Author: FarFromSuga (Alyce)

"Hye-rim?!" her sister's face was one of absolute shock, her mouth rounded into an 'o' and her eyes wide. Hyerim's phone was propped up on the counter and she could just barely make out "What do you mean 'you're going on tour with BTS'? I didn't even know you quit your job!"

Hyerim shrugged, reading the directions on the box hair dye. 

"I mean, I wasn't really allowed to say anything." 

That was bullshit. 

Hyerim had gotten the job at BigHit in the course of just a few days. It had been surprisingly easy given her journalism experience and her knowledge of BTS which came partly from her day job, but also from her younger sister, Hye-su.

Hyerim hated lying to her sister. She hadn't, in fact, quit her job at the magazine, this was just all part of the plan. Going on tour hadn't originally been part of her plan, but when she mentioned it to her boss, she was ecstatic.

"You'll get to know the real BTS," her boss said. 

"That makes for a great article. Who knows what you'll dig up!"

With her boss's blessing, Hyerim applied for the job. It originally just looked like a typical public relations position with Hyerim monitoring media response to BTS and working to release statements to the media, etc. Nothing she hadn't done or seen before. However, when Hyerim finally sat down in the interview room, she found out it was so much more than that.

"Do you have a passport?" one of the interviewers asked. There were three in all. Two men and a woman.

"Yes," Hyerim said, her mouth staying open momentarily in confusion.

"Are you prepared to be gone for a few months?" he asked.

"Not exactly, but what exactly does that have to do with the job?"

The interviewers leaned back in their seats and whispered to each other, their voices just barely out of reach.

"This job includes touring with BTS on their world tour. We need someone like you to handle the media stuff abroad and promote them from city to city. We also want you to write up an article on the tour. It will be part of an exclusive fan release next year with an inside perspective on each member. We think you are perfect for the job and would love to offer it to you based on your experience within the field." 

The woman's voice was steady, but it felt like Hyerim was walking on a road after it had been torn apart by an earthquake.

Part of Hyerim wanted to take the job and explore the world. Another part of her wanted to just stay in her cozy apartment in Seoul. But, after Hyerim's break up and the way her career had been lately, it seemed stupid not to take the job.

"Do you think I'll look okay as a blonde?" Hyerim asked Hye-su, holding the box up to her face for comparison.

"As long as you don't leave it how it is now." 

Hyerim glanced in the mirror at your bleached hair that was dry and much too light. No matter what color she chose, bleaching was a must. 

"Why are you dying it anyway?"

"Cause I can," Hyerim stated, "BigHit doesn't have any restrictions on hair color." 

Another lie. While it was unlikely she would be recognized from her job as a reporter at a tabloid magazine, she wasn't going to take any chances. 

"I just want to try something new."

"You know it's common to change your appearance after a trauma? You know, like a break-up?"

"Hye-su! That was months ago!" Hyerim rolled her eyes, "I'm completely over it! I'm moving on with my life."

"Mhm," Hye-su dramatically eyed her through the camera.

"You have tickets for the BTS concert in London, right?"

Hyerim's sister nodded. 

"You're going to be there aren't you?"

Hyerim nodded and squealed with her sister. She had been in London studying for nearly four months and still had another 5 to go. 

"I might be able to get you backstage, but I can't promise anything."

Her mouth fell open and Hyerim couldn't help but laugh. 

"Just don't get your hopes up, okay? It's still a new job and I don't want to ask too many favors."

Hye-su nodded, although it was obvious from the smirk on her face and the light in her eyes that she had already gotten her hopes up.

"Anyway, I need to go, okay? I'm meeting them tomorrow, so I want to make sure that my hair turns out."

Hyerim and Hye-su said their goodbye and she ended the call before the butterflies in her stomach caused her to throw up. She absolutely hated lying to her sister. When the article came out, she wasn't sure she would even want to talk to her anymore, depending on what she found out. And, of course, there was the possibility that Hyerim or her magazine could get sued, but her boss had already told her she was handling that.

But, if this is what Hyerim had to do to make a name for herself, then she would do it. Hyerim looked at herself in the mirror, the stringy bleached strings of her hair hanging around her face.

"You got this," Hyerim said, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She tried telling herself that she was doing this all for a book deal in the future. It was always easier to get a book deal once her name was known, regardless of why.

