea. I've seen too many trainees in the past eat instant meals because they are always on the move to get busy. I'd like to rectify that. " Mr. JYP proudly stated. Not bad, though his "JYP" and "BOB" wordplay will sound unfamiliar to non-native Koreans. The food here smells really delicious. There are denizens of JYP employees eating and some K-pop idols lounging in chairs.

"I've taken the liberty to order us some kimchi, tteokbokki, some meats, and veggies. But you are free to order yourself some food, I'll be waiting for you in the room behind the glass double doors. Do you need some assistance on ordering?" Jinyoung Park asked me.

"That will be all JYP ssi, you have my thanks for treating me. Oh, and that won't be necessary. I can read the menu. Maybe I could try your guy's japchae or jajangmyeon. I assume the snack bowls are fair game. " I asked Jay. He nodded in an enthusiastic manner, and said he'd leave me to it. He added that I show my ID to the chef behind the counter, so they know my meals are on the house. Now that the tour is finally over, I can enjoy my time with the menu. Truth be told, the options on the menu are delicious. I will make love to the person who knows how to cook jajangmyeon. My mind is settled on the jajangmyeon and a side of bibimbap to even out the salt consumption from the jajangmyeon.

I walked up to the counter and greeted the chef behind the register. I showed him my employee card to prove my identity, and he smiled warmly. He was a bespectacled man who looked like he was in his late 40s. He is wearing a white chef hat, a long-sleeved shirt, and an apron wrapped around his abdomen.

"Ah, you must be the Akira who my boss kept on mentioning. Or should I say the performer? " The chef spoke highly.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, sir. I know nothing of my new moniker. " I spoke whilst glancing to the side. He snickered at my feigned ignorance and shook his head.

"I know what I saw, and my boss likes to talk about things he's taken an interest in. I don't think I remember the last time my boss was as excited as he is. It's because he treats people to two main dishes of his choosing and a selection of sides," The male chef fixed his glasses upwards and pondered a bit. "You wouldn't happen to be a performer? Are we being filmed for this exchange?"

I snorted at his terrible jokes. "If I wanted to film myself, I'd probably do it when there weren't this many people crowded into a cafeteria. Besides, I'll leave it to the professionals who know how to perform it. I performed because I was lucky enough to be selected, or the girl group was lucky; they picked three sane people." Well, one is an oddball and the other was an experienced dancer. Who was she again? That's a story for a different time.

"Ah, you're right, you just happen to match the same qualities as the young man I saw on TV. Ah, pardon me for sidetracking you. What would you like to order?" The chef stood attentively. I gave the menu a final once-over before I made up my mind.

I'd like to order one jajangmyeon and a bowl of bibimbap. Please have the egg cooked and seasoned. Oh, as for the drink, I like iced tea." I finished. The master chef nodded along and wrote down my order.

"Your order will be ready in about 10-15 minutes. We have snacks on the walls for you to eat in the meantime. I'll be sure to tell my chefs to take good care of your order." The chef beamed at me. I'm glad he is giving me a lot of respect and I appreciate his enthusiasm. To be honest, this whole thing feels weird. No offense to the chef, but I feel like I impacted him in some way. Was my performance that meaningful? I shook off my reverie and decided to help myself to the snacks and baked goods. Hmm, decisions, decisions. I think I'll take a yakgwa and 2 of their baked brownies. I made myself scarce from the snack aisle and sat down at a nearby table.

I became so engrossed with the brownie that I did not see where I was seated when I looked up. I see two pairs of eyes looking at me. One person has two blonde bangs on each temple, with a ponytail behind him. His face was angular, and he has everything that the Korean beauty standard could ask for. The other pair of eyes has a bowl-cut layered hairstyle. He is platinum blonde and is staring at me with his brown eyes.

"Uh, can we help you, dude?" The platinum blonde asked me quizzically. The male with the two blonde bangs nudged his companion.

"Dude, where are your manners? Maybe he's new here. Please forgive my friend here; he's just surprised you're sitting here. My name is Hyunjin. My friend here is I.N. or Jeong. We are waiting for our other friends to sit here." Hyunjin spoke in a friendly tone. He was keen to clear up the misunderstanding and explain his case. That's weird. I remember this table was empty when I was browsing the baked goods. Did we sit at the same time? A soft voice came out, and I directed my attention back to the platinum blonde.

"Ah, sorry, I didn't mean anything by my tone. Yeah, my name is Jeong, but my stage name is I.N. We are waiting for our friends to come to eat with us. You're welcome to sit with us. " I.N. smiled at me.

"Worry not, my order should be almost done. Someone is waiting for me in another section of the cafeteria. I seem to have you at a disadvantage, you can call me Akira." I spoke to them. They both nodded at each other, and Hyunjin extended his hand towards me.

"Cool name, we hope you enjoy the meals here. Organic meals are very good." Hyunjin responded with a smile.

"Akira? I assume you aren't a native around here? Akira... like Aki? " As soon as I.N. responded, I interjected.

"Don't call me that. To answer your first question, I was not born here." My smile did not reach to my eyes. I made extended eye contact with I.N. until he looked away and pursed his lips. Hyunjin seemed to enjoy this, and started to laugh.

"Your Korean is very good and well-mannered. Sometimes our foreign fans are either nervous or ill-mannered. There are some good eggs, but they can learn a thing or two from you. " I opened my mouth to correct Hyunjin. Suddenly, a loud voice rang out with my name. It looks like my order is ready.