^^^

Hyerim stepped off the bus about a block from the photoshoot location. She stood straight, but her eyes round and soft, giving away the illusion of her confidence. It wasn't so much meeting celebrities or the intense environment of assistants rushing around and flashing cameras, it was more so that she would be caught. That one of the photographers would recognize her or that somehow they would've found out that she planned to double-cross them.

Her phone dinged.

Him (8:45am): Good luck at the new job today. :)

Hyerim smiled. She couldn't believe he remembered, he'd told her that his job was demanding and that he would text her back as soon as he could. The fact that he took a few minutes to wish Hyerim luck made her chest ache.

But, why was she lying to him?

Sure, it was a new job, but she never quit her old one. The feeling in her chest soon sunk to Hyerim's stomach where she chose to hide it.

Hyerim(8:46am): Thank you. :)

Him (8:47am): You know, I still don't know your name. I know so much about you and yet I don't have a name to go with your face.

Hyerim laughed. Hyerim and Him had been talking for the past couple of weeks. Sending corny jokes and just talking about each other's days. She learned that he was busy most of the time and that he had an affinity for terrible puns.

Hyerim(8:50am): I'm almost there. Gotta go. ;)

^^^

The photoshoot was inside a studio and as soon as she was cleared to go in, she was met with a flurry of people. Most of them stylists and assistants working to do their jobs as quickly as possible.

It wasn't long before the lead assistant came over to Hyerim. He was tall and looked vaguely exhausted, his glasses sliding off his nose.

"Hi, you must be Y/N," he said. "I'm Sejin. Let me introduce you to the guys. They aren't all finished yet, but it shouldn't be long."

Sejin led Hyerim towards the back where various couches were set up. Two boys lounged on one of the couches, their focus on their phones, so they didn't seem to notice her approach.

"Jungkook, Taehyung," Sejin said, clearing his throat.

The two boys looked up and greeted her politely. While they were wearing makeup and were dressed in fancy clothing for the photo shoot, she could tell that they were gorgeous, even without all of that. Jungkook's wide smile and Taehyung's thoughtful eyes, she understood why her sister and their legion of fans swooned over them.

Sure, she'd seen their posters and billboards, but she didn't think they'd look so much like those photos in real life. In fact, they looked better, their natural awkwardness, giving the members a certain charm.

Next, Sejin introduced her to Jimin and Hoseok, Yoongi and Namjoon, and finally, she approached one of the sets. Jin was still posing and the camera flashing.

He was a natural at taking direction from the photographer and often shifting his pose before the photographer told him to do so. Hyerim's breath hitched as his eyes locked with hers. He nearly felt otherworldly, his jawline looked as if it'd been cut perfectly by a sword. His eyes were dark to the point she wasn't sure if he was looking through her or at her.

"Jin," Sejin said as soon as the member was dismissed from the shoot. He walked in her direction and she felt something warm growing in her stomach. 

"This is Y/N. She will be the journalist traveling with you during the tour and writing the exclusive article."

Jin bowed. 

"Nice to meet you, Y/N. You look familiar. Have we worked together before?"

Panic ran down her spine. There was no way Seokjin recognized her. She'd never met the man. She was more expecting one of the photographers or the paparazzi outside to believe she looked familiar.

"I don't think so," Hyerim said.

"Ah, well, it's nice to meet you. Are you coming to the show tonight?"

Hyerim nodded. She was going to be down in the thick of the crowd to experience what a concert felt like from a fan's perspective. She imagined throughout the tour she would typically watch from backstage, but the fan experience was something she needed to understand for the article.

"Yes, I think they reserved me a seat in the front row."

Jin nodded. 

"I'll look out for you. Maybe if you're lucky you'll catch one of my kisses." 

He winked at her before walking away to the other members.

Hyerim stood frozen for a second. She knew they weren't allowed to date staff, it had been in her contract, too. So, why then was he so openly flirting her?

Hyerim smiled. If she could get Seokjin to fall in love with her, it would certainly be a scandal, one that would make the front page. And one, that would certainly put her name on the map. She didn't even need to be in a relationship with him. Just enough contact to raise suspicion. Just a rumor. All it took was one little rumor to make the perfect headline.

-FarFromSuga