"I'll have to cut this short. I'll leave you two alone. Enjoy your meals." I left them with that final message and picked up my order. Before I left, I thanked the bespectacled man again and picked up two gyozas to add to my plate. Mr. JYP was nice enough to open the door for me as I set my meals down on the table. We both paid our respects to the abundance of food in front of us and proceeded to feast.

.o0o.

Hyunjin POV

"That was him, right? The guy we saw at the concert?" I.N. asked me. That was him alright, I could just tell by looking at him. The cameras had a decent look at his face, but the bucket hat was troublesome. And also the face mask.

"Yeah, that has to be him. He almost has the same height as I thought, but I had to be extra sure. Good thing we sat here when he didn't notice us." I rubbed my chin to ponder what just happened. I.N. rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, at my expense. I didn't know his name was a touchy subject. Akira... cool name, and speaking of cool, that guy was not overbearing. He's like, sorta uptight. But I can feel him exuding confidence. Do you think he's the trainee our boss talked about?" I.N. asked me. I shook my head.

"Boss only mentioned his killer performance and his production design skills for shows. He never mentioned anything about singing. But you got that right, he has that air of confidence and that tall, imposing stature." I thought about this new Akira a bit more. I wonder what his deal is. I shook my head and turned towards my friend. "Let's get some grub. We can eat before we go to practice."

.o0o.

"That filled a hole in my stomach. You have my thanks, Jay." I'm a bit surprised you do not mind me dropping the honorifics. We only met about 2-3 hours ago. I gulped down my iced tea to wash down the food and sat back to relax. Jay is still finishing his portions, we both shared what we ordered, and had a 1 to 2 hours of conversation about the k pop industry in general. I'll have to know my stuff to make a difference here. The conversation was going smoothly until he started to talk more about himself and how he claims to be the father of the different groups here. This is the first time I met my boss. I don't hate him. He has numerous accomplishments and has pioneered this company to birth new and upcoming artists. It's mostly me having preconceived notions of corporate bosses, and I can safely say he is one of those sleazeballs.

For example, back when I was still working on my early contracts, I was slowly getting into the K-pop genre. There are about three or four companies I know. You have JYP, YG, SM, and BIGHIT Ent. or BIGHIT Music as of now. I understand idols have to make a career of themselves to advance through the industry, and there are a variety of music genres they produce thanks to their hard work. However, I was unfortunate enough to keep on listening to different bubbly "high school crush" songs in a random playlist I found on my streaming service. Those kinds of songs get really, ancient fast, and the worst part was that it was the song that blew the groups up.

Truthfully, I have a select few songs I like. In the Morning by, ITZY was a special case. The MV had great visuals, the costumes fit the theme, the song has replayability, and it is a hit song next to Wannabe. The song has everything to keep K-pop fans interested and garner new ones. Even if I become their stage designer and set pieces, I will never be able to compete with that level of art.

Well, I think I kept you here longer than I should have. I'll let you go. It was great getting to know you and your opinions on the industry. And I did not know you were so passionate about the production world. I'll see if there's a job for the next group MV. But I have to ask again, and please give me the same answer." Jay was chuckling to himself. He was reeling from my earlier response about tips on how to be a stage technician. I snickered at his chuckles. The joke was okay, but now he had gotten me to laugh along.

"Alright, I'm going to say this once more. So, to answer your question, how does someone start? Putting aside how I got into my last job, I was telling myself to just start. And once I started to work with other technicians and design my own shows, I couldn't stop. It helped me to be occupied, and the satisfaction was from a job well done. I like designing sets and props for shows so much that I can't seem to look at other people's progress on sets. It's not like I hate other production designers, but I like the occupation a lot. It's like watching somebody fucking your girl. And I say, "nah, I fuck her better than that."

Jinyoung Park could not contain his buildup of laughter. He exploded and clapped his hands loudly. It was so loud that it started to attract the attention of some onlookers outside the doors. I closed my eyes and shook my head at his explosion. I could not have picked a better metaphor for my explanation. Sue me. He finally calmed down and wiped a tear from his eye.

"Akira, keep up that witty nature of yours, and I'll just extend this partnership even further. Hell, I can put you in MVs with the groups here." The owner of JYP said gleefully. I shook my head and gave him a small smile.

"To be honest, I am more interested in the design aspects of the job. Also, I want to thank you again for your treat. You said I can start tomorrow, and where do you need me again?" I asked politely.

"About 10 a.m., you'll meet with your team director and your team in the office to the left of your cubicle on the 2nd floor. Again, please help yourself to our coffee shop or snacks in the kitchen area. You'll meet with your team every Monday for analysis of data and to display what you worked on for the week. If you have any questions or concerns, talk with your supervisor. If not, you're more than welcome to talk to me about any issues you may have." Jay finished the conversation with a firm handshake. I exited through the double doors and looked straight ahead, not paying attention to the gazes directed at me. I passed by the chef who took my order and gave a nod towards him. He returned with a beaming smile and told me to have a nice day.

I'll be starting part-time for now before they let me work full time. I am allowed to visit or explore the JYP buildings when I am not working or having downtime. But for now, I will travel back to my apartment to make myself dinner before I end the day.

*Now, it begins